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Majestic
Diary
July
14, 2008
Exciting news today! I emailed my query letter for my
"Pet Duck Guide Book" to an agent here in CT and she
wants to see it! The WHOLE thing! Unfortunately
the file is way to big to email, so I had to send it to
her. She wanted the hard copy, which is 440 pages
double-spaced. I'm sure it will be a few weeks until I
hear back from her... I hope she wants to represent it.
But to balance this news... Elijah has a very swollen
toe on his right foot. I've had him on Baytril and the
vet has confirmed that he has aggressive arthritis, but
we brought him for another check up to see what's going
on. He drew a culture and we discovered that he has a
staph infection. He has such a hard time walking that he
tends to plop down for an hour or so at a time in the
same place--unlike ducks with healthy legs who do a lot
more walking. So he tends to poop and then sits there a
bit before moving along. Even though he is the most
sparkling clean and white duck we have ever seen,
bacteria still gets into the natural little cuts that
all animals get on their feet when they walk.
Elijah is on a regimen of Tetracycline and Baytril. It
is obviously bothering his stomach because he hasn't
been nearly as attentive to his feathery coat. It pains
me to see even the slightest smudge of dirt on them
because I know it is not like him to allow it. He
struggles to walk and it breaks my heart to know that we
rescued him in the Fall of 2004 and he was probably
hatched that year, and already, he is facing his
mortality, and we are facing it with him. This one will
break my heart. I can feel it coming in the back of my
throat.
Still, he sits happily and swims and quacks that unique
quack of his--a hoarse quack, not like any other duck. I
can tell his from all the rest as I walk down to the
barn. And I can't imagine what it will be like one day
when I don't.
But while Glory fights fiercely for her every step,
Elijah takes it in stride and resigns to sitting in the
sun or under a shade tree or resting on the shore of the
pond. Sometimes I find the two of them sleeping next to
each other under Glory's favorite shade tree. He has
always had a crush on her, but Miri will not stand for
it. Lately, though, she's been allowing it.
Jezebel & Elijah "Squints" enjoying the splash of
water in summer!
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