by Betsey Harper

As most of you have seen, the geese are gone from Mills pond.  After the first and second round up of waterfowl, there was only one lone goose left.  His name is “Baby G” and he is a cross-breed possibly between a Brown Chinese and a White Embden or Czech.  He was younger and a bit more determined than the others and stayed away.  This story is about him.

His mom tried for years to have goslings and made nest after nest on the side of Mr. and Mrs. Berksan’s house across from the pond.  Over several years, she sat on various nests of eggs through times of heat and cold weather, covered them from predators when she needed nourishment and exercise, and had Papa Goose and Uncle Goose close by for help too.  One morning in July 2011, she came off the nest to proudly show off her baby to the Berksans.  They named him appropriately, “Baby G”. 

Baby G grew quickly and by spring 2012, the four were seen daily in Mills Pond.  They are an unusual family, with mom in all white with an orange straight bill, and Dad and Uncle in a greyish coat with a black strongly developed basal knob on the upper side of their bills.  Baby G has traits of both Mom and Dad and proudly swam with them.

After Baby G’s parents were relocated to my fowl ranch in Elgin, Baby G told all the passing pond visitors that he was upset about it. Boy, did he have a lot to say on the matter too! He was lonely and left all alone. The crew from USDA put in a tremendous amount of effort trying to capture him, but Baby G was not going to have it.

I received a phone call from a very concerned trail walker one weekday afternoon so I went to check on Baby G.  I too was concerned by Baby G’s mannerisms and vocal tones.  He was really missing his family.  This is the day I met the Berksans.  We arranged to follow up in a couple days to see what we could do to reunite Baby G with his family.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Berksan, we were able to lure Baby G out of the pond, up the grass, to the side of the road, close to his home.  Within just a couple minutes of sweet-talking Baby G, we were easily able to pick him up and pet him.  This was the first time in over a year the Berksans were able to pet him, and Baby G liked the attention.  We gently caged him and I immediately drove off to Elgin.

It was dark when I arrived at the ranch.  I opened the gate, pulled out the cage, and set Baby G free.  He honked and honked again.  In the distance, I heard a return honk, and then another.  Then out of the darkness, came three or four running, wing-flapping geese.  Mom and Dad stepped forward, honking turned to excitement, this led to some head rubbing (goose hugs) between them and off they all went to roost. All in all, it was a happy reunion.

Since then, Baby G, has been inseparable from both parents, and his mom has a new nest with 3 eggs.  Both Dad and Baby G stand guard. 

With 9 new goslings hatched in the past two weeks from our other geese, and more to come; next year,maybe Baby G will find his own soul mate and have a family of his own.

Thank you Wells Branch for being passionate and caring about our water fowl.  Rest assured, our Wells Branch ducks are being well cared for as well.

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As many of you know, we try and post photos of all the events in Wells Branch.  We hope you’ll take time to visit our Facebook page and view our pictures.  Feel free to tag photos or add your own to the event albums.  If you’re not on FB, the links below will allow you to view the photos without joining.  Once on-site, click on any picture and it will enlarge and you can view as a slide show.

If you’d like reminders of upcoming events, visit our WBNA Facebook Page and “like” us.  You’ll receive notification of upcoming events and posted pictures, important reminders for the neighborhood and sometimes even lost or found pet notices.

Here are a few of our most recent events along with a bonus album of WB Photos by Roberto White, a collection of wonderful shots of our neighborhood throughout the seasons.  Enjoy!

2013 Garden Tour Photos

Disc Golf Course Grand Opening Photos

May Planting of the Butterfly Garden by American Heritage Girls – Photos

2013 Spring Youth Fishing Tournament Photos

2013 Pioneer Fest Photos

2013 Dog Fair Photos

2013 WBNA Easter Egg Hunt Photos

Photos of Wells Branch by Roberto White

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by Betsey Harper

As most of you have seen, the geese are gone from Mills pond.  After the first and second round up of waterfowl, there was only one lone goose left.  His name is “Baby G” and he is a cross-breed possibly between a Brown Chinese and a White Embden or Czech.  He was younger and a bit more determined than the others and stayed away.  This story is about him.

