The Goose and the Crone

<P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial''sans-serif'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes>Elizabeth Washburn loves her home in the northern Wisconsin lake country.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes>  </SPAN>She and her husband built it and she has lived there for years.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes>  </SPAN>Long widowed she keeps the place up by herself through long hours of backbreaking work.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes>  </SPAN>But she is not getting any younger.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial''sans-serif'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial''sans-serif'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes>The Goose wounded after a long night defending herself against a hostile flock on the lake stays behind when the others leave for the south.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial''sans-serif'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial''sans-serif'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes>Elizabeth and The Goose live parallel lives through the four seasons of the subsequent year; facing danger joy and growth but knowing the inevitable question must be answered the following fall.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial''sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA><SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes> </SPAN></SPAN>