Emergency

June 1997 started off rather dramatically.

One day something terrible happened. While I was shopping in the nearest big city, as usual - my hubby went with Pipke to the meadow to look for earthworms.

He encountered there our neighbor who was working in his vegetable garden near the meadow, and as always they both began to chat.

My hubby had the fork in his hands and - of course Pipke was eager to search for earthworms. While they both were chatting my husband planted the fork into the soil to enforce the earthworms to come up to the surface. Transfixed in the conversation, my hubby didn't pay attention to Pipke, when suddenly – she came much too close to the fork and so he injured her – he perforated her beak by accident!

She cried out (in her case quacked out) from pain, and ran away. My hubby was shocked, how could he be so unwise to pay no attention on her.

He ran after her and he lifted her up. He saw that her beak was now whole covered with blood. He tried to stanch the bleeding by pressing on the wound but; without success. So he ran very fast back home - while she ran after him.

Whatever he tried to do - he couldn't succeed to stop the bleeding

Pipke needed help as fast as possible

He had to go to a vet with her – this wasn't looking good – but he had “no” car to bring her over there – I was in town with it.

Then there was also the problem that, at that time we had not yet a cell phone .

He knew that, when I went to town, I always lunched in the same lunchroom, so he called the lunchroom. He described my appearance to the waitress who answered the phone.

From the moment that the waitress saw me sitting at the table she recognized me and so she came to my table and asked my name. When I confirmed that I was Fran she asked me to phone my husband as soon as possible. The fact that my husband called the lunchroom made ​​me really very worried. Therefor I phoned him immediately.

I was shocked when I heard what had happened. I took my coat and as fast as

I could I ran to the car. I didn't know how bad her situation was but while I drove back home – I imagined the predicament! 
What if it was so serious that it would not heal! What if it was impossible to restore her beak. The worst scenario went through my head: “Pipke missing a part of her beak”. Don't let that be true!

Would she survive with such an injury.

Where could we find a vet who knows how to handle a duck. A duck isn't a normal visitor to a vet practice. Usually they are more skilled in treating small pets as cats and dogs.

One thing I know for sure, I never drove faster back home! I still can't understand that I got no speeding ticket.

Meanwhile my husband had already phoned a vet who lived in our neighborhood. We could bring in Pipke as soon as we could.

Of course, when I came home also I was shocked when I saw Pipke.

All over her body - her feathers were covered with blood and her beak was still bleeding a little and that after already a few hours. I rinsed her beak with cold water and inspected the wound. There was a thick part of the skin hanging loose, but I couldn't see how deep the wound was because she refused to open her beak and I didn't want to force her because she was already traumatized. I really hoped that her beak wasn't totally perforated.

Thereafter we drove immediately to the vet (not the one who treated Pipke later in her life) but actually she (a female vet) didn't know what to do with her: “birds were not her specialty”. She couldn't tell us what to do.

So we went back home, in fact – without a treatment and hoping that the bleeding would stanch by itself, and luckily that happened.

The day after, we rinsed her wound with fresh water as much as we could (to avoid that it would inflame) and for the rest of the day we kept her indoors. 
She slept the whole time in her plastic dogs bed/nest .

She really seemed exhausted from the blood loss.

It took some time but - luckily the wound healed well.

Since that happened, Pipke had a black scar at the top of her beak, and even now my hubby still feels guilty about this, but I always told him that it could have been much worse.

Luckily her beak was not perforated “whole through”, that would have been a real disaster. Although - there exist ducks who survived with a missing part of their beak but that was only possible because of the intervention of humans.

Once we saw an animal program on TV about a duck. She had had an accident, and now she missed a big piece of her beak. In this case the vets had to “invent” a whole new piece. It was really a miracle that they succeeded. They made a beak prosthesis for her and she survived this ordeal thanks to the vets. Without a beak she would have died from starvation, it wouldn't have been possible to eat.

July 1997

Well recovered and taking a nap in the shade

Although we were extra careful since the incident, sometimes accidents happened when she was working with us in the garden. Sometimes – the broom fell on her – or we touched her with the rake. She was always sitting far too close to us – and yes – it did happen to both of us that we stepped on her tiny paws and once it was very serious, so serious - that she couldn't stand on her paw for a few days. 
Oh – we were really worried then. We both cursed ourselves for days!

Luckily, she was still young when that happened and she recovered well, although later in her life, her little paws would become her weak point.

She would be there to assist us with gardening for the rest of her life.

This dramatic event eventually ended better than feared.

With this happy ending I'm going to close this post.

Next time we will go further with the chapter:

Little Critters Great and Small.

Bye bye!

Hope to see you again.

In Loving Memory of my Best Friend Pipke

Pipke

May 25, 1995 - September 14, 2009

They say that time's a healer

but as time goes on,

I seem to find it just as hard 

to face the fact you're gone.

