Most of you have heard that we have geese.  Not Canadas, but domestic
geese.  They are Paula's pets. Sometimes she has been called Mother
Goose.  Technically, they are African geese.  One is a mixture of
African and Emden.  Emdens are the large white geese with orange beaks
and legs.  In Europe, our geese would be called graylags.

 The geese are a constant source of amusement. They serve as great
icebreakers, as when we say, "Sorry we're late, but we had to put up the
geese."  All of this is by way of introducing a piece from E. B. White.
White wrote "Stuart Little" and "Charlotte's Web", among other things.
White lived on a farm in Maine where he kept animals.  His description
of geese will help explain our infatuation with them.

This is from the Letters of E. B. White:
 "Geese are great to have around, because they stir the air. They are
sagacious, contentious, storm-loving, and beautiful. They are natural
hecklers, delight in arguing a point, and are possessed of a truly
remarkable sense of ingratitude. They never fail to greet you on your
arrival, and the greeting is tinged with distaste and sarcasm. They take
parenthood seriously, are protective of their young but never
indulgent.  When my young gander is impatient for grain, he seizes the
food-box in his mouth and bangs it against the wall, and this racket can
be heard all over the place. You've never seen a hen do anything like
that. Another fine thing about geese is that they are as easily steered
as a modern car-a great convenience. Their bowel activity is, of course,
legendary."
 

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