With this warm, sunny weather our thoughts tend to turn to spring and of course camping. Combine this with the start of the new year I figured it was time to do some calculating. So, just in case you were wondering how long till camping season starts:
And last but not least….
Q: What do you get if you put a 20 ducks in a box?
A: A box of Quackers
I must admit that before this week I really didn’t give the Rubber Duckie song much thought. It was just a little ditty that Ernie sang on Sesame Street. I never considered it a ‘real’ song until recently when I received an email that changed my thinking. (btw Thank you to the little birdie that tweeted this to me. I am always interested in all things ducky)
Now about Ernie’s song – did you know that Ernie’s Rubber Duckie actually went to #16 on the Billboard Chart in 1970. It was even nominated for a Grammy Award, but lost to ‘The Sesame Street Book & Record’, which incidentally contained the Rubber Duckie song. So indirectly it did win the Grammy. There have been versions in different languages such as German and Spanish; even a Rock N Roll version by Little Richard. A quick youtube search finds lots of these versions to choose from. Here is one of the original songs: http://youtu.be/TtWfTrY-Wug
And for something a little different here is Little Richard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWCEG6lV0ek
Hopefully you can forgive me if you now have Ernie’s voice bouncing around in your head. It’s Friday afternoon and who wants to think work thoughts at this time of day anyway.
Have a safe, happy weekend. Take the time to relax and enjoy some fun with the family.
It sounds very clichéd but wow did November ever fly by. Seems like only a week ago that we were heading out trick or treating and already I am starting my chocolate countdown calendar. I can only hope that the rest of the winter goes this fast. Typically with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas December is a fast month as well. It is January and February that really gets ya.
Of course there isn’t much happening around the Duck at this time of year, so I have been a little lacking for topics for the blog. I decided to set out on a search of the internet to find some interesting December tidbits to write about and was well rewarded. There are all sorts of strange December superstitions, weather lore, beliefs and sayings that I have compiled to share . You will notice that I couldn’t help but also share my unsolicited opinion on the ‘facts’ below
First off a few simple December Superstitions
“On Christmas Eve all animals can speak”
However, it is apparently bad luck to test this superstition. So if you see the Reindeer that ran over Grandma it is probably best to just walk away.
“Wearing new shoes on Christmas Day will bring bad luck”
If you had shoes on your Christmas list, you may want to do some editing.
“Good Luck will come to the house where a fire is kept burning throughout the Christmas season”
I gotta contradict this one. I think if a fire burns in my house throughout Christmas, it will be very, very bad luck since I don’t have a fireplace.
“If a girl raps on a henhouse door on Christmas Eve and a rooster crows, she will marry within a year”
Forget about getting trampled in the garter toss ladies, give this one a try. And make sure to send me a wedding picture if it works out.
If your birthday is December 28 close your eyes and don’t read this part. This day is widely regarded as the unluckiest day of the year. I have no idea why, but I guess with superstitions there never is an answer to this question.
Here’s a useless did you know fact:
December Starts on the same day of the week as September.
December ends on the same day of the week as April
Ok how many of you besides me checked the calendar after you read this?
There is a seemingly unlimited supply of weather tidbits on the net so here is just a sampling of the Weather lore:
– “A clear, star filled Christmas Eve will bring good crops in the summer”
– “If sun shines through the apple trees upon Christmas Day,
When autumn come they will a load of fruit display”
– “ Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green.”
Before you google it, Easter 2012 is on April 8.
-“A green Christmas; a white Easter”
– “If Christmas Day be bright and clear
There’ll be two winters in the year”
– “The nearer the new Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the Winter.”
Uh oh, the new moon is on December 24.
My job is done now that I have filled your time with useless information. My next mission to settle my curiosity will definitely be to see how many actually come true. I will be tracking the snow and sunshine over the next few months and report back on my findings. In the mean time I will continue my google expedition to find some useless tidbits to amuse, entertain and possibly bore you with.
Happy December Everyone. And remember you are never to old for a Christmas Chocolate Countdown Calendar. Go out and buy one today and spend a little time acting like a kid again.
