ZEPHYR & SANDFORD by PAt Asling

By the time you read this we will be almost half way through August! This past week we had a touch of autumn as it was 8 degrees C and 9 degrees C a couple of mornings, and now it is back up to the extreme heat we had earlier. The rains we had earlier in the week were most welcome but now it as if they never happened, even with the bit that fell Saturday evening. So now it’s back to watering! My daylilies are soon finished, as well as my hostas. More butterflies and dragonflies are appearing but still nowhere near the usual amount. All the vegetables are going to come on at once and then give up; we can only wait and do what we can. Some of the birds are starting to come back around to the house. Earlier in the week I had a lovely phone call from Mary Catherwood who told me she and Fred were now great-grandparents. The baby is the grandson of Jamie and Doreen Wetherall and son of Matt and Michelle. His name is Lucas Wayne, born last Saturday night, weighing 7lb., 5 oz. Congratulations to all the family! Fred and I have a family connection as his mother Evelene (Ballard) was a sister to my aunt Hazel, who married my uncle Walt Asling. Another welcome visitor was Isabelle Smith who saw I was in the garden one day and stopped by. Although we just live across the road from one another we had not seen each other since the last Community Care luncheon. Isabelle celebrated her big birthday a day after me. She is still an active Hospital Auxillary member and helps at Chances Are and the hospital gift shop. Chances Are is now open and unsurprisingly, a lot of people are very happy about that. Masks are required and only a certain number can be inside at one time but they have done some reconstruction which opens up the area a little. Donations are also now accepted! This week another set of visitors arrived, a lady with whom I traveled to Cuba, her daughter, who is a teacher and runs the school programme at the Zoo, and her daughter. Everyone was interested in nature so we had a good time, at a distance, inspecting the yard. Ross Risebrough is still in the hospital but is expected to come home on the 19th. Visitors are allowed at the hospital but you need to call the nurse’s station and make a reservation for a time slot between 1 and 7 p.m. He can also be called at extension 5353. Celebrations this week include our own Norma Scott. Norma is probably the fittest woman of her age and younger around and until the pandemic, had not missed a day at Curves in over 20 years! Her family made sure she had a wonderful birthday, and her special day was no doubt headed up by daughter Jean Sopel. Shirley Currie-Neal also had a big birthday. Shirley and her husband Richard lived in the area for some time and she was a member of our sorority Xi Epsilon Upsilon until they moved to Vancouver Island. She has had a few ups and downs with her health but presently is on an up. Former Zephyr resident, Sheila Maloney, also had a birthday. Sheila was a wonderful artist using many different techniques, including fabric and painting in various media. Paul Broad was born and raised in Uxbridge, went to Uxbridge Hi and worked at GM but now lives in the Seagrave area. Whenever I look at his photo I am reminded of his father Jack who worked many years at St. John’s and always had a joke to tell while he made great meals. The lovely Amy Smalley also celebrated a birthday. After celebrating all the birthdays of her children she deserves to have one too, although you would never know it to look at her. My son Ivan also had a birthday which we celebrated with a small party on Friday night. My brother Jerry had is birthday two days later while he and Joan (nee Clarke) celebrated their 56th anniversary on August 1st. The Sandford Pizza House, part of the store at the corner, seems to be doing good business with a new cook. The food looks delicious, a much greater variety than just pizza, and all the remarks have been high praise that I have heard. God Bless with continued success! The DDSB will be holding a virtual meeting on Monday evening concerning back-to-school plans. By the time you read this perhaps parents and kids will have a better understanding of what is proposed as a “safe” back-to-school format, which has been broadly criticized as insufficient to protect both students and teachers. At present there seems to be no backing down and the desired smaller class size. As was said by someone, that may result naturally if a number of parents keep their kids home for distance learning. I don’t believe that is ideal because it means a parent may need to be present, but we’ll see what the future holds. Former Zephyr resident, Sheila Maloney, also had a birthday. Sheila was a wonderful artist using many different techniques, including fabric and painting in various media. Paul Broad was born and raised in Uxbridge, went to Uxbridge Hi and worked at GM but now lives in the Seagrave area. Whenever I look at his photo I am reminded of his father Jack who worked many years at St. John’s and always had a joke to tell while he made great meals. The lovely Amy Smalley also celebrated a birthday. After celebrating all the birthdays of her children she deserves to have one too, although you would never know it to look at her. My son Ivan also had a birthday which we celebrated with a small party on Friday night. My brother Jerry had is birthday two days later while he and Joan (nee Clarke) celebrated their 56th anniversary on August 1st. The Sandford Pizza House, part of the store at the corner, seems to be doing good business with a new cook. The food looks delicious, a much greater variety than just pizza, and all the remarks have been high praise that I have heard. God Bless with continued success! The DDSB will be holding a virtual meeting on Monday evening concerning back-to-school plans. By the time you read this perhaps parents and kids will have a better understanