Duck, Duck, What?

Having been neither born nor raised in Minnesota, I grew up calling the game wherein people sit in a circle, one person stands, walks around the outside of the circle, tapping each person saying, "Duck" until they decide to say "Goose," and the person tapped in synchronization with the saying of "Goose" stands and chases the first person around the circle, hoping to tag the Gooser before they reach the spot just vacated by the Goosee "Duck, Duck, Goose."


[Wait a sec...let me catch my breath.]

I even have empirical evidence that the proper name for that game is "Duck, Duck, Goose" because that was the correct answer to a question posed by Regis Philbin on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? several years ago.


None of this matters to native Minnesotans, who insist that the rest of the country...nay...the rest of the world is wrong and needs to fall in line with the aberration to nature that is "Duck, Duck, Gray Duck."


Now...I told you all of that so I could tell you this...


I was walking through the neighborhood earlier this evening, and up ahead I could see some activity in someone's front yard. It looked like a small dog had found something particularly odorous in which to wallow and was thoroughly enjoying flopping around in it. I thought, "Ah! He looks like he's having a really good time!"


As I got closer, I could see a small green head and a periodically-flailing wing and realized that it wasn't a dog, but a duck. I thought, "Oh! Is it hurt? Did a dog get hold of it?"


A few more steps, and I realized that it was actually two ducks behaving in a decidedly twitterpated manner, with no regard for the public nature of their display of affection. I thought, "Eww! Get a room!"


Closer still, and it became clear that the commotion was actually three ducks: two colorful drakes and one plain hen.


It was at that moment that my mind realized the true meaning of Duck, Duck, Grey Duck.