For years a pair of Canadian Geese have said good morning to me at sunrise, floated about the waters below my deck during the day and then bid me farewell before returning to their home at dusk. Every day this goes on and, if you have spent any time with me at all over the last few weeks, you will know that I have been preoccupied with the sudden disappearance and presumed death of one of them. Sometimes, the nature channel can be sad.

For those in the back keeping score there were 1600 gallons of water stored in our tanks on May 20th last year. This year there are 7400 and the summer is only just beginning. The temperature hit 20 C yesterday for the first time this year. Assuming it continues to stay warm, 2022 could eventually be a great year in the garden. The plants in the greenhouse are finally thriving, thanks in no small part to Anne caring for them while I was away.

Yes, we have been away. You know there must have been important doings going on for us to leave the island, even if it was only for four nights, and indeed there were. We were in town to occupy our granddaughter while her brother safely arrived in their parent’s arms. It was a most welcome event and we were absolutely thrilled to help in any way we could.

Canadian Geese mate for life, and our male goose has been swimming back and forth in front of us by himself in recent weeks and it has made me so sad to watch him. I blamed the eagles who hunt from the trees next to our house and have called them all kinds of disparaging names. I know, I know eagles have to eat, it is the circle of life yadda yadda yadda but I hated watching this poor fellow alone, pining, I thought, for his partner.

But, it turns out, the female goose wasn’t missing or eagle food, she just had more important matters

to see to