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ZEPHYR & SANDFORD by Pat Asling

A beautiful summer week, and can you believe that by the time you read this, we will be halfway through July? Once again, we are in need of rain, but the farmers are happy to be able to get the hay in, and the crops all look great, even the second one most people are working on.

Grain crops are also looking good, and it will soon be time to harvest those. Hopefully, they will be in good supply as the rumour is wheat, sunflower seed, and fertilizers will all be in short supply next year. Right now, no one in town apparently has sunflower seeds; at least they didn’t last week. All around the world, people are going hungry for a variety of reasons, mostly due to wars but many due to drought and other weather disasters. How fortunate we are.

Happy 80th birthday wishes go out to Gary LeDrew. Gary grew up in Uxbridge but, following many assorted adventures in Canada and elsewhere, finally settled in Nova Scotia. He is a great artist, following in his parent’s footsteps, but he also has some wild and wonderful tales to tell of the famous people he has met over the years!

Birthday wishes once more to Rachel Smalley, talented daughter of Stan and Amy. Happy birthday also to Perry Wildfong. Perry is husband to the former Faye Clarke and has reached the grand age of 65 already. Perry loves to sing and is involved with a couple of award-winning barbershop choirs. Birthday wishes also go out to both Gayle and Ron Cordingley, who share birthdays each year. Ron’s brother Don is married to Faye’s sister Elaine, so there is a bit of connection!

Happy birthday goes out to Les Smith, who is 44 already. Les is another of those kids I can’t believe has grown up, married with kids of their own. There are just so many like that nowadays.

Happy anniversary wishes to Jamie Rose and his wife, the former Janet Cox. Jamie and Janet have been married for 38 astounding years. Another of those I find hard to believe as Janet was just a wee little girl when I first met her. And again, happy anniversary to Derek and Sylvia Kokkinen, who have been married for 29 years. I never knew Derek as a child, but I knew his mother (daughter of Bob and Sally Meek) as a preteen, I think, and Sylvia (Risebrough) as a little kid. It’s nice to see them all doing so well.

Happy 18th anniversary also to Tammy and Ryan Stemp. Ryan is the son of Harry Stemp, who owned, along with Bill Keizers, the newspaper in Uxbridge for many years. Tammy and Ryan have just moved to Nova Scotia and are building their new home there while living in a house trailer by a beautiful lake.

Sadly, I learned of the death of David Evans at the end of July. David was the boy of the Evans triplets of David, Doris and Doreen, and the Evans family has been part of my life forever too. The triplets were just a bit younger, but although they went to Bethesda school, they all came to Epsom United Church and Sunday School, so we grew up together. After giving up the family farm, David bought Frank Skerratt Plumbing and became my plumber for a number of years. My deepest sympathies to Doris, Doreen and Floyd, his remaining siblings and all the Evans very large extended family.

Friday Night at the Foster was good entertainment as usual, with Brian O’Sullivan on guitar and David Donar on accordion, playing and singing Cajun songs and folksongs, quite different than what was expected. Next week we are honoured to have the celebrated Jane Loewen performing with her beautiful voice. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., with donations suggested at $10. We also have a special silent auction to run for the season with some excellent offerings.

Church on Sunday was at Sandford on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the UCW (United Church Women). Sadly, although we celebrated the beginning in 1962, we also mourned the end of it for our congregations as we no longer have enough women able to help with projects and meetings. Our worship leader was Carol O’Neil, who has been involved in UCW for many years and recently completed her term as president of Lake Ridge Presbyterial. Our organist was Nancy Wolfe, who played for the churches for 33 years and about as long for UCW, as well as being a UCW member before she moved to Sandford. Karen Rynard gave a discourse on the history of the Zephyr UCW while I read from a report written some time ago by long-serving secretary Evelyn Cox-Meek.

Continued on page 5.A beautiful summer week, and can you believe that by the time you read this, we will be halfway through July? Once again, we are in need of rain, but the farmers are happy to be able to get the hay in, and the crops all look great, even the second one most people are working on.

