Canada Geese 1 - Father-in-law 0

We paid the obligatory weekend visit to the in-laws yesterday. They're leaving at the end of this week for a month's stay at one of their time-share places in Florida, a welcome break for all involved.

I don't know about other places, but here in an around Dayton, OH, we are invaded every year by hoards of Canada geese. They're beautiful creatures... from a distance. Up close, they're nothing but a pain in the ass, hissing and spitting if you get too close to their nest, and pooping ALL OVER the place. The complex of condos where the in-laws live includes a small pond, which the geese love. Over the years, my father-in-law has made every effort to get rid of the geese... a series of ropes strung back-and-forth across the pond to create a kind of web that would stop the geese from landing there... a plastic alligator head, weighted just-so so that it would float menacingly around the pond with just its eyes and snout poking up from the surface of the water... a remote-control speed boat to chase the geese from the pond... and this year (my favorite, by-far, because of its simplicity!), two boards that he bangs together while he runs at the pond, yelling at the top of his lungs.

Did I also mention that he's the president of the condo association?

So yesterday, the father-in-law, the husband, and my precious little son go out for a walk. My mother-in-law and I sat on their patio, enjoying the nice day and talking. I think we're bonding in a strange way, but that's for another post. We heard the men return from their constitutional, and went inside to greet them. Only my husband was in the room. As I looked around for my son, I noticed an odd-looking trail of footprints on my in-law's pale beige carpet. Small, dark footprints that went this way and that.

Yes, lo-and-behold, the small one had, unbeknownst to anyone, tracked something in on the bottom of one of his shoes.

Upon further inspection, I discovered that, yes, it was in fact a big old goose turd. I was mortified, yet overwhelmingly amused at the same time. I managed not to laugh, though, until my husband said 'Ah, the geese are FINALLY getting their revenge on you!'

I don't think my father-in-law appreciated the humor of the situation.