His mom tried for years to have goslings and made nest after nest on the side of Mr. and Mrs. Berksan’s house across from the pond.  Over several years, she sat on various nests of eggs through times of heat and cold weather, covered them from predators when she needed nourishment and exercise, and had Papa Goose and Uncle Goose close by for help too.  One morning in July 2011, she came off the nest to proudly show off her baby to the Berksans.  They named him appropriately, “Baby G”. 

Baby G grew quickly and by spring 2012, the four were seen daily in Mills Pond.  They are an unusual family, with mom in all white with an orange straight bill, and Dad and Uncle in a greyish coat with a black strongly developed basal knob on the upper side of their bills.  Baby G has traits of both Mom and Dad and proudly swam with them.

After Baby G’s parents were relocated to my fowl ranch in Elgin, Baby G told all the passing pond visitors that he was upset about it. Boy, did he have a lot to say on the matter too! He was lonely and left all alone. The crew from USDA put in a tremendous amount of effort trying to capture him, but Baby G was not going to have it.

I received a phone call from a very concerned trail walker one weekday afternoon so I went to check on Baby G.  I too was concerned by Baby G’s mannerisms and vocal tones.  He was really missing his family.  This is the day I met the Berksans.  We arranged to follow up in a couple days to see what we could do to reunite Baby G with his family.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Berksan, we were able to lure Baby G out of the pond, up the grass, to the side of the road, close to his home.  Within just a couple minutes of sweet-talking Baby G, we were easily able to pick him up and pet him.  This was the first time in over a year the Berksans were able to pet him, and Baby G liked the attention.  We gently caged him and I immediately drove off to Elgin.

It was dark when I arrived at the ranch.  I opened the gate, pulled out the cage, and set Baby G free.  He honked and honked again.  In the distance, I heard a return honk, and then another.  Then out of the darkness, came three or four running, wing-flapping geese.  Mom and Dad stepped forward, honking turned to excitement, this led to some head rubbing (goose hugs) between them and off they all went to roost. All in all, it was a happy reunion.

Since then, Baby G, has been inseparable from both parents, and his mom has a new nest with 3 eggs.  Both Dad and Baby G stand guard. 

With 9 new goslings hatched in the past two weeks from our other geese, and more to come; next year,maybe Baby G will find his own soul mate and have a family of his own.

Thank you Wells Branch for being passionate and caring about our water fowl.  Rest assured, our Wells Branch ducks are being well cared for as well.

Read the rest of this entry →

As many of you know, we try and post photos of all the events in Wells Branch.  We hope you’ll take time to visit our Facebook page and view our pictures.  Feel free to tag photos or add your own to the event albums.  If you’re not on FB, the links below will allow you to view the photos without joining.  Once on-site, click on any picture and it will enlarge and you can view as a slide show.

If you’d like reminders of upcoming events, visit our WBNA Facebook Page and “like” us.  You’ll receive notification of upcoming events and posted pictures, important reminders for the neighborhood and sometimes even lost or found pet notices.

Here are a few of our most recent events along with a bonus album of WB Photos by Roberto White, a collection of wonderful shots of our neighborhood throughout the seasons.  Enjoy!

2013 Garden Tour Photos

Disc Golf Course Grand Opening Photos

May Planting of the Butterfly Garden by American Heritage Girls – Photos

2013 Spring Youth Fishing Tournament Photos

2013 Pioneer Fest Photos

2013 Dog Fair Photos

2013 WBNA Easter Egg Hunt Photos

Photos of Wells Branch by Roberto White

Read the rest of this entry →

We’re so fortunate to have so many things to choose from right here in our neighborhood.  This Saturday, we’ve got the WB Garden Guild Tour of Gardens from 9:00am-1:00pm, the WB Disc Golf Tournament with tee-offs from 9:00am-12:30pm and we can finish up the day with a wonderful Open Ears Concert and fundraiser at St. Andrews beginning at 6:00pm!

Brian & Rachel LeBansky’s backyard garden.

Garden Tour • Everybody is invited so please come, ask questions and enjoy the tour!!  It’s so much fun to see all the different styles of gardening we have in WB.  Make sure you bring some water and snacks with you as it looks like it’s going to be a warm day.

