Happy as a Duck in Water

"Happy as a Duck in Water!"  Whoever originated this quote sure knew a lot about the nature of ducks!  They absolutely love being in the water, and while today is a miserable, soggy day in Santa Barbara, our two Cayugas are in duck heaven!  I've been watching them all day from my kitchen window as they've been swimming happily in our yet to be completed duck pond.   We are the proud owners of a big dirt hole in our back yard. Last winter the hole filled up with rain water and stayed that way all through the rainy season.  Summer came and went, and here we are again--rainy season is starting, and we still have a large dirt hole in our backyard, and now it's full of rain water AGAIN! 

But, at least this winter, the ducks are making good use of it--completed or not.  The boys dug the pond a year and a half ago (July 2009), and as things go around here at Swanson Acres, we might possibly finish the pond in another year or 2!  We are not known for our speedy attention to house projects. 

So, while I'm still only dreaming of a beautifully landscaped pond, surrounded by water lilies and bamboo, our ducks don't know the difference.  They are happy and splashy in the muddy mess at Swanson Acres!