Reflections from the Swamp
Dear Reader
Time has no beginning, and history has no bounds.
So to this frozen country, they flew from all around.
They flew along the riverways and across the frozen ponds,
past the forests, towns, and farmland, to find their nesting lawns.
They looked at the future, and what did they see?
They saw a nation of geese nesting from the sea to the sea.
So come home, geese from across this great land,
from the western shores to the eastern strands.
Corkery Pond, or Lake Bernadette as it is affectionately known, is still frozen. Beneath the ice cap, the frogs and turtles still sleep embedded in the mud below. Meanwhile, thousands of geese have arrived despite rising jet fuel prices and turmoil in the world of humans. Hundreds landed near the pond on Kileen’s flooded field, but only a few landed briefly on Corkery Pond.
In recent years, swans have come to Corkery Pond, as have Sand Hill Cranes. Swans are almost twice the size of geese. Swans are aggressive toward geese and don’t have the virtue of treating their neighbours the way they want to be treated. When geese fly over the pond and see swans, the geese fly over the pond and land in nearby fields. Three swans arrived around March 23rd and staked out the pond. They mysteriously disappeared on March 31st, leaving an empty pond. A pair of geese saw their opportunity and descended from the heavens and landed on the promised land. The geese left the next day when the swans returned.
On March 31st, I was camping in Algonquin Park (in a Yurt). My bride witnessed the landing of the sacred geese on Corkery Pond with her binoculars. My bride texted me, “The Goose has landed.” Incidentally, in July of 1969, man first landed on the moon, and the first words spoken were, “The Eagle has landed.” This lunar landing pales in significance to the geese landing on Corkery Pond. Although we have witnessed many signs of Spring, such as the flowing of sap in the maples, the return of migratory birds, and a few brave blooming crocuses, the landing of the Sacred Goose marks the true start of Nature’s New Year.
This year, 48 people signed up for the Millstone News annual Goose Lottery. A variable lot of individuals, including some elders, and some Sunday school kids. Thanks to all of you for keeping the faith and helping to welcome Spring and the sacred goose back to our piece of the planet.
This year’s winner is Sarah Prospero of Almonte. Sarah is a writer and leads a writing group at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Almonte, a group my bride and I attend. Sarah has insightful comments on our writings and has been a treasure for those of us in the group. Although Sarah will be Almonte’s prophet for the next year because of her ability to predict the future, she may decide to wear sunglasses while in town to avoid recognition by the throngs of people asking for advice or a blessing on their lottery tickets. Sarah receives the Silver Goose Dollar as the winner of the 2026 Goose Lottery.
Second prize (Five pounds of goose manure scraped off my lawn in the summer) goes to Hallie Grace James of Almonte. Hallie, although honoured by this prestigious award, is a kind and generous soul who would like me to donate her award to a gardener whose soil is lacking in nitrogen and aroma. It’s people like Hallie that make Almonte such a great community.
Third prize (three pounds of goose manure) goes to Terri-Lynn Funnekotter of Corkery. Terri-Lynn is an avid gardener and hopes that her prize will increase the yields of her container-grown vegetables. Her vegetables are known to be shorter than most but rich in character. Terri-Lynn is a thoughtful and generous friend and deserves her newfound fame in Corkery.
Delmer, who is not a Canada Goose fan, suggested we offer a prize to the person who witnesses the departure of the last goose in the fall. He thinks we should call it the Good Riddance Award. It seems that the honking and souvenirs left in the park have dampened his enthusiasm for seeing geese arrive. I don’t think he sees the big picture of the cycle of life represented by the geese. Nature is an orchestra of moving parts all moving together to make the music we call life.
Someone else will have to volunteer to document the departure of the last goose. I think that the geese’s last day in Corkery is the saddest day of the year. We should call the time that the geese are absent the Season of Lament and light candles in the places of worship until the geese return.
I wish you all a happy Spring full of life, wonder and geese.
Richard van Duyvendyk
