And the ducks keep coming...

Today was a busy day. I was up early with the Menace, made coffee, had cereal and was off to test students by 7:30. After that I worked at camp. Nothing will tell you that you are out of shape than having to hike a steep grade with a bunch of kids. Of course it didn't help I had started Cto5k the night before and had run 1.25 miles. Rather poor planning on my part. Then I buzzed home, grabbed some stuff and was off to Sparrow's for her birthday. (Happy Birthday LBB!) Now I am finally home and after a hot bath, am happily at my computer.

Now while there were many dragonflies about today, there was nary a duck to be seen. Until I got home and found the above picture on my Facebook page...a little bit of brightness from one of my sister Dark Faeries (I miss you all bunches!) It just made me giggle. And the duck lesson for the day....

Sometimes you have to make do with what you have available where you are. To make sure it will be a good day, it is always a good idea to bring a friend along with you.

Ducks in a row?

Yes, I am continuing with the duck motif. Some of it is all Noreen's fault(waves at Noreen) some of it is a worthy nod of the head to the ducks that have been in my life.I had a pet duck as a child. (No, I did not have a normal childhood) I also had a "wild" Mallard hen that used land on the deck to visit with me daily when I worked as a waitress on Lake Sunapee. (The customers thought it amusing, unless she was trying to steal their food.) Until the other day, I hadn't really thought about the duck affinity.

The plan last night was to right something witty about the ducks for today's blog. I had just found out last I got a job teaching a college Ecology course (yay me!) so my mood was very happy (and I'm always witty...right?). However, other circumstances waylaid the plan. Today was stressful enough that I went for a run when I got home...something I haven't done in months. It was that, eat what was left of the cake and ice cream in the house or throw a major tantrum. Figured the run would be the lesser of the evils... besides the sweets would still be there when I got back and tantrums are always an option if nothing else succeeds.

The run helped though I still wasn't in the mood to write. But I figured, what the hell...I'll try it anyway. This blog may not have the zip and zing I had planned, but I think the message is still important. To proceed, you have to have your ducks in a row. Of course in life, ducks don't usually stay in the row...so it is an ongoing process. You get one thing set and all the others move around causing chaos and mayhem (they are very cute and fuzzy and they DO cause a hell of a lot of trouble). So you have to keep putting them back in the row...and that is ok. Cause my ducks are all lined up above and they look like they are ready to dance!

Dandelions

I realized today it has been awhile since I've blogged. Some of it is that not much has changed. Despite being fairly busy, I really haven't gotten anywhere. Apparently, I'm working on patience...not one of my better virtues. So in the meantime, I'm doing what I can, around very nasty headaches and waiting for what comes next, whatever that is.

One bright spot, strangely out of place and time is the dandelion growing on our side lawn. I noticed it yesterday, Halloween, while I was walking one of the dogs. A single, bright yellow dandelion growing happily in late October. Odd, yes?

I'm choosing to take it as a positive sign. In the language of flowers, these happy, little "weeds" stand for happiness, love and faithfulness. Not a bad omen. Personally, dandelions have always been one of my favorite flowers. (Yes, further proof of how truly touched I am, I know.) They are bright and soft and can grow in the most difficult of circumstances. Is it really any wonder I loved them as a child? Plus, when they transformed to seed, they became my first magic wands. I learned to make a wish by blowing upon dandelion seeds long before I learned to make a wish with daisies.

So maybe instead of working on patience (cause really, we are talking about me here) I will focus on the enduring, gently toughness and faithfulness of the dandelion. I like that much more.