November 07, 2003

goose and gander

The sun is out today. I hardly know what to do with myself.

On the way to work, I stopped to harass the geese.

Aren't they late for fall migration? I asked them as much, but they didn't answer. They were having breakfast and really too busy to give me a good response. Which also made them too busy to run away from me. I must have been a sight to see, standing in the middle of thirty geese, inching closer to pet the slow movers.

I have a certain attachment to these geese. I was there when they were hatchlings, having swimming lessons in the river during lunch time. And when they were in their awkward stage, I was there during afternoon walks to toss them bread and listen to them honk at one another. We made jokes, my Hungarian friend and I, that these geese, being of the Canadian variety, spoke only French. I did the interpretation. It was often pretty hilarious. My French is a little rusty, after all.

This is my third fall and my third set of geese to grow up and move on. Only, these guys are late. It's November! Maybe they've decided to stay this winter. Rebel against nature and tradition. Maybe it's part of some extended language immersion program, and maybe next spring, I won't have to translate.

Posted by This Fish at November 7, 2003 10:14 AM
Comments

We should start an internet band (which means we don't actually play anything or make music but we just kind of talk about it and posture a lot) called "Rebel Geese".

Posted by: Michael at November 7, 2003 11:25 AM

Your french may be rusty, but how's your Geese? I took it in high school, or at least the Duck dialect of Geese; can't remember a thing.

Posted by: Belle at November 7, 2003 03:20 PM

here's hoping for some evolved geese for you.

Posted by: julia at November 7, 2003 07:28 PM

Canada geese are regarded as rats where I live. Along with crows, they're the biker birds of bird gangdom. They shit green gross poo everywhere and it's warm enough here that they stay year round. And they're aggressive, like swans. Now ducks on the other hand. Ducks rule! Love them cuteseepie ducks.

Posted by: Katherine at November 7, 2003 11:11 PM

Those geese are MEAN, Fish... do be careful.

Posted by: Paul Gutman at November 8, 2003 12:33 PM