Wild Goose Chase

The children of mixed-religion marriages often end up with some mighty interesting religious-ish traditions. 

When I was growing up, my folks didn't want me to miss out on decorating for holidays, but we didn't do anything for Christmas.  So, when my birthday would roll around (soon, people, soon), they would lug  the utility ladder out of the garage and plaster it with crepe paper.  We called it the birthday ladder.  It was wild and colorful and festive, and there was room on each of the rungs for presents!  I'm sure my friends all thought we were nuts... but we were.  So nothing lost there.

This year, on our way to JMT's parents' house for Easter dinner, we stopped at Confluence Park to look for geese.  Emma has been particulary fixated on geese lately... in that slightly creepy way that only a two year old can be... so we thought it would be a fun way to spend some time together as a family.  Wouldn't you know it, though, the area that is usually filled goose-shoulder to goose-shoulder with fowl was a ghost town.  Not a goose to be seen (but plenty of evidence that they'd been there).  So, we embarked on a literal wild goose chase around Columbus.  In the end, we settled on some ornery ducks in the pond at Schiller Park.  It turns out the geese were all hanging out by the horseshoe at OSU.  JMT found them today while he was out running.

As I think about the type of traditions that I want for my kids to look back upon fondly, I hope that the Easter Goose Chase becomes part of the memories they conjure.  Next year, we'll know to check out campus on our way to Grandma and Papa's house.  And who knows, maybe this is the year for us to start a birthday ladder?