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I LOVE this story! A farmer with a heart of gold. This is a farm down by Winona

that is cycling food materials from coops and cafeterias into healthy pork. The

farmer and I are trading ideas for our pigs and it was just today that I found

out about this story.....Read this one with your children.......

---------------------------------------------------------

From: Dick Gallien

Some have asked the purpose of the white pigeons circling the farm. It's a long

story.

As a kid, living by the lake, I got my first young crow out of a nest when 15.

They are our smartest bird, become attached to their provider and are great

pets. I always named them Jim, Mischief being their middle name. When 16,

Winona's Finest told me to either get rid of the crow, or they would shoot it.

Their most routine amusement was to thoughtfully sidestep down a clothes line,

watching each piece of clothing drop as they removed the pins, or remove the

foil caps from delivered glass milk bottles and have a sip. As their parent, I

could never warn them about owls and hunters, especially when Winona County had

a dime crow bounty, so none survived winter.

One morning, a friend said " ca ca " and a Sri Lankan student renter said that is

how they call the crows when they throw out their food waste and the crows eat

at their feet. I've always wanted to raise 10 or 15 young crows, knowing that if

some survived winter they would nest in the yard. A yard full of crows would be

interesting, but I don't climb trees anymore. They would hide any small tools or

bright items and they'd feast on pigeon eggs.

For 25 years, a flock of Canada geese circled the farm and landed in the yard.

Eight pair nested sucessfully in the pasture ponds one Spring and brought their

young up to the house and no one asked why they were here or their purpose. Then

the 80 head of cattle left, the wilds and coyotes took over, and the geese moved

on.

During 55 years at the farm, 2 ex's, 8 kids, and many others have called the

farm home, but they have spread like leaves in the wind, to FL, GA, IA, WI, MN,

AZ, MT and CA. The first ex and a 50-year-old son have already put themselves in

the ground.

Ah pigeons. An intelligent Easter Bunny left a pair of white fantailed pigeons

when I was 10. and Peggy did what pigeons do and 2 friends were soon

raising their progeny. Then came a pair of Birmingham Rollers. Rollers do

backward flips when flying, a form of epilepsy. Bought a pair of homers from Al

Ljek for 50 cents. Found a kind gentleman with homers while biking through East

End alleys. Watched him release a few hundred homers at 6:00 A.M. one Sunday

morning at the Milwaukee Depot. They were from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, racing

clubs and I collected eggs they had laid during the trip, for mine to hatch.

Built a pigeon coop in the mid 70s, for homers and rollers. Had hoped all Winona

kids could experience life on the long-gone small, diversified farm, but the

schools rejected the offer. Recently, a Dad and his 9-year-old daughter were

looking at the pigeons and he was telling her about being here with a St. Stan's

class when he was her age. They sent a picture of them releasing a homer at St.

Stans, with an aluminum message capsule on its leg. Within minutes, it was back

at the farm, Imagine, if all kids would've had that connection. A Wisconsin

Audubon person told of schools that had school forests and the first thing most

returnees for class reunions wanted to see were the trees they planted. Winona

kids would've planted more than trees, on the farm.

Walt Disney got white homers from Belgium and Scotland. He used them in 2 movies

and 200 were released every day at Disney World, to circle and return to their

loft a few miles away. The release was discontinued in 2005, claiming Red Tailed

Hawks were having them for lunch, but that Walt is gone may have been the main

reason.

The end of March, we bought 31 white homers from Afton, Minnesota, that came

from the Disney flock. They won't be released for another year and even then

some might return to Afton. However, 50 of their young are already circling the

farm and there should be 100 by Fall, all of which will be reproducing next

year, as will their parents.

Their purpose? 1) We will not eat them. 2) We will not show them, where they

might win a ribbon, so we can sell them for 50 cents more 3) We will not race

them, where they might win a race, so we can beat our chest and sell them for 50

cents more. 4) I have no interest in selling them, unless some kid has a good

home for a few.

Some homers have desperately made it home from 500+ miles in one day. They mate

for life, share incubating and feeding their young and are often killed or die

in their determination to get home. A wealthy Rochester racer told me he will

hatch 200 this year, of which 20 might survive training and what is the purpose?

Over the ages, there have been huge pigeon towers in India, Iran, etc, with

12,000 to 15,000 pigeons in each. I can't imagine the sounds. The bricks for the

East Burns Valley School and this house came from the brickyard, across the

creek. We have the same brickyard clay. With a pigeon religion, we could have a

brick tower full of pigeons

Instead, within two years, there should be 500+ white homers circling the farm.

If you have a minute, pull up a chair and watch them fly for the joy of flying.

Some have asked if and why they will stay. They will stay because they are

homers and they are home. There is nowhere else they would rather be. I hope all

of you find home and can be as contented.

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I've got a little something to add to this story since it reminded me of a

wonderful experience I had. That experience is the delicious feeling of joy in

watching the homers fly this past summer when visiting my in-laws in Slovakia.

Their neighbor has many, many birds. As the sun would begin to set each

evening, I would typically be outside in the garden with our family. Those

birds really fly for the sheer love of flying...circling, circling. So close

that you can hear a fabulous, gentle vibration before you see them. And then,

they are gone. A short while later, the vibration comes again, you see the

birds, and then they are gone. Wow - beautiful. So glad I've still got my kids

at home, but it makes me think that someday, I'll feel that vibration before

they come home - and then in a flash, they'll be gone again...

