A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
During a recent trip to the Oshkosh AirVenture Museum, and to visit other local Wisconsin museums and airshows, I was amazed to see the huge numbers of Canadian Geese in and around most of the areas, I traveled.
I didn’t pay much attention to this until on one occasion as I traveled down a four-lane city street, and had to stop for a family of geese crossing the road. There was Mama leading the way with three tiny goslings trailing along behind 
her and Papa bringing up the rear. What a sight! All this rush-hour traffic brought to a halt by these tiny creatures.
The next day I went to visit a Railroad Museum in another city. After viewing the information video in the main building, I started down the walkway to the Engine House, and was struck by the amount of what looked like dog poop on the sidewalk. I thought, “These people need to tell the dog owners to pick up after their dogs, or at least the museum needs to wash down the sidewalks once i
n a while.” Being careful where I stepped, I moved onto the grass to get a better view for a camera shot, and noticed that the grass was littered with the same “dog poop.”
Then it dawned on me that this was Canadian Geese droppings. I should have realized what I was 
seeing sooner, because I had seen fields and ponds covered with Canadian Geese no matter where I had gone on this trip.
On one evening during this trip, I had dinner with my niece and her husband and I related my goose story to them. He told me his company had to rig special anti-geese devices over their retention ponds to try to keep the geese from congregating. In addition, they have contracted with a private company who brought 
their dogs to chase the geese off their property. The Canadian Goose population has recently increased in many areas to the point that they are now considered a pest and a threat to airline traffic (Ref. US Airways flight 1549).
On another day, at the Old World Wisconsin historic site, in one of the sheep pins, I was thrilled to see 
four brand new baby lambs. The guide told us that two of them had be born the day before and two (twins) had been born just that morning. They were the cutest little things you could imagine.
I didn’t think much more about it until I was traveling back across the countryside toward the motel and saw a large open field with maybe one hundred sheep grazing and about the same number of small 
baby lambs staying close to their mothers. What a sight! I guessed it must truly be the lambing season there in central Wisconsin.
Then on another day, while driving to another museum, I spotted a small herd of Buffalo grazing in a field of yellow dandelions. And, sure enough, there were a few new-born buffalo in the herd. Now I thought the West was the only place where people were raising buffalo now a days. I
was glad to see even these small herds of them there in Wisconsin. I guess they will prosper most anywhere they are not being hunted. Ever had a Buffalo Burger? I had one years ago and it was great!
I guess you would have to say I got a real close-up and personal view of what it’s like to live in Wisconsin in the Spring. It was a wonderful experience, and the airplane museums were great too!
Old Things R New 