Image via Wikipedia
Every day this week, at about the same time in the early afternoon, a flock of Canada geese flies over my house in a perfect V formation, their long necks stretched out, their magnificent honking echoing in the winter air. I rush out with my camera, but they fly too swiftly for me to get a picture, and the experience can’t be captured in a soundless, still picture anyway.
When I was growing up in Connecticut, the honking of Canada geese flying overhead signaled the approach of the end of autumn as the birds migrated south. Living here in Virginia near the Chesapeake Bay, the geese no longer migrate but have taken up permanent residence on our shores. Though they are beautiful birds, they are disdained by many of our citizens because their huge numbers foul the waterways and beaches with gobs of their green goo.
This fall has been an incredibly busy one for us with numerous trips every month since Labor Day. We traveled to Florida, spent a weekend in the Outer Banks, my husband went to Dallas while I went to Michigan to visit daughter and her family, then we both went to Michigan for Thanksgiving, we drove up to Connecticut and Boston in early November and back again for Christmas week, plus we have gone to Chester, near Richmond, for several weekends with my brother and his family. I’ve nearly forgotten what our little house looks like.
We are finally going to be able to stay home awhile and put our suitcases away. I’m actually looking forward to pulling off ancient wallpaper and doing some painting. I have loved all of our travels and visiting with so many people I love dearly, but I need a few weeks of staying put to regroup, get my house, body, and mind in shape before we start traveling again. I love this quiet time of winter and staying rooted to this spot. And yet, when I see those Canada geese flying overhead and hear their joyous honking, my heart soars with them.
Coming East 
I’ve always love Canada Geese and they seem to be turning up more often here in Socal. I wrote a post sometime ago about New York conducting an eradication campaing against them. I’ll put up with a lot of “green goo” to be able to watch these beauties in flight.
I agree with you. There is such a beauty to them in flight.
So enjoyed this post. We also have family in VA, MI and FL. Busy times, but I agree, time for my heart to settle. I’m jotting down many household maintenance projects to tackle this year.
I have always been fascinated by the migratory species. My parents lived in Connecticut years ago and had many Canada geese nest there. They always said ‘they mate for life.’ Here in the south I see them along the Chattahoochee river, and I always miss them when they follow the river line to leave.
These slow, cold months are such a contemplative time, aren’t they! But thank goodness for them, or I’d never get anything done around the house. Thanks for visiting.