Hey, friends!
I hope all is well with you. You should drop me a line and let me know!
Fall is definitely here in North Carolina. The leaves are mostly off the trees, thanks to a stiff wind last weekend. Mom and Dad fired up my favorite wood stove, and I’ve been spending some lovely, contemplative hours standing in front of it and charging up my “heat panels”.
So, this morning, I’m in my usual favorite spot. All is quiet except a bit of wind rattling leaves against the window. It is time for my second nap, so I sort of doze off. Next thing I know, I hear Mom calling, “Stuuuuaarrrtttt!”, then Dad calling, “Stuart!!!”. Then I hear both of them calling me, really fast and urgent-like, from the back room. Well, I pick myself up on my legs and get to quacking back there! Sounds like somebody needs my help!
I get to the back room, and there are Henry and Charlie. Not Mom, Not Dad, just Henry and Charlie. I’m looking all around, quack a time or two with the mystery of it all, and go back to my favorite spot.
Juuust about the time I drop back into my nap, I hear, “Stuuuarrrrttt!” I give a quick grumble as I waddle back to the back room. Nobody is there, just Charlie and Henry. I coulda’ sworn I heard a chuckle!!! I glare up at the sound, and Henry and Charlie collapse into giggles on their perches, hollering in unison, “STTTUUUUAARTTT!!!”
Great. Just what I need is a Peanut Gallery!
Do you think it was a fluke of the full moon?
Talk to you soon!
Stuart
Hello, friends!
Halloween is coming fast, and I’m trying to figure out what I want to dress up as this year. Isn’t it the MOST fun, picking a new look for a day? I’ve been surfing the web, looking for a costume. There are just so many to choose from! It is really hard to improve on my regular ducky looks.
I hope we are bobbing for apples this year; it is my specialty! And I just love seeing all the kids dressed up to come trick-or-treating. Mom gets the best candy in the neighborhood, plus our house looks neat at sundown (especially with all the spider webs this year), so we see LOTS of kids!
I just love this time of year! Let me know how your Halloween goes…I just know it will be a ducky day!
Stuart
Hello, friends!
Oh, boy, am I ever tired!!! Mom, Dad, and I decided to take a picnic and “D’s Stu Canoe” to the lake today. We picked a gorgeous day and a lovely spot to eat, but all I could think about was taking a swim!
I hopped in the canoe while it was still in the parking lot. Ready to go!
And I don’t have to paddle!
It took forever, but they finally got the canoe in the lake. Off we went. I would get impatient, and hop into the lake to show them which way we should go. I can see bugs THIS way! Then I would get tired from swimming, and Mom would help me back in the canoe.
This is the life…
Those geese with the funny French accent kept flying overhead all day. I wonder what all the FUSS was about?
We stayed for most of the day, and finally waddled home around sunset.
Today was Definitely a Ducky day!
Stuart
Hello, friends!
I got a nifty note from a fellow duck blogger. His name is Mr. Flapper. Mr. Flapper has his own website and even a Flapper-cam! I can check in on my new friend any old time by visiting his blog.
Right now, he seems to be swimming in his pool. Hey, that’s a pretty swell catch-phrase! Maybe Mom will get me one of those t-shirts.
We can never meet too many friends. I am as pleased as bugs that I made Mr. Flapper’s acquaintance. I feel sure Mr. Flapper would be pleased to see from you, too.
After watching Mr. Flapper swimming I’m inspired to take a bath…I need one!
Ahhhh it feels good just to be wet!
Here I go…
Gotta scrub behind my ears
Rub-A-Dub-Dub!
A clean duck is a beautiful thing!
Ducks are made for surfing the web, you know.
Make it a ducky day!
Your Pal Stuart
Hello, all!
I hope everything is going well for you. We are doing just ducky!
This summer seems to have flown by. Fall will be winging in here in no time flat.
The children have returned to school, and that means its time for football!!! Our lovely Victorian home is situated with a stellar view of the local high school football field! I can even see just fine while I’m swimming in my pool!
Over the years, we have seen some really great games. I must admit, I enjoy watching the players line up in formations. Ducks are really good at getting in line, too! I also like it when they do kick-offs and kick at the field goal. Being ‘digitally challenged,’ I am not overly fond of the passing game.
The very best part of the football games might be the food Mom makes. Wow!
Well, we are heading off to the local farmer’s market. My tomato supply is getting low!
Make it a ducky day!
Stuart
Hello, friends!
The mountains are the place to be!
We have been riding up the Blue Ridge Parkway north from Highway 21 outside Sparta, NC. I think it is one of the nicest roads to travel I have ever been on. There are places to pull off of the road and ogle the pretty scenes…I even found a bug or two to check out!
