ZEPHYR & SANDFORD by Pat Asling

This past week we observed Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday. Many of us would be gathering to consume pancakes and other goodies in ordinary times, which we had to keep at home this year. Ash Wednesday was the first day of Lent. Several from our community joined with Trinity United Church in service by Rev. Karen Croxall.

Lent is generally thought of as a rather dark period as it leads up to Easter. Over the years, it has come to mean giving up something, generally some indulgence or bad habit. However, the word’s origin comes from the Saxon meaning ‘length’ and referred to the lengthening amount of daylight. Something I am sure we are all hailing with joy as it is a sign winter will soon be over and for us, hopefully, the beginning of the end of this pandemic. So it originally was a joyful season, not a sad one. Make it better for ourselves by adding, rather than taking away, such as gratefulness, kindness, tolerance etc.

A word most of us have come to dislike a lot is ‘quarantine’. Where did that word come from? Way back in the 14th century, the Italians quarantined all ships and travellers into their area to prevent the spread of disease. The word comes from the Italian ‘quaranta giorni’ meaning 40 days. So we should be thankful that we are quarantined for only 14 days, not 40 as they were back then! Thanks to our wonderful Carol O’Neil for this bit of intelligence.

There are a number of birthdays this week to celebrated and congratulate. We start with Donna Shier. Donna is retired now from the TD bank and enjoying her grandchildren. She is the former Donna Lapp who grew up around here and has a number of relatives in the area. Bob and Mary Anne Orav celebrated their birthdays, two days apart, mid-month. Bob is one of our few Friends of the Foster group, always willing to help. The lovely Kim Kelland was feted by husband Mike and her three children.

The oldest on the list must be Henry (Hank) Webster, who reached his 90th but doesn’t look a day over 70. Hank has lived his whole life in the area and spent many years at Williamsons. Karyn Tindall also had a birthday. Karyn tends the family market garden and does a great job. Her seeds for 2021 are already ordered!

Darlene Cordingley enjoyed her birthday surprise from her son and daughter-in-law. Keith Elford was recently battling health issues but seemed to have recovered and enjoyed his special day. Keith’s mother, Lois, still lives on her own in town. Next in line is Harry Paisley. Harry’s father, George, ran a business selling snowmobiles and other items at Paisley Acres, their farm up the 6th. The Paisley boys, Tom, Dick and Harry, raised goats and sold their milk to be made into cheese in Peterborough.

My friend and computer assistant Eileen Wilson celebrated her birthday on Sunday. Her daughter, who is in Australia, had made up a beautiful montage of photos and sent it to her! I have lost track of how many puzzles Eileen has completed in these last few months while still working.

A big ‘congratulations’ to a life-long friend, Helen Munro Johnson, on her 75th birthday. Helen was born on the 8th of Scugog and lived there until her marriage to George Johnson. After which, they moved to the family farm at Glen Major. They resided there until the last couple of years when they moved into town, and their son took over the farm. Helen had some very beautiful flowers, now lovingly cared for by daughter-in-law Janie. George’s mom Jennie Johnson was a local newspaper columnist for Glen Major for 50 years at least.

Helen’s younger sister Betty also celebrated this week. It was nice to see Betty and husband Len Somerville singing for the Seagrave/Greenbank service on Sunday. Also taking part in that service was former Uxbridge dental hygienist Christine Acton. It is always wonderful to see some of our young people succeeding in life, and we have many in our small communities. The latest is Jaqueline Smalley, one of six of the ambitious brood of Stan and Amy. Jacquie recently graduated as a lawyer and was admitted to Alberta’s Law society on February 18th. Jacquelyn is an intellectual property lawyer at Torys LLP. After graduating from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, she articled at Tory’s Toronto. She was admitted to the Law Society of Ontario. She has recently relocated to Calgary, Alberta. This seems a big step already, and we know she is well on her way to success!