You'll never be forgotten

and every day I shed a tear, 

but it's only because I love you

and wish you were still here!

Your

Oma

PS: see alsoo YouTube Memorial slideshow

A Bet

In the first years after we'd built our house, we did the lay-out of our garden ourselves. We had a landscaper to help us with it. He delivered the grass mats and the plants and he also gave us advice how and what to do. He was a good aid for us because, we didn't know that much about plants or gardening at that moment.

Of course, he was also there in the year that Pipke was born, because at that moment we were still buzzy with planting new plants. He saw her as a duckling of only two weeks old.

He was a huge tall guy – a kind of macho type with a high “testosterone” level – but from the moment that he saw Pipke – his testosterone level halved.

It seemed almost like "an icicle that melted" in no time.

He looked at her with such a tender look - you wouldn't think that such a macho could be capable to show so much affection.

Every time he delivered our plants he took the time to observe her, and you could see that he enjoyed it very much.

Now, Pipke was almost two years old, and she had developed a special manner of playing. She loved to play “Cowboy and Indian” with my hubby. She really enjoyed it – every time it was laughing out loud.

Probably, I don't need to say “who” played the roll of the Indian, of course: Pipke did!

She wore the feathers on her head! She was: “Big Chief White Feather.”

My hubby was the real old country boy: “the Cowboy.”

One day the landscaper delivered us new plants and as always he took the time for a chat and to observe Pipke. "What is she grown up beautiful" he said. "It's really a pleasure to see how cheerful and active she is." 

Of course - he could often see her working together with us while we were working in the garden.

"Oh" my hubby said: "then you have seen nothing yet! Would you like to see how we play Cowboy and Indian.” 
(He looked very amazed as if he didn't want to believe it.) 
“Well - we shall give you a demonstration!” While Pipke was laying on her belly on the lawn, my hubby went to the backside of the garden and hid himself behind the garden house. As always Pipke followed this all very alert and a little mistrustful – you could see that she wondered where "the villain" was going to hide himself.

Very alert she waited and, after a while she went to look for him in the back of the garden.

Then suddenly my hubby came peeping from behind the wall and yelled: ”“pang – pang – pang” , while he imitated a pistol shooting cowboy pointing his finger towards her.

From the moment she heard the yell and saw him shooting at her - she stormed full speed ahead - quacking loud and fierce. She started to fight with him and bit in his hand. (He held his hand low just above the ground to fight with her.) 
She grabbed him where she could - in his sleeve and in his pants. She chased after him through the whole garden while my hubby stopped from time to time to let her fight. Of course – after a while he let her win the fight.

As a sign of surrender he put his hands in the air and went to sit on his bum. She then stood there next to him very proud as a real conqueror. He was not allowed to move or she would attack him again.

The landscaper couldn't stop laughing! He couldn't believe what he saw and he said: “I am going to bet with my employees that I know a duck that plays Cowboy and Indian. Can I come back to proof it to them?” “Sure”, we said, “then we will give another demonstration.”

 

A few days later, he came back with his crew and we gave them a full demonstration.

Our little Indian played her roll with full persuasion.

The look on these men's faces … they were really astonished.

The landscaper laughed exuberant– and although the work crew had lost their bet - they too laughed. They too were now enchanted by Pipke. She'd conquered their heart too.

(Note: We had captured one of these "Cowboy and Indian" scenes on film but unfortunately the footage went lost during my relocation to an other domicile.

So - to my regret I can't show it to you. The scene was really funny! We had sent a copy to a Belgian TV program that you can compare with : America's funniest home videos.

To give you an idea how she enjoyed fighting I will show you this small film picture.
Although here she behaves rather calm on this scene that I show here.
As you can see, here she stops fighting after the "time out" sign!)

Big Chief White Feather and the Old Cowboy

However - that same year, our landscaper installed a large pond on his domain, and he placed a whole duck family on it. He invited us to visit him. He wanted to show us his ducks on the pond. 

It was a beautiful natural pond with a lot of water plants situated at a very quiet place. The ducks were really cute. It was a very small breed of ducks with various beautiful colors.

We took no pictures of the ducks but, here on these pictures that I found on 
Google images 

you can see how they looked like.

You could see that the landscaper was really proud at them, and the smile on his face! 

Almost no more macho to detect!

This shows, what a great influence “one white duck with a crest” can have!

I hope've you enjoyed it!

Next time we go further with: Emergency Call 911.

Hope to see you!

A Bad Experience

During the time that her pen was still open, Pipke sometimes went to the meadow behind the garden on her own and, one time she had been really lucky!

We only discovered that she had luck that day because a kind neighbor told it afterwards.

Here follows what happened.

As I told you already, Pipke was always interested in someone with a *shovel in his hands.

