Walking his dog Jacquie to the Agassiz-Harrison Observer newsroom office, Walt Hardinge found a four-leaf clover. Looking at the collection of foliage in his hand, itsa国际传媒檚 clear he found more than one.

sa国际传媒淪even actually,sa国际传媒� Hardinge said, sorting through the clovers on a bench in Pioneer Park. sa国际传媒淚 just counted them before I got to the door.sa国际传媒�

Most of them were the famed four-leaf clovers, a harbinger of luck and preternatural sight. But a few were five-leaf clovers, which Hardinge likes to call sa国际传媒淩ose Clovers.sa国际传媒� And others were what the 58-year-old Agassiz resident has nicknamed sa国际传媒淧apillon Clovers,sa国际传媒� or butterfly clovers.

sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e usually the ones that have four leaves that are almost the same size and then a tiny one, like this one here,sa国际传媒� he said, holding up the clover. sa国际传媒淏y the time you press them and they dry, they look like a butterfly. I cansa国际传媒檛 say thatsa国际传媒檚 an official name or anything, but it sounded good at the time.sa国际传媒�

In the last month or so, Hardinge has found more than 219 clovers with four leaves or more.

sa国际传媒淚 find the darn things everywhere,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 went to the mailbox the other day sa国际传媒� and I found one. Not even looking.sa国际传媒�

QUIZ:

Although Hardingesa国际传媒檚 clover boom has only been recent, his history with four-leaf clovers started long ago, when he was an 11-year-old boy growing up in Scarborough, Ont.

One day, he was sitting on the grass in front of a neighboursa国际传媒檚 house, brushing his hands through a patch of clover.

sa国际传媒淚 thought to myself, I wonder if four-leaf clovers actually exist,sa国际传媒� he recalled. sa国际传媒淎nd just for the heck of it, I started brushing my hands through the clovers and seeing if I could find one. Sure enough, I actually did.sa国际传媒�

Hardinge ran inside to press his lucky find, and over the course of the next few weeks found 10 more. He pressed all his clovers in a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records, and then forgot about finding clovers for a while.

Over the course of the next 47 years, in rough points during Hardingesa国际传媒檚 life, he would think back to the 11 four-leaf clovers he had once found sa国际传媒� they became lost at some point during childhood sa国际传媒� but didnsa国际传媒檛 expect to find anymore.

Then, in the spring of this year, Hardinge and his fianc茅 took Jacquie for a walk to the recreation centre. Just like he did 47 years ago, Hardinge brushed his hands through the clovers in the grass. And just like that, Hardinge found another four-leaf clover.

Since then, Hardinge has been finding groups of four-, five- and even six-leaf clovers. (On May 11, Hardinge found his first eight-leaf clover.) But with all that luck, Hardinge decided it was time to give some of it away. He has been handing out groups of three clovers to strangers and friends in an effort to share the good fortune.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 amazing the joy I see in peoplesa国际传媒檚 faces when I give them one,sa国际传媒� he said.

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Hardinge plans to keep 11 four-leaf clovers for himself, to replace the ones he lost, and 11 sa国际传媒渆xotics,sa国际传媒� but the rest he is giving away.

His father had a saying sa国际传媒渢hat life was a little bit like a big pond. And if yousa国际传媒檙e brave, you will cast a pebble into that pond and see where the ripples go,sa国际传媒� he explained.

sa国际传媒淚 think this is my own way of throwing a pebble into a pond, only now Isa国际传媒檝e got about 200 of them that Isa国际传媒檓 giving way.

sa国际传媒淭wo hundred pebbles Isa国际传媒檓 throwing into that gigantic pond. And wesa国际传媒檒l see what happens.sa国际传媒�

grace.kennedy@ahobserver.com
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