Sandford & Zephyr News

by Pat Asling

So, Mother Nature is playing tricks again! It was sooo nice to see all that snow disappear and then, whammo, to have another 6” dumped on us. At least it was soft and fluffy, and easily moved by the wind as well as by shovels, etc., but we are in mid-March (hard to imagine), so only a couple more months to persevere!

Sadly, our little weather prognosticator, Wiarton Willy, passed away in his sleep after predicting an early Spring. For him, it probably did, in groundhog heaven! Did you know he was an albino, or at least partly? His photo seemed to show his hindquarters a rusty brown. So now the hunt is on for another albino groundhog. That probably won’t be easy, since groundhogs are generally much less common than they used to be. Remember the days when every field was riddled with woodchuck burrows? In the days of horsepower, it was dangerous, since a horse could break a leg if it stepped in a hole. Even when tractors arrived, it could give you quite a jolt if one of the wheels drove over one. We had a small Allis-Chalmers with the two front wheels close together. If you fell into one of these chuck hole, you could almost be thrown off! Hunters, coyotes, wolves, etc., and probably different agricultural methods have contributed to the woodchuck's demise. Best wishes to Wiarton in their search, as we wouldn’t want a 70-year tradition to die.

Another tradition for this time of year, of course, is maple syrup tapping. Several First Tapping sessions have already occurred, so the season is well underway. The warmer days of last week, and those forecast to come, should make that sweet treat abundant again this year. Our family bush was difficult to get into because of the deep snow, but the boys have solved that now, of course. My great-grandfather purchased the farm in 1896, and tapping has been ongoing ever since! All these years, the bush has replenished itself with abundant maples. Being optimistic, I sent off an order for some dahlia bulbs and have planted a few seeds indoors, just for fun. And my Easter cacti are blooming

A couple of birthdays this week include Eleanor Beare Bagshaw. Born in Uxbridge, her parents were well-known and respected community workers, and she, too, raised her family in Uxbridge, with an abundance of relatives in the area. Another young lady with a birthday was Leslie Barr Joostsen, better known on FB as Klein Donder. Les and her partner are a very busy couple with several musical groups. Les directs a great orchestra, directs the choir in Collingwood United church and they live in Wasaga Beach! She just gets better and better. When she lived in Uxbridge, she was in great demand for her multi-talented musical skills. Seems to me our friend Conrad and Zkisa Boyce also live close by!

Even though I was out every day of last week, not much happened that was newsworthy, except on Monday, when our sorority ladies met again. We were very pleased to have Yvonne Noble back with us. Yvonne was a charter member way back when. Of course, we had all been saddened by the sudden passing of her husband Bob, not too long after they had settled into son Jerry and Nancy’s new home on Lakeridge Road! We are no longer an official sorority; we just enjoy each other’s company and an excuse to eat out! Several people, like so many others, have been fighting a dragging-on ill feeling! Cold, flu or any number of other things, I suppose, but hard to shake. Hopefully, a long spell of warm sunny weather will clear that up. Jean, Earle and Rev Li are all on the mend.

The Genealogy group met Thursday evening, in person at the library and by Zoom (more people joined by Zoom now than in person)! Always an interesting topic, they tried to solve some brick walls that people had sent in. Sadly, I don’t think there was much success, but lots of suggestions. The Zephyr Scott Lions hosted their pancake breakfast, which I expect was successful. Then, they held their first Euchre night, which apparently was a big success and will be held regularly on Thursday evenings as long as attendance allows. There will be another Spaghetti supper in April and their Seasonal Market day on May 24th, which is always successful. North Durham Nature announces they have funding for a young person, 13 to 20, interested in nature and environment, to attend one of three workshops. The first is Birders Camp, but the deadline is March 23rd. The second is the Young Ornithologist Workshop (also about birds), with a deadline of April 30th. The third one is the Ontario Nature Youth Summit, with a deadline of August 20th. Parents or guardians need to apply for anyone under 18. Please check the website for more information and to register. As I said, funding is available. The next meeting of the North Durham Nature Club will be on March 24th, at the Scugog Memorial Public Library. The topic is “Hidden Life Around Us,” and the speaker is Don Scallen. The April 28th meeting will be at the Uxbridge Senior Centre, with the topic “Don River Mouth Restoration” and Brynn Cody as the speaker! May and June topics are flying squirrels and East Africa, all very intriguing!

Coming up on May 1st is the first of many Friday Night concerts at the Foster. The roster of entertainers is complete and will be available soon. A number of the performers have been coming for many years, while some have only come a couple of times, at least one brand new. As I said before, our Friends of the Foster group is very small, so if you are interested in helping us out, we would greatly appreciate it. That would entail coming early to help open up, welcoming at the door, and welcoming and thanking the performers before and after the concert. Please contact Bev Northeast at 905-640-3966 if you would like to help.

Church this week was led by Rev Li. Next Sunday, March 22nd (already) will be led by Pastor Laura Kay-Ntongue. Laura was born and raised in Zephyr. All are welcome to join us at 10 a.m., coffee and conversation to follow. Palm Sunday and Good Friday are coming up!