Amy K.

On Oct 28, 2011, at 6:05 PM, holisticminnesota wrote:

> I LOVE this story! A farmer with a heart of gold. This is a farm down by

Winona that is cycling food materials from coops and cafeterias into healthy

pork. The farmer and I are trading ideas for our pigs and it was just today that

I found out about this story.....Read this one with your children.......

> ---------------------------------------------------------

> From: Dick Gallien

> Some have asked the purpose of the white pigeons circling the farm. It's a

long story.

>

> As a kid, living by the lake, I got my first young crow out of a nest when 15.

They are our smartest bird, become attached to their provider and are great

pets. I always named them Jim, Mischief being their middle name. When 16,

Winona's Finest told me to either get rid of the crow, or they would shoot it.

Their most routine amusement was to thoughtfully sidestep down a clothes line,

watching each piece of clothing drop as they removed the pins, or remove the

foil caps from delivered glass milk bottles and have a sip. As their parent, I

could never warn them about owls and hunters, especially when Winona County had

a dime crow bounty, so none survived winter.

>

> One morning, a friend said " ca ca " and a Sri Lankan student renter said that

is how they call the crows when they throw out their food waste and the crows

eat at their feet. I've always wanted to raise 10 or 15 young crows, knowing

that if some survived winter they would nest in the yard. A yard full of crows

would be interesting, but I don't climb trees anymore. They would hide any small

tools or bright items and they'd feast on pigeon eggs.

>

> For 25 years, a flock of Canada geese circled the farm and landed in the yard.

Eight pair nested sucessfully in the pasture ponds one Spring and brought their

young up to the house and no one asked why they were here or their purpose. Then

the 80 head of cattle left, the wilds and coyotes took over, and the geese moved

on.

>

> During 55 years at the farm, 2 ex's, 8 kids, and many others have called the

farm home, but they have spread like leaves in the wind, to FL, GA, IA, WI, MN,

AZ, MT and CA. The first ex and a 50-year-old son have already put themselves in

the ground.

>

> Ah pigeons. An intelligent Easter Bunny left a pair of white fantailed pigeons

when I was 10. and Peggy did what pigeons do and 2 friends were soon

raising their progeny. Then came a pair of Birmingham Rollers. Rollers do

backward flips when flying, a form of epilepsy. Bought a pair of homers from Al

Ljek for 50 cents. Found a kind gentleman with homers while biking through East

End alleys. Watched him release a few hundred homers at 6:00 A.M. one Sunday

morning at the Milwaukee Depot. They were from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, racing

clubs and I collected eggs they had laid during the trip, for mine to hatch.

>

> Built a pigeon coop in the mid 70s, for homers and rollers. Had hoped all

Winona kids could experience life on the long-gone small, diversified farm, but

the schools rejected the offer. Recently, a Dad and his 9-year-old daughter were

looking at the pigeons and he was telling her about being here with a St. Stan's

class when he was her age. They sent a picture of them releasing a homer at St.

Stans, with an aluminum message capsule on its leg. Within minutes, it was back

at the farm, Imagine, if all kids would've had that connection. A Wisconsin

Audubon person told of schools that had school forests and the first thing most

returnees for class reunions wanted to see were the trees they planted. Winona

kids would've planted more than trees, on the farm.

>

> Walt Disney got white homers from Belgium and Scotland. He used them in 2

movies and 200 were released every day at Disney World, to circle and return to

their loft a few miles away. The release was discontinued in 2005, claiming Red

Tailed Hawks were having them for lunch, but that Walt is gone may have been the

main reason.

>

> The end of March, we bought 31 white homers from Afton, Minnesota, that came

from the Disney flock. They won't be released for another year and even then

some might return to Afton. However, 50 of their young are already circling the

farm and there should be 100 by Fall, all of which will be reproducing next

year, as will their parents.

>

> Their purpose? 1) We will not eat them. 2) We will not show them, where they

might win a ribbon, so we can sell them for 50 cents more 3) We will not race

them, where they might win a race, so we can beat our chest and sell them for 50

cents more. 4) I have no interest in selling them, unless some kid has a good

home for a few.

>

> Some homers have desperately made it home from 500+ miles in one day. They

mate for life, share incubating and feeding their young and are often killed or

die in their determination to get home. A wealthy Rochester racer told me he

will hatch 200 this year, of which 20 might survive training and what is the

purpose? Over the ages, there have been huge pigeon towers in India, Iran, etc,

with 12,000 to 15,000 pigeons in each. I can't imagine the sounds. The bricks

for the East Burns Valley School and this house came from the brickyard, across

the creek. We have the same brickyard clay. With a pigeon religion, we could

have a brick tower full of pigeons

>

> Instead, within two years, there should be 500+ white homers circling the

farm. If you have a minute, pull up a chair and watch them fly for the joy of

flying. Some have asked if and why they will stay. They will stay because they

are homers and they are home. There is nowhere else they would rather be. I hope

all of you find home and can be as contented.

>

>

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