A while back, I shared a bit about why Jeepers “duck” other Jeeps. The short version is: it’s a surprisingly wholesome community thing. And like any community, there are subcultures. State groups, international groups, women-focused groups, and yes… groups where the primary topic is ducks.
When I first got Sunny, I remember people swapping tips on how to keep their ducks from launching themselves into the footwell: Q-tips, Velcro, specialty clips, entire Amazon categories devoted to duck retention. Another recurring debate: which way the ducks should face.
Some want the cute faces peering inward. Others prefer them looking ahead, watching the road (and avoiding what one person referred to as the ducks’ “judge-y expressions”).
I was firmly in the second camp. Forward-facing felt fair, they deserve the view. I’ve also never anchored them down, which means from time to time the lineup… shifts.
Whether it’s motion, gravity, or the ducks taking matters into their own hands is unclear. But occasionally, the way they end up looks less like random movement and more like a situation entirely of their own making.
January hasn’t involved much road travel, so naturally, I used that energy to overthink what might be happening on my dashboard.
This started when I noticed one duck… let’s call him “Anxious” duck, due to his wide eyes and general vibe, repeatedly angling himself toward the koala duck beside him. I’d straighten him out, and later he’d be right back in Koala’s personal space.
I can’t tell if he’s reacting to external threats: “Did you see that car blow through the light? Why are there no cops anywhere?”
Or something more internal: “So… the big blue sparkly duck behind me… Do you think he likes that I joined the crew? Was this his seat before I got here? He feels closer than yesterday. He’s definitely closer. What do I do? What do I do??. What do I dooooo???”
At some point, Koala duck appeared to have had enough. I noticed he had turned fully away – a very “I cannot continue with this conversation” posture. Perhaps Anxious duck spiraled even further… perhaps the sparkly blue duck was mentioned just one too many times.
Elsewhere on the dash, other waterfowl seem to be chatting too, but with far less intensity. Calmer. More sedate. Maybe quacking about the unexpectedly warm winter weather or weekend plans.
To show the full ecosystem, I’m including a couple of outside-facing photos of the entire lineup. I took them a few hours apart – I didn’t move any of the players, I just found a more scenic backdrop later in the day.
But look closely…
In the later photo, Anxious duck is no longer upright. He’s fully toppled.
Which raises questions…
Was he being dramatic… or was he right all along that someone might be trying to scare him out of his seat?
And finally, as if on cue: this afternoon, during my first real drive in days, I went down to my parking garage and found that Beep got his inaugural duck :).
A new arrival. A fresh personality. Another variable. I’ll be watching out for the duck dynamics!