Ducks

     Ducks

    A duck is a bird that has webbed feet and waterproof feathers. Ducks have some features that geese and swans have. But the wings and the necks of ducks are shorter. Their bills are flatter, too. Ducks quack or whistle, but they don't honk. Male ducks are called drakes, and females are called ducks.

    Ducks live throughout the world in wetlands, including marshes (wet areas with long grasses) and areas near rivers, ponds, lakes, and oceans. Ducks can live in cold and warmer parts of the world at any time of year. Many kinds of ducks migrate (travel long distances) annually (each year) between their breeding grounds (where they rest and raise their babies), and their wintering areas, where the water does not freeze. Some ducks migrate thousands of miles.

    Ducks spend a lot of time in the water, where their webbed feet help them paddle for swimming and diving. They are graceful on water, but waddle and look clumsy when they walk on land. This is because their legs are on the sides and toward the back of the body. Most common wild ducks weigh from 2 to 4 pounds (about the weight of your Math book), but some smaller ducks weigh less than 1 pound.

    Ducks get their food in different ways, depending on their body features. Some ducks stretch their long necks down through shallow water to pick food off the bottom. Others dive for food in deep water. Many ducks can get seeds, insects, and snails from the water. Some ocean water ducks have short bills that they use to pry barnacles from rocks or to grab clams. Others have long, narrow bills with sawlike edges for catching and holding fish.

    Ducks protect themselves from cold water by waterproofing their feathers. They use their bills to rub their feathers with a waxy oil from a place on their body near their tail. Under the oiled feathers, there are soft, fluffy feathers called "down". Down helps keep a duck's body warm because it traps air under the outside feathers.

    Some ducks have bright-colored feathers. Their colors include green, blue, red, and brown. Some ducks are mostly black and white. Most females (girl ducks) are brown, and can hide by blending in with the surroundings when incubating (sitting on) eggs or taking care of ducklings (baby ducks).

    Ducks seek mates during winter. (That means that boy ducks try to find girl ducks to live with.) The bright colors of the drakes (boy ducks) attract females (girl ducks). A female usually leads her drake to the breeding grounds (where she wants the male to live) during the spring migration, often coming back to the same place where she was hatched when she was born.

    The ability of ducks and other birds to return to the same places each year is called "homing behavior". Male ducks will defend a small territory from which he drives away (intimidates or fights) other males. The female builds a nest in a clump of grass or reeds, or in a hole in a tree.

    The female duck lays from 5 to 12 eggs. After she starts to sit on the eggs to warm and protect them, the drake leaves to join other males. The ducklings hatch from three weeks to four weeks later.

    Ducklings can run, swim, and find food for themselves within 3 days of hatching. A group of ducklings is called a "brood". A mother duck keeps her brood together so she can protect the ducklings from predators (other animals that want to eat them).

    Animals that prey on ducklings include turtles, raccoons, hawks, and large fish. Sometimes the ducklings in one brood mix with another. So, some females end up with broods of 15 to 25 ducklings. Ducklings have most of their feathers in about a month. They learn to fly in 5 to 8 weeks.

    Once the female duck has nested, the drake usually leaves her and joins other drakes to molt (lose their old feathers). The drakes lose their bright colors and for many weeks have a brown color like that of the females. During this molt, the drake also loses his flying feathers and cannot fly.

    Male ducks molt again in early fall and regain the male coloring. After a female's ducklings hatch, she also molts and replaces all her feathers.

    After growing new feathers and after the young learn to fly, the ducks gather in flocks (a group of ducks). They usually fly in long lines or "V" formations. Flocks go to the same summer and winter areas every year, even stopping to rest at the same places along the way.

© 2021 Henry Anker

Rats

 Rats

    When people think of rats, most of them will say words like, 'Yuck!, or 'Ick!', or they might use phrases like, 'Rats are disgusting!', 'Oh, rats are horrible!' They're dirty, filthy!, or 'They make my skin crawl!'

    Rats do have a history of causing harm, destruction, and even death to humans. Rats have often been portrayed as hideous vermin in stories and movies. When one person thinks badly about another person, he or she might even refer to him as a 'rat'.

    Some people hate rats. Other people think they're cool. Even though they're small compared to other animals, they have many abilities other animals don't have. What are these abilities? Let me tell you what I have learned about rats. 

    Rats have teeth that never stop growing. And with these teeth, rats have chewing power strong enough to chew through computer cables and even through cement!

    People should try to keep their distance from rats though, because with their powerful jaws come an extra danger. Rats carry diseases that can kill other animals, including humans. Sometimes tens of thousands of people at one time can be killed by rats who are carrying a disease.

