Saturday, February 7, 2009

Dedication of Love


It was one of those crisp cool Autumn mornings, the sun was fresh, everything sparkled, trees has just started to change their uniforms to the reds and yellows so familiar here on the hill, but warm enough yet to have dew on the remaining garden inhabitants. Geese were flying overhead, heading down the long route to winters habitat, honking and making waves in the sky, it was a good morning. With that similar thought my own huge Toulouse geese, decided it was prime time to fly over the fence into the garden to see what morsels still lie there to enhance their diet, little did they know that danger was lurking, and watching. I open up the garden in late fall and let the dogs run, giving them a little more room for exercise, since there is nothing there that can be harmed. Avi, my young Siberian Husky, alias Killer of the feathered beings, was watching closely, as, one, two, three geese flew over the garden fence from their very safe yard into the awaiting delicacies. There was a flash of grey, a flurry of wings, and feathers flying in every direction, by the time I got there, two had flown back across, but one had gotten tangled up in the left over fence, and mauled by the ambitious dog. The only thing I could do at the moment was pick her up and toss across to safety, to keep her from the snapping jaws of that beautiful Siberian from hurting her anymore. She was injured, breathless, laying there in a heap, and I thought, that was the end of that saga. I traveled back into the fenced in pasture to retrieve what I thought was a venture gone wrong, when I noticed her mate, shielding her from me, and the barking dog on the other side I picked her up and took her into the alpaca shed, put her on a pile of hay, brought in a water dish, and decided to let nature take its course. It looked as though she may have a broken leg, or severely injured right side. Meanwhile her mate hissed, and spread his huge wings, and dared me to do anymore for his injured mate. As the days progressed into weeks I watched as she hobbled out to the yard, her mate right behind, and settle into the warm sun. Each day he gently nestled her neck and preened her maladjusted feathers,let her rest in the warm sun and kept her warm at night. Each day I brought special feed out to her, and her mate would only let me come so close, and then he would coach her gently to the fallen feed, and made sure no one else would eat till she had her fill. None of the other geese even ventured close, as he would stretch out his neck, hiss, and give warnings no one, even the Alpacas dared to cross. One day I went out and the pair was no where to be seen, the yard was empty, the chickens were contentedly scratching in the dust below the hill, Guinea hens were up in the trees watching on guard duty, and the Alpacas were out in the pasture grazing........when suddenly down the pasture lane came the gaggle of geese, and very slowly, a bit behind, came the injured goose, limping gamely, but with her mate right behind, coming in from the pasture where they had been feeding on the last of the clover and alfalfa. I watched as they came into the area, he waited each time she took a rest, till finally they made it into the yard when corn and tidbits lay waiting for their pleasure. She eventually grew strong, and recovered, but it was with the help of her mate that she persevered thru the painful days that now were in the past. This Valentines day, the lesson to be learned is love is necessary for survival, be it child, favored one, or mate....to make the cool crisp Autumns of life memories...... ones to remember.

7 comments:

  1. How beautifully you tell a story - I think you have such a talent for writing. I loved the story and I could picture every second. Thanks for making my day. Shirley

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  2. Shirley
    Thanks, I only write about what I witness, or feel, up here on the hill

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  3. Thank you for such a sweet story and for reminding us that love and caring is what every one of God's creatures need.

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  4. That is so beautiful ... thank you for sharing. I'm going to write about this story on my blog and link you so others will know "caring love".

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  5. warming winds
    melting snow
    standing water
    nowhere to go
    longer days
    lead into night
    full moon rays
    mimic sunlight
    rest your head
    ease your mind
    let todays footsteps
    be left behind
    until tommorro's
    slow morning light
    surrender your tahughts
    sleep well tonight

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  6. Like this one alley cat...pretty cool

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