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<font face="Comic Sans MS">Hi folks,<br>
<br>
I don't know if it's just a teensy bit warmer today, or if I just think
it is because I'm not seeing any snow outside. It may just be wishful
thinking on my part. I'm sure by the end of the week, I'll be wishing
a lot harder, too!<br>
<br>
I had one of my little "critter adventures" over Christmas break. On
Christmas Eve, a friend of mine gave me a goose, (because she knows I'm
a sucker for critters and her other geese were picking on it.) We let
it out in my front yard and he waddled around thinking he was in a pen
for a while. Then he discovered the "pen" wasn't fenced all the way
around, so he headed off to the back of the house. Fortunately, he
just circled around and came right back to the front yard, but before
he got quite back inside it, he figured out he had just waddled himself
right back into the "pen" he had just escaped from, so he turned and
went toward the road and I had to hurry and direct him back closer to
home. Then he headed off toward our shed and I thought he'd be okay
since there was a fence behind it, and I figured he wouldn't wander off
into the woods, but would stay closer to the house. Never
underestimate a determined goose. I had to go in the house for a
minute for something and when I came back out, the goose was gone! I
called for him, and could hear him way off in the distance. Who'd've
thought a goose could travel that fast without flying! I headed off
through the woods, and would stop and call him every so often, and
could still hear him off in the distance, but he seemed to be getting
farther away. I wasn't sure if this meant he was waddling faster than
I was, or if I was going the wrong direction. I finally decided to
head back up closer to our pond, cause if I was a goose, that's where
I'd want to go, but still no goose. Fortunately, though, he did sound
closer when I got up there, so I headed off in the direction of the
honking, and starting hearing people. I thought this was a good
thing, until I heard someone yell, "Catch him and we'll eat him!" Then
I started yelling (and waddling faster myself) until I came to our
fence and could see the lost goose who had just been captured by a
neighbor boy, with another neighbor standing there eying my goose like
he was already stuffed. They gave him back once I told them I had been
looking for him, that he had wandered away when I had gone in the
house, so I carried him back to the yard and decided I'd better put him
in a pen for a while at least. He showed his grateful appreciation of
my valiant rescue efforts by pinching the stuffings out of my arm with
his beak (Yes, I was a victim of goose abuse.) After almost 2 weeks,
I think he's finally decided I'm not so bad, since I'm the one who
brings him food and water every day, so the biting had lessened
(some). If he only knew how close he had come to being a "Christmas
goose" before I rescued him, he'd be nicer to me.<br>
<br>
Happy Birthday wishes go out today to Gear Up's George Larson. Have a
great day, George, just don't freeze up!<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="+2">Our menu for today includes:<br>
Soft shell tacos<br>
Chicken fry steak<br>
Mashed potatoes and gravy<br>
Fried okra<br>
Broccoli<br>
Bread sticks<br>
<br>
And for dessert, have some Chocolate Cake or Peach Cobbler.</font><font
face="Comic Sans MS"><br>
<br>
Keep warm and have a great day,<br>
<br>
Rhoda <span class="moz-smiley-s1"><span> :-) </span></span><br>
</font><br>
<br>
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