Monday, April 28, 2008

Something New, #1


Rescue 911

Since today is the day I start trying something new, I thought I'd start out with baby steps. Instead of getting my usual Almond Amaretto (isn't that redundant?) coffee at the QT, I decided to live dangerously, and get the Toffee. (Hey, I have to come up with 395 of these, so give me some time to build up to things like bungee-jumping.) I survived deviating from my usual selection, but the birthday gods had other plans.

The parkway across from where I work has a pretty good sized creek running down the middle. My boss took me to lunch, and on the way back as we were going over one of the bridges over the creek, there was a mama duck and her babies in the street. She had led them off the grass and down the curb, and was trying to get them back up the curb. There were about a dozen of them, and they couldn't get back up. We parked at our building, and I ran in to get my cell phone so I could take a photo and find something to use for a duck ramp. I found a folder I thought would work, and ran back out.

Here's what I learned. Ducks are bad at following directions.

No matter how many times I asked, they did not go up the folder-ramp. Mama Duck kept quacking at me, and the ducklings were peeping themselves silly. So I finally just used the folder as a duckling-lift, and scooped up a batch and popped them on the grass. That group took off down the embankment while I scooped up the rest. That batch scooted down the embankment, then to the ledge over the culvert. They all dropped about 12 feet down into the creek, where Mama Duck and the rest were waiting, already in formation. Carolyn and Michelle from the office cheered me from the parkway.

So I feel like I did a good deed, and tried something new to boot. I also learned how to get a photo from my camera onto my computer, so I guess that makes 3 new things I did today.

I'd better pace myself.

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