This whole week was a real stresser, but today was the worst. Wednesday I came home from sitting with a client for a break to find one of my geese upside down and paralyzed. Since I had to go back and finish my vigil I put her in the goose house in a corner and closed her in so the other geese would not hurt her. The next morning she was still the same. In the afternoon I carried her up to the yard and put her under a tree with water and grass. Friday morning I knew she was not going to get any better and would need to be put out of her misery. I made the arrangements to have it done the next morning.
Life is never that simple, is it? Missed communications left me with no one to do the deed. I knew I could not do it, but I still knew it had to be done. I am aware there are those of you out there who would have been most willing to "chop her head off" or "wring her neck" or any other means by which to dispense the poor soul to the other side, free of her pain, but not me. I held her and believe this or not, she let me. She had the prettiest blue eyes.
I finally called a lady friend to see if her husband would do it. Unfortunately they were in Telluride or Texas or some where that was not here. But their son was here. Of course he was here, he was no longer the little 15 year old boy I remembered. He is now married with kids grown and gone and he would be most happy to help me out of this dilemma. They were at a picnic and would come as soon as they ate.
And they did. And he sent me inside and he took care of every thing and I was so relieved. Now I am down to 9 geese. Sammy assured me that he would always be willing to help me and I want you to know what a weight that takes off my mind. He is a very kind man, but being a farmer he knows what needs done in the real world. And he knows how I care for my animals. That means a lot to an old woman living alone.
So tonight my heart is very heavy and only another animal lover can understand how I could care for a goose that is just feathers and poop mostly. My geese hiss at me and stretch thier necks out like they will attack me, but they won't. And when I put them up tonight there was confusion, because they are creatures of habit and one of them is gone. There were 3 Emidens in that hatching 3 years ago and now there are 2. When the geese are all gone, I will sell the farm and move into town. I now have 9 to go.
Life is never that simple, is it? Missed communications left me with no one to do the deed. I knew I could not do it, but I still knew it had to be done. I am aware there are those of you out there who would have been most willing to "chop her head off" or "wring her neck" or any other means by which to dispense the poor soul to the other side, free of her pain, but not me. I held her and believe this or not, she let me. She had the prettiest blue eyes.
I finally called a lady friend to see if her husband would do it. Unfortunately they were in Telluride or Texas or some where that was not here. But their son was here. Of course he was here, he was no longer the little 15 year old boy I remembered. He is now married with kids grown and gone and he would be most happy to help me out of this dilemma. They were at a picnic and would come as soon as they ate.
And they did. And he sent me inside and he took care of every thing and I was so relieved. Now I am down to 9 geese. Sammy assured me that he would always be willing to help me and I want you to know what a weight that takes off my mind. He is a very kind man, but being a farmer he knows what needs done in the real world. And he knows how I care for my animals. That means a lot to an old woman living alone.
So tonight my heart is very heavy and only another animal lover can understand how I could care for a goose that is just feathers and poop mostly. My geese hiss at me and stretch thier necks out like they will attack me, but they won't. And when I put them up tonight there was confusion, because they are creatures of habit and one of them is gone. There were 3 Emidens in that hatching 3 years ago and now there are 2. When the geese are all gone, I will sell the farm and move into town. I now have 9 to go.
