Goose and Emu Come to Visit (Often)

It may be "cupboard love" - but we'll take it!

This is a chilly morning.

This morning of Christmas Eve in Virginia. Freezing rain. Slippery.

The house and office are still. Gonzo the Goose and Gizmo the Emu are in their usual places outside the back door. Their usual places being the window or door where they can best view us from. Their usual places change as we move from room to room. The imprinting is strong.

Big bird is again pondering one of the world's seven wonders - glass. Multiple times each day, he runs his beak up and down the big window, peering into our workspace - wistfully trying to get our attention for more treats. Sometimes, he makes a halfhearted attempt to snap at the glass, which hasn’t worked yet… that mysterious substance - glass gets in the way, each and every time.
Glass is there, and it is not there.
It is truly a mystery that Big Bird can’t solve.

Goose understands glass. But Goose understands most things. She understands that although humans are food dispensers, they are irregular and, therefore, unreliable. They must be prompted often - about the need for more dinner. Goose knows that lots of quacking (loudly) usually gets their attention, but those humans can’t hear through glass. So, there is no need to use that tactic once they are in their house.

Goose knows that some people are easily frightened of Goose but other humans, not so much. Those who are frightened deserve to be so; those who are not easily intimidated tend to be the ones who dispense food. Family, of course, aren’t afraid of goose. But Goose knows that knowing how to scare both people and dogs is essential if one only weighs 10 pounds.

Goose knows that watchful waiting is eventually rewarded. That making very sad faces is a good tactic to get the human’s attention through the glass. Therefore, when humans are in their house, it is best to just try to look sad. And cold. And hungry. For optimal results, it is preferable to look sad, cold, and hungry all at the same time. The food dispensers need lots of nudging. Goose knows lots of tricksy pysops techniques.

.The one thing both Goose and Emu know is that humans cook and have very good food. Both Goose and Emu are big foodies.

When humans open a food door, it is time to visit

We are truly blessed, to have these amazing characters in our lives.

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This afternoon, our son and his family, including our two grandchildren, will join us for Christmas Eve. So, there is much to do: the house is a mess, grain needs to be bought, and the outside chores still need to be completed.

Stay turned - we may have some big farm news coming our way soon!

Have a great evening folks - remember…

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