    How can animals as small as rats get close enough to people and other large animals to hurt them? Rats are nocturnal, which means they are active at night, when most other animals are asleep. Rats have strong night vision which lets them see well in the dark. That means they can usually see better than animals they are sneaking up on, or are stealing from.

    Rats are also fast runners. Rats can run faster than most people can. You can imagine that this ability would help rats get away from people and other animals that are their natural predators.

    What do rats eat? Well, rats are omnivorous, which means they will eat plants like corn, and foods that come from plants, like breakfast cereal. But omnivores like rats also eat animals, including pigeons and even other rats!

    Where do rats live? Rats are found throughout North America. The brown rat originated in Asia. It is believed that these mammals came to the United States and its neighboring countries on ships that sailed from Asia hundreds of years ago.

    The rat population has increased rapidly. Female rats are able to produce between 100 and 200 young in their lifetimes. Rats live an average of two years. Despite the fact that people have tried to get rid of rats from their cities and farms, rats have used their survival skills to stay alive and grow in number.

    In cities, rats have been found living in sewer pipes, between walls, in attics, in basements, where boats dock, and in restaurants. Really, in any place where they can find food, and that includes trash dumpsters and dumps, where trash trucks are driven away from cities to bury their trash.

    Rats that live in cities are smart. While they try to stay hidden from humans to stay alive, they stay close enough to find, and live off, the food humans leave behind.

    Rats are destructive. It is estimated that rats destroy over $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars) worth of food and property every year. Even though people spend lots of time and money trying to get rid of them, rats keep coming back.  

© 2021 Henry Anker

Raccoons

 Raccoons

    Raccoons are amazing animals. They are able to do lots of things we would not expect them to do. They can do a lot of things humans can do. With their large brains, they can figure out how to unlock gates, open covered trash cans, and make nests almost everywhere.

    Raccoons are clever. Some raccoons can control their paws as well as some people can use their hands. Some raccoons can untie knots on trash bags to get food, or open closed doors to get into buildings.

    Raccoons are strong and sneaky. They can move heavy things, climb into small spaces, or up high. Raccoons can dig well. They also have powerful jaws and sharp teeth.

    Raccoons will eat smaller living things they find in nature, or food left behind or thrown away by humans. Raccoons that live in cities will eat beetles, fish, or even kittens! They will eat cereal, crackers, or even yogurt! Can you believe it?

    Raccoons live in trees and other places outside cities, but they also like to live behind the walls or above the ceilings in buildings, in the sewer, or in garages and shacks.

    Raccoons are animals that have found many ways to adapt and survive in the city. Raccoons are a lot like people!

(c) 2021 Henry Anker

Shopping at Costco

 Shopping at Costco

    The first time I went shopping at Costco, I couldn’t believe what I saw. A lot of people say the same thing. Big. The sheer size of the store is gargantuan. It has to be that big to hold all the items they have for sale, in the quantities they sell things, and the number of people who pass through their aisles a couple times a month.

    You might think that two visits, on average, for a family isn’t much, but it takes a while for a household to consume a package of over one hundred granola bars, or use a plastic-wrapped bushel of toilet paper that contains thirty rolls. If a family includes a diaper-wearing baby, the parents love the prices, but they have to buy a box of Huggies so big, that if lined with blankets itself, the future empty cardboard prism could nearly serve as a crib. Costco sells cribs, too.

    Some people complain that there isn’t much choice among the products Costco sells, and it’s true that they only carry about ten varieties of cereal. But where else can you buy a twelve pack of tube socks, four tires for your car, a set of patio furniture, a sixty inch flat screen television, and a bouquet of roses in the same store?

    Costco has the pulse of the American consumer. Well, most of them. This company’s products, soon to be for sale, keep laden cargo ships crossing the Pacific Ocean from China, long freight trains traversing the rails over our states’ mountains and deserts, and full eighteen-wheel tractor trailers daily backing down into their loading docks. Costco uses their club card technology to keep tabs on what people want to buy, when, and how much of it to stack on those towering orange warehouse pallet racks customers see as shelves.

    Did I say Costco goes big? Think about it: the small package of eggs contains eighteen, a box of milk has two gallons, and a tub of margarine weighs five pounds! Have you seen the size of a jar of mayonnaise? A sandwich shop could easily lather the slices of fifty loaves of bread with one jar. How about a jug of laundry detergent? One is enough for one hundred forty-four loads. A bottle of vitamins from Costco could last one person about two years! The shopping carts have to be able to carry a lot of stuff, and get pretty hard to push by the time a shopper gets to the check out line. The family car needs to have an empty trunk upon arrival, or passengers will need to hold stuff on their laps on the way home. Like I said…. Costco is big.

(C)2016 Henry Anker

Proofread 9/16/26

Get Well, Nick!