She associated *this with “earthworms”.

In the meadow

Searching for earthworms with Opa and the chickens!

Spring 1997

So - one afternoon - while we were not home - she went to the meadow because she had seen there one of our neighbors gardening with a shovel on his vegetable plot.

Of course – she wanted to look for earthworms with him - she was used to do that together with my hubby - but - that neighbor didn't like that at all.

I fully understand that he didn't want to be bothered while he was working but, he was so cruel to give her a stamp with his clog! He shouted loud while he hunted her away and so she ran very scared to the other side of the meadow. Unfortunately - there she came out on the roadway - a very dangerous place for her! Luckily she knew the danger of the roadway and she was so clever to run away to one of our neighbor's front garden.

That neighbor found her there - totally in panic. She was there looking for a way back home. He and his wife tried to catch her but, that went not so easy because she always ran away.

Eventually they managed to catch her and they were so kind to put her back over the fence into the meadow so she could go back home on her own. They saw her running home towards the little gate in the fence as fast as she could.

We didn't know what had happened on that very afternoon because we'd found Pipke swimming in her pond when we came back home. We only learned to know it because the neighbor who'd found her in his front garden told it to us that same evening.

We were relieved that this bad experience ended well, but we are still angry at that gardener because he had endangered her.

He could have put her over the fence, he even could have closed the little gate of her pen.

But- that's how it goes. Not everyone has the same good feelings towards animals. Actually - he wasn't a person who really loved animals. He never treated them with respect, for him they were only objects. He behaved very indifferent against animals. They couldn't touch his heart.

He told us afterwards what had happened with Pipke at his plot as if he'd done nothing wrong.

Of course he had the right to work on his plot without being disturbed by (in his eyes) a silly duck, but he had not the right to stamp her with his clog!

That is ultimately animal cruelty.

The Winter that followed (1996-1997), Pipke was alone in her pen without the bossy Chicky and she had no problem at all with the cold. She spent most of the time swimming in her little pond, but she wasn't so keen on snow! When my hubby went to her pen in the early morning to let her out she sometimes refused to step into the snow – she really didn't like cold feet! She then laid herself on her belly in the snow, to warm her feet between her feathers.

She didn't like cold feet!

That was so funny to see! 

When I called her she then jumped up - and while her toes barely touched the ground - she flew towards me!

What had happened with the vegetable gardner was a bad experience for her and, luckily it ended well. 

The story shows how cool and how insensible "some people" behave towards animals. 

Luckily there would follow many funny events. 
Next time I will tell you about such one.

Then I will go further with: A Bet.

Hope to see you then !

Thanks for reading my life story.

One stays alive as long as someone thinks of  you.

Missing Duck: Distributing Flyers!

Now she had spent almost 28 days and nights in the woodland. She had made nests at several spots. Every time that we had called for her, she had answered, but then – one late afternoon – we couldn't find her. We screamed and yelled – but she didn't answer our call. We spent several hours looking for her.

Because we couldn't hear her call we went deeper into the swampy woodland.

On our rubber boots we slogged through the brooks – we were really desperate. We were afraid that the worst thing had happened.

The sun was almost down when we went back home, both having tears in our eyes and hoping that we could find her the next morning.

We couldn't sleep well that night. 
In the very early morning we went back to look for her, but – again we couldn't find her. 
Oh I felt so desperate!

Had we lost her … what could we do to find her back?

We wanted to do anything to find her. We had to undertake something.

Therefore - my hubby printed flyers with the following message:

 “If you have seen a white duck with a crest in your neighborhood, please call phone n° .........   Good reward for the finder”.

 

One hour later we had already distributed them.

 

We stayed home, waiting for a phone call until late afternoon, and in between we both went to the wood separately to look for her, but every time without success.

The sun was already setting when we both went back that evening – we had to find her. Again we started to shout while we went deeper and deeper into the bunch when suddenly – it seemed as if we were dreaming – we heard her quacking at a spot very far away where we hadn't been before!

We went to the place where her call came from, and there we found her.

She had built a new nest there - and oh - she was so thrilled to see us, she “screamed” (yes she could scream) and we both got tears in our eyes from happiness.

You had to hear, how elated she was to see us there. As always, she covered the eggs very diligent with tiny twigs and grasses. After she'd done that task she inspected her nest and without we had to ask it, she followed us back home - full of joy - quacking very exuberant loud the whole way back.

(That was such a beautiful touching moment : I still remember this as if it happened yesterday! These beautiful sweet memories still brightens up my days)!

You can't image how happy I was that we had found her safe and sound.

The day after our neighbor told us that he could hear her the whole time. He was actually afraid that there was something wrong with her because she quacked this time so loud and so long!

 

Coming home you can imagine. We cuddled and hugged as if she had been away for ages.

Then we took a decision: from that moment on – we would close her pen!  We did not want the same would happen again.

