The story of a lonely goose named Blossom has gone viral this week after workers at Riverside Cemetery in Marshalltown, Iowa, shared her story. According to workers, Blossom and her mate, Bud, had lived at the cemetery together for five years. Geese mate for life and the pair were rarely seen apart. That is, until this last August when Bud sadly passed away, leaving Blossom alone. In the months that followed, Blossom seemed to express her grief by isolating herself and spending a lot of time looking at her own reflection in windows and polished tombstones. The widowed goose’s plight was heartbreaking and cemetery staff decided to do something about it.
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So, in a move that has been melting hearts all over the internet, Riverside Cemetery staff posted a personal ad on Blossom’s behalf. The personal ad, which described Blossom as a “lonely, widowed domestic goose,” as well as “youthful, adventurous and lively,” described Blossom’s need for a “life partner for companionship and occasional shenanigans.” To everyone’s surprise, the answer to Blossom’s ad would come from close to home.
A horse rescue farm in nearby Runnells, Iowa, was in a similar position to the cemetery. That is, the farm was home to a lonely widowed gander named Frankie. Frankie’s mate had died a little while back and his owners reported that he, like Blossom, had seemed forlorn and isolated ever since. When they came across Blossom’s Facebook ad, they knew that both they had an opportunity to give both birds a second chance at love.
Blossom and Frankie were introduced to one another on Valentine’s Day. The introduction got off to a bumpy start as Frankie’s owner reports that the stress scared the gander away. For an entire day, Frankie was nowhere to be found and staff at both the horse farm and the cemetery feared the worst. Then, the very next day, Frankie reappeared at the cemetery and was able to be reintroduced to Blossom. Fortunately, this time, Frankie and Blossom hit it off.
Frankie has lived with Blossom at the cemetery since that day and cemetery staff report that the once-lonely love birds are almost never seen apart. Geese generally mate for life, although they will accept new mates when their partners die or are otherwise separated from them. They are very social birds who are protective of their mates as well as their offspring.
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You gotta love a good love story with a happy ending!