Neck Pain, Peru & Ducks

My neck's been achy lately and I don't know why. It isn't stiff, just tight. I'll have to see if there's a yoga I can do to loosen it up. 

Yesterday was somewhat productive but also annoying. There were several things on my list that Meijer didn't have which means now I have to go to Walmart. Ugh! Meijer used to have pretty okay clothes but I think they tried too hard to become higher quality and this reduced their selection. I wanted to get some workout clothes and they had hardly anything to peruse. They've brought in Izod as one of their brands and I'm not paying $20 for a Meijer workout bra. They had zero workout tanks and don't get me started about tank tops. ARG! Meijer also didn't have my Reach flossing stick and I should have known that would be the case. It seems the only store that carries it as well as refills is Walmart. So annoying. 

The victim (in front)

A really annoying thing about my shopping trip yesterday was this: I'd made my list on my phone, using "Notes". I'd dictated the items and unfortunately didn't notice at the time that one of the items came out as "Peru". When I saw that while shopping I of course couldn't remember what it was supposed to be. I still haven't come up with what it should have been. I even woke up last night thinking about it. 

Have I mentioned the ducks that have made our yard a part of their daily routine? They are a pair of mallards - a hubby and wife - and they come around each day in the morning and evening. They fly in from the pond, feed for a while where our feeders are and then fly off with a couple quack, quack thank yous. They are so cute. However, Saturday there was a bit of a kerfuffle and dare I say a sexual assault. 

So my neighbor Katie and I were hanging out in the early evening and three ducks showed up - two males and a female, which is pretty typical. We commented that this was unusual because normally it's just the male and female. The other interesting part of this was that they didn't fly in but waddled up from the pond. Additionally, one of the males stayed pretty separate from the other two, feeding at a different tree. Until...

The perpetrator

As Katie and I sat there, Paul, Katie's husband joined us. We're talking...about the ducks...and from across the circle a THIRD male duck makes an appearance. He was making a beeline for the other three. The two males there see him and start quacking and generally making a ruckus as they head toward the intruder. The female immediately starts speed waddling in the other direction. The infiltrator then runs at here and assaults her, mounting her and causing mayhem. The other two males start attacking him, Paul gets up to it break up and Katie and I start clapping and yelling. Within a couple seconds it was over and the four mallards flew off in the direction of the pond. It was very upsetting for those who witnessed it. I felt like I should have called it in and reported the perpetrator. I took a picture and could put together a flyer...maybe hang it around the neighborhood warning other female ducks. I mean this guy gives zero fucks who sees his attack! Bold as brass that mother ducker is! (Oh, and he showed up the next day as well but only our usual two ducks were there and they immediately flew off upon seeing him. Maybe the story has spread.)

I'm tired today. Scout got up around 1:30 to whine, hem and haw at something in the side yard. I'm pretty sure it was a raccoon. We managed to get him to settle down but then he wanted to cuddle which is unusual. I laid there with him petting him and snuggling for about an hour and then couldn't fall back to sleep. I guess today will be a nap day...after my usual morning stuff and errands. 

Dinner tonight: I think I'll grill some chicken, maybe using the cherry BBQ sauce that Katie brings me from Michigan every year, corn and probably the leftover baked beans from last night. Oh, and my smash burgers last night were - chef's kiss - delicious! 

K - gotta head out before Boo loses his mind. Happy Wednesday. Later!