Breaking Ice

When we returned from Philadelphia, I did not see the ducks on the pond. I wondered if after a few days without breakfast, they had moved to another location. With 50 pounds of corn in the garage, I hoped they would return.

When I opened the blinds this morning, I saw the ducks on the pond. I immediately went into the garage, grabbed a scoop of corn and headed outside.

When I got to the pond, I realized that ice had formed along the edge and only the middle was unfrozen. The ducks tried to swim to me, but they were not strong enough to break through the ice.  I threw some corn onto the ice, but the ducks just quacked softly and would not reach for it.

By kicking the ice with my heel, I managed to break it  Unfortunately,  there was still a few feet of ice between the ducks and I. I grabbed a long tree limb and began to shatter the ice. The noise of the limb hitting the ice scared the ducks and they swam as far away as possible.  Eventually there was a free path for the ducks. I sprinkled the corn on the ground and went to walk the dogs. The mallards slowly swam over and ate.

I can't help but wonder what our neighbors must think.