CHUCKLING WITH THE DUCKS
CHUCKLING WITH THE DUCKS!
September 15, 2009
Due to having had a highly stressful past week, I decided to do something healthy for myself. I drove 6 miles to the quaint rural town of Boiling Springs, PA to ‘take a nature moment’. [I ended up having a casual LAUGHTER session with the CHUCKLING, CHATTERING, HONKING, HEH HEH HEHing DUCKS as I released my stress and communed with nature.]
My destination: Boiling Springs Children’s Lake
This is a beautiful, pristine lake made by the BUBBLING waters from a natural, Artesian Well!
There are stone steps at various areas, leading to the water. There is a path all around the lake. It’s beautiful! It is home to a variety of Mallard Ducks, White Geese with Bright Orange beaks, Brown Geese, and some swans!
I made sure to wear my bug spray, due to the swarms of mosquitoes in our area.
My intention was to have a peaceful, meditative time, communing with nature.
I STEALTHILY walked across the grass towards the first stone step area I saw, leading down to the water.
There was a group of Mallard Ducks ‘just hanging out’ along the grass near the stone wall surrounding the lake. I didn’t want to disturb them…. So sloooowwwwwly I approached with ‘KUNG FU – GRASSHOPPER-like’ stealthiness. (is that a word? ;o) )
As I reached the top, stone step – NO FOOLING! I SWEAR! – what had someone written on the stone with black marker but: HAHAHA (one HA on top of the other in columnar form)
Just then, some of the sleeping mallard ducks started to honk/cluck??; but they sounded like they were LAUGHING! Quack quack quack! Heh Heh Hehhhhhh!
So! Taking the synchronistic message from the Universe – HA HA HELEN sat on the HA HA HA STEP!
My stealth walking worked! I hadn’t disturbed the Mallard ducks nestled to the right of me, on the grass! *pfew!
Some Mallard ducks were in the lake water, just 3 steps down from where I was sitting.
I was thrilled to not have disturbed their routine.
There were a bunch of Geese, farther out in the lake, HONKING HONKING HONKING –
The longer I sat there, the more the natural movement of the FOWL FRIENDS continued around me.
At one point – 7 White Geese and two – inter-FOWL geese (1/2 white ½ brown) – there’s no prejudice in this community! – swam towards me. Then, they went to an area to my left where they could walk out of the lake onto the grass. It was so wonderful, I guess the lead/guard goose came over to ‘check me out’ for safety sake. I remained still. Then they happily went around, finding food items in the grass/dirt.
Having gotten past my bug phobia a year ago – now being in appreciation of all life – a bee started to fly around my hand. I sat still, THRILLED that I could accept it. It lightly flew around my hand and graced me with a soft kiss of its furry body. I had to SMILE – having allowed myself to have this peaceful interaction with this industrious insect.
Then came the loud, boisterous geese from the far end of the lake. It was great! They were flapping their wings with vigor – flying about 15 feet as their webbed feet skimmed the water – then they would THRUST themselves INTO the water – SWIM 15 FEET UNDER WATER! – and pop up out of the water! I had never seen this before! It seemed to be the larger geese that were doing this – possibly strengthening their wings, getting ready to fly South? The smaller geese seemed to be staying out of it. So, I thought it might be a way of showing their strength? Either way, it was a joy to behold!
Later, the large, white, orange billed geese PLOPPED one by one, off the stone wall, back into the lake.
Then, two Mallard ducks swam towards where I was sitting. It was like one of them was CHATTERING with the other one, telling a story. It was making this very fast CHATTERING sound as if it was LAUGHING as it was telling a story to its friend! I LAUGHED OUT LOUD when I heard it!
So, I had a casual LAUGHTER session with the CHUCKLING, CHATTERING, HONKING, HEH HEH HEHing DUCKS as I released my stress and communed with nature.
It was a HA HA HAPPY TIME!
HA HA HELEN OF LAFOLOT
LIVING IN THE MOMENT…
LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
[this blog can also be read at the Vibrant Nation site under blogger name: Helenoflafolot]
Tags: ducks, geese, Ha Ha Helen, lafolot, Laughter, meditation, stress relief
The geese won’t fly south, unless they are Canadians. Domestic geese don’t have urge to do that, plus they can’t get super airborne. So, are the brown ones Canadian, do you think? I ask because I have two brown Domestic geese — one is a Chinese (Sydney)and one is an African (Phoenix). Then, there is the noisy French one (Brie, aptly named).
Oh, and they totally do swim underwater. It’s the funniest thing, isn’t it???
Janet! You are such an expert on Geese! I have no clue. I think they are/were the standard brown/grey/black feathered Geese. There were about 6 to 8 of the big, white with the orange beeks. All I know is – it was fun to watch! YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE TO COMMENT ON MY BLOGS! YEAHHHHHHHHHH! YOU’RE THE WINNER! ahahaha -