Saturday, August 28, 2010

Getting Goosed!

Hi Everyone,
Well, as you know, I've been gone on a mini writing retreat to Palm Springs where I pounded out some of the plot details for my new book, The Last Conquistador. I was having a few problems deciding on where to focus the storyline, as I had many ideas. Fortunately, I am happy to say, that I had a few surprises--some would call them "Ah-Ha!" moments. I learned a lot about my characters, their motivations, their desires, their psychological needs, etc. Now I am happy to report that I can move on and get the darn thing written. Don't look for it before next year, however.

On August 2, my friend Jan and I were walking our horses, Beauty and Sunshine (see my last post) off the property to better acquaint Beauty with the sites and sounds previously unfamiliar to her. This was to acclimate her to the area where I would later drive her. Unfortunately, the fields had recently been irrigated and it was muddy as all get out.

We had proceeded down the fenced-in 'lane' (a space between pastures that is about 12 feet wide) and ran into a muddy spot. We were being escorted all the way by four friendly family ranch dogs (Tiki the Boston or French Terrier, Sam the German Shepherd, Meggy the Golden Retriever, and Babe the Rottweiler. It was pandemonium, to say the least. (Think: Second Hand Lions minus the pig).

Well, all of a sudden, while Jan, I, and the horses were mired in the mud and contemplating a hasty retreat, a Canada goose came running from out of nowhere. Sam and Meggy were chasing it in our direction, straight into the mud. It was honking and flapping its large wings. And it was headed straight for Beauty.

Uh-oh! Beauty had never seen the likes of a large, frightened bird, wings outstretched and flapping wildly. I figured she would freak out as the bird dodged between her legs and under her belly with the dogs close behind. I just knew that goose was 'cooked.'

Fortunately, Beauty stood stock still, but you could see the puzzlement in her eyes. Such a good horse!

I yelled "No!" at the dogs several times as they chased the goose up the lane toward the barn. They stopped, turned around, and looked at me with their tongues out, panting, their eyes pleading as if to say, "Aw c'mon! We're just having a little fun!"

At that point, the goose was waddling along the fence line, making its way slowly toward the gate at the end of the lane. The dogs lost interest (thank Goodness!) and Jan and I decided it was time to turn around. We were all splattered and caked with mud and it suddenly seemed less important, this site-and-sound-familiarization mission on Beauty's behalf. So we slogged through the mud behind the goose who was still waddling petulantly, cautiously up the lane. It finally ducked under the fence and into the pasture.

When Jan and I reached the end of the lane, I put Beauty in an empty stall and hurried back out to the pasture. The goose was certainly exhausted. And it looked like it may have been injured. It should have flown away from the dogs, but it hadn't. There was something wrong and I just had to help it.

I followed it across the pasture while shooing the horses away from it. Horses love playthings, especially if they are small and move a lot. But running was the last thing I wanted it to do. Trying not to excite it, I continued to follow the goose, spreading my arms out and coaxing it where the fences meet in the corner of the pasture. Its movements became slower and slower. Honks came out as rasps. Finally, I grabbed it as quickly as I could, gathering the wings together so I wouldn't injure them any more than (I thought) they already were.

It had a somewhat pin-tail (pointy at the end) signifying a female. Males have rounded tails. I figured she was a young juvenile abandoned by her creche (flock), probably because she was injured. She looked smaller than other geese I've known, and she wasn't very heavy. Although I couldn't see any injuries, she couldn't fly, and I was determined to get some help for her.

I held her snugly in my arms and walked across the pasture, through the gate, and into the barn. She hissed at me several times, biting my exposed left arm. It smarted, but didn't hurt at the time. The next day, I had 4 big bruises on my forearm where she'd bit me!

Brenda, the barn manager, rounded up a large dog crate and we put her in it. We gave her water and grain, but I don't think she drank or ate any of it. We sequestered her in the tack room away from the boarders and the dogs. We covered the crate to make it dark and to calm her (the standard way to care for an injured bird). The next morning, I took her to the International Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Fairfield.

A few days later, the IBRRC called to let me know that the goose was fine, but they had tested her blood and found her to be anemic. She probably hadn't eaten for several days as she was also underweight. They couldn't find anything wrong with her wings, but she had a small hole in her chest, which they treated. They confirmed that she was indeed a young female.

Geese are highly social birds. They flock in creches--like dolphin's in pods--with their families. I understand that they recognize their own family even after several years absence. This posed a problem as I had no idea where her creche had gone. She was alone. This was a serious obstacle to her future release. Other creches do not accept 'outsiders' and usually drive them away. Not good.

