Observed
Backyard basketball, coed volleyball, tennis play, joggers, runners, laggards, kids without coats (one without even shoes), dogs of all shapes and sizes along Main Street with their owners of all shapes and sizes. Gals in shorts (short shorts) guys in shorts (formerly known as peddle pushers), geese (see below), tulips and daffs showing life, winter banners on light poles that will soon be changed, trash in gutters apparent now that the snow is gone, smiley faces on nearly everyone.
It's a Hoot
There are 130,000 Canadian geese in Ohio, more than double the population of two decades ago.
Scan the Ada sky for flocks squawking above or go to a nearby pond to see them congregate in abundance. Some of the geese don't even migrate anymore.
Children seem fascinated by the big birds, and they feed them. Some adults complain that the birds' droppings wreak havoc on sidewalks and grass. Are they a "feathered friend" or "pest" to you?
Geese are multiplying in Ohio due to an abundance of grass and water here. There are few natural predators.
Here's my secret to a goose-free pond: let dogs roam. A goose's beak says "this is dog territory, I'm outta here." The brave geese that venture to land are quickly chased away by a canine. The birds always escape, but the dog has had his fun during the "hunt."
The human hunting season in Ohio for Canadian geese is usually the first two weeks of September. There is a bag limit. For the hunter, chances are better every year that you'll harvest some geese since there are many more of the birds around.
Other goose facts: they weigh 7 to 10 pounds, mostly eat grass and grains, fly in a V-shaped formation while occasionally changing out the lead bird, most common waterfowl in North America, mate for life, goslings follow their parents in a line with one adult in the front and the other at the end, live 10 to 24 years.
Idioms: cook someone's goose, kill the goose that lays the golden egg, wild goose chase, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Caesar meets Ivan
Julius Caesar, founder and dictator of the Ancient Roman empire, met Ivan the Terrible, tsar of All Russias, on Main Street in Ada. Well, their names are Caesar and Ivan. Sorry, they are not the historical figures.
You see, Caesar is a gentle golden retriever, and Ivan is a giant but kind mastiff. These big fellas met nose-to-nose, sniffed each other (as dogs are inclined to do), drooled some, then went on their separate ways--no earthshaking event. But just imagine if the human Caesar and the human Ivan had met, the world would be a different place today...but that could never happen because The Terrible and JC lived 1500 years apart.
Ada Newspapers
The first newspaper published in Ada was The Ada Record in 1872. The University Herald began publishing in 1885. Its name was changed to The Ada Herald in 1916. There has been one, sometimes two, weekly papers here for 142 years. The Ada Icon, an online account of people and events in the community, was founded a year ago by Fred Steiner.
([email protected])
