Epsom & Utica news

by Faye Ashton

What a beautiful morning and a gorgeous place to live, this land of ours. On my walk this morning, I was mesmerized by the unique smells of the corn, cut hay, and swamp area, and the birds' songs along the way, too. We who live in this region are so blessed.

My friend's daughter Kelly Hill Thuss has spent the last 368 days between London Children's Hospital and Bloor-Holland Hospital, Toronto, as their son Ben recovers from a brain bleed which occurred last July. Ben has many days ahead to recover fully but we are so happy to know he is well enough to come home. Kelly lived with her family here at Epsom through her public school years, and she now resides in Strathroy with her husband, Rob, and daughter, Lily.

All who attended Thrashing days at the Lewis farm yesterday enjoyed the many demonstrations of how our forefathers farmed with reapers, binders, pulled by horses which didn't always want to cooperate, thrashing machines, cutting boxes and even hand-powered buzz saws, and the unique way of treading to make belts move to power these things

The event also showcased a large variety of antique plows, scufflers, tractors and other related farm machines, giving us a glimpse into the rich history of farming in our region.

To top everything was a delicious piece of pie and ice cream , and what a choice was available to all. We are deeply grateful to the Lewis Family for sharing this heritage day with us. Your generosity and commitment to preserving our farming heritage is truly appreciated.

Please note, there will be no newspaper next week as The Standard will be closed for the annual mid-summer shutdown. The next edition will be on August 8th.

Please send news to Faye.eaglesnest@gmail.com.