Finny and the gang made it fine through the big storm last week that left nearly 2 feet of snow. Wish I could say the same.

Like so many other people, I am sure, every muscle in my body is screaming, “What have you done?”

Regardless, we are all fine and the geese are none the worse for all the snow — with one possible exception.

Seb, my oldest gander at nearly 15, climbed over the pen wire with Ossie, Gossie and Julia, and decided to set out on his own.

The others have stayed close to their pen and the bowl of food I set out for them on the stoop. Julia even nestled down on the stoop platform and allowed me to sit next to her.

Seb decided to venture around the exterior of the big pen, wading through deep snow. As I write this, he just found his way back to his little flock. Thankfully, some wild, hungry critter won’t find him wandering away from the pens, at least not now.

I dug myself into the duck pen, then made a path for the ducks to get into their coop. No problem there, for them. But again, all that shoveling has made me rediscover all of my muscles that aren’t usually used and that I’m not as young as I once was. What a surprise!

Despite the heavy snow and all of the work involved in caring for my feathered friends, I am so glad they are there. In their own goosey way, they seem to know that I am trying to do the best for them that I can. And I surely love watching them and carrying on conversations with them, particularly with Seb. He’s really good at talking back to me when I speak to him.

I was a little late this year in getting their Christmas present that they love — a whole bag of semi-stale bread from a nearby bread outlet.

Now, they are gobbling it up as if I hadn’t fed them for days.

Winter is a tough time for all of us, particularly the Nor’easter that dumped so much snow. The geese can waddle OK through it, though it does take a bit more effort. The ducks, as always, are in their own little world.

As for me, I look forward to nestling into my chair next to the wood stove and reading a good book. Right now, that is a book of poetry by Leonard Cohen.

So 2017 has arrived. Let us hope not too much more snow arrives with it. And let us hope and pray that the year will be a good one, although we know that both positive and not-so-positive events may happen.

Happy New Year to everyone. I look forward to sharing the antics of my wonderful feathered critters in the months to come.

Eileen M. Adams has owned geese for more than a dozen years. They never fail to surprise her with their intelligence — and idiocy. She may be reached at [email protected].