Goose Gang

This past weekend we went out for a family picnic.  The weather has been so crummy that any opportunity there has been to be outside we wanted to take advantage.  It is like we live in Seattle or something.  I hear that people there flock to the outdoors the moment the sun is out or the weather is nicer.  Seems pretty much what it has been like around here this winter.  Although, there have not been many opportunities to be outdoors.  The kids really enjoying being outside so we thought we would take advantage of the nice, yet slightly windy, weather.

We went to a park near mom's that had a play area and a lake where the kids could feed the duck's and apparently the geese.  Geese are bully's and well, I don't care for them much.  Let me tell you why.  I also don't like lake water and large snapping turtles (combination of the two), but that is for a different post.

So, I am little myself and on a picnic with my own mother and some family friends.  What I remember is that we were all enjoying our lunch, me with the standard kid friendly PB&J when all of a sudden this big bully comes over and snatches my sandwich right out of my hand.  I know what you are thinking, "how rude!  Who does that to a little kid?"  I'll tell you who.  I big bully goose.  Those things are mean.  They gang up on you and honk and hiss.  It is really very intimidating.  So to this day I do not really care for those creatures.

Fast forward 30 some odd years and I am on a picnic with my own family.  I try not to show my fear of the geese, although it is really a gang of geese.  They stick together just like the Bloods or something.  Following each other around, bullying little people with bread in their tiny little hands.  The kids aren't afraid in the least so I am trying to go along with this insanity, but the closer they come the more my heart begins to race.  I am having flashbacks of losing my own sandwich, and almost my fingers, to a goose 30 years ago.  Jack is freely walking toward the goose with bread in his precious fingers.  He throws it out there and the gang waddles closer and closer, continually honking at us because we don't have enough bread for them.  What does that mean to me?  They are coming for my little people!  Jack backs away and there is the little Princess following her brother's every move and throwing bread out to the geese.  They are closing in faster.  There are 5 or 6 of them.  Honking.  Hissing.  Waddling faster.  They are closing in on us.  I just can't take it!  I snatch her up by the arm, on the verge of pulling her arm off I am sure and I start running.  Jack starts running.  Mark is laughing at me as if I have completely lost my mind.  Princess Jules is crying.  I felt terrible because I allowed my fear to get the best of me and my kids now know that I am afraid of geese.  Good grief!

Here is to hoping you have a geese free day.

Here are a few pictures + a few from the day before.  Where I also jerked my child up by the arm because I was running from a snake that could have very well been dead.

Love ya -

Amy

happily strolling over to feed the geese

Charge! (that is what the goose gang are saying as they honk and hiss at my children)

What is this you ask?  It is me running from the geese.  I told you I was scared.  Sadly, it is true.

previous day at the park

she is meant for speed

serving up ice cream and lattes to the kids (seriously, those were the choices)

parched after a long afternoon of playing

Do you see the snake?  He wasn't afraid at all.  He doesn't care for dogs, but he isn't afraid of snakes.  Go figure.