Cats, ducks and things that go with them

They say there are "dog people" and "cat people". I have never been impressed with any cat I have ever met and that's why I have always been a dog person.


My husband, on the other hand, is doing his best to change my mind. Before I got here,  he was a sucker with a cat-flap on his door [without owning a cat, mind you] and adopted the cocky little black furball that would be waiting for him at 1am when he got home from work. Hrumph.


So, now Bubba has us all pretty well trained. And, to make it all worse, hubby insists on teasing me by telling me that Bubba is 'my' cat. The audacity. Just because he doesn't think he is fed until I feed him. Just because he runs to me for protection from the rest of the family who love to pick him up and cuddle and virtually hold him captive because I simply ignore him most of the time. Just because I'm the only one he claws and bites--apparently, as a show of affection--when I occasionally rub his belly. Hmmm.


Am I a cat person, yet? The verdict is still out.


And I'm still waffling about the ducks, too. It's nice to have one or two on the pond. They are quite exquisite birds. I'd be lying if I said that each brood of ducklings that are led here every year aren't cute. And, it is quite interesting to study the heirarchy of the paddle [strange word, I know, but apparently correct] of ducks and especially watching the mama duck go to extreme lengths to protect her little ones until they can fly [about 3 or 4 months old] even when they are just as big as she is!


OK, it's kinda cute when they waddle up the stairs, across the patio and peck on the picture window in an effort to beg for food. On the other hand, all animals that eat must....um, eh, excrete. And, I suppose any excretion is eventually good fertilizer for the grass, but having to wash the patio down before I can walk out in my bare feet is more than a little irritating.

And, yes, I do wonder where they are when none of them show up for a couple of days. But, when they come back en masse, and I have to chase them off over and over because they fly off and make circles several times checking to see if it's clear to land again--well, those are the times when I'm glad that duck season is just around the corner.