Kinda cute, kinda sad

MomBert and I hit the flea market EXTRAVAGANZA this weekend. It never fails to deliver a big ol’ bunch of weird. Like a “jar” of baby ducks haphazardly tossed in for display or disembodied jazz hands.

That is a deal on ducklings.

We cruised the flea market looking for nonsense for what felt like forever, but was only about three hours. It was a little warmer than anticipated. We called it. Conveniently the next exit on the way home is our favorite giant antique mall. Hello, air conditioning, indoor toilets, and a snack bar.

It was here that I ran into the second container full of ducklings and, of course, squealed loudly.

Guy Restocking Booth: “Oh, are you enjoying my wares?

Me: “OMIGOD THIS IS THE SECOND CONTAINER FULL OF BABY DUCKS TODAY!” Starts scrolling camera roll to show the stranger who didn’t ask.

Guy Restocking Booth says something I didn’t hear about yet another booth where there must be another container of ducks.

Me: “No, we were at the EXTRAVAGANZA.” Shows photo. I now have at least one duckling in hand.

Guy Restocking Booth: “Hey! That’s my dad’s tent. I put those in there.” He has an aesthetic.

MomBert: “Are they real?”

Guy Restocking Booth: “They were. My dad knows a guy. That’s all I know.”

Grimaces all around as we all imagine the mass extermination of ducklings. While I’m fascinated by taxidermy and drawn to the weirdness of it, I always have mixed feelings about why it needed to happen. There are definitely some ethical issues here especially when it’s not a hunting situation, not that that really helps.

Ethics thrown to the wayside, I went with my impulses and scooped up two ducklings. The black one was hanging out in a carving of the Last Supper. That might have helped draw my eye.

As always I introduced the new additions to the cats. They said they smell weird. For now, they have their own “swan boat.”