Preferred Mode of Duck Transportation: A Bucket

The ducklings are still living the good life in a playpen in the garage. Occasionally, they get to go for a swim in the garage sink—but honestly, they're quickly outgrowing it.

Today, their “mama duck” (a.k.a. my daughter) decided they might enjoy a bigger space for their water adventures. So, we hatched a plan: load up the ducklings and take them down to the greenhouse to let them swim in the fish tank.

Their mode of transportation? A bucket.

Ducklings, it turns out, are surprisingly squirmy. If you don't hold them just right—firmly but gently—they can easily hurt themselves. Or worse, they could wriggle free, fall, and take off at lightning speed straight into who-knows-what kind of trouble.

Surveying the garage for options, I realized we had no empty boxes left. (I had been hoarding them like a crazed woman before Christmas, but at some point, we finally tossed them all.)

Options were slim:

• An empty feed bag? Definitely not.

• A reusable grocery bag? Only if I wanted to scrub duck poop out of the fabric.

• Home Depot bucket to the rescue!

  
  

It was perfect. Deep enough that the ducklings couldn't leap out and wide enough that they could ride in safety and comfort. So there they were—four cute little ducks in a bucket trying to see over the edge, embarking on a grand adventure.

Honestly, it’s the little things. There was nothing particularly special about the bucket itself—or even the idea of using a bucket, but we got a kick out of it. We even made up a little song about it.

What made it special was how we used it and the silly memories it would bring.

 Four ducks in a bucket. Awww.