This was really hard for her! She wanted to go back to her nest in the woodland. Oh she was so restless.

I tried to distract her attention from the woodland, so I went with her to look for good nesting places in our garden. I took twigs and reeds and arranged them as a nest and I encouraged her to help me with it.

It took her a few days to get at ease again, but from then on she made her nests in our garden and most of the time we did it together.

That year she laid about 94 eggs, and every time she had laid one (when I was home) she came calling for me. I had to see the result. It was beautiful to see how she had lined the nest with her fluffs. She had plucked them from of her chest to do this. We both covered the nest then carefully when she left it. Sometimes she also sat incubating the eggs the whole day long without eating. She really could become exhausted from it. We sometimes could “hear” when she was laying her egg because she sometimes had a problem with it. I really think she must have suffered then, at least that's how it sounded.

I'm only showing you this small film picture to let you hear how she sounded when she'd *egg-binding. It wasn't easy to find the correct translation for this *problem. In Dutch it's called: legnood. 

Maybe I better explain it as: “She had a problem to lay an egg”.

In a normal situation a duck lays about 10 eggs per nest, and if there are signs of life in them, then they start to brood on it. Pipke kept on laying eggs, because they weren't inseminated (obviously). She heard no life signs in her eggs – and this would become a very big problem for her in the future. 
About the future I will tell you later.

Then I will continue with: A bad Experience.

   

See you!

Living in the Woodland

July-August 1996   

Again it was mating season.               

She had already made a few nests in our garden between the reed, but – then suddenly she was again interested to go to the woodland. 
As the time before we opened the little gate in the fence towards the meadow again so that she could go to the woodland. The first time - we went together with her to see where she preferred to make her nest so that we knew approximately where she was. We imprinted the place she had chosen as good as we could so that we could find her much easier when we came to look after her later. We then left her there, although we weren't at ease because we had seen there a stray dog, but - she had made her choice and we wanted to respect this.

Once a day we went to look for her and then we called to her there. 
She always answered then by quacking very loudly. 
It was every time a real relief to find her there safe and well. She was really excited to see us there. Before we left she to care to her eggs. She covered them with twigs and dry grasses very careful so that you couldn't see them anymore. The whole way back to home she quacked then so loudly – that sometimes the neighbors asked us afterwards if there had been something wrong with her. 

Back home, she ate as much as she could and she washed herself in her pond. We cuddled and spent time with her until she wanted to go back to her nest.

While we accompanied her on the way she could be so full of joy. She really seemed to be pleased that we went together with her.

We followed her as long as we could but then we had to stop when she entered the dense woodland. 

Entering the woodland.

She then first went to the ditch there, and after awhile sifting/sucking mud we saw her then swimming away with mixed feelings.

On the one hand: seeing that - it was so catchy - our sweet little girl was now grown up! But: on the other hand - we also were worried for her safety.

It was every time with a heavy heart that we saw her leaving.

Sometimes she had made a nest at another spot without we knew it. Then we had to scream and yell to find her and we only could find her then because she answered. She went deeper and deeper into the woodland and therefore we had to wear our rubber boots because the place was so swampy.

Then on one day; again we went to see how she was doing on her nest! 
From the moment she saw us she there she came to us without taking care for her nest. 
When she approached us we backed off  because she smelled so awful. The stench was really unbearable! 
She also really looked terrible. The feathers of her chest were smeared with rotting egg yolk and so we realized what had happened. She had been breeding on the eggs so long that they started to rot and now they were exploded.

We found this so terrible for her. 
She had cared for her eggs so extremely well, we often could see how she turned them all around one by one so gently! It was so beautiful to see how she did that, and every time that she had left her nest she had covered the eggs with much care.

The whole way back home we kept distance from her to avoid the stench, and of course - the first she did back home was, to take a very extensive bath in her pond. That bath took twice as long as normal. 
She cleaned and preened even the tiniest little feather, but - she didn't succeed to make herself clean. The stinking egg yoke was too sticky and still kept sticking on her feathers. Therefore - I took her inside the house and in the sink of the laundry room I assisted her to clean herself properly. Now she seemed really exhausted: breeding such a long time had taken its toll.

Exhausted, taking a nap in the sink of the laundry room.

From the moment we put her outside she went to sleep in her dogs bed/nest.

After a good sleep; a good meal and some cuddles we went that evening back to the woods together with her. 
We presumed that she wanted to find a new and proper place for a nest, and - yes she did.

The first thing my hubby did the next day was cleaning her pond and refreshing the water.

Now her pond was clean and we: we were looking forward to see her soon again safe and sound!

But - where we were so afraid for would happen!

And what happened: the title of the next chapter reveals it already.

“Missing Duck: distributing flyers!”

I hope to see again!

 Bye, bye!