“Never Retire.”

Last weekend, I met with John Wightman for a beer. As we reminisced on the state of provincial and municipal politics, John offered up the quote from Major J.A.H. Church, founder of NSLSI (Nova Scotia Land Survey Institute) almost 75 years ago:

John, himself, is a wonderful example of this motto. After finishing employment at COGS, John continued his interest in mineral exploration and has discovered that the geology of Nova Scotia provides numerous opportunities for the prospector, whether in gold or other valued elements, including lithium and molybdenum.

With the federal budget last week, provinces are realizing the importance of these minerals to the country, in a changing global economy. John’s business interests continue to be supported by the technical skills of Mike Donnelly and David Raymond, both previous instructors at COGS.

I take Major Church’s motto to heart. Likewise, I continue to find that the landscape and people of Nova Scotia offer a richness and diversity that can support our population into the future.

Today (Wednesday) I received Axiom News, inviting me to attend Cultivating Connection, Practicing Relational Presencing, on Good Friday.

Meanwhile, my reading desk contains:
Donald Sturrock, Storyteller: the authorized biography of Roald Dahl.
Torbjorn Ekelund, A Year in the Woods: Twelve small journeys into Nature.

Walking through our property to the West Inglisville road, I noticed a first sign of Spring, the yellow flowers of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) on the side of the gravel road. At John’s house, he has a wonderful display of blue Scilla flowers in bloom, under a large White Oak.

Postscript 1

Imagine the resource at COGS, if they embraced Major Church’s motto. Do away with ’ageism’. It boggles the mind.

Postscript 2

Acknowledgements

John Wightman for setting a ’gold standard’. Frank Fox for the Ekelund reference.

Heather continues to keep my biogeographic interests alive. Edward added the graphics.