What are we doing in the laundry basket?

Fred and Ethyl’s babies are growing at a breathtaking pace. Each day they become more active, stretching their wings, splashing in their wading pool and whistling when I enter the laundry room.  I have tried making various sounds to communicate with them, and today I decided to whistle back.  I was pretty rusty, but finally got it going with a few pretty clear whistling sounds.  They grew very quiet and studied me carefully.  Did I finally make a noise they liked?  Disliked?  Did they think I sounded like them?   At any rate, it got their attention.

They are delightful and soft to hold, although I have learned to wrap their bottoms in a paper towel.  Typical geese!  Based on our observations of Fred and Ethyl’s habits, we searched in the refrigerator for something green to offer them to eat.  (Ethyl had to be fenced out of the grass in front of the house, as we learned the hard way that a dripping hose or water spill of any kind would lead to an excavation of turf, roots and soil that resembled Boston’s Big Dig!)  We made the mistake of trying a little watercress, and they loved it.  They absolutely devour the stuff–living hydroponically grown gourmet watercress with roots attached— to the tune of $5 for a small bag.  And it’s 75 miles to the nearest grocery store that sells it.  This is going to be a real adventure.

An interesting variety of names have been suggested, and we’re evaluating personalities before the formal baptism.  Thanks to our readers for great creativity!