Next Time You Plan on Eating Goose....

[3113]

Visitors to Hollenbeck Park stop and stare when they see the huge white bird swim across the park's lake, climb into Jesus Hernandez's arms and give him a love peck. They watch in amazement as Hernandez tosses the goose back into the water and it ducks its head gleefully beneath the surface. Then it shakes off the drops and paddles back to the shore for another toss. When the two of them walk together away from the lake to a grassy park knoll, it's clear to all that this is no ordinary bird.

"This is Chacho, and he is my best friend," Hernandez explains. The 60-year-old West Los Angeles electrician has driven to Hollenbeck Park twice a week for the last two years to visit with the creature that he raised from a gosling. Hernandez had thought he was buying a duckling when he purchased the bird four years ago for $5 from a pet store. But "it grew very fast," he says.

By the time Chacho was 2, he had outgrown Hernandez's small backyard. Hernandez reluctantly started looking for a new home for his friend when neighbors complained about his loud honking. He discovered the park at 4th and St. Louis streets on a trip to Boyle Heights for a guitar lesson. The park's meandering lake and tree-shaded lawn would be perfect for Chacho, he decided. As a plus, there were other geese and ducks for him to socialize with. Leaving Chacho that first time was difficult. The goose followed him back to his car, honking plaintively and running to keep up. Hernandez finally scooped up his friend and placed him gently in the lake where a wall forms the shoreline. The barrier gave him time to retreat to his car.

"It was very hard to leave him. When I left I was crying," he says. He returned to the park with a loaf of bread and Chacho's favorite cereal when he began his visits. The goose made a beeline for him as he stepped into the park. That became the routine for future visits...During his visits, Hernandez stretches out on the grass and relaxes. Chacho rests nearby. He honks a warning and pecks at strangers' shoes and legs if they approach. "I don't worry about somebody getting too close to me because he protects me," Hernandez says.

After a while Chacho begins honking at Hernandez and gently poking him with his beak. "That means he wants me to follow him to the water," Hernandez explains....Back at the lake, Chacho is waddling alongside Hernandez as he retrieves his jacket and the empty bread and tortilla bags. He will put the goose back in the water beneath the shoreline wall so he can make a graceful escape.

"He's my best friend," Hernandez says again. "I love him and he loves me."

Full story here.

Audio slide show here.

 

[Safe_Bet]

Hey, we are talking about Jesus here! What else would you expect?

 

[3113]

Hey, we are talking about Jesus here! What else would you expect?

Shouldn't that be St. Francis?

 

[Liar]

I never plan on eating goose. It just kinda happens.

 

[Safe_Bet]

Shouldn't that be St. Francis?

No. Jesus. Jesus Hernandez. His nephew does my gardening. What does St. Francis have to do with it? Isn't he the dude that makes baby aspirin?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Okay, I agree not to eat any white geese from Hollenbeck Park. Happy now?

 

[cantdog]

No. Jesus. Jesus Hernandez. His nephew does my gardening. What does St. Francis have to do with it? Isn't he the dude that makes baby aspirin?

Nah, that one's St. Joseph.

 

[Safe_Bet]

Nah, that one's St. Joseph.

So this St. Francis dude doesn't even have a job? Is that what your telling me?

 

[TE999]

So this St. Francis dude doesn't even have a job? Is that what your telling me?

He sells statues of himself to put in gardens...he's on the stock exchange: stjosind.

 

[cantdog]

Would you hire someone who said "Saint Francis" when you asked the name?

And he had birdshit all over his shoulders?

 

[Safe_Bet]

Would you hire someone who said "Saint Francis" when you asked the name?

And he had birdshit all over his shoulders?

I'd prolly figure he was French or sumthing.

 

[R. Richard]

With a goose, it's always better to give than to receive.

 

[damppanties]

I never plan on eating goose. It just kinda happens.

Clearly you're doing something wrong here. Henceforth, plan.