SSAI Literary Challenge

The fable, Moving On, is based on the arrival of Tundra Swans at the ponds of the Patience Lake Potash Mine. These are the facts on which the story is based.

• The Tundra Swans were first spotted at Patience Lake on Mother’s Day 2003.
• Their usual breeding ground is the tundra of northern Canada.
• 2007 was the first year some of their young migrated south with the adults.
• An adult Tundra Swan is quite a formidable opponent and a pair can usually fend off most predators.

 

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Moving On

 

          One spring, two Canada Geese set up housekeeping on one of the fresh water ponds at Patience Lake Potash Mine.  It was a lovely place to raise a family. There was abundant vegetation along the edge of the pond and there was even an island on which to build a nest safe from the coyotes and raccoons.  For company, there were other ducks and birds – the Mallards with their green heads, the Avocets with their curly upturned bills, and a number of Canada Geese families. 

One day in late April, a two-legged non-bird type came sneaking close to the shoreline.  Mother Goose turned her head to stare down the intruder. The human being seemed harmless enough even though he was carrying that peculiar object he held up to one eye – an object with a long cylindrical piece that moved slowly out and back again and then made a clicking sound.

“Oh well, it wasn’t a shotgun blast,” Mother Goose decided and went back to gathering dry grasses for the nest she was building a short distance from the shore.   

Late the next afternoon, she saw the arrival of two large white birds with long black legs and feet.  They circled the pond as if surveying their domain and came to a landing in the water just a short distance from the island.

Now what can they want? thought Mother Goose.  They act as if they own the place and we were here first. 

From the edge of the pond, Mother Goose then heard the clicks from the peculiar eyepiece objects. She craned her long neck forward to have another look.  Those long cylindrical things, usually pointed in her direction, were aimed this time at the intruders as if they were worthy of all the attention.  Mother Goose hissed in derision and then deciding that the pond world was big enough for everyone. went back to building her nest. 

          The next day, Mother Goose set off on a short flight to the adjacent pond to visit her good friend Gertrude Goose. 

          “What do you know about those two?” Mother Goose asked.

          “Well,” said her older and wiser friend.  “They’re called Tundra Swans. Usually, they set up house further north. That’s why the two-legged species get so excited. They’re not usually here.”

          “What’s with the clicking?”

          “Oh yes, that eyepiece is a camera,” Gertrude explained. “Perhaps, you’d like to move to our pond, Swans may look beautiful but they can be vicious, too.”

          “No,” Mother Goose replied.  “We’ve nearly finished out nest now.  And besides, Papa Goose thinks he can take on anything.” 

          And with that, Mother Goose lifted off the water and made her way back to her own island.

          The next day, she settled in on the nest and over the next week or so, she laid six eggs.  Papa Goose strutted the shoreline as if he’d accomplished something of tremendous import and the two waited for the day the eggs would hatch.

          Meanwhile on the other end of the little island, the two Tundra Swans were also preparing their nest and peering with hostility as the geese settled in for gosling rearing. A few days later, the swans, too, had a clutch of eggs to care for.  And the hostility spilled over into attack. 

          Eventually, six little goslings appeared in the nest and the battle intensified – daily dive attacks and constant harassment. Mother Goose and Papa Goose became more anxious as the goslings readied to leave the nest for the wider world of the pond.  What would become of their little ones?  What would the bullies of the pond do next?

          Two days later, the little goslings struggled down to the water and sailed away happily to bask in the sun.  Mother Goose and Papa Goose kept careful watch and for a few days, all went well, at least until the arrival of the six cygnets in the nest of the Tundra Swans. Protective of their young, the swans became even more vicious in their attacks on the Goose family.

          One day it happened.  The male swan attacked one of the goslings and killed it.  Mother Goose and Papa Goose screamed out their grief and then took action. The two parents moved their five remaining goslings to the waters of their friend Gertrude. The Tundra Swans had the pond to themselves.

          That summer the swans lost one of their six cygnets to a coyote and another in the tall grass.  As fall approached, the swans, two adults and their four young, prepared for the long migration south.

The following spring, Mother Goose once again spied the two-legged non-bird species with their cameras.  She knew they were waiting for the Tundra Swans who were likely to return to the world of the pond.  But this year, Mother Goose was wiser. She had decided to move to a new place with her good friend Gertrude.  She would leave the pond to the Tundra Swans and of course, the human beings with their clicking cameras. 

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          The moral of the story: Pay attention when life dictates that it is time to move on.

 

What was that?

 

A bright light shone in my eyes.

 

Just as quickly it was gone!

 

But then it happened again.

