two teeny tiny birds on the river this morning, flickering in and out of the water. it took me a moment to figure out if they were birds or leaves but then i could see there was something swimming in between dives. first one would blink out of sight, then the other. marty got out the binocs and declared them buffleheads. audubon says they are small, chubby ducks also known as butterballs. chubby duck, chubby baby. i had two of the latter. julia was alternately called chairman mao and alfred hitchcock. sam resembled a basset hound with his many chins;, both of them clearly of the butterball variety.
if there were a field guide to babies the butterball could be identified by its fat dimpled knees yet possessing itsy bitsy toes, sporting hair similar to peach fuzz. the immature butterball is recognizable for its especially delicious kisses and thought to be utterly edible to its parents. butterballs frequently weigh 8 to 10 lbs. at birth and even adult members of this species retain their signature characteristics of optimism, affection and mischief. butterballs can be found in both rural and urban environments and are distinguished by their dolphin-like cooing and raucous belly laughs.
once sighted you definitely won't need binoculars to determine whether the human infant in question is a butterball.
Life on the Salt Marsh is a journal of what i am learning and experiencing in this breathtakingly beautiful place, where the Dyer and Sheepscot, both tidal rivers, meet and merge.
Sweet Last Days of Summer
Author
- Rev. Mary
- Midcoast Maine
- Rev. Mary is a Unitarian Universalist minister who served congregations in San Francisco, Sonoma County, Houston, Marblehead and Winchester MA, and New Orleans, in a variety of ways. She is President and co-founder of Gulf Coast Volunteers for the Long Haul and has led 14 service trips to Louisiana and Mississippi since a few weeks post-Katrina. She has 3 children, Sam, 22, Julia, 26, and Jason, 41, and the best spouse in the universe, Marty. She was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease in 2006. Rev. Mary can be reached at duckdreams at gmail.com. Due to her illness her ability to reply is unlikely but she would enjoy hearing from you if that's OK.
From Mary's Journal in December
after simple surgery turned into a nightmare: "the pain has been excruciating and for 3 days was unrelenting, even breathing was an agony. i tried to picture our mallard in maine who i studied one day when it was freezing cold, windy, pouring down rain and he was in his spot in the grass all tucked up and i tried to imagine how he could handle the elements. i decided he must go very deep inside and have duck dreams. so i tried to emulate him."