There were a few times this season that it didn’t look good, but the Bombers pulled it off and have made it to the Grey Cup Game on Sunday. They are really going to have their work cut out for them though. Let’s hope that there are lots of Bomber Fans making the journey so they can drown out the home town crowd. On the Grey Cup Website there is a fan poll asking who will win the game. As of right now they have had 2029 votes and the Lions are just barely ahead with 52% expecting them to win. As always we will have the Game on the Big Screen in the Rec Building. It is a free family friendly event and everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the afternoon.
This weekend also signifies Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I know there are quite a few Manitobans that head down South for the chaos of Black Friday. Not me, even if you paid me I don’t think I would take part in such madness. Now, Cyber Monday that is a different story. I have my thinking cap on to come up with some good Rubber Ducky deals . You will have to check our www.facebook.com/RubberDuckyResortandCampground on Monday to see what I decided on. I can tell you one little secret – one lucky camper is going to win a fantastic prize from Rubber Ducky Resort and Campground. (no purchase necessary)
Well it sounds like the boys took my advice and they enjoyed the ride to the Summit World Finals. You’ll remember a few weeks ago I posted about how ‘our’ car was going to the World Finals in Virginia. The boys have returned and by all accounts it sounds like it was a great experience that they won’t soon forget. They came back with lots of pictures and videos to share. The pictures don’t do it justice, but you can get a bit of an idea of how big the event was. This is the type of thing that most people will never even see or be a part of. It truly is the type of thing that you had to be there to appreciate what the event was like. If you have facebook you can check out the Internation Hot Rod Association page https://www.facebook.com/#!/nitrojam. If you scroll down, there are a few stories about the World Finals. One of the other big sponsors was RacingJunk.Com. If you are looking to get your own car and get into racing this is where to start shopping. If you want to see more of the Raceway in Petersburg this is the website for Virginia Motorsports Park
Drag Racin' Duck
I won’t beat around the bush and I am sure I have mentioned it before. I HATE WINTER. I HATE COLD. Yes hate is a strong word, but it is fitting in this circumstance. Unfortunately it is the time of year when we have no choice but to accept the fact that old man winter will soon be here. We have been lucky up until now and have enjoyed an amazing fall but it seems to be quickly coming to an end. It is also time for the winter forecast predictions to come out. The Farmer’s Almanac is calling for a cold and stormy winter; AccuWeather says it will be approx 3-4 degrees colder than normal with lots of snow. Environment Canada seems to agree with colder temperatures and more snow. So, does this mean they are all copying each other or do they really know something we don’t. Along with the forecast Farmer’s Almanac also has a list of some signs of a hard winter so we can make a decision on our own. Have you seen any of these signs:
Thicker than normal corn husks
Woodpeckers sharing a tree
Early arrival of the Snowy owl
Early departure of geese and ducks
Early migration of the Monarch butterfly
Thick hair on the nape (back) of the cow’s neck
Heavy and numerous fogs during August
Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands
Mice eating ravenously into the home
Early arrival of crickets on the hearth
Spiders spinning larger than usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
Pigs gathering sticks
Insects marching a bee line rather than meandering
Early seclusion of bees within the hive
Unusual abundance of acorns
Muskrats burrowing holes high on the river hank
“See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest”
Narrow orange band in the middle of the Woollybear caterpillar warns of heavy snow; fat and fuzzy caterpillars presage bitter cold
The squirrel gathers nuts early to fortify against a hard winter
Frequent halos or rings around sun or moon forecast numerous snow falls.
Ok so maybe it is not much help. But I can tell you that there are no acorns here and the muskrat holes are not that high on the banks. Now, I have no intention of checking a cows neck to see how thick it is. Nor do I have much desire to go searching for a hornet’s nest either. I have noticed that the ducks and geese are still hanging around and have not departed early. I just don’t even know what to says about the pigs. Has anyone ever seen a pig gather sticks? All in all I gotta say that these signs seem to contradict the ‘experts’.
Here’s my uneducated prediction for the upcoming winter:
I have analyzed all the signs, studied the facts, checked the historical data, dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s and say it will be a late first snowfall, coming just in time for Christmas; it will be a cold, cold January; and an early spring with the snow gone by April 1. (Ok some wishful thinking involved)
Anyone else want to share your predictions, post a comment with your best guess.
