Another thing I never knew (will it ever end?):

One of Canada's prime ministers died on Dec. 12, 1884, during lunch with England's Queen Victoria. He is buried in Halifax's Holy Cross Cemetery:

"Apparently, John Thompson was in London to see the Queen, and at the special luncheon that she laid on for him, he choked on a piece of food and died on the spot. Queen Victoria was so upset by this chain of events that she ordered an all-out military funeral in London, and then sent the body back on one of her own ships for another elaborate funeral." ~From Once Upon a Tomb, Stories from Canadian Graveyards, by Nancy Millar.

This is a fascinating book, borrowed from the library and due back tomorrow. But they're not getting it till I'm through. Have been reading it in fits and bursts so it's slow going. Millar has travelled Canada, strolled through its cemeteries and, finding little to none of most deceased people's histories on their tombstones, done some research of her own. Even the stones of the most famous often show no more than dates of birth and death, and Millar has remedied that for her readers, as much as she's able, province by province.

I'm a lover of graveyards. I can amble past their peaceful markers for hours, longing to know the stories they're not telling, and letting my imagination fill in the blanks.

***

Think it's spring? I do.
Mud and water on the grid road. Walking without mitts. Mild, living air.