by Pat Asling Autumn has officially arrived! Here we are in the first weekend of October, with a warmer-than-usual autumn ahead, according to weather experts! No frost as yet and flowers in full bloom! We can only hope this comes true, as even a couple of weeks make winter that much easier to bear. Oh, I know, some are eagerly looking forward to getting out the skis, snowmobiles and snowshoes and heading to the nearest slope or northern ski and skidoo trails. That’s not for m

by Pat Asling Autumn has officially arrived! Some unusual birds, or rather not often seen, at the feeders are in particular the hairy woodpecker pair and the downy pair. The hairy in particular is very particular, flicking half a dozen seeds out before finding the perfect ones. The flickers are back searching the lawn for those juicy bugs the skunks are digging up! Several folks have birthdays including Shirley Baster, Joyce Brown, our fantastic pianist Ruth Baker, and our lo

by Pat Asling Can you believe September is already half past? The weather has been coolish, although forecasters predict a long, pleasant autumn. We can only hope old man winter stays away for a good long time, victim of El Niño! Several of the birds already seem to be gone to warmer climes. I thought my purple finches had left, and then one lone male showed up for several days. Around the same time, several very striped little birds appeared at the feeders, but many still ha

by Pat Asling It’s probably been 70 years since I last went to the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), so I came across an online piece about three young people given $90 each to see how far they could make it go. I was flabbergasted by the price of the few things they bought: food, playing games, etc. $90 would have seemed like a fortune back in the day, but it didn’t stretch far that day. I can’t imagine how families with several kids could afford to spend much time there.

by Pat Asling It’s been a rainy day, but I am not complaining since we always seem to need more moisture for our gardens and field crops! Of course, some of my friends may have had second or third cuttings of hay, but they dry quickly. Vegetable and flower gardens can usually do with a soaking every few days, and rain is better than watering with a hose! It is hard to believe we are close to the end of August; the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) has started, and some schoo

by Pat Asling I am pretty shy on news this week, mostly because I have been confined. This is the week when a lot of things are happening, which I will miss, mostly lunches- sorority, Community Care at Douglas Crossing, etc. On Wednesday evening the Uxbridge Horticultural Group will meet at the Seniors Centre. It’s mid-summer so there will be a wondrous variety of flowers in a range of colours. You can’t help being envious, even if you have lots of your own. Wasn’t that a thu

By Pat Asling Well, it’s been kind of a nothing week, but here we are starting another long weekend, which for retirees is just another week, it seems. August does look like it will be busy, though, for our family, as there are several birthdays again, like last week, when both my sister and brother-in-law celebrated, as did I. This week it is my son and brother! Well-known author and playwright Conrad Boyce celebrated a day after me, but he has a lot of catching up to do! Co

by Pat Asling It’s been another strange week weather-wise with the three days of yellow air and terrible air quality. It is hard to imagine what it could be like closer to the fires. Here we are thousands of miles from our burning forests, and it can still be deadly to some people. And what would it have been like for those people whose communities were in the path of the fire and they had to flee, some by boat, some walking from communities with no road access, leaving their

by Pat Asling Well, it is already the middle of July and, as the old song says”the corn is as high as an elephant's eye, or in another case, as high as the waist of the farmer in his field. Other crops are doing well, it seems, and most farmers are bringing in second-cutting hay crops. Rain has been sporadic among the number of very hot days we are experiencing, and I guess it is all good, but when I go out a day later, thinking my pots will not need watering, I find they and

by Pat Asling Well, it’s July, and the celebrations are over! I understand there was plenty to do in Uxbridge to celebrate July 1st, though the storms likely cancelled many of the planned events. Out in the country, the only fireworks came from the sudden, widespread wind, thunder, and lightning storm, which took out a great number of trees and caused many power outages. The whole of Sandford Road, the village and other areas were without power for hours. The Sandford Road ou

