The continuing adventure of Neville (the Lone White Duck)

I  wrote a post last September about a duck who had appeared on our neighborhood pond.  He continues to strut his spunky white feathers all around the neighborhood.  In fact, just a few weeks ago traffic was stopped right where I needed to turn onto our one lane road, and as I leaned out to see what the traffic issue was, I saw Neville leading a group of geese across the road.  I felt like I was sitting in the midst of Make Way for Ducklings! I am grateful everyone stopped to watch the show.  Neville is adorable, but he doesn't waddle very fast.  

Neville's charming approach to life has kept my mind spinning and I am in the final stages of re-writing, critiquing and preparing the story of his arrival for submission to an agent and publisher.  I am hoping it will be a lovely picture book for young children.

It is intimidating to venture further into the writing world than I ever have before.  I am amazed at how quickly fear can thwart creativity, and how much the need to make a buck can do the same. I finally decided to look for a "real" job and keep writing.  I have supportive friends who are critiquing for me, and their support helps me feel brave enough to push send on the website for the agent I have as my first choice.  I hope to do that in the next two weeks.

It has been quiet here, as I wrestle with my own inner demons and the demands of daily life.  There are a lot of changes, some very sweet times, hours of basketball games, and the completion of my homeschool teaching career.  Our youngest is headed to school in the fall, and our second-to-youngest has graduated.  It's been a great and rewarding job and one that I know I will miss.  But there are seasons in life, and this upcoming season will be something entirely new for our family.  We are excited.

Hollyberry pond and the lone white duck

A white duck appeared on the pond about four or five months ago, all by itself, and it is waddling and paddling around whenever I drive by.  There are dozens of mallards, some wood ducks and coots, but just this one white duck.

Did the neighbors who recently moved leave him behind?  He does sometimes cross the road and go wandering through their yard, looking more at home there more than he does in the big pond.

He has caught my imagination, and I find myself making up stories about the little white duck as I am driving.  He is always mingling with the Canada geese, imitating whatever they are doing, and I have him pegged as a very earnest, somewhat insecure little fellow who would love nothing more than to belong.  He is most carefree when he is the middle of the geese crowd; it is then that you can see him diving down, his tail feathers wiggling above the water line, while below the surface he is fishing or playing or whatever it is ducks do in the water. As the geese move along, he quickly catches up with them and slaloms in between the larger, darker birds.  When swim time is over, and the geese somehow signal it is time to march single file up the hill to the kind neighbors on the left, he knows the secret code and pops out to get in line with them.  He waddles along, and he seems to be saying, "I am so happy to be here."

I need a name for this little fellow (assuming that he is a he...I am only guessing.)   Any suggestions?