Canadian geese can be found year round in Southern Idaho. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Canadian geese enjoy open spaces with short lawns, not only because they love eating grass, but also so they can see any potential predators.
Brian points out a flock of geese incoming from the north. They alight on the meticulously groomed grass of softball field two, thinking and munching and in general ignoring everything around them, including the three teenage guys on bikes three sizes too small. We must not pose a threat to them because they bounce and chatter, their hoarse voices carrying across the fields.
I have a long standing fear of geese. When I was a kid, Mom used to take my brother and me to feed the ducks in the Boise River. We would bring a loaf of fluffy bread and shred the pieces for the various water fowl that waddled our way, smiling and quacking and thanking us for the food in their ducky voices. I loved ducks. But invariably, halfway through the feeding, the noisy, smelly, messy, huge geese would catch wind of the Wonder Bread and overrun the place. I always dropped my slices and ran away because the geese were as big as me and because one of my good friends was once pecked by an overprotective mamma goose.
Today, there is a goose missing a leg. He hobbles around as well as he can, hopping awkwardly from place to place. None of his friends seem to notice that he’s different. They treat him just like any other member of their family. How I wish people were more like this.
We watch skateboarders trying to show off for the girls they like in the small skatepark near the parking lot. But the girls aren’t paying attention. They’re flirting with other boys or glued to their iphones. On the other side of the parking lot, parents push small children in swings or chase them around the playground. I wish kids didn’t feel like they have to grow up so fast. Too often, we can’t enjoy the phase of life we’re in because we think that the things we don’t have are always better. We can be so fickle.
Apparently the geese agree. They lift off to explore another area, to see new people, to find new food.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_goose/lifehistory/ac
I like the mix of human activity and animal activity in this post. I like seeing what both "halves" of the picture are doing and if they are paying any attention to each other. Also I really like the picture of the flock of geese because of the mountains in the back ground. It probably sounds silly to you, but I have never seen a mundane baseball or soccer field with a gigantic range of mountains in the background. It kind of echoes what you're doing with portraying the animal and human activity together in the same piece.
ReplyDeleteBoise and the surrounding areas sit in a valley but I never thought about the fact that I see mountains every day. I guess I just take it for granted. :) It's really pretty when the sun's rising and hitting the snowy peaks!
DeleteI love that you also noticed the moon. Since it was such a part of my week, I've been paying more attention to it. I love your analogy to it being eaten by the sky. I like the idea that the sky is a living thing--it kind of is, always moving and changing. Thanks for the image!
DeleteThat opening sentence is so startling and powerful - immediately draws me in, that whole paragraph really. The close focus on one element of this visit is working effectively here.
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