Reflections from the Swamp
Dear Reader
I hope you are enjoying the cold winter we are experiencing this year and that you are now more than ready for Spring.
Recent scientific research has discovered a consistent metrological phenomenon occurring in the Almonte and Corkery area. Every year, a goose lands on Corkery Pond, setting off a rapid succession of events, such as buds forming on trees, snow melting, rising temperatures, and culminating in the emergence of tulips and daffodils.
There is no reliable scientific evidence that Spring will occur without the landing of the sacred goose!
People who live in warm lands without winter don’t understand the Canadian spirit. A deep longing for Spring in our souls starts about now. We share this longing with all of the natural world around us. Pussy willows are the first to respond. The maples begin to stir, the days get longer, and the geese in warmer places feel an inner calling to come home to Canada. We are part of Nature and move to her rhythms.
We connect to the spirits of the geese who bring Spring with them as they fly home to us. We rejoice when we see their long “Vs” fill the sky and hear their melodious honking. They symbolically connect us with hope, fragrant flowers, green meadows, lush forests, and naturally fertilized parks.
We invite all Millstone readers to join the Goose lottery. You don’t have to renounce your religious or political affiliations to become a Gooser. Among other doctrinal tenets, Goosers believe that the geese bring Spring when they come home to Canada. Although millions of geese come home to Canada, we believe that the most significant goose (The Chosen One) is the first goose to land on Corkery Pond. The person who foretells the date of arrival becomes Mississippi Mill’s prophet for the year. Ours is a for prophet organization. We like to know what will happen in the future. We will ask our prophet to bless our 649 tickets, predict winners of hockey games, name our kids, and ask for marital advice, miracles, and a blessing on our crops. Who is going to win the election? Ask the prophet.
I received a letter from Wiarton, Ontario, home of Wiarton Willie, a groundhog that emerges on February 2nd and predicts an early or late spring. The groundhog predicted a later spring this year, which seems accurate to me. The Wiarton Willie committee expressed satisfaction that more communities, such as Almonte, are turning to nature-based events, such as the arrival of the first goose, to predict the onset of Spring. They suggest petitioning the government for a national holiday. A holiday that would be variable in date, much like Easter. We in Mississippi Mills know how important this goose landing is to the future of our country.
Tickets to enter the Lottery are free. Pick a date between March 7th and April 30th. Specify either morning or afternoon in your guess. Enter soon. If the date you selected is already picked, I will assign your guess to the nearest available date. The prize is a 1967 silver dollar with a flying goose on the front face. The value of silver has risen to record highs. The silver dollar might be worth half a million bucks or so. You will also receive a certificate officially recognizing you as a prophet. Being a prophet will help you find a place on late-night religious shows, which could be pretty lucrative. More on that later.
The 2nd and 3rd prizes are a bag of goose dung scraped off my lawn in June—excellent fertilizer for the garden and a distinctive perfume that will draw attention to your flower garden. For inexplicable reasons, people have declined to collect their 2nd- and 3rd-prize winnings. Warning: people in your neighbourhood will know you are a Gooser.
I’ll be sitting out on the pond in my lawn chair with a thermos of coffee. I’m working and won’t be available to complete any tasks on my bride’s to-do list until the geese land in Corkery Pond. My to-do list will keep me busy until the first goose lands on the pond. I don’t mind if the geese take their time coming home this year. Here is my list.
To-Do List
___ Wake UP
___ Make Coffee
___ Drink Coffee
___ Make more Coffee
___ Look for Geese
The Goose Lotto is about predicting the date that the first goose lands on our pond (Lake Bernadette), in Corkery. Ponds stay frozen longer than rivers. You will see geese in Almonte before a goose lands on our pond. Previous dates range from early March until Late April. The goose has to land on the pond; flying over the pond doesn’t count. The odds of winning are much higher than the 649 lottery or getting your kids to clean up their rooms or get off their phones.
Please join the Goose Lottery and help us welcome Spring back to our community. Send your guess of when the geese will land on the pond to rvanduyvendyk@gmail.com. Put “Goose Lottery” in the title. Don’t forget to specify the morning or afternoon. If I don’t know you, tell me something about yourself.
We’re all in this together; keep your stick on the pond ice until they come. Spring will come with the geese, and may the geese land in your favour.
Yours till the geese come home
Richard van Duyvendyk
Corkery March 3rd 2026
