Sunday, March 16, 2014

Hockey on Elmira Pond

A Nice Beginning
Flaring Hockey Insignias
The Mob Gathers
Fighting (or a Hockey Game) Breaks Out
Wings Up Like Hockey Sticks
Belly Slams and Tail Skitters
Race to the Goal
Join Everything Susan for More Fun
It starts out like a bad hockey joke: "Canadians. From the nicest people on the planet to an uncontrollable mob in one hockey game."

Most Canadians drive past my house in 18-wheelers or cars. Some wave to me if I'm watering or walking the dogs. One Canadian couple stopped to feed the horses apples last fall. They do seem nice, these travelers of Hwy. 95, which is the only border access in northern Idaho.

Unless you fly in a flock.

Canada geese fly overhead in fluttering vees, occasionally honking as if to say "Hello, below!"  As the days lengthen, pairs or groups flap overhead in search of open water. Despite all the melt and trickling rain, Elmira Pond is still frozen. No open water.

Yet a pair of Canada geese with wings spread open for landing honk like irritable city drivers, circling the pond. Their tail feathers fan into a black and white vee as if marked with the flight formation of their kind.

Or maybe its some secret hockey insignia.

No sooner do they land, six or seven more Canada geese show up. Now I'm not sure how many geese it takes to play hockey on a frozen pond, but the mob part is already forming. Black beaks emit honks and hisses as heads bob on coiled necks. The posturing is undeniably aggressive.

Taking up my ring-side seat I settle in to watch the game unfolding. Already I feel like honking and bobbing my head in response. The energy feels explosive; someone's going to get their feathers flipped.

One burly goose charges into a group of others--wham! They all circle around, some flapping, some flying, but they get back into the game. The honks grow louder. Wings rise like hockey sticks and sweep back across the ice. More skittering; more honks. The gaggle grows wilder.

One gander belly-slams onto the ice as another skitters on tail-feathers. Quickly they get back up onto wide webbed-feet black as hockey pucks. The honking has reached a feverish pitch. Two ganders run with wings like Dracula's cape to beat the other to the clump of grass. This must be the west-side goal.

Wings are dripping from the glaze of water that slicks the ice. A few ganders shake it off and hiss at the others. Honks subside. A few heads bob, threateningly. First one, then two and all flap away.

It's silent; the mob has left and I've no idea who won the game.

Have a some fun--join other bloggers for Silly on Sundays with host Everything Susan.

18 comments:

  1. LOL! I think someone forgot to tell the geese that spring was going to be delayed by a bit this year. Laughed through your entire post and the picture you got are priceless!

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    1. They were so noisy and as I watched I kept having hockey jokes play in my head so, thanks for the chance to have a silly outlet! They are not happy with the pond still in hard-top ice, but I did see some seagulls floating in a field puddle.

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  2. We have geese coming to our pond right now, which is also frozen. I take it as a good sign though, that Spring is finally on its way. :)

    I'm visiting today from Susan's Silly Sunday link up! :)

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  3. Send the geese my way. We finally have open water on one reservoir. The other reservoir is in the same condition as your pond. Fun to imagine geese playing ice hockey.

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    1. That ice just isn't giving up! Will tell the geese to head over to your reservoir (they usually ignore me, though). :-)

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  4. I'm excited to compare pond notes with you! My pond is the source of endless distraction for me and I'm so ready for spring and flighty distractions to begin. I laughed at your photos of your daughter on the cell. Nice to link up with you through Silly on Sundays!

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  5. Another winner from Elmira Pond. Love the life you describe there - both human and non. :)

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  6. Loved those pictures and your description to it made me visualize it :)
    hope you are having a silly sunday, charli

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    1. It was silly and SOS makes me look for silly things all week! Thanks, Ruchira!

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  7. I am glad the geese fly over my house to land somewhere else. The ones which have set up permanent camp in Indiana are a huge nuisance. With the explosion of retention ponds have come Canada geese which don't migrate anymore. People do all sorts of crazy things to keep the geese out of their neighborhood yards.
    While I've spent plenty of time watching them fly, I've never actually sat and watched them on land/water. Thanks for the great play-by-play. :)

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    1. I never thought of them being such a nuisance until I lived in Minnesota. I guess they are thriving in the midwest! But out here in northern Idaho, there's not many. I'm blown away by the variety of ducks and can't wait for the pond to experience those visitors. Stay goose-free!

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  8. This brings back memories of watching geese play on the pond. I never did get to see them play hockey though. (I wonder who won your game...). Great Silly Sunday! I love the pictures you posted.

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    1. These geese were experienced hockey players--they were aggressive enough to be wearing jerseys! I had fun taking the photos.

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  9. What an entertaining blog post this is, Charli. It must be fun watching the geese on the ice.

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    1. They created such a racket there was no missing out on what they were doing!

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  10. lol, that is so funny! I would to come watch the hockey game in person. Will you be offering tickets for the next game :)

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    1. Ha, ha! Yes, I ought to post a roadside sign--beer and hockey! I'd get visitors for sure!

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