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[4 1, The South Marysburgh Mirror THE GREAT STATE OF UTAH The newspaper reported that the Con- gress of the State of Utah recently passed a bill making the Browning M1911 semiautomatic rifle the state gun, in memory of John Browning, the inventor. Whether you agree with having a state gun or not, it would seem we’re missing out on exciting local potential. We could have a South Marysburgh Township mammal, perhaps the coyote, that sly dog. Or the Marysburgh reptile, the snapping turtle, commemorating it’s nasty disposition. But that’s not going far enough. Most places have state flowers, state birds, state trees, etc. But how many places have a state dinner? If we were in New England it would be a New England boiled dinner, if in Newfoundland a Jiggs dinner, they’re both the same thing, comed beef and cabbage. So we could have the Marysburgh dinner, probably tur- key because that’s commonly served at the church suppers. I think the church could try corned beef and cabbage but the ladies of the church (and their patrons) are rooted in tradition, so I don’t think that would fly. If you’re a male, active in the church, you know that sticking your long beak into the work the ladies do might not be welcome. They do the work and if the men want to do the work, well, then we can make any changes we want. I think I just got myself in trouble here. Forget I said anything. How about a Marysburgh bird? We have the bird banding station, which is quite famous by the way, so we should have a bird. I was visit- ing my sister who lives outside Boston on the way to Cape Cod and we visited a bird banding station about half way to the Cape. When they found out I was a veteran of the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, we were treated like royal- ty with hands-on demonstrations, tours, and binoc- ular loans. For a Marysburgh bird, I nominate the tree swallow. These swift and gymnastic flyers are one of the first to return in the spring. At least the males retum. They claim territories while the fe- males take a few weeks holiday, still in the south, celebrating that those pesky males have gone away to enjoy their testosterone fueled fights. The swal- lows tell us spring is finally here. As I write this, it’s acold and rainy April 15", and large flocks of swallows returned today, swooping exuberantly over the Smith’s Bay. The red wings and robins tell us spring is coming, but it can still be weeks away. Although we might possibly have the turkey vul- ture to celebrate the good job they do on road kill. I like when they soar above me when I barbeque, though that might indicate that what I cook smells similar to flattened raccoon. Or what about a South Marysburgh mo- ment of silence? We would celebrate this once a month to commemorate the lack of cell phone cov- erage here. If Utah can have a state gun, why can’t we ask the OPP and get a Marysburgh Crime? If a gun is in poor taste, we could at least have a lesser crime. How about a “20KM Over the Speed Lim- it” week or “Borrow a Neighbors Tool and Never Return It.” This is good because we could have an amnesty week when you return all the things you borrowe Ihave proposed dramatic changes like this before, and they have Continued on page 5 Coffee Locally owned and operated micro-roaster of single origin and blended coffees. “Taste the Difference” Available at: ick’s General Store www.loyalistcoffee.ca