If you are a faithful reader of my blog, you will remember that we sponsor a local drag racer. When you see our truck ( the one with the ducky on it that you can’t miss) travelling between here and Gimli pulling a really nice purple car that would be Dean. Well this has been a very successful summer for Dean. After racing all summer at his home track in Gimli, Manitoba he qualified to compete in the IRHA Summit Super Series divisional run off in Edmonton, Alberta on Sept 16-18. Unfortunately the week before the competition Dean’s car broke down. Luckily he was able to borrow a car and had just enough time to get it ready for the Edmonton Race. This setback left no time to try out the car prior to the race. But with only two test passes the morning of the race, he was still able to pull off the win. So next week if you see the Ducky Truck somewhere between here and Virginia pulling a really nice black car, that will be Dean. Dean and his crew will be competing in the Summit World Finals in Petersburg, VA. There are only 16 drivers from all around the world that are invited to compete. We would like to send a huge congratulations to Dean Smith and wish him good luck during the finals next weekend.
This is Dean’s regular car that helped him make it to Edmonton. A 1973 Camaro that has run 9.13at 149mph in the quarter mile.
This is the car he will be taking to Virginia a 1967 Cougar
Have a great trip guys. Sit back, hold on and enjoy the ride.
We have had some more interesting visitors to our pond recently. This pair has been spotted maybe once a year over the last couple years. So, we have known they were around, but they really kept to themselves. About a month ago I spotted them around the pond as I was driving in one day then, never saw them again for another week. They slowly started coming more and more with sightings every couple days. This week I think I have seen them everyday. Today however was the first time I was able to get a picture. They tend to be a bit flighty and camera shy (yes pun intended)
Those two blobs on the fence posts are bald eagles. I didn’t want to get any closer in case they decided to take off on me again. They have usually only been around in the early mornings. But it is almost 11:00am and they are still around today.
We have decided that since the weather has been so amazingly warm that we should leave the pool open for one more weekend. The temperature of the water has been hovering around 85F still, so should make for an enjoyable last swimming weekend. This weekend will also be the Wii Bowling tournament and Black Beauty will be the movie on Saturday evening. If the Bomber Game is televised tonight it will as always be on the big screen.
The sad countdown is on now. We have only 3 more camping weekends left in 2011. But ….
This upcoming weekend marks the 1st annual Rubber Ducky Mud Bog and Pig Roast. The finishing touches are being done to the pit in the next couple days and by Friday it will be all set for getting dirty. I have never been to a Mud bog myself and really don’t know much about it so am looking forward to watching on Saturday. There are some experienced mud boggers that have taken on the organizing of the races themselves. I hear they have been working hard and have lined up some great prizes for the winners. The full details of this weekend are here
You can check out an earlier video of the Bogs. There has been some water added since the video was taken so the pits are now deeper aned muddier.
If you are camping this weekend, don’t forget your bathing suits. The pool and hot tub are still open.
We recently added a new bench to the pond area and I can personally vouch for the fact that it is a nice, relaxing place to sit in the evenings. We were out for a walk and decided to stop and hang out for a while.
You don’t realize just how many different birds and other critters are there until you spend a little time out there. Our baby ducks came along shortly afterwards for a little snack and swim. Then I saw some sort of other bird that I really don’t know what it was. He kept diving under the water and coming up a few seconds later. He wasn’t any bigger than our baby ducks either.
He's in there somewhere
There were a bunch of blackbirds and other similar birds flying around as well. I am not up on my bird indentification as you may have noticed. The fish were quite active with lots jumping around and of course frogs. There are so many frogs this year it is crazy. All summer we have known about an elusive critter that has been living in the pond, but we rarely caught a glimpse of him. I took my camera out with me in the hopes of just maybe catching a distant picture but, knowing my odds were slim to none. As I walked along the south side, I heard a splash and saw a ripple. Aha he was in the vicinity. I carried on walking around and sat on the bench to wait. Well it was my lucky day when out of the water pops Max. This was just a quick splash with no time to get the camera. I figured I was done and had missed my one, small opportunity. Nope, it was suppertime for the critter. He came back out and nibbled some weeds giving me the perfect Kodak moment.
Max the Muskrat
I am not sure if it is Maxwell or Maxine, so we will just stick with Max. Max was very coooperative today and quite happy to let me take his picture and watch him while he munched away. This bench will definately become one of my new favorite spots in the campground. Next time you are here be sure to stop by the pond and see if Max is around.
Rubber Ducky Resort & Campground - A family campground located in Warren, near Winnipeg, Manitoba 