There must be something BIG going on at the Blue Ridge Music Center there were signs everywhere about some Bluegrass festival. We pushed on to Fancy Gap, VA for a quick detour to shop and have lunch.
There was a log cabin nearby, formerly occupied by Ms. Puckett. She was a lucky lady to have such a nice house! They are also really nice to let us walk around in their yard and check out the fancy split-rail fence.
Next we stopped at Mabry Mill. There is a lot to see and learn at this spot! See for yourself at this link. I had to check out the Mill in action, from all sides. I even met a new friend! Looks like he has the pond all to himself.
Stuart’s New Buddy
We passed through some other neat places on our way home…I just have to come back and explore Hillsville. They have a bunch of neat stuff to do almost all year long! (they have a great big Antique Extravaganza here on Memorial Day and Labor Day each year), and the Galax and Independence area (where they go all-out for the Fourth of July).
I hope you are doing ducky!
Stuart
Hello, Friends!
I guess today is as good a day as any to make a confession: I have a thing for feet! Maybe it is because I see so many feet, being vertically challenged and all…maybe it is because toes are so…odd…compared to a well-appointed webbed foot. At any rate, I look at feet. Bring on the painted toenails!!!
If the feet are covered, I look at shoes. Some shoes I love, like sandals. Some shoes I love to play with, like Crocs.
All toes are nibble-worthy…especially if I feel playful, or need to remind someone who is boss! It is SUPER fun to nibble toes that are taking a shower, because they don’t expect it! And red toenails remind me of tomatoes, so of course I have to have a go at them.
I love all things feet…even sports that are played with the foot, like soccer. My favorite toy is a soccer ball, and I’m actually rather good at soccer. Do you want to see my trophy?
Anyway, I wanted to share with you my feelings of sadness. I saw the first brown leaf of the year, which I expect is the first of many, that symbolizes the changing of the seasons. In that one brown leaf, I visualized the sandals going in the closet and the boots coming out.
It’s a sad, sad day. Unless you have a favorite duck-down coat you’ve been hoping to dust off and feel comfortable in! Maybe things aren’t so sad, after all!
Make it a ducky day!
Your Pal Stuart
Hello, Friends!
Happy Labor Day to each and everyone of you! I’m taking this holiday seriously even though Mom and Dad are working like mad remodeling one of our bathrooms. We plan to convert our house into a Bed & Breakfast Inn one day, and our guests will need comfy places to splash around! I usually serve in a supervisory capacity for all the renovation projects but I think they can do with out me for one day!
Don’t I look like a tough boss?
So, since I have all day to do what I want to do, I’m taking a short trip down memory lane and you’re invited. Maybe some of you are curious about what I looked like before I got so grown up and incredibly handsome.
Can you see a hint of greatness in my little face?
I had a commanding presence at a very early age!
Hmmm, our stock of grape tomatoes is unguarded at the moment. I’ll see you guys later! Hope you all have a great holiday!
Your Pal,
Stuart
Hello, friends!
I hope you all are doing great…and having a fun summer.
On Fridays, if we haven’t made any plans and don’t have a big project going, we tune into PBS at 8:00 PM to find out what is happening around the state. Well!!! This week, we found out about the “Art Ducko” exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.
I am pretty anxious to get down there and see if anyone I know is featured! It is not completely out of the realm of possibility that some of MY ART is being featured…Mom got me some paints and I did create some masterpieces!
I gotta go for now…Mom just painted her toenails and they are begging to be chased and nibbled!
Make it a ducky day!
Your Pal Stuart
Hello, friends!
Summer really has been busy around here, so we decided to take a much needed break and go a weekday excursion! We enjoyed our trip to Bluefield, WV so much, that we decided to check out some other area attractions. Mom and Dad surfed the web a bit and came up with the Pocahontas Mine Exhibit and Museum. Check it out!!!
On the Road Again!
Our guide Amy gave us a tour of the mine, and she really knew a lot about coal! It was 49 degrees inside the mine and Mom & Dad were cold, but I had on my favorite and ever-stylish duck-down coat! There were even some nice little pools to splash in.
We poked around town a bit afterwards then headed up the road and took a couple of detours to visit a nearby fishing lake (paddling lake, in my opinion) and also to check out the waterfall in the creek. We drove around a bit, especially enjoying Highway 19 out of Princeton, WV.
There is so much to do in West Virginia if you are the outdoorsy type (and *I* am!), you just have to see for yourself. I’m hoping we can come back and check out this “rafting” stuff, which several locals told us about.
Hope your summer is going ducky, too! I’ll talk to you soon!
Stuart