I spent two days duck hunting in May. Even though duck season starts in the fall, and I don't even have a hunting license, the hunt proved successful. 

It all started when Mrs. G. asked me where "Gus the Duck" was. Gus was a ceramic birthday gift from our three youngest grandsons last spring. He spent the summer of 2023 welcoming visitors to the backyard with his cheerful personality. The 2024 flowers were filling up the yard, and Gus was nowhere to be seen. My mission for the day was to locate the little guy, give him a quick duck bath, and put him to work, welcoming the Amazon drivers, robins, squirrels, and other visitors entering the backyard.  

The problem was finding Gus. I can lose my car keys minutes after I park the car. How can I remember where Gus spent the winter? Mrs. G. thought I swaddled her new best friend in bubble wrap last fall, but neither of us could recall where he ended up, so the search began in the most likely place, the garden shed; nope, no duck there. How about the shelves in the back of the garage? No duck there either. Check Shed #2. Negatory. Scan the cellar at least three times… Still no duck-luck. 

How hard can it be to find a shin-high duck? Answer: Very hard. 

The hunt bled into day #2, and I started panicking. I have a terrible habit of making things disappear that I assume aren't being used anymore. On more than one occasion, I've broken cardinal marriage Rule #1- Ask your wife before you throw anything out. Could I have sent Gus packing by mistake? My eye was starting to twitch, and I was getting queasy. If I didn't find Gus soon, I'd be taking his place in the backyard. Time to get serious and birddog this duck. 

One last inch-by-inch scan of the cellar led me to our shelving wall filled with bins of holiday dishes, decorations, centerpieces, and seasonal whatchamacallits. There beneath Rack #2, I spotted a cardboard box marked with the words "Gus the Duck" and "Butterfly.” A two-for-one discovery! Not only did I find the "Holy Grail," but I also found birthday gift #2, a solar-lit metal and glass butterfly we'd both forgotten about. It was like Christmas in May. I don't know who was happier, Mrs. G., me …or Gus. 

I know I was the one most relieved! 

In the end, summer is here, a duck and a butterfly were rescued, and a husband's life was spared. 

Whew, another close one…