Imagine being outside in this cold

It's freezing here today, and it's been this way for several days. Fine for us, warm and cozy inside our houses. But some guys don't have houses.

I've been taking care of two ill geese. That's a photo of them on the left, sitting at the foot of my stairs. It's sad. The one on the right I've mentioned before on the blog. It's been thriving for over a year despite the fact that it has only one workable leg. Well, that leg finally gave out (on its own or helped by coyotes; we hear a pack of them at night lately). So now all it can do is sit. It can fly for very short distances, but not very high. It's truly screwed.

The one on the left is a huge friend of mine. For whatever reason, this goose thinks I'm its daddy. When I go outside, it follows me around. It even lets me pet it! Anyway, something happened to it, too. It can fly short distances and sometimes it can stand, but not always. I also see that there's something wrong with the feathers on its right side. Not sure if that's the main problem.

Whatever the cause of their ills, these two sought me out when they had nowhere to turn. They were outside my front door, calling to me. Awwww! I hopped to, of course, and tried to help them. They have nothing to eat because the grass is covered with snow and ice. (Dog only knows what they eat down there, but they've always got their faces in the grass. A country friend told me they eat "the seed". Whatever.) So I've been feeding them.

Problem is, only one of them showed up today. I think they've been spending their nights swimming in a tiny area of the pond that wasn't frozen over. However, that little bit of heaven froze last night -- so they had nowhere to go. At least, I'm assuming this is what happened. The one who thinks I'm his daddy may have been able to fly out of harm's way. The other one wasn't so lucky. I don't see it anywhere today.

This is the way of nature: stuff's always getting killed. This tells you clearly that there is no god -- at least, not a nice one. I'll continue to feed all the creatures out there for as long as I have the money to buy food. Poor little guys. They need our help.

Go outside and feed something today. It'll do you (and the somethings) good. Remember, Xmas isn't just for people. It's a time when we're kind to all creatures. At least, that's the way I play it.