Quote:
Henry, Penelope, and Libby send honks of love, Kim! We haven't had any serious snow yet, maybe an inch or a little more at the most. But I have to say, I totally dig seeing the webbed foot prints in the snow! So cute. And the snow has provided evidence that they for some unknown reason sometimes climb up the cement block stairs to the chicken's pop door (which is closed when we're not home). The pop door is maybe 2-1/2 feet up off the ground. Maybe
that's why the goosers chewed through the original wooden gangplank I had leading up to the chicken door--they knew then I'd have to build something sturdier, that they could walk up!
Anyway, I've seen the tracks up the cement blocks!
They don't seem to mind the snow at all. They would highly prefer that their swimming pools stayed liquid, though. We've had a few thaws where they could swim a bit. I've got a five gallon heated bucket for water in Goose Jail, which has been improved with a tarp cover, straw bales for a wind block, and straw on the ground. Sometimes they even hang out there in the day. Not often, though. The other night, when we'd had a steady sprinkling of snow, I went out to put them to bed and the three of them were settled down in the snow in a circle, with their butt ends to the middle, each one facing a different direction outward. Pretty good strategy. Of course they were getting covered with snow, with nice cozy Goose Jail just a few feet away.
Usually they go quite easily into protective custody for the night. I used to be able to use the flashlight beam to herd them with, but it seems they have figured out that no permanent disfigurement occurs if they cross the beam of light. Sometimes it involves a few trips around the perimeter but then they go in. To prove in case there were any doubt that I am a total goof ball, I sing to them as I herd them to jail. I have modified the words to "Sweet Baby James" (apologies to James Taylor
), and to show I have no proper sense of shame, here goes:
Good night you moonlight ladies,
Rock-a-bye sweet baby geese,
Soft grays and whites are the colors I like,
Won't you waddle to jail in great peace?
And rock-a-bye sweet baby geese.
Sorry! Sorry! But possibly one reason I have pets is to sing (badly!) to them. My justification for this particular travesty of song is the geese might learn that when I sing it, it's time to go in their pen. However, when I sing and they scurry in front of me into the pen, I think they
may just be trying to get away from my singing. Yeah, yeah, everyone's a critic.
My DH claims they would prefer Neil Young to James Taylor... Anyone know any good goose lullabies?