Two weeks passed. The bright blue bruises on my arm, evidence of her frantic bites, had almost gone away. While at my Palm Springs retreat, the IBRRC called to tell me that she had made a full recovery and had even made a buddy with another Canada goose at the center. They asked if I wanted to release them both back into the wild and, unfortunately, I could not, since I wasn't due back home until the 21st. I left it up to them. When I finally returned home, I called to find out where they released her and her friend. So far they have not returned my call. I intend to find out, however, and will report in a later post.

The Canada goose is a magnificent bird. I was awed by her beauty, although not her grace. Like the big 747 airplanes, they are clumsy and lumbering on the ground but graceful in the air. That's because they are made for flight, not for walking or driving.

They are poisoning the Canada geese in parts of New York and other states. Shame. People don't like stepping in their scat, which I understand. But the scat is only digested grass and doesn't really have a smell--it's not harmful to the environment or to people. It carries no diseases. There are other ways to control wildlife. Poisoning is a horrible way to die.

Next time you see a flock of geese overhead, stop for a minute. Listen to their honks and watch their formation. Elegant and efficient, these birds are, in my opinion, one of the world's most beautiful.

I have taken at least 20-25 birds to the IBRRC over the years. Most have been injured in some way or another. Before the goose incident, I had taken in a blue jay fledgling that had been mauled by a cat. They immediately euthanized it as there was no way they could fix his injured wing.

I was sorry they couldn't help the baby, but I was glad to have known about this place, to be able to bring him in. They couldn't 'fix' him, but they released him from his misery.

Every time an animal dies, it seems a little piece of me dies too. I can't help it, but I think I like animals more than people. I don't feel much when I see or read about the plights of people. Why? Because people generally make their own beds, their own grief. But animals? I'm a sucker I guess, but I have my reasons. Animals are almost always the innocent victims. They are used, abused, and killed. Though we are to have 'dominance' over the animals (per the Bible), they are still living things that experience real emotions as well as form real relationships. Did you know that geese can differentiate faces--not only our human faces but those of their families? When in captivity, they not only recognize their owners, they bond with them.

Killing animals humanely is one thing, making them suffer is another. Animals are innocent. It is people that are--more often than you'd think--inhuman.

More next week on the outcome of the goose!


Sunday, August 8, 2010

Reconnecting with Friends and Sisters







Several things happened this last week: First, the bad!

First off, the Durango is gonna cost about $4600 to fix it (read my last blog for a blow-by-blow [sorry for the pun] of our accident at Kaiser Pass). Because it was not our fault, the insurance companies are going to pick up the tab and waive our deductible. However, it will take 7-10 days to fix!

Then there's Beauty: She got a little testy during her 'season' and the Boss Mare came out in her. While being escorted into the barn, she walloped poor Sunshine who, because she is feeling LOTS better than she has in years, kicked her right back. Unfortunately, she made connection with Beauty's front cannon bone (the 'forearm' where there is no fat or padding of any kind) and put a small gash in it. It's not too bad, but bad enough to keep bandaged for a while. Beauty is normally a very well-behaved lady, but hormones must have gotten the best of her this time. Even she can get a little cranky!

But here's the best of the week:

The last three days I went out to lunch with three of my most special friends, shown above with Raymona & Beauty, Janie, and below, Jan & Sunshine.

Raymona and I have known each other for several years. We are both writers and connected immediately at a conference held in Delray Beach, Florida (I think it was either 2002 or 2003). At the time, she was living in Michigan, so when we went home to our respective states, we corresponded via email almost every day. I visited her twice, and she visited me twice, finally moving to Vacaville in the fall of 2007. Her schedule and mine do not coordinate that well, so getting together is sometimes difficult. So we made a date for Thursday (her day off) and went to the Virgin Sturgeon in Sacramento. It's a quaint little dive that barely hangs over the north bank of the Sacramento River. She and I ate and talked and got caught up with what's going on in our lives. We both have traumas and dramas that we are trying to deal with. We support each other. Indeed, we are very much like sisters. Everything was going along fine until a woman who had been eavesdropping, rudely interrupted our conversation.

"Are you writers?" she asked, which prompted a little awkward back-and-forth conversation and some comments on our dessert. We didn't really want to speak with her as it was 'our' time together. I guess she couldn't help herself. She was alone. But all the tattoos (on her fingers and arms), her rough and rude demeanor, and a comment about her time in a correctional center, made us feel very uncomfortable. Hey, it's okay if you've paid your debt to society and all, but PALEEZE, do NOT go around telling everyone, unless you WANT to make people uncomfortable.

