Pat York said that the variety of activities at On Top of the World was a key motivator in her decision to move here from Sebastian, Florida, in 2020. So here she was, sitting outside by the Arbor Fitness Center pool on that sunny third day in May with friends Diane Battaglino and Sherry Stoelting. Just sitting there, catching some rays, minding their own business. Hardly a breeze was evident, certainly not strong enough to cause the rustling in the bushes that was becoming more noticeable. Nope, it wasn’t the wind causing the rustling they realized, as the duck made its grand entrance onto the pool deck stage. She was mama duck, but let’s call her Della Duck to make the rest of the story fall into place.
Speaking of falling into place, waddling right behind Della were the six tiny waddlers … let’s call them Huey, Dewey Louie, Larry and his other brothers Darryl and Darryl. Is that six? Yeah, that’s right. Pat, Diane and Sherry watched in amazement as Della jumped onto the pool ledge and right into the pool. One by one, the kiddies, without hesitation, and no duckguard being on duty, jumped onto the ledge and plopped right into the pool. Such a cute sight it was, this feathered family taking a leisurely swim in a people pool. Della must have realized as much as she flew back onto the deck and urged the little ones to do the same. Only one problem – they were too small to make that jump and hadn’t yet reached the age of flying. As Pat said, “They could fit in the palm of your hand.”
Pat, Diane and Sherry quickly called the police, who immediately arrested the ducks for having no IDs for pool entry. Well, okay, for disturbing the bushes as well. In reality, Pat, Diane and Sherry sprang into action by “putting some blocks on the first level of the pool edge, and then a paddleboard, and even a yoga mat to help them get out but they were just too little.”
The animal rescue folks were then contacted and upon arrival, they instructed Pat to have everyone to “form a line in the pool and try to get the ducklings as close to the edge as they could. This didn’t go over well with mom Della, as she began divebombing the rescuers trying to protect her little ones. Slowly, Pat and company herded them to one part of the pool. There, they “were able to scoop a couple out by hand as the rescue worker used the pool scooper to get the rest out and they went running and chirping for their mom who was right there trying to gather them up.”
Once back together, Della, Huey, Dewey Louie, Larry and his other brothers Darryl and Darryl scurried toward more bushes by the parking area, their first swimming session now under their bel … er, uh … feathers. Pat’s decision to move here to enjoy the various activities certainly proved to be unexpected, yet satisfying on this ducky day in May.