Grain crops are also looking good, and it will soon be time to harvest those. Hopefully, they will be in good supply as the rumour is wheat, sunflower seed, and fertilizers will all be in short supply next year. Right now, no one in town apparently has sunflower seeds; at least they didn’t last week. All around the world, people are going hungry for a variety of reasons, mostly due to wars but many due to drought and other weather disasters. How fortunate we are.

Happy 80th birthday wishes go out to Gary LeDrew. Gary grew up in Uxbridge but, following many assorted adventures in Canada and elsewhere, finally settled in Nova Scotia. He is a great artist, following in his parent’s footsteps, but he also has some wild and wonderful tales to tell of the famous people he has met over the years!

Birthday wishes once more to Rachel Smalley, talented daughter of Stan and Amy. Happy birthday also to Perry Wildfong. Perry is husband to the former Faye Clarke and has reached the grand age of 65 already. Perry loves to sing and is involved with a couple of award-winning barbershop choirs. Birthday wishes also go out to both Gayle and Ron Cordingley, who share birthdays each year. Ron’s brother Don is married to Faye’s sister Elaine, so there is a bit of connection!

Happy birthday goes out to Les Smith, who is 44 already. Les is another of those kids I can’t believe has grown up, married with kids of their own. There are just so many like that nowadays.

Happy anniversary wishes to Jamie Rose and his wife, the former Janet Cox. Jamie and Janet have been married for 38 astounding years. Another of those I find hard to believe as Janet was just a wee little girl when I first met her. And again, happy anniversary to Derek and Sylvia Kokkinen, who have been married for 29 years. I never knew Derek as a child, but I knew his mother (daughter of Bob and Sally Meek) as a preteen, I think, and Sylvia (Risebrough) as a little kid. It’s nice to see them all doing so well.

Happy 18th anniversary also to Tammy and Ryan Stemp. Ryan is the son of Harry Stemp, who owned, along with Bill Keizers, the newspaper in Uxbridge for many years. Tammy and Ryan have just moved to Nova Scotia and are building their new home there while living in a house trailer by a beautiful lake.

Sadly, I learned of the death of David Evans at the end of July. David was the boy of the Evans triplets of David, Doris and Doreen, and the Evans family has been part of my life forever too. The triplets were just a bit younger, but although they went to Bethesda school, they all came to Epsom United Church and Sunday School, so we grew up together. After giving up the family farm, David bought Frank Skerratt Plumbing and became my plumber for a number of years. My deepest sympathies to Doris, Doreen and Floyd, his remaining siblings and all the Evans very large extended family.

Friday Night at the Foster was good entertainment as usual, with Brian O’Sullivan on guitar and David Donar on accordion, playing and singing Cajun songs and folksongs, quite different than what was expected. Next week we are honoured to have the celebrated Jane Loewen performing with her beautiful voice. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., with donations suggested at $10. We also have a special silent auction to run for the season with some excellent offerings.

Church on Sunday was at Sandford on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the UCW (United Church Women). Sadly, although we celebrated the beginning in 1962, we also mourned the end of it for our congregations as we no longer have enough women able to help with projects and meetings. Our worship leader was Carol O’Neil, who has been involved in UCW for many years and recently completed her term as president of Lake Ridge Presbyterial. Our organist was Nancy Wolfe, who played for the churches for 33 years and about as long for UCW, as well as being a UCW member before she moved to Sandford. Karen Rynard gave a discourse on the history of the Zephyr UCW while I read from a report written some time ago by long-serving secretary Evelyn Cox-Meek.

Both congregations have great displays set up of the work and worship of the groups.

Next week Carol will be with us once more, followed for two weeks by Rev. Wayne Reed. Please join with us at 10 a.m.

The Swan/Dobie household held an encompassing party for the weekend, celebrating Marilyn’s 90th BD on Sunday. At the same time, Eve-lynn turned 50, Mark turned 60, and they built their house 50 years ago. It was a wonderful celebration of living!

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