She hatched on Mother's Day, 2005. I held the egg next to my ear to hear her pecking her way out and she squawked loudly from inside the shell. She was a lovely Pilgrim goose, gentle, mischievous and a constant delight. She died this afternoon after a short spell of ill health. Her companions, Patrick and Elsie were with her when I went out around noon and I hope they were with her in her last moments too.
We dug her grave in the goose yard. While she lay in the grass nearby, Patrick and Elsie waited with her. Geese have a very high emotional intelligence and they understand about death. They mourn. They stayed at the graveside until we began to cover her and then walked slowly away.
I had rooted some cuttings from our weeping willow tree this spring and we planted them on Willow's grave. It seemed appropriate. I'm going to miss her very much. I'm fond of Patrick and Elsie, but Willow was my darling.
We dug her grave in the goose yard. While she lay in the grass nearby, Patrick and Elsie waited with her. Geese have a very high emotional intelligence and they understand about death. They mourn. They stayed at the graveside until we began to cover her and then walked slowly away.
I had rooted some cuttings from our weeping willow tree this spring and we planted them on Willow's grave. It seemed appropriate. I'm going to miss her very much. I'm fond of Patrick and Elsie, but Willow was my darling.
