Our ducklings hatched!

After a month of waiting, and after checking the incubator every five minutes for the past two days, our ducklings have hatched!  They were late, since ducks are supposed to take 28 days to hatch, but they finally made it.

This is the guy (or girl) we woke up to in the morning.  Fresh out of the egg, kind of confused looking, and certainly tired.  Hatching is incredibly hard work.  These little guys have to break through a very hard shell, and although they are aided by their egg tooth (made just for that purpose), it's a full-body workout.  They push with their feet and their wings, until they can wriggle out of their shell.

Hanging out inside the incubator to rest and dry off a little.

Let's just take a little nap for a while, shall we?

The boys were at a sleepover at the neighbors' house because their grand kids are visiting for spring break, and they have been great friends since they were little.  After a phone call with the good duck news, five kids watched the spectacle unfold, spellbound.

I admit, I can't keep my hands off these ducklings.  I keep walking into the bathroom where their brooder is set up, gently scooping one up and baby talking to it.  As soon as the little ones feel the heat of my palms, they fall asleep.

These are Ancona ducks, an endangered species.  We've had a mating pair for about three years, and we love them!  They are gorgeous, fun to watch, and best of all, connoisseurs of slugs.

Other news of the week: We planted potatoes.  Four different varieties, including Austrian Crescent Fingerlings, Yukon Gold, Russet and Red Pontiac.  Good thing I have some strong boys (and a strong girl, of course) to help me, since my shoulder is still messed up.

Let me leave you with images from a walk to the river.  I love this wild, magical place we live in.  My good friend Lindsay, a song writer, once wrote a beautiful song about the "Magic Skagit", which she calls her "moss covered stomping grounds". 

What are you grateful for this week?