The Adventures of Walter-The-Duck!

Meet Walter. Walter The Duck. That's his name ........ it came on his box. You can't change a name when it comes on the box!

Walter is a crested runner. Ahh....... but there are no crested runners, you say. That is correct. Walter is a mutt but we say that softly. We don't want to hurt his feelings. So as far as Walter is concerned, he is a crested runner. He may be the only crested runner but he is one.

Back in May, I received a phone call late on a Saturday afternoon. "Clink, you have ducks, right? My neighbor came home with a baby duck and can't keep it. Can you take it?"

Like the poultry connoisseur that I am (?) -- I asked what breed the duckling was. "I don't know, its yellow." Why did I ask? I was going to take the duck anyway ..... I'm a sucker for fuzzy yellow things that go peep!

Julie brings Walter out in his official "Walter-The-Duck box". And Honey takes one look at Walter and decides its much too cold to put poor Walter out in the shop. Walter needs to be in the laundry room. So into the laundry room Walter goes ......... for a month!

In the meantime, Walter got used to the cats and seemed to imprint after them. He had a particularly favorite cat ............ Ditto.


Walter is my buddy ......... bugs as I weed, greets customers when they call. Walter starts quacking loudly when he hears my voice in the morning. When I go out to do chores, Walter comes running and lies down low, waiting to be picked up and hugged. And every morning, then and there, he poops on my shirt! But as Honey says.......... its just Walter's way of saying he gives a sh*t!

Walter is always up by the porch by dark, waiting to be tucked into his kennel. At times, he will peck at the screen door, quacking away -- telling us that it is time to go to bed! But last night, he surprised us. He wasn't there at 10 0'clock. I called ............. and no answer. We walked around ... calling and searching his favorite haunts .............. still no Walter.


Finally, we hear Whosit's soft peep, peep, peep. And behind the water tanks, stands Walter and Whosit. Walter is very quiet ..........totally unlike himself. He quickly lets me pick him up and hold him .................. never making a peep.

I take Walter up to the kennel and I am concerned because this is not how Walter acts. Walter is boisterous and loud ............... after all, he is my duck!!! So I pick Walter up and he cuddles up against me ........... quiet and scared.

Then Honey looks down in the kennel ......................... suddenly, there is a tiny round egg! Walter is a she .................. not a he!!!!

So as we debate Walter's name.......................... (How can I change it?? It was on his box!) we will watch Walter, smelling the flowers. Change comes into everyone's life. Accepting it is the key.