by Pat Asling “Summer time, and the living is easy,” says an old song. Well, for some, like a lot of kids, now school is out, that is true, but certainly not for most people, farmers especially. Haying in many versions is keeping them busy, trying to interpret the weather forecast, about which there are many complaints; they get it wrong. Well, rain was forecast, some got it, others didn’t, and we didn’t, and surprisingly, the ground is very dry. Wasn’t that a banger the othe

by Pat Asling Sunday was also the first day of summer. We hailed the first day of spring not long ago and now it’s gone, not having lived up to its promise so we can only hope that summer brings a bit more of the things we think of as summer. My friends in Belize are suffering through days of 97 degree heat and humidity. We don’t want that, believe me. Sunday, June 21st, had a multiplicity of special days assigned to it, but Father's Day is the one most people know. I hope al

by Pat Asling We are finally getting the rain we needed! How quickly things change, and we are either complaining about too much of a good thing or wishing for more. I understand, though. The town of Uxbridge is not too happy because they got a downpour on Saturday, and I assume more today, possibly washing out many of the planned activities of the Springtime Music Festival! One which couldn’t be washed out was the performance by Robin Ottolini at Second Wedge, at least I ass

By Pat Asling Firstly, I want to send out a big “Thank You” to all those who remembered me in the almost two months I have been on the sick list. I received many telephone calls and emails, as well as gifts of food, flowers, and other special gifts. All were much appreciated! Thanks to Adele Boy for driving me to many medical appointments. Also to Deborah Clements and to my son Ivan, who took time off work to take me to appointments at Newmarket Hospital. Also to Jenny, who a

by Pat Asling "June is busting out all over!" and isn't it wonderful after what May had to offer! To start with, there is a full blue moon, a rare one which will not be seen for several years again. I was awake one night earlier in the week, and the brilliance was blinding, and it wasn't even full at that point. Of course, it has been quite windy, with the result that many of our blossoms have blown away, such as the apple and cherry, but still a richness of multicolour lilac

by Pat Asling Here we are at the end of a dreary month. Wasn’t there an old song that says, “What is so gay as a day in May?” Or similar? Well, we had that one day, and only about one day. Blink, and you missed it. Sadly, the heat of that day signalled to my evening grosbeaks that it was time to head north and off they went. Birder extraordinaire, Geoff Carpentier, had the same experience. There are still plenty of birds, but I miss those big bold ones. Goldfinches are thick

by Barb Pratt UXBRIDGE: Every summer for the past 30 years, selected Uxbridge and area residents have opened their gardens to visitors during the Annual Gardens of Uxbridge Tour. This year’s Tour will take place on June 20th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the 30th anniversary, there are some very special additions to the day’s outing. Molly Shannon, of Canadian Succulents, will be on hand to host two workshops at The Historic Leaskdale Church, at 9 a.m. and at 4 p.m. Molly will

by Pat Asling We are still waiting for it- Spring, that is! Yes, we have had some beautiful-looking days, but not the warmth we are craving. Our farmer friends and relatives are moving ahead with planting and dodging raindrops as they do. Since most tractors now sport fancy cabs, I guess they don’t have to worry much about getting wet unless they have to get out and adjust the machinery. Crops seeded a couple of weeks ago seem to be coming up as normal. Talk about rain. The o

by Pat Asling Another week of “let’s wait and see”! Of course, it could apply to a lot of situations right now, both personal and worldwide, as the world holds its breath over the Israel/US standoff with Iran and all the local things, like downtown Uxbridge! However, there are wonderful signs of spring with daffodils, tulips, narcissi, and some shrubs in full bloom. Some time ago, I set a pot outside with a dead geranium in it and was surprised today to find a plant growing i

by Pat Asling Spring is not here yet. Even though it was 19 °C one afternoon, much of the snow had already melted. Finally, my pond is ice-free. The ducks found it immediately. Several mallards and a pair of hooded mergansers appeared. It is so nice to see them. Hundreds of geese, of course, but none here yet. Only a few ever come here because it doesn’t have the cleared side that the shallow pond across the road has. Regarding swans, none visit here as the pond is too small