Zephyr & Sandford News

by Pat Asling

Can you believe September is already half past? The weather has been coolish, although forecasters predict a long, pleasant autumn. We can only hope old man winter stays away for a good long time, victim of El Niño!

Several of the birds already seem to be gone to warmer climes. I thought my purple finches had left, and then one lone male showed up for several days. Around the same time, several very striped little birds appeared at the feeders, but many still had fluffy feathers, so I think they were baby finches, about to start for parts unknown! The bluejays are spending more time around the house. The only thing I don’t like about that is they attract hawks, who seem to particularly like snacking on bluejays. There are way more doves or other birds, but I think it must be the blue jay colour which attracts the hawks! Several times now a great blue heron has spent time perched on the corner of our gazebo, standing proud or preening. One evening I looked out and saw a beautiful doe and her half-grown fawn eating apples. The next day in the same spot were two quite pretty turkeys. Just a guess, but from the size of the scats I would say a bear has been enjoying the fallen pears. Quite a menagerie.

A lot of people had birthdays in the last few weeks; some I may have mentioned, others not so, maybe you will get a second mention in the long list. We start with Lisa Boyce, Conrad's wife, but a star in her own right. Betty Johnson was born south of town and has been gone many years, but she still has many relatives in the Uxbridge area. Ron Stewart also had a birthday, and it is nice to know he is feeling better than he was a while ago. Laura Ross celebrated her birthday close to one of her sons. Barb Peck also had a birthday, and I hope Tony helped her celebrate. My neighbour LeeAnn Ball had a birthday about the same time as she was seeing one of her sons off to college. Of course, getting ready for school at many levels has kept many mothers busy over the last few weeks. Catherine J. Smalley also had a birthday, and we wish her continued success. My friend Ann Irvine celebrated by working with their many daylilies and hostas, one of their businesses. Still, I must also thank her for all the hard work she has done over the last couple of months organizing volunteers and performers at the Foster Friday Night Concerts. There are only two regular concerts in the season, but a couple of extra events as well. Birthday wishes also to Elaine Wilson. Elaine and her family no longer live here, but she has many family members, and I believe they visited not long ago. Our Port Perry Alex Williamson also celebrated. I went to High School with Alex, and he is married to a former Shier who was raised just down the road.

Best wishes on their 12th anniversary to Jillian Howsam and her husband Chris Admeit. Jillian is the lovely lady who organizes all our Community Care lunches.

Horseshoes is almost finished for the year, as Tuesday, September 15th was the final evening when participants played for the Kirvan Cup and the Ken and Irene Watts trophies.

The Genealogy Group will meet once more on Thursday, September 17th, at 7 p.m. Once more, the topic will be British Home Children, with locals talking about people they knew or know who came to Canada under that program. This meeting is free, but Membership for the coming year is $25. You can pay that night at the meeting, to the Librarian anytime, or by mail. North Durham Nature also begins their autumn session with a talk at the Scugog Library about some special shorebirds. Membership is also due!

On September 24th, at 7 p.m., the long-awaited Bethesda Women's Institute dessert and Fashion Show will be held at the Seniors building in Uxbridge. Local fashions will be showcased. Tickets are $25! Call 905-852-3925 or 905-852-5284. Always an interesting and tasty evening.

The last couple of weeks have been very busy Fair weeks in the area. Thursday night was to be a special extra tractor pull event when several people were to be honoured. Somehow, Thursday was missed in some advertising, and the crowd was smaller than anticipated. One of the persons remembers for all his work with the Fair was our own Bruce Smith. Bruce was active not only with the Fair but also in the Sandford Community and church. We do miss him. However, as far as the Fair goes, his memory lives on through his son, Les, who was pulling, and one of his granddaughters. It’s great to see the young people get involved.