Geese are terrifying sons a’ guns. At least the ones who live in Rancho Simi Park are. Anyone who grew up in Simi Valley knows what I’m talking about--because the chances are better than average that if you were raised in Simi, you went to Rancho Park. And if you went to Rancho Park, you or someone you love was most likely the unfortunate target of an orchestrated goose attack. Maybe more than once. Mean, those geese were mean as snakes. Meaner. And fast. You could be minding your own business--just trying to wade or swim out to the little island when you knew you weren’t supposed to---and they were all over you before you could say “down comforter.” They were also greedy and aggressive. Heaven help the little fingers that started looking tasty after the stale bread brought for throwing to the ducks was gone or the tiny toes that bobbed above the water when feet were dangling over the side. Most of us needed only one run-in w
ith the goose posse to steer clear, but some more hard-headed, stout-hearted souls never seemed to get enough of the fight. Like my youngest brother, Matthew. I do not know what sound is more prevalent in my memory of Rancho Park--geese hissing and wing flapping or blond-boy yelling and running. I do know I heard them both a lot. In Grete Mannheim’s The Geese Are Back, some really impressive nature shots show geese doing their thing. Including hissing and wing flapping. http://www.amazon.com/Geese-Are-Back-Grete-Mannheim/dp/0819302449
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/artists/7024/Grete_Mannheim
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