Duck Butts

   This is the upside of a duck. It is what you would normally see when driving by a pond or creek which had Mallard ducks swimming around in it. But that is not what I see most mornings.

   It's not the side of a duck I've been seeing lately in a big puddle in a field near our home. I drive by this field which is very small, several times a day.
    It's actually a tiny piece of property just behind a store with a storm water creek on the other side. That creek is usually where my fine feathered friend resides, but this spring has been very rainy. The field which is for sale and has been for several years, tends to hold water in one spot. The water doesn't run off much to the chagrin of the property owner who is trying to sell it.
    But this spring a couple of ducks have discovered it is the perfect spot to find food.  Because it is just a puddle, when the weather is dry there is grass growing there, but when it rains a lot, this low area of the property becomes very saturated and becomes almost a pond in itself.  And now the ducks have discovered it.
    It's the perfect place for  two Mallards to enjoy a peaceful breakfast. It's open and exposed but that makes it easy for them to spot predators on the prowl.  It is filled with very clean rainwater and fresh green grass which makes for excellent fishing.  At least I think that's what they are doing because most of the time what I see is this:

   Because the area this puddle exists is a heavy traffic area, I really have to keep an eye on the cars in front of me and I never text and drive so when I glance over to the puddle to see if the ducks are eating  I use my phone's Siri to send a message to my husband.  "Duck butts."
   The problem with me speaking my message to Siri is she doesn't understand the context of my message.  What she types is like she is waiting for me to finish a sentence. "Duck but..."
   Now, I've tried several different ways of stating my message but it kind of ruins the joke if you have to first spell out the word b..u..t..t. to Siri.  And no matter what sentence or phrase I speak to Siri, 'Duck Butt' does not seem to be in her vocabulary. So that has become the joke in our house too. Not only do we get to see duck butts from our car window, we laugh because Siri cannot understand why we send incomplete messages. "Duck but..."
   Lately, a couple of Canadian Geese have also discovered the pond. When they land the ducks graciously let them have the space for a while. But later in the day, the ducks will be back again enjoying their almost private pond, eating contentedly, upside down.