The Canada Geese
***Dedicated to the memory of Pastor Ben and Shirley Kimbrough, who spoke highly of this little burg in Oklahoma
Father and Son began their journey just north of the border. Father knew it would be a long journey, one full of questions and answers, doubt and uncertainty, fear and anxiety.
Plus, his son would have questions too.
The two would maintain a flying altitude of 15,000 feet give or take, and much lower if they wanted to explore.
“Son, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time. It’s about time you learn about being on your own.”
“You’re not gonna lecture me, are you, Pops? Why can’t I just explore the world on my smartphone?”
“No smartphone for a week, Son. A full week. It’ll do you good, plus we’ll save on text and data fees. We don’t have unlimited, you know?”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, Pops.”
“Ok, pay attention, Son. We just passed over the border into a place called Minnesota. Notice we didn’t have to be screened or checked like all those cars in line down there. The one advantage of being a bird, fly where and when we want.”
“It doesn’t look much different than Canada. Still all white and snowy.”
“All kinds of lakes in this State. It’s the Land of 10,000 Lakes, so they say. True, plenty of lakes but you’ve only got about 4 or 5 months to enjoy them. The rest of the time they’re covered with snow and ice.”
“Yeah, Pops, but don’t we like snow and ice? After all, we’re covered in feathers so the temps shouldn’t scare us.”
“What you say is true, but eight months of it gets tedious. All I’m saying is there are other options.”
“What’s that down there?” the Son asked.
“That would be the Twin Cities. Two very large cities surrounded by dozens of suburbs. You’d be fine in the parks there but when trouble hits, you need to have a Plan B, C, and D.”
“Like what kind of trouble?”
“Not saying it would ever happen, but if those human supply chains fall apart, there will be chaos in the streets. No food. And believe me, we are food to them if they get desperate. Otherwise there are laws to protect us.”
“So, let me get this straight. There are laws but when there’s no food, the laws don’t really matter anymore.”
“That’s about it, so cities are a mixed bag. You’re protected until something bad happens and then you’re on your own. Iowa’s coming up next.”
“What’s an Iowa? Looks kinda flat with lots of barns and fields and windmills. Look at all those windmills. Seems boring.”
“And dangerous with all the windmills. Nice place. Windy. Tornadoes. Slightly warmer than where we just came from. Could be boring for you and a family. Plenty of water and lakes. Again, city dwelling applies here too.”
“So, Pops, I’m getting the idea the further South you go, the warmer it gets, so why not skip all the North stuff and go right where it’s warm?”
“Excellent question, Son. Perceptive. While it’s true the further South you go, the warmer it gets, you also get a lot more competition for food and water. Lots of snakes, alligators, animals, feral hogs, and the nasty tiny creepy crawler bugs that’ll eat you alive on a warm summer night. That all starts around about Oklahoma, goes South into Texas and Louisiana, and then points South, East, and West from there.”
“What about California? I heard it’s nice there.”
“Loaded question, Son. You’ll be protected by law there to the nth degree, but they say California is the land of fruits and nuts in more ways than one. They’re not wrong. Nice weather though and pretty scenic. We’ve got relatives there. Again, I don’t recommend it, but you could go there and do okay for yourself.”
“Can we rest somewhere, Pops. I’m getting a little tired.”
“Sure, sure. Let me get my bearings first to see a place to set down. Ahh, there’s where I was looking for. Ponca City, Oklahoma. Plenty of small water spots. Not a lot of competition for food. Still North enough to get some cooler weather. We’re a novelty around here. They know we’re geese, but that’s all they know about us. You could certainly do well for yourself here, Son.”
“Ponca City,” the Son said. “Has an interesting ring to it.”
“This or any town like it could be the hub of your universe, depending on whether you like the active lifestyle or not. You could do worse.”
“Okay, let’s rest here for a few hours and we’ll see.”
“And by the way,” the Father said, “It’s where I met your mother one fine day not long ago.”
“What more do I need to hear then? Sold on Ponca City.”
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