A Goose Triangle!

Gracie, the white goose, with my brother and his grandson ... and the "other goose"

On New Year's Day, I was standing in my mom's backyard when I noticed a large white goose swimming across the lake.  It was accompanied by a smaller brown goose, and they were headed straight towards me.  About that time, my mom walked outside and I pointed out the geese to her.  My mom got excited and said, "I think that's Gracie"!  The geese continued swimming towards us, as if on a mission and my mom soon realized that yes, it was Gracie!  

So who is this goose named Gracie, and why was my mom so excited?  Well, Gracie is a goose that has been coming to my mom's backyard every winter for several years.  In fact, like clockwork, she shows up on New Year's Day.   This year was no different!  Aren't animals amazing?  I mean, they make their way thousands of miles across the country every year, and on a consistent schedule.  I wish I had their built-in GPS!

Anyway, Gracie and the "other goose" made a bee-line to my mom's backyard and started marching straight up the hills towards us.  It seems they were making themselves at home, and were immediately looking for us to feed them (which we did).  I asked my mom if the "other goose" was George, and she said it wasn't.  It was the "other goose".

Before I go any further, let me explain.  You see, this is a sad story of love, betrayal and a goose triangle!  

Last year, Gracie was residing in my mom's backyard along with her mate of many years, George.  The two had been co-habitating for years and my mom would often talk about the couple.  Like years past, goose life was going on as usual ... until the "other goose" arrived.  Yes, a younger male with an eye for Gracie!

George seemed to be very aware of the threat, and did not like the company of this younger male.  After all, two's company .. three's a crowd!  In fact, it's my understanding that like humans, geese pick a partner for life ... most of the time!  After a few weeks, Gracie seemed to fall for the charms of the "other goose" and began swimming with the younger male and spending more and more of her time with him.  As time passed, it became evident that Gracie had left George for the younger goose!

I remember my mom telling me about what she had been watching unfold, and how sad she was for poor George.  It seemed that Gracie and the "other goose" were now doing everything together, and poor George would follow behind the new couple, only to be shunned by the two.  In fact, it got so bad that while the new couple would be enjoying a swim, George would be on land ... crying!  Yes, he would look at the two and just make terrible, sad noises.  His heart was broken, and so was ours when we heard about this goose betrayal.

As time passed and the weather became warmer, the geese had disappeared.  Now the new couple is back, but there is no sign of George, the heart-broken goose.  I wonder what happened to him, and I hope that he has gotten over Gracie, the goose hussy, and found a better goose to love.

While I truly think this is a very sad story for George, I'm writing about this because I also think wildlife and their interactions are amazing!  Sometimes we humans seem to forget that we're not the only ones with feelings.  I know some of you are thinking that a goose doesn't have feelings, but I don't know about that!  In my opinion, the world's creatures are much more complicated than we give them credit for.  I can't wait to get a close-up view of the wildlife the waters and the islands have to offer!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!