Well, wasn't that a party! There was not a lot of yelling and hollering but a great deal of "hello, how are you?" and "great to see you" and other happy greetings. This was from the many Ted Croxalls 100th birthday party guests among themselves. The line-up to say hello to Ted and his incredible wife Corinne was long but lightened by the many conversations which went on up and down the line, with people ducking in and out to speak to someone else they spotted. I finally made it around after an hour, and folks were still lined up around the door!
It was interesting to find out how so many people had interacted with Ted over the years but easy to see how he was so well known and liked with all the activities he has been involved in over those 100 years because Ted was born and raised not far from where he lives now and his family go back at least two more generations, probably more if I checked my records. And in there somewhere, my family also had a connection. In some of my earliest memories, Ted is laughing, telling jokes and singing, sometimes all at once. One hundred years of hard work, fun and laughter and community service, looks like Ted Croxall.
Other birthdays this week included Jackie Leppard. Jackie and John have two sons. They also have two beautiful dogs I might kidnap someday. Happy birthday to Mary Anne Orav. Mary Anne and Bob have a farm a bit south of Uxbridge, and we trade gardening and chat whenever we meet during the summer. Best birthday wishes also go out to Kimberley Kelland, who retired but then really didn't. Hard to get out of the public eye sometimes, especially if you like your job. Big birthday wishes also to Karyn Tindall, who is my go-to for delicious cupcakes and many other things at Tindalls' farm and Market. The Tindalls just returned from a short vacation.
Another mistake slip of the key from last week regarding Ruth Murdock, whom I said was a member of the Wilson family. Of course, she was a member of the Noble family, all of whom lived not far apart growing up, and Ruth's sister Helen married Clarence Wilson, so she has many nieces and nephews in that clan!
Last week it was lovely to get phone calls from several older friends. These included Peter Doling of Zephyr and Beth Brown, formerly of both Sandford and Zephyr. Both are pretty much homebound, and it was good to hear how they are coping with life in these times. Another call was from Dorothy Munro, one of my Epsom Girlfriends I see occasionally but not often enough. Dorothy's husband Ray, like my dad, was more or less contemporaries of Ted Croxall.
A number of people seem to be taking the opportunity to travel, despite the hazards and returned safely. Pat and Bev Molloy spent six days in Florida, where Pat brushed up on his golf game. Barry and Barb Hackner returned from a trip to Cuba sporting some tans and redness but having a good time after the stress Barb, as a nurse, has been experiencing. Barry and his dad Bill both worked with Ted in the trucking business.
One person I saw at the party I hadn't seen for some time was Ileen Smalley Mellegers, who came with her sister Nancy Hill. Illeen grew up in Sandford and happened to be visiting her sister when she learned of the party. She had gone through high school with Rob Croxall, who, as most know, is a pharmacist in Stouffville.
Congratulations to columnist Jonathan Van Bilsen who won entrepreneur of the Year from the Scugog Chamber of Commerce. As we know, Jonathan wears many hats, so it's hard to know just which one, in particular, won him this award but well deserved on all counts.
Last week the Uxbridge Genealogy Group met in a hybrid format with both Zoom and in person. The quest speaker's topic was finding records from WW1 and WW2. If you would like to be a part, contact president Grant Baines. Membership is $25 for the year.
Next Tuesday, the 28th, North Durham Nature have their meeting, this time only via zoom. The speaker is David Hawke, whose topic is the Carden Alvar, a very special type of environment and about the only place you can now see some types of birds that used to be common here, like the northern shrike. The meeting is at 7 p.m. Membership is again $25 for the year.
People are beginning to think about Spring activities, and Bob Kirvan has sent me a notice that Horseshoe pitching will start once more on Tuesday, May 2nd, at the Uxbridge Scott Museum at 6 p.m. Your $20 membership gives you the privilege of playing all summer and also makes you a member of the Historical Society.
Carol O'Neil was again with us this Sunday, which is called Transfiguration Sunday. Ruth Baker had some beautiful music, as usual. Carol was nursing a right hand on which she had recently endured 3-hour surgery to replace an arthritic bone but managed to write and deliver her usual informative message. Next week Rev. Dr. William Fritz will be with us again, and we will also celebrate communion. Please join us at 10 a.m.
A poem for Spring:
Kind hearts are the gardens,
kind thoughts are the roots,
Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deed are the fruits.
Take care of your garden,
keep out the weeds.
Fill it with sunshine,
kind words and kind deed!