Piper Cub is excited by the geese!
Last fall, after a prematurely early exit from the season, the Riders disappeared from our lives. The Cub, aged 3 and an avid Rider fan, began to ask when the Riders would come out again. (He’s convinced they live in Gainer’s gopher hole under the stadium at Taylor Field and come out through the big helmet - after all, that’s where they come from at every game he’s been to.)
I started saying “in the spring” and would get a blank look from him. “But when will they come out, Daddy?”
I thought for awhile and then started telling him:
“There are three things that have to happen before the Riders come out again.”
“The geese have to come back to Wascana Lake.”
“All the snow has to be gone.”
“And the leaves have to be on all the trees.”
As I was telling it to him, it felt very Celtic.
He would ask me again now and then, and I would repeat the three things.
Then after a while, he started to repeat the three things to me, tripping a bit on the “r” and “l” sounds.
Then he started to tell Piper Mommy that three things had to happen before the Riders would be back. She asked him where he learnt that, and he said, “Daddy.”
On Saturday, we were walking in Wascana Park, going down towards the lake. There’s still ice on the lake, so I was surprised when I heard, from a distance: “Honk!”
I said to the Cub: “Did you hear that? what does it mean?”
He listened. Then again, “Honk!”
“The geese!” yelled Piper Cub. We hurried down through the trees, and there on the ice (brilliant white in the sun) were five Canada Geese. Three were scattered about, standing on the ice, and two were actually swimming in a small open area where the ice has started to melt.
“There’s a geese!” he said, pointing. “And another geese!”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“The snow has to go and the leaves have to be on all the trees, then the Riders will come out!”
Spring is coming to Saskatchewan.
The Riders will be coming out.
And my little guy is learning the rhythm of the seasons.