Finnie- Finally A Journal

[Mini Horses]

The new geese appear to be happy to mingle maybe they are happy to have boyfriends! I'm am certain your lone female was thrilled to have more to "share" the boys ....gave her a rest!

They do look good

 

[Finnie]

Thank you!

Ha ha, yes, I was concerned about my lone female all last winter. But it seems to have been ok. She was already bonded to Günther, and so the other two males were not allowed to harass her that I could tell. Then the white male died and the gosling grew up to be a second female so 2 + 2 was a better ratio. I don’t think Günther Jr knows that the gosling is his sister, but it is a moot point because Günther Sr kept both females for himself and Junior was just a hanger on.

When the 3 new girls arrived, father and son began fighting with each other. But nothing real serious. I think poor Junior knows his place. I think dad is going to keep all 5 girls.

The first two wives don’t seem too happy about the new arrangement. They keep chasing the 3 new wives away. I have read that with geese, it’s the females who do the choosing. So it wouldn’t surprise me if when breeding season arrives one or more of the new ones might choose to go with Junior.

 

[Baymule]

So you are saying the new girls might get a little goosey loosey with Junior in the spring?

 

[Finnie]

 

[Finnie]

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that our family are die hard Detroit Red Wings fans. For many many years. Way back when they were winning Stanley Cups, all the way through the dry years where they don’t even make the playoffs. I think it’s 12 or 13 years now with no playoffs.

I’ve only paid casual attention until about 4 or 5 years ago when my husband wanted me to become his game watching and travel buddy. So I made an effort to learn the rules and fine points better. This is us at a home game that we traveled to in 2024:

Here we are on the right, and his sisters and nephew, who flew in from Colorado, are to the left.

In 2021 my favorite player was a rookie, and I’ve been following his career since then. We refer to him as “my boy”. He’s really good and part of our team’s hope for the future. That jersey I’m wearing is his number, 23, for Lucas Raymond.

Well this year, there is a new rookie on the block! He is a 7th round draft pick, which means you know, not picked in the first round. Or the second. Or third, etc. But, he seems to have been a hidden gem, because he’s doing real well and has earned a place not just on the team, but on our first line. And I can’t help having a new second favorite, because look at his name!

Isn’t that so cool? I absolutely love seeing and hearing my name out there!

 

[SageHill]

So cool!!!
When we lived in IL I was a Blackhawks fan. Way back when -- in college -- I refereed mens hockey.

 

[Finnie]

So cool!!!
When we lived in IL I was a Blackhawks fan. Way back when -- in college -- I refereed mens hockey.

Well, this new Finnie is from Alberta, but his favorite player growing up was #32 Kris Versteeg of the Blackhawks. (And of course Patrick Kane, right? ) Versteeg was his favorite because he lived next door to him. Can you imagine being a youth hockey player and getting to grow up next door to an NHL player? He wore #32 in all of his different teams he played on as a youth, in honor of Versteeg. A cute story is that when he joined the Red Wings and met Patrick Kane, Finnie had to tell Kane that he was just his second favorite player!

Next year Finnie hopes to get the Red Wings #32. As a rookie, he didn’t have any choice of what number they assigned him. I kind of like the 58. We’ve been looking for a Finnie sweater for me. Should probably wait for the 32, but 58 will be like a limited edition, so that would be cool.

 

[SageHill]

Should probably wait for the 32, but 58 will be like a limited edition, so that would be cool.

For sure!!

 

[Baymule]

That is beyond awesome! Maybe you could get the #58 autographed by him, frame it under glass for a keepsake! Then do the same with the #32 and have a matched set.

 

[Finnie]

So back in November, @farmerjan and I met up at the Ohio National Poultry show in Columbus. We had a lot of fun looking at all the birds. I was hoping to find some white Chinese geese for sale, but all we could find were brown ones. We did see white ones being exhibited, although not for sale. Then we found an exhibitor showing BUFF Chinese geese! I had never even known that Chinese geese came in any other color than brown and white. These buff Chinese were very pretty!

So we took photos of the exhibitor number, and Jan looked them up in the show catalog and I took a screenshot of that. I was pretty excited because it turned out that they were from a town about an hour’s drive from my house!

So I waited until after the holidays and then I sent the guy a snail mail asking about the buff genetics and whether they ever sell any. (And I included my email and phone number so we wouldn’t have to be dependent on snail mail. )

And he texted me as soon as he got the letter! And it turns out, he had been planning to reduce his numbers a little bit. So we set up a meeting for today, and now I am the proud owner of 3 buff Chinese hens who will be 1 year old this spring!

(I am posting this from the Rural King parking lot where we met. I’ll try to get more photos later at home, but sometimes that doesn’t work too well until they settle in some.)