A Fowl for a Friend

The Columbian (Vancouver, WA.)
April 11, 1996, Thursday

A FOWL FOR A FRIEND

BYLINE: by BRETT OPPEGAARD ; The Columbian
SECTION: Neighbors; Pg. 1
LENGTH: 557 words

    CAMAS -- Gussie waddled into Willis Lemmon's life one day and fell in love.
    But this isn't your typical story of: goose meets man, man feeds goose, goose leaves man for next bread crumb. It's more of an unconditional affair, a seasonal courtship, the feathers of youth annually refluffed.
    Yet it's also a tale of controversy and conflicts. Gussie won't put up with certain things, such as Willis' wife, his dog and the other geese that like to hang around. She honks. She hisses. Her jealousy strains their relationship at times, but Gussie always seems to end up back in his arms, and he in her wings.
    The romance started, innocently enough, about four years ago, when Willis and his wife, Marjorie, spotted a couple of geese wandering around their Lacamas Creek property.
    That night, the couple tossed some corn on the ground and went to bed, expecting their visitors to have a nice meal and move on.
    Instead, the birds took it as standard fare. They stayed for months and have returned each spring for the twice daily feedings.
    This year, they even invited friends.
    During the past couple of months, the Lemmons have entertained about 100 ducks, a dozen raccoons and several other small animals including a seagull, an opossum, a beaver and one persistent goose -- Gussie.
    Gussie looks like a typical bird of her species but acts more like a puppy that has been left home alone all day. She begs for attention. Her gray-shaded feathers ruffle whenever Willis comes near. Her orange-lined eyes widen when he walks outside. Her hushed honks turn up to fog horn level when she sees him.
    "I think somebody raised her as a pet, then had to turn her loose for some reason, like they moved or something," Willis said. "She sure likes to rub my knees."
    As he speaks, the goose wraps its long, thin neck around his leg like a snake. He scratches her neck. She lets out a whimper.
    Willis retired from the James River Corp. paper mill in 1980 and developed diabetes soon afterward. He spent a lot of time in front of the television, Marjorie says, wasting away.
    "That took up his time but it wasn't very fulfilling," Marjorie said. "This, on the other hand, has been a riot."
    Willis now has a schedule to keep. Twice a day, he slices up bread to feed his new friends. The 78-year-old's awake by 3 a.m. and still passing out food by 8:30 p.m. In-between he takes long walks to keep his circulation going.
    As Willis starts to stroll up the driveway, Gussie lets out a series of honks, straightens her question mark-shaped neck into an exclamation point and begins to waggle toward him. She wiggles with glee as her mouth stretches skyward, like it's waiting for her mother to drop in a worm.
    Gussie now follows along on those daily walks with Willis, causing quite a commotion on Camas streets.
    "It's been very entertaining for him and for a lot of other people," Marjorie said. "It's like they can't believe what they're seeing. Here's Willis walking a goose through town."
    Recently, Gussie went a webbed-foot farther. She jumped in the car when Willis wasn't looking. Now, he throws down a sheet of plastic and takes her along for rides.
    "I enjoy the animals because Willis enjoys them so much," Marjorie said. "I really think (a higher power) sent Gussie and the rest of them. It's been a blessing."