 

I squinted as I looked toward the light.

 

There hanging on a tree branch was a red stone swinging back and forth from a golden chain.

 

The light that shot out of it streaked toward another chain holding an orange-coloured stone that was

 

perched on a nearby branch.

 

As it leapt out of that stone, the light pointed toward a shiny yellow stone strung on

 

another branch.

 

Then it jumped toward a green stone that I mistook for a leaf.

 

The light continued to dance between many different shades of blue gem stones shimmering   

 

through the swaying tree branches.

 

The red light winked at me as it streaked toward another orange-coloured rock that only held the light for

 

a moment before it raced toward a dangling golden yellow stone on yet another tree branch.

 

I lay down on the grass and looked up.

 

I could see hundreds of necklaces hanging on hundreds of tree branches.

 

The light of the sun was dazzling as it danced from red to orange to yellow, then to green, blue, indigo,

 

and violet- coloured stones dangling from necklaces looped over branches.

 

The light had become a rippling, moving rainbow that created a song among the birds.

 

They fluttered their wings and twitched their tails as they became part of the shimmering light that

 

danced and dashed from tree branch to tree branch.

 

I slowly closed my eyes and simply listened to their delight as their singing flowed with the moving light.

 

My heart thump thumped in time with the birds’ song.

 

 As I lay on the soft, green grass with my eyes closed, I slept beneath the cover of light.

 

In the latter part of the 1800s and the early portion of the 1900s the Dominion of Canada was advertising in the world for homesteaders.  My paternal grandfather and his siblings were residing in Hammond, Indiana, United States of America.  My paternal grandfather Gerhard Jansen was the only one of his siblings not married.  Viewing the advertisements and conversing with some friends he finally got an agreement with Adam Hufnagel in 1902 that they would travel to western Canada after Easter in 1903 to have a look. 

Easter 1903 was in mid April and after that Gerhard and Adam left Hammond and travelled north to Toronto, Ontario.  In Toronto they boarded the westward bound train for Regina, District of Assiniboia in the Northwest Territories.  Arriving in Regina they boarded the north bound train for Rosthern, District of Saskatchewan.

Adam and Gerhard upon arriving in Rosthern began talking to various people in the community to decide upon which direction they would travel to view lands. 

One of those days in Rosthern Gerhard sees a person he knows.  Pointing to that person he points to and states to Adam: “Hey, I know that guy. He’s Mathias Bartholet.  My parents rented his land at Wein, Missouri in 1899.” Gerhard approaches Mathias and states: “Hi Matt, what are you doing here?”.  Matt replies: “I am going to my homestead five miles north of Saint Peter’s Monastery.  What are you doing here?”

Gerhard states to Mathias: “Adam and I are here and are going to look for homestead lands.” Mathias states to Gerhard: “You’re looking for homestead lands! Just wait a minute I am going to cancel my homestead and go with you two.” Gerhard asks Mathias: “Why?” Mathias states to Gerhard: “I am going to homestead with you two as I know you and I do NOT know any of my homestead neighbors.”

Adam, Gerhard and Mathias began travelling together south and east of Rosthern.  They eventually ended up west of the Quill Lakes and each one selected a quarter.

Gerhard began building a soddie on the Northeast of 10-35-19-W2.  Mathias chose the Northwest of 12-35-19-W2 and Adam chose the northeast of 16-35-19-W2.  A few feet north of Gerhard and Mathias’s lands is the 52nd degree Latitude.  Over the years I have been told that the 52nd degree Latitude was the boundry between the District of Assiniboia and the District of Saskatchewan.

While Gerhard was building his soddie The Dominion Survey crew headed by Mr. Martin arrived and asked Gerhard if his crew could camp beside him while they were resurveying the township 35-19.  Gerhard told Mr. Martin yes.  As Mr. Martin’s crew were nearing their completion of resurveying Mr. Martin asked Gerhard: “What be your name sir?” Gerhard replied: “Gerhard Jansen. Why do you ask?”  Mr. Martin replies to Gerhard: “Mr. Warren who resurveyed this township last year put his name on the lake to the southwest of here calling it Warren Lake.  That is illegal to put your name or any of your crew’s name on anything.  I am going to rename that lake Jansen Lake in thanks for your hospitality.” That is how Jansen Lake was named.  

In the early 2000s BHP began doing surveying for potash.  Upon completing their surveying they decided the site about two miles southeast of Jansen Lake was where they would build a mine site.  After considerations they decided to call the mine site the Jansen mine site as it was near the lake.  With the aid of BHP a plack was erected near the Jansen Lake.