ZEPHYR & SANDFORD by Pat Asling

What an exciting winter it has been so far! First, we get a record-breaking snowstorm, with days of digging out from under, then more snow piles up. This week was the major hydro outage when most of Uxbridge Township and parts of Scugog were without electricity for four long hours. The damage occurred in four different sites, perhaps all at the same time if they were connected somehow.

Kudos to the Hydro guys who had it up and running in good time and were able to let the public know all along the time it would take. Although it was colder the next couple of nights, Hydro was still out climbing poles and connecting wires. Our thanks to them for their timely service!

Kudos also to CAA, who I had to call three times in the last week and a half because of a dead battery! Time for a new one, it seems, although it is not long since this one went in. But then, the car is not getting driven much these days, and that is not good either. Birthday wishes go out this week to Pat Snooks. Pat is a Personal Support Worker (PSW) born not far from here and now lives at the Ashton farm on the 7th of Scugog with her husband, Jim.

Happy birthday to Rachel Arnaud. Rachel was the former Rachel Sutherland who was born in Utica. After taking a curators course, she landed the position of Assistant Curator at our Uxbridge Scott Museum/Heritage Centre, which she held for a number of years. After she married Graeme, they moved to Clarington, and she is now the archivist at Port Hope Archives with a lovely little boy to look after as well!

The twins celebrated another birthday, that is, Chris and Craig Mustard. The Mustard boys (men) and their father Grant run a large milking operation, one of the first around with robot milking. Even their kids are old enough now to lend a hand, and it always surprises me to see how big they have grown!

Arlene Thompson Stewart celebrated her 50th birthday. I have never met Arlene, but I am always happy to see her husband Jeff when he comes to fix my computer problems. Jeff made it a special day for her, as would be expected.

Birthday wishes go out to Sharon Capstick. The Capstick family lived in Uxbridge for many years, where dad Lloyd was one of the two barbers. She studied pharmacy in Toronto and now lives in Peterborough.

Birthday greetings to Leslie Barr Joosten Forbes. Leslie lived in Uxbridge and was well known for her work as a dental hygienist in town, but even more so for her musical abilities. She raised four children, worked and gave music lessons, and belonged to various choirs and musical groups. She married Campbell Forbes not long ago, and they live out of town, which she loves.

Happy birthday also to Dale Ashton. Dale was born in Uxbridge and lived here a long time. He now lives in Keswick and works for Miller Paving.

I was pleased this week to receive a parcel from my cousin Dawn Marie Prentice Thomas Croxall. Dawn is the oldest daughter of Grant and Lorna Prentice, both well known in the town and surrounds for many years. She was sending me some Beta Sigma Phi songbooks that she had used while a member of the Port Perry Chapter. In all the time I have belonged to the sorority, I don’t recall we ever sang any songs, many specific for Beta Sigma Phi, but it was great to hear from her and see the surprises in the package.

As always, Carol O’Neil provided a full service for Sandford and Zephyr members. A couple of times in January, she has done a live service with the congregation of Danforth Mennonite Church, so it has been very interesting to be part of that. Our congregations have decided not to have in-person services during February, but it is hoped that by March, we will be ready to return. Our annual meeting will be coming up soon. We have not held one for several years now due to the pandemic. Reports are due within the next few days. Please send them to Carol Johnson, who will pass them on to Cindy.

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