Finny is jealous.

At first, I thought he was just curious about the two little balls of fluff, heated under a light bulb in the garage. Several times a day, I go in to feed, water and pet them. They are always thrilled to see me and peep up a storm.

Finny comes in, too.

The first time, he walked around in a goosely haze with his head cocking to one side every time he heard a peep. He didn’t know what was making such an unusual noise.

When Blackberry and Plum Blossom grew tall enough to be seen from the top of their plastic container, Finny saw them. He saw the attention I was giving them, and let out a piercing shriek.

I immediately went over to him and patted him and told him he was No. 1 in my book and always would be. Of course, he didn’t understand a word, but those goslings, he did.

Now, even if he’s outside and he sees me heading toward the goslings, he starts hollering and I come running (has he got me well trained, or what?). He wants to play with my hair, have me stroke his ultra-soft feathers, and talk only to him.

He has spent a few nights in the garage recently but has never tried to hurt the competition. I don’t think he will.

Secretly, I’m hoping when they get big enough, I can put them out with Finny to become members of his flock. Although Finny was allowed into a part of the flock a few weeks ago, much of it has since disappeared.

Unfortunately, first one duckie, then the second, wandered off, no doubt to become lunches for a coyote. Missy and Sissy did not want to stay in the pen, so I let them out to graze to their heart’s content. The next ducks I get will be confined, I’m afraid.

I was unable to get sweet Jessie, a lovely gray Toulouse goose, back into the pen one night, and I knew she wouldn’t go far so I left her out. Bad move. She had disappeared when I went out to check in the morning.

Finny now just has his brother Shamus who will stick by him. The other geese tolerate the brothers, sometimes chase them, but generally leave them alone, particularly since Finny fights back now.

Blackberry and Plum Blossom were also tossed from the nest by my young goose, Dufey. These were her first hatchlings and I have no idea why she did that. Both are perfect little goslings. Plum Blossum, who was born on Finny’s birthday, May 25, came first. She was so-named because she hatched when the last of the wild plum tree blossoms were falling into the pen.

Blackberry, who we think is a boy, was also named because of the flora around the goose pen. Lots of blackberries are blossoming now, so Blackberry seemed the perfect name.

I figure in about a month I can put them outside in the small pen with what was once our dog’s house. I’ll slowly introduce them to Finny.

In the meantime, they peep whenever they see or hear me.

Finny continues to be a real joy. He followed me as I planted the garden. Likes to have me pick the grass and clover and dandelion weeds, then feed them to him. He also likes me to feed grain and scratch to him by hand.

Whenever he stays in the garage for the night, the greeting I get first thing in the morning is worth far more than all the poopie I have to clean up. He practically talks, rubs his long neck against mine, and welcomes lots and lots of patting.

He may be more than a year old now, equivalent to an adolescent child, and weighs 20 pounds, but he’s still my sweetie.

And I feel sure, in time, he’ll get used to Plum Blossum and Blackberry.

The flock continues to grow, and I continue to learn far more than I ever thought I would about geese. They are truly remarkable and intelligent creatures. And if someone knows how to talk to them, as I have learned over the years, they are not a threat.

And of course, my Finny is the sweetest and most intelligent of all!