Canada Geese

It’s supper time and there’s nobody on the lake.  Just me and some geese.

I count 31 of them.  Now and then they honk or rise up and flap their wings a bit, but mostly they just float.  I’m not sure how they do it, but they float in two straight lines.  Are they practicing formations for migration?  I want to paddle closer to them but I don’t want them to be disturbed and fly away.

I steer clear of the birds and go north to the lily pads.  They look tattered and wind-blown this time of year.  The best of summer is over, I guess.  I pluck out a Coke can and some plastic debris and throw it in the back of the boat to discard at home.  Then I allow myself to drift back towards our dock.

Suddenly the geese are on the move.  First one group takes off in a flurry of splashing wings and then another.  I expect them to form Vs as they fly away but they fall into lines again and undulate northeast over the pine trees.

I am reminded that the whole summer has gone by and I’ve hardly written a thing.  Sadly, we had a dog sicken with Lyme disease and die.  Happily, we had a daughter get married.  Plus we moved.  Now I want to find my way back to my desk and get some lines down on paper, let my thoughts fly.

Here are some parting “words” from geese in flight: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/sound/canada-goose-branta-canadensis/calls-pair-flight

September reflections