Day 41

What a perfect weather day!  Mike went for two long motorcycle rides, and he hiked with me at my newly-discovered spot.  He was Lewis and I was Clark.  The kids opted not to go.  It was a little muddy from yesterday's rain.

 My imaginary excursion was to the dense forests of South Africa, where I was attacked by this anaconda:

On the way home, we drove through the Walmart parking lot and visited the goose nest I've been watching for 2 or 3 weeks. I had zero hope of ever seeing these babies, because I didn't know when the mother started brooding and was too far away to check on them regularly.  But it just so happened that it was hatching day, and we got to see the adorable, yellow fluffballs!  Maybe that's my consolation prize for what happened with Hannah and Cyrus' babies.

There were six live ones and one dead in the nest.  I wanted to watch way longer than Mike did, so we went home and I got my camera and went back.  Mother Goose tried to get the babies to follow her to water, but they refused to jump off the curb, so she came back to the nest.  I made a ramp out of a piece of wood I found in the parking lot and the floor mat from my car.  About 30 minutes later, Mother Goose tried again.  She stepped off the curb near my ramp, and the babies tumbled down it.  She led them right into traffic.  I stood in the middle of the parking lot, directing traffic around them.  She headed for Walmart Pond, which had dried up to a little muddy sludge.  She surveyed it, then turned around and headed back, with her little followers stumbling along behind. They all settled into the nest again.  I watched for a long time before I finally decided to leave because my back hurt, my phone was dead, and I had run out of water.

Marching out boldly.

Returning in defeat.