“It’s a miracle.”
That’s how Janet Cockwill describes the “remarkable” discovery her grandson made when digging in her carrot patch just south of Arrowwood, Alta., in September.
The story started in 1969 when Robert Cockwill asked for her hand in marriage.
“I took a grain advance from the wheat board and I spent half of it on an engagement ring,” said Robert, who paid $425 for the ring.
Janet said yes and the happy couple were married on June 20, 1970.
“Fifty-five years. Ups and downs and ins and outs and three kids and eight grandkids and bad years and good years and hail and early snow and wonderful crops and you stick together,” said Janet.
The couple built a new house on their farm after their first child was born in 1975 and moved into it in 1982.
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But for most of those years, something was missing.
“Sometime in the ’70s, the ring disappeared and we’re not sure (where). We had looked a bit,” said Robert. “I thought it fell off the sink and went down in the septic tank.”
“It’s the sickest feeling. Just the sickest feeling and, ‘Oh no, what have I done now?’” said Janet. “He wasn’t really happy.”
“I waited a few years and then I bought her another one,” said Robert.
Then, in September of this year, their grandson decided to raid their garden, looking for some carrots for supper.
A short time later, he came rushing into the house.
“He had a funny look on his face and a grin,” said Robert. “He was pretty pleased with himself.”
In his hand was the long lost ring — and it was an extra carrot in size.
“I could hardly believe it. I could hardly believe it,” said Janet.
“You know carrots a little tiny, tiny seed. So you plant it really, really close to the top and you push a little bit of dirt over it. So the ring had to be laying horizontally and the little seed had to be right in the right place for it to grow.”
The carrot had grown right through the ring.
“How it got there, we cannot figure it out,” said Robert. “(It) must have fell out of Janet’s pocket. We had various theories of what happened.”
“I think some things are meant to be and this was one of them. We were meant to find it,” said Janet.
The ring has since been sent away to be cleaned and resized and now Janet has two wedding rings to wear.
“It’s not too special to wear. I got a different set with a wedding band on it. To me, they’re meant to be together,” added Janet.
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