 Get Well, Nick!

    Nick did not come to school this week. On Friday, our teacher, Mrs. White, told us that Nick was home sick. She said he would be out of school for another week as well. She did not tell us why he had been absent.

    Mrs. White thought we should each make a card for Nick to cheer him up. Everyone thought that was a good idea. So she passed out crayons, glue bottles, and colored paper. I drew pictures of trains and pasted them on the front of the card. Sarah drew a picture with teddy bears. Andy put stickers of stars and planets on the back of his card. On the inside of my card, I wrote, "Get yourself on the right track, Nick! Get well!"

    A week went by, but Nick was still not back at school. Some of the other students started to worry and asked Mrs. White if she could call his house and ask how Nick was doing, and when he was coming back. Mrs. White told us not to worry, that she would call Nick’s home in the evening, and would let us know tomorrow how he was doing. We were relieved that she would find out for us.

    The next morning we met our teacher at the door and one student after the other began pestering Mrs. White with questions about Nick. She told each of them that she would tell the whole class at once, once we were all inside and settled.

Mrs. White began by reminding us that we were all mature young ladies and gentlemen, and that we needed to listen carefully to what she was going to tell us, so that misinformation, what we called ‘rumors’, would not spread false information around our campus and neighborhood. She told us that Nick recently went to a regular doctor’s appointment, and that during the examination, the doctor discovered a tumor on Nick’s skin and would need to run additional tests to determine whether it was benign or malignant. Mrs. White explained to us that benign was generally not serious, whereas malignant was. Fortunately, she said, Nick’s tumor was benign, and that he was going to be okay. That was great news!

Proofread 9/16/26 

Waiting for Mom

 Waiting for Mom

    Jim had been waiting a long time for his mother to arrive. She would come and pick him up each day after school. Sometimes Jim's mom would be waiting outside the school, at the curb with the motor running, when Jim came out of the school building. Other times she would be a few minutes late, but never more than ten.

    It had now been more than half an hour, and Jim was getting worried. Had his mother gotten into an accident? Did she forget it was a school day? No, Jim thought, after all, she had dropped him off at school that morning.

    Just then, Jim's mother pulled up. As he got in the car and closed the door, Jim's mom explained that she had taken his little sister, Susie to the doctor for an appointment. She said that his sister Susie had panicked when the nurse told her that she needed to get a scheduled vaccination. Jim said, "But mom, Susie doesn't even know what a vaccination is."

    "I know that, honey," Jim's mom said. "It wasn't the word vaccination that freaked her out. It was the sight of the needle!"

    "Well, did she cry?" Jim asked.

    "Yes, she was crying even before the nurse cleaned her arm with rubbing alcohol. She asked me to hug her and talk to her about butterflies until it was over."

    Jim followed up, "Did that work?"

    "Yes. It wasn't easy though. She squirmed a lot so it was tough for the nurse to get the needle in the area of her arm she was aiming for. But after it was done, the nurse told her that she had done a great job, and that she was brave for doing it."

    "I'm glad everything worked out okay," Jim said. "You know, Mom. You're a great mom."

(c) 2016 Henry Anker

Proofread 9/16/26

The Play

 The Play

    Our teacher told us that our class was going to put on a play. The play would be performed in the auditorium, a month from now, but we would be rehearsing together in the classroom. Once a week we would practice for an hour after school. Each student in the class would be responsible for practicing his or her own lines at home.

    The play would be a story of how the some Pilgrims came to this country. It would show how they worked hard to make homes for their families. It would also show how some American Indians living nearby helped the Pilgrims survive the long winter, and how they could grow their own food. Because part of the audience for the show would be little kids, the 'realities' of disease, land theft, violence, and warfare during the time period would be left out.

    Our parents would be helping out by making the costumes, and the Art teacher would have her students paint the sets. Little by little, things came together. The student actors were becoming fluent in delivering their lines. The sets began to make the scenes more realistic with backgrounds of forests, cabins, and Native American villages. Students were also taught how to operate the stage lights and the spotlights so the audience could feel like the action was taking place at different times of the day or night, in different places, and long ago.

    The night of the play arrived and all the seats were filled. Some people were even standing in the back. The house lights dimmed and the curtain went up. The first scene showed a group of Pilgrim settlers rowing a small wooden boat to shore. The next showed Pilgrims building their houses as fake snow was sprinkled from above by students on ladders backstage.

    Things continued to go well until one of the actors bumped into a cardboard tree which caused a domino effect of trees falling across the stage. Everyone pitched in to get things back in order and the play continued. The actors remembered almost all of their lines. The sets were changed each time the curtain closed between scenes. The ending of the play brought a standing ovation from the audience, and a curtain call from the cast.

Proofread 9/16/26