The duck did what?

Yesterday I came home and my mom brought Elliott over to see my "yuck." We went to look for the duck, but it was momentarily gone. What does that mean? It means we should look and see what it is doing in my flowers.

Lo and behold . . . . EGGS! There are 7 of them that I can see.

A few minutes later I went to get the mail and when I came outside, mama duck was roaming around my yard. She'd come back and I think she knew I had been messing with her nest. She gave me a dirty look. By the time I got the mail and returned, she'd gone back to sitting on the nest again. Hopefully I didn't traumatize her too bad.

In other news, 4 of my lilies bloomed overnight. They are very pretty!

What do you do with a duck?

There is a duck living in our flower beds, between the daisy and the columbine. I don't know what to do. I think it's building a nest. I tried to call animal control, but they sent me on a phone scavenger hunt that ended up with someone's voicemail and no one has called me back yet. There is a slight odor to it, not normal to my yard. No, it's not dead. You can see it breathing, but it doesn't move otherwise. I tried to scare it away like I would a cat, but it doesn't budge.

I was reading up on ducks and they lay one egg per day for 8-12 days and then they start sitting on the nest. They sit on the nest for 25-30 days, then the ducklings hatch and within a few more days they leave to find water.

I don't know if I really want a duck living in my yard for that long if that is indeed what is happening. It kind of freaks me out. I can feel its presence.

James said he had seen it before, but I saw it for the first time on Sunday. We were having a barbecue for James' birthday and the poor duck was freaking out because it couldn't get into our yard. It kept flying up to the fence, looking at us, and leaving.

I haven't seen any eggs, so I'm not sure what's going on. Any ideas????

Summer Updates

This summer has been great so far, but a little different than usual. What's going on?

• The stupid weather (although I actually kind of like the rain, so maybe it's not so stupid) has put a dent in pool preparations. It's nearly the 4th of July and no one has even been in the cement pond yet. I worked on it today for a while and it's coming along. The water is actually crystal clear, but every time the wind blows or it rains we have to start all over again getting the gunk out. It should be ready to go for Saturday, though. The worst thing about it is that without the pool, I feel like I haven't hung out with my Grandma as much as I usually do. I think she really looks forward to the summer time and people hanging out at her house, but I just haven't done that too much yet. I'll work on it.


• I have now worked for the Utah State Historical Society for nearly 10 years. However, the 2 good ladies in charge of me when I started working there in 2000 have both retired and it's been a rough go to get hired on this summer, even though the people I will be immediately working with have assured me that they need my help and there is plenty of work to be done. Hopefully beurocratic red tape and paper work will be completed so I can start on Monday and have a full 6 weeks to work before I go back to school. Keep your fingers cossed. Here is a look at what I have worked on in years past. Scroll down. I've had my hand in all but 2 of these online collections.


• The Shavy Shack is up and running. Ross has been inventing business scheme ideas since he first married my sister, but this summer he actually decided to pursue one of them and has enlisted all our help. Shavy Jones is now open for business on 10400 South Bangerter Highway. Saturday was great. Monday was pretty good. Today was a little slower, but I think Annie and Ross are confident that it will take off. We all hope for the best and recognize the effort they have both put into it. Come and visit if you haven't stopped by yet! It's quite tasty and don't be afraid to try the "buried treasure style" with ice cream.


• James was gone for a couple of weeks doing his National Guard Annual Training. Although he was only a few miles away at Camp Williams, he was sequestered and not able to leave his duties during that time (with and exception of a few hours on Father's Day). I missed him. Our house is kind of boring without someone to bug. Oh, and our house got a bit messy. I guess that means that the clutter was all my fault. Oh well. Glad he made it back safe and sound. Did you hear the big booms last week from the south end of the valley? Yeah, that was him.


• That's it! Yeah for summer!!