Let’s say you own a piece of property in the New Market area surrounded with pasture land and some trees. Or maybe you have a swimming pool in your yard. Maybe you just live in a quiet setting of some sort. But – suddenly things change… you have visitors – lots of them.When you look out the front window a whole hoard of strange people are walking over and through your yard. Some have headphones on with wires connected to along shaft they wave back and forth over the ground. Others are just staring at the ground with intent eyes scanning the earth.
Sounds like a start for a scary movie doesn’t it?
Well starting this week and days to follow the “York Simcoe Amateur Astronomers” will gather together with friends and search for bits and pieces of a meteorite that may have hit near this area.
Too funny really. I have traveled through the area and noticed some of the land. Years ago stones were picked from the farm land and fields to make an area to grow crops. Now city slickers are going to wander all over the land to try to find a rock or two… many picking up rocks that will be taken home as “possibilities”.
Most every farmer I know over the years would love to have had 35 – 40 city slickers pick their stones and then take them back to the city.
I think a farmer started the rumor and is getting free labor to do the job.
Now there are some draw backs. Dairy farmer’s cattle will likely stop giving milk for a few days too. They will be shocked a few times with these strange people walking in their pastures. Cows need privacy and city rock hounds don’t really care. But then the fun of watching a city slicker probe the cow pies for bits of a meteor will be fun too.
BUT there is danger too. The area that Newmarket covers is also covered with swamp and really crappy land where city slickers will likely get lost and maybe in deep trouble. Most farmers know to not go in there…but silly city folk are well… just… plain silly. They will be looking for rocks in a BOG. Sheesh!
A simple story like this one immediately makes my “farming roots” mind go crazy with the humor of it all.
But these crazy city folk heard that in the Alberta- Saskatchewan region of Canada – other city slickers found lots of rocks in and around “Buzzard Coulee” a while ago after another space rock came crashing down. The name where the rocks fell should give the city folk a hint…
We are a crazy and strange lot – we city folk. We think a rock is romantic and mysterious… and strange and valuable.
Let me tell you some simple and profound, Saskatchewan farming roots logic… they are stones… there are lots of them… and they likely all came from outer space… and if you want them just tell us… and you can have a whole truck load – NOW!
But the other profound thing to know and realize soon… if you walk over our crops and through our gardens, messing with our livestock – we will shoot you… or at the least turn the dogs out to sniff out the intruders.
Again… I needed a little laughter today. And like the Bible says – “A merry heart does real good – like a medicine.
No I won’t be going over to Newmarket any day soon. We have rocks in Peterborough…lots of them… and I know a farmer that told me I could have any one of them for free… and I know another guy….enough – enough…
Have a great big wonderful rocky day.
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
Sources:
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/626657
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