Murder,Mayhem and tub duckies

                                            I MURDERED A DUCKIE!!!!!

okay, it was an accident, but when it happened those are the only words my mind was able to form.That is until they formed my husbands name into a piercing,gut wrenching wail I am sure woke the dead in their graves(no pun intended-sorry duckie). What had happened was....

           Hubby & I were sleeping VERY soundly (having suffered from insomnia recently,our prime hours of rest are between 4 AM and 9 AM) when we abruptly awakened by the shrill cries of a dog-(presumably 1 of our own) being eaten, at least horribly mauled, by a bear?? We lept, no small feat considering I am in a huge leg brace from hip to ankle and hubbys NOT a morning person, and made for kids rooms. I ran to the back door, he ran to our eldest daughterLayla's room. He bursts in like the ATF on a raid in crack town, to find her and her dog resting peacefully. Suprised but peacefully. From the back door I hear the "all clear" and yet, the shrieking continues.. as we bolt for the front door tripping over the other 2 perfectly safe dogs, we realize the sound is coming from our room. before we can react we are comforted by owen Wilson telling MARLEY that thunderstorms wont hurt him. It is now 7 AM. Back to bed. Enter the 9AM alarm clock.

My youngest daughter Owyn (yes, I know it's a boys name-my grandads to be exact) crawls into bed, snuggles up close and asks for the entire menu from Denny's  for breakfst. No, I am not kidding. For an average sized child with only 1 chin she can pack away the food. Constantly, but breakfast is HER MEAL. I beg for 10 more minutes, turn on her Fave mornng show and doze,briefly. 5 minutes later she MUST eat or she will D.I.E MOMMY. We make coffe and toast together and while I am cooking grits and fried potatoes she offers to wash the dishes.BY HAND, her preferred method. This delights me and I revel in how gloriously the children are doing in the new improved environment. That was my critical mistake. That moment right there, was the moment that sealed duckies fate. I was feeling too good, too proud,too content. Duckie HAD to die, to restore balance. after the older children and hubby wake and eat their breakfasts it's time to put the peeps and duckies in their new brooder for the day. I notice that it is a bit uneven where it sits and while my son Kieren gets their feed I begin to shimmy and wiggle the enormous "crate like" brooder about to level it. In my ernest attempt to make them safe I failed to check beneath the pen when I sat it down and unceremoniously crushed duckie. It was swift, he didnt suffer(much?..) but the second I saw his lifeless little body lying there, I just cant explain the empty feeling that swallowed me whole, nor the hot rush of self hatred that filled it almost immediately. I let loose a shrill EEDDDDDDDDD! followed by a string of obscenities. We buried duckie,broke the news to the kids-who in order from oldest to youngest-stared stunned,wept & called me a murderer and said he hated me, and crumpled up like used tissues into a puddle under her blanket weeping. I dropped Edd off at college, bought 3 new duckies,recieved my acquittal via telephone convo with 10 yr old who hated me(but doesn't anymore) and came home. Now, the duckies live in the guest bathroom. with the peeps. Yes, I have 5 ducks and 15 peeps living in my bathroom. But only at night-until the new hen house is built. I have 1 strike already, and I aint feeling lucky. Tmrw is Edd's birthday, he's 26-yep! I am a cougar Raaawr! good night, sleep well.