• 9:00-9:20 • Chandra Patel • 2409 Rick Whinery (Drip system, edibles, natives)
• 9:30-9:50 • Dianne Koehler • 14909 Alpha Collier (edibles, natives, no lawn)
• 10:00-10:20 • Rachel LeBansky • 14904 Yellowleaf Trail (edibles, natives, rain water harvesting)
• 10:30-10:50 • Kim & Dan Lanicek • 2207 Klattenhoff (drip system, Dan makes cool wooden trellises, etc.)
• 11:00-11:20 • Marlene Counts • 14583 Robert I. Walker (English/cottage style garden)
• 11:30-11:50 • Chris Flores • 2327 Dowd (lighting solutions and natives)
• 12:00-12:20 • Don Harrell • 14533 Donald Dr. (Xeriscaping and potted plants)
• 12:30-12:50 • Sharon Richardson • 14829 Montoro Dr. (recently planted natives)

 

Disc Golf Tournament • Ready for some disc golf? Come to the Wells Branch Disc Golf Course Grand Opening, Saturday, May 18, from 9:00am – 12:30pm.

Register to receive a Wells Branch branded disc, a reusable water bottle, and a $5 gift certificate for discnation.com. Pre-register by calling 512-251-9814. ($10 if you pre-register or $15 the day of the event).  Not sure if you want to play?  Come out and walk the beautiful new course!

The event is for FUN, not for competition, so no prizes for the winners, but we do have door prizes from local businesses, such as a family pack from Branch BBQ.

 

Open Ears Concerts Fun!Raiser with The Studebakers

On Saturday, May 18, 2013, at 6 PM, St. Andrews at 14311 Wells Port Drive, will hold a fundraising event to help continue the Open Ears Concerts series, support other arts events, and supplement the audio/visual systems at the church.  Music will be provided by The Studebakers and other special guests.  The Studebakers – Jill Montgomery, Becky Cavanaugh, Sharon Maner, Randy Seybold, and Marilyn Rucker – bring back the marvelous melodies and lyrics of the songs of the 20s, 30s and 40s and deliver them with the clarity and close harmony that made them such big favorites in those years. Fun and frolicking is guaranteed for all!

Soup Nuts! - Some of the best amateur chefs around will astound you with their creations. Sample all for free, and then vote with your dollars.

Baker Street - After the soup, wind your way toward the music, and purchase desserts to go with our delicious fair trade coffee.

Admission – $5 suggested donation in advance, $10 at the door.  Simply go to our website (below) and click on the Donate link. When you confirm your order, type “Open Ears Concerts Fundraiser” in the Special Instructions window, and bring your receipt with you to the show.

www.staopen.org/events/open-ears • openearsconcerts@gmail.com

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Submitted by Steve Weikal

St. Andrews Presbyterian is hosting a conference, Insights on Aging for Boomers and Beyond, on Saturday May 4, 2013 from 8:00 am until about 4:45 pm.

Those of us organizing this program recognize that we and our neighbors could use some help in navigating the choices we have to make as we and our families move beyond middle age. We have discovered that there are quite a few resources out there. There are people willing to share what they have gone through. We hope to begin sharing these insights with our neighbors.

Conference Objectives

To give attendees an overview of the issues and resources available to an aging population

•  To provide resources and contacts that attendees can use to deal with their own or a family member’s situation

• To create communities of interest for attendees to develop ongoing support groups.

Who Should Attend?

Those whose parents are healthy but aging

•  Those whose parents are ailing and in need of additional care options

• Anyone who wants to plan ahead for successful aging

Special Keynote Presentation

Presented by Jim Comer, Author of:

 “When Roles Reverse: A Guide to Parenting Your Parents”

In 1996, Jim Comer returned home to Texas after 30 years to care for his father, who had suffered a stroke and his mother who had Alzheimer’s. Parenting his parents was a life-changing choice that led to a successful speaking career, a re-discovery of real family values, and the writing of When Roles Reverse: A Guide to Parenting Your Parents. Jim helps others learn from his difficult, demanding and often hilarious experiences, as he became an overnight parent. His goal is to encourage families to plan ahead and talk candidly about the decisions they face.  From his 14 years of care giving, Jim helps audiences deal with challenges and find joy in showing up for their parents.

Admission is $10 per person which includes refreshments and lunch.  Click “HERE” to register.

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