memorable eventsof a dig part 1

[leslie(nova scotia)]

From the land of the Bluenose.....one thing that is seldom mentioned in posts is what happens out side the ordinary or those things that we're glad no one was around to see. Slow night here at work so I thought I'd share a few of those "moments" with you.



The other year I had an article published in the Western and Eastern Treasure and had quite a bit of the story edited out as I'm sure it wasn't in the realm of "family reading." The story was about A field in Rawdon and what was taken out was that LandMine Wade and I when leaving the field found a fellow dead along side the road. What we thought at first was a motorcycle accident we later learned was indeed not the case. The 44 year old fellow had taken a heart attack and died before he hit the pavement and the gutter. Was this a sign of things to come?



Next trip to that field was again a very productive one. This time I was digging solo enjoying the solitude of digging on a great Nova Scotian summmer day. My attention was diverted by a male pheasant who was squawking up a storm....letting me know that I was approaching his neck of the woods as I was doing the treeline at the edge of the field. All of a sudden this bouy trips and ends up on the ground looking into this big brown solitary eye............well let me tell you it shocked the halibut out of me. Almost had the big one you...almost ended up in that great ocean in the sky rowing the eternal dory without a port. Lame brain here gathered his composure after a spell and come to find that I had tripped over a dead cow! Lord love a duck. Anyway told the farmer about that one.



This particular farm also had another field where the original family farm house had stood so one day I tried around that as the productive part of the field was getting old hat and I wanted a change in scenery. Well I was minding my own business, with my back to the barn when I got this feeling at the back of my neck that I was not alone...turning around I see these two massive beasts behind me....Clydesdales I think they are called. Mister man those are huge. Being from a fishing community on the South Shore, my closest encounter with a horse had been watching a cowboy ride off into the sunset on some western John Wayne type of movie. With a speed that even amazed me I ran and hide behind a tree as it was a good distance to the fence and this bouy is very slow rounding second! Mustering up my limited courage I peeked from behind the tree to see where these "human flesh eaters" were and saw.....that they hadn't even moved but were standing in the same spot looking at me with this sort of quizzical smerk. It took all I could do to stop a clear yellow liquid from Niagara Falling down my leg! The standoff continued till I happened to look up and notice that I was behind an apple tree. It was clear that these beasts had feasted on the apples that they could reach leaving the lower limbs empty. A plot hatched in my terrorized mind. Exstending my Garrett to the last notch on the stem and holding it by the armrest I was able to swing my machine and knock some apples from the tree . Man are those Garretts versitile! Still the animals didn't move but I could tell I had their attention. Having been a semi pro fastball pitcher for many years I wound up and threw as hard as I could without taking what was left of my arm off. After the third apple was thrown the horses strolled towards where they believed the apples to be and I bolted in the opposite direction over the fence towards the road.



I related this incident to Fred, who owned the property and he laughed so hard at this bouy that I thought I'd have to call 911 for a heart attack victim! After he calmed down he related to me how tame and friendly Rex and Bob were and how they were working horses as he offers sleigh rides in the winter. The final laugh of the day however went to me as I presented him with my only find of the day from that part of the field...a horseshoe!