Well, the holiday season is upon us. I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week, and I’ve already started shopping. Time flies when you’re having fun!
This month I want to share a story about a very special guest we had a few years ago. He was the highlight of our holiday and caused a lot of chaos and fun.
A Surprise Dinner Guest
It was Christmas Eve, and we had lots of family coming to the house for food and festivities. Our guests were about to arrive, so we opened the door only to find a large multicolored duck on our front porch.
We live in a highly residential neighborhood between several main roads. Our houses are about 15 feet apart, and there are rows and rows of houses in the neighborhood. Needless to say, ducks are not a common site, and the only wildlife you see around my house are domestic pets or squirrels. I could not believe a duck would choose to chill at our house of all the ones in the neighborhood.
At first I worried that he was sick or had a broken wing. We fed him, and he was a little nervous, but he never ran. He was still on our porch when the guests arrived; and then we had a problem. We had several kids who wanted to play with him, and one wanted to chase the duck around the yard. I yelled some sense into him, and everyone left the duck in peace.
The duck fluffed up next to the house and slept. Hours later he was still there, sleeping the night away. Late that night, I fed him once more and checked on him. He was still asleep in his warm spot, and I fell asleep wondering how we would take care of a duck. We had a dog and a small bird, and I did not have the heart to call animal control.
Christmas morning arrived, and our feathery friend was gone. I like to think he continued his journey at dawn, moving onto another house or he found his new home.
So, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, I am thankful for pets – past, present, and future. No matter the size or how long we have them, their unconditional love makes the darkest days seem a little brighter.
Feel free to share your weird and/or special pet stories below in the comments section!
Revenant Publications 
The Christmas Eve night, the very next year from the Duck visit, I was visited by a scratching outside my door. I opened my door and found a possum outside my door, in the snow, scratching dried baby food out of a ceramic bowl I use to feed my Crested Gecko. I placed it outside to hose it off the next day. He (or she) was happily eating it. I only scared the possum enough to make it take a few steps away. Then it turned back around and ate the rest of the baby food. Guess what? Possums are the size of Ford Fiestas. But with pointy teeth and glowing eyes. Animals like to make little house visits on our holidays apparently!
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