Ed Kranepool Returns

Peep, Peep, Peep. Way back when our boys were little, Nancy discovered that the Newport News Nature Center had a program to lease our ducklings. You went over and picked up your baby ducks, grew them for twelve weeks or so, brought them back to be released by the Nature Center. It was a great way to have the cuteness of Easter babies without the decision of what to do with the full grown version. The first batch of ducks that the family selected were fuzzy ittle mallards. Each of us named one. My duck I called Ed Kranepool for the New York Mets first baseman who had made a spectacular comeback after being the only original Met to survive into the good years.

It's funny how loud those ducks were. And it became a part of family lore. Everyone else forgot their duckling's name, but old Ed lived on in. It's amazing how fast the buggers grow. How loud they get and how much poop they amass. We participated in the duck lease for two years, until moving from Norfolk to Elkton. No one in Elkton had figured out duck or chick renting. In the country you grew chicks and ducklings to have chickens and ducks, not to release them again.

Last week, April 1st, I stopped into the local farm store to pick up some needed supplies for the farm and I heard the familiar sound - Peep, Peep, Peep.

Do you know that there is now a state law that says you can't buy two ducks, you have to get at least six. I wanted to violate state law and bring home two babies, just for the peep, but they made me take six.

"I want a couple of the Mallards". "Would you want the Pekin Ducks? They won't fly away," the clerkess asked. "I want them to fly away," I said. "When they get big, I'll let them swim out on the pond and they can fly away."

That was a week ago. Six ducklings, one died - drowned in the water dish, but the others are growing, happy and Peeping continually. Winkine, Blinkine and Nod, Ed Kranepool and as yet an unnamed little black duck.