The Mad Goose

It is, indeed, finally spring. 65 degrees and sunny. Short sleeves and sandals.

Today we visited Codman Community Farm in Lincoln, which is a great place to go with kids. It was our first visit, and so we actually stopped in the office to ask what the rules were, and there weren't really any rules. So we wandered around all the different barns looking at newborn lambs and goats as well as pigs that were rust-colored (!) and loads of interesting chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Oh, and some rabbits.

Then we bought these beautiful pastel-colored eggs laid by Araucanas.

Lee really wanted to pet something, but I'm never comfortable with petting strange animals because you just never know (one of the rare areas where I may be more cautious than most). So, on the way out we saw a cat sunning itself against the office, and she bent down to pet it with her back to the world.

As she was petting the cat, I spied a black and white goose nearby strutting around and thrusting his neck back and forth. In retrospect, warning bells went off in my head, but I shushed them because he wasn't very close to Lee and honestly I just didn't think he was going to do anything. But I have been around geese before and should have known better. Instead I stood there, holding Clara on my hip, a bit drunk in the moment - that overload of sunshine you feel in the spring as well as the fact that Clara was actually not fussing. So I was slow to react when that damn goose went after Lee. With her kneeling down it was taller than she was, and it went at her head and neck, pecking like crazy. She just curled into a fetal position and it went to town.

I did, after what seemed like an eternity of watching this, get into motion, but of course I had only one arm free, so I kicked at the goose and attempted to pull Lee out of the way by an arm. That goose just wouldn't let it go. Eventually I broke them up, but by then Lee was screaming bloody murder. I am still amazed that no one came running to see what was going on. Thankfully I realized that she was more scared than hurt (I remember a goose really bruising me as a kid), and I had to secretly laugh as she screamed "I am never coming back to this farm again!!!!" as I got her in the car. Really, the service there was horrible.

Lee was in tears, Clara was crying again, and my heart was racing. Boy, talk about an innocent moment spoiled.