We cut lunch a little short (it was time to go--we'd already consumed a rather large piece of chocolate cherry cheesecake) although we probably could have spent another half hour just taking in the river and the scenery.
The next day, Friday, I had lunch with
Janie Bess, a friend since 2003 when she founded the Writers Resource Center. I joined, of course, and promptly got very involved in the meetings and activities. Janie is a whirlwind of ideas. This lady is not only a human dynamo, she's an inspiration. She's not much bigger than your average 9-year-old, somewhere around 4' 10" or thereabouts. She always has a big smile, a ready laugh, and a HUGE hug ready every time you see her. When I first met her, she was in the process of starting WRC because she was writing her memoir, Visions, and wanted to surround herself with other writers and people who could assist her in her quest to get published. Since that time, WRC has grown lots, holding writing conferences and mini-conferences, and hosting publishers, editors, agents, and best selling authors at her meetings.

I met Janie at the Red Lobster where she gave me a card with "Thank You" in various font types and colors all over it. When I opened it, several bills fell out of it. I guess she felt compelled to pay me for some last-minute stuff I did for the youth writing class she gave at the Nelson Center. All I did was make up a certificate for the kids to hang on their wall. I would do this stuff for free for her, but Janie is conscientious about things. She said she didn't want to take advantage. Heck, I'd help her no matter what.

Anyway, we visited for well over an hour, she over a to-die-for talapia dish, and I over a shrimp salad. It was a wonderful day, a great lunch, and time well spent reconnecting with an old friend.

Then yesterday (Saturday), I took Jan out for an afternoon of shopping. Jan is the sister of my barn manager, Brenda. I've only known Jan since March, but she has grown to be quite a buddy. We both love horses and you can often see the four of us, Jan and Sunshine, and me and Beauty together. It's been a bit hectic for Brenda lately, and they both needed a break. Jan is going through some hard times, too, and has some difficult issues that she's having to deal with. Nonetheless, I needed some supplies for Beauty, so Jan and I went to the Tackhouse in Woodland (a great place where they stock just about everything). We walked through all the sections: Clothing (women's, men's, and children's), show clothing, boots, hats, belts; books; housewares; saddles and other tack (Eastern and Western); and all manner of horse supplies. I got a fly mask for Beauty and some fly spray (a summer staple!). Jan bought a bunch of grooming and fly spray/roll-on stuff for Sunshine.

We packed everything up in the Durango and headed on down Main Street. Wouldn't you know we'd run into an antique shop? We popped in for another 45 minutes or so. Jan found a couple of things: A framed print of "The Horse Fair" and a Breyer (Appaloosa) horse. We'd worked up quite an appetite, so we stopped at Paco's Mexican Restaurant (also on Main Street). It used to be an old fashioned brick and granite bank with columns out front and heavy walnut woodwork inside. The vault was a massive tomb of polished white and gray marble. Interesting digs for a Mexican restaurant. The food was excellent!

We got back to the ranch about 3:45, just in time to bring the horses in, spray them down with fly spray, and put them up. Beauty and Sunshine were glad to see us, almost trotting in from the pasture (well, Beauty was walking fast as she rarely works up a sweat on her own). Brenda spent some time shopping with her granddaughter and seemed to be in good spirits. Jan had a good time, too.

Today, Sunday, I am working at the computer and sprucing up the house. I'll go out in a couple of hours to change Beauty's bandage.

Connecting with friends was a major highlight of this week. I am blessed to know all of these people, Raymona, Janie, Jan, and Brenda. I have others I haven't seen for a long time. One of these days I'll see my good friend of over 30 years, Bill, and my friend from the Emergency Medical Services Authority, Karen, whom I've known for 20+ years. They both live in the foothills, and so it's hard to get together to see them. And then there is Fran, a woman I have known all my life, who lives in Arizona. I think about her often, too, as she is well into her eighties.

As I get older, my thoughts more frequently turn to my friends and old memories.

Friends are treasured gifts; they are the people who inhabit your life and you theirs. Friends support your efforts and cheer you on. They offer shoulders to cry on and give words of encouragement. They grease the wheels of life. They are the memory makers and memory keepers. Friends are the primroses along the path of life, the bench under the tree, the shelter from the hot sun, and the sugar in our tea. Are friends necessary? Some would say no, but most would say a resounding "Yes!" Life would be pretty lonely without them.