Episode #12
The Colonel & the Kid Podcast - Chapter 50 - The Snow Goose
The Snow Goose Gregory Heitmann reflects on Chapter 50 of The Colonel and the Kid, using a spring snow goose hunt and a set of family memories to explore grief, preservation, and the value of record-keeping. He ties the chapter to the death of his father, the legacy of his grandfather, and the emotional pull of keeping those memories alive through the memoir and podcast. In this episode, Gregory Heitmann shares a personal chapter from his memoir, recounting a New Year’s Day phone call about his father’s death, a later snow goose hunt that became a lasting memory, and the taxidermy mounts that now symbolize both family history and hunting tradition. He also pauses for his usual recurring segments, including a Minnesota Twins update, sports headlines, a “look what I found” item, and a preview of future language commentary. Key topics Gregory explains that Chapter 50, “The Snow Goose,” is part of his memoir project to preserve the history of his grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Edwin P. Hagen Jr., and their relationship. He reflects on how most people are forgotten after two or three generations, which motivates his effort to keep family history alive in audio, video, and written form. He recounts the shock of learning on New Year’s Day 2021 that his father had died, and contrasts that sudden loss with his grandfather’s longer decline. He describes helping his mother in Groton, South Dakota, during the early months after his father’s death while working remotely for the Federal Highway Administration. He shares how spring snow goose hunting gave him some healing during that period, especially because he used his dad’s Browning Auto 5 shotgun on the first outings. He tells the story of one successful hunt in March 2021, when he harvested a snow goose that became the chapter’s symbolic centerpiece and a memorial to his father. He highlights the orange staining on the goose’s feathers and bill, connecting it to the old “Know Your Ducks and Geese” booklet and to iron or rust in the water where geese winter. He compares the snow goose mount with an earlier blue goose mount, noting that both now hang on his wall in Santa Fe as reminders of hunts tied to his South Dakota roots. He closes the memoir section by pairing the chapter with childhood memories, including a snow goose birthday cake at age nine and a lifelong love of Minnesota Vikings colors and waterfowl. He briefly steps into recurring segments with updates on the Minnesota Twins, NFL kickoff, an upcoming elk scouting trip, and a new glass bowl and flag he found on his walks. Notable quotes “Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.” “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need.” “Be assertive, be positive, be proactive.”
