Jaci Dawn

Well, we finally got a break between storms and the piles of work on my desk to go for a walk today (not really: it started pouring on us because my walking partner & I decided to cross the street to see the baby geese).

Not much to see because this was as close as we could get.

There’s at least three babies there. I’m wishing I had a big old zoom lens right about now because my enlargements loose quality quickly.

This one decided he wasn’t comfy under that goose and headed for the other goose. A sibling next door looks up.

It was damp enough that all of the goslings were hunkered down under a parent’s wing (or two). What was interesting to me was that both parents – male and female – had goslings stuffed up under the wings. The goose that is standing is watching that youngster and keeping a jaundiced eye on us. We decided to go around behind the shrubs and take the rest of my photos.

Looking at this mother goose, I am struck by how her children have themselves tucked so tightly against her for warmth and how calm she is about the imposition.

The sentry in the middle has lost his gosling (it joined the others under mom) and I can’t tell if the goose to the far right has any babies under his wings (but he probably did).

They kept an eye on us, but it was beginning to rain and it was apparently nap time, so none of the geese really wanted to take flight or alarm.

“Come on, Mom! Make some room under your wing!”

Drawing an analogy from the geese, my day took a huge parenting curve. My youngest had been in the throes of moving into her very first apartment. Sunday, they came and borrowed my little truck to move things. I threw in a tarp and a rope. This is all new territory to my girl and her boyfriend: they have been “couch surfing” but now that he has a steady job and they can afford a place of their own, they are making the leap from semi-homeless to real adults.

Tomorrow my girl will be 19.

They had to gather belongings from three different sites, including our house. On Sunday I pulled all of Chrystal’s boxes out of the attic and set them out for her (all but one). I numbered the boxes when I put them in the attic (1 of 15 – or whatever the number was) and on the last one, I penned “box #such-and-such has only scrap book items in it and is in the other side of the attic, behind several other boxes.” I left that box in the attic. She also has a crate of fine china still in storage here (Old Country Roses for those who are curious: my mother collected fine china for each of us kids and this was the pattern she chose for my sister. I am green with envy).

She called me this morning to tell me they would be by the house to pick up the boxes and, oh by the way, we have a load of laundry we need to do and it’s a dollar here and…”

I said “how many loads do you really need to do?”

“A couple.”

“Just do them all, OK? It’s fine with us and your sister used to always come by and do hers.”

She called me back around 2 to let me know she’d finished two loads but still had laundry to do so they would be back tonight…

So when I came home tonight, it was to several loads of laundry in the laundry room and a couple of kids sitting around, waiting. The nice thing is that we sat around and talked and laughed.

When they left, they apologized (can I put !!!!!! there?) for “taking up our time and using up our appliances and keeping my truck one more day.” APOLOGIZED.

Hey, kids: you are FAMILY. This is what family does. Sure, parents sometimes act like it’s a burden, but really – you’re our kids. We stretch out our wings and try to cover the kids with our pinion feathers to keep them dry and out of the weather.

We loan out our washer and dryer and make subtle inquiries about what furniture or small appliances they need and we make mental notes. We loan out our cars. We let them take up our time in the middle of the week, waiting for the laundry to dry.

Being a parent is about being uncomfortable in a lot of ways. Goslings up the wazoo is one.

Loaning the washer and dryer is another.

I’m just glad I can be a Mother Goose sometimes, ya know?