Geese

See those little black things on the water? Those are geese on the small lake at Colgate University. Some of them are floating around, some of them are standing on the frozen part of the lake, and some of them may even be frozen into the ice. These are probably dumb geese - the smarter ones having already gone south for the winter.

At first glance you think what a neat sight. Then you glance down where you're walking and the geese have definitely been there too. No one has yet to invent a goose port-o-potty that works. If they did, they'd probably make a fortune.

In addition to being an excellent school for higher learning, Colgate is also a much sought after venue for weddings complete with wedding photos by the lake. Colgate has tried many things to "dis-invite" the geese. My favorite is the creation of the position of "goose harasser". All summer a person and his dog are hired to harass the geese. The man rides around and around and around and around the lake on a golf cart and the dog runs around chasing the geese into the water. The theory is - if the geese can't make a nest on shore, they won't stay. This time of year is not nesting season. The goose harasser has gone south for the winter. Why haven't the geese?