"Animals by Land" contest. See notes.
When we first moved to our acreage, we became the proud parents of Ozzie and Harriet, a pair of Embden geese. They were goslings when they arrived and we enjoyed watching them grow up. Happy times ended when puberty hit. Where once Ozzie sat on my lap and let me pet his soft feathers, he chased me around the yard, much to the amusement of my husband. Harriet was the much shyer of the two geese. Our mistake was getting more geese. We acquired Toulouse geese. I had a favorite we named Arthur. Again all was sunshine and rainbows until puberty hit. Ozzie and Harriet had their little family and Arthur and his mate had their family. One night some animal -- probably a skunk -- chewed off Harriet's head. Ozzie was heartbroken. He had mated for life with Harriet and he was inconsolable. He ignored other female geese. The balance of power was no longer equal. Arthur, the Toulouse, challenged Ozzie, the Embden, for the head of Goose Fiefdom and he beat Ozzie to death. This design is a more elegant depiction of the battle and there is no triumphant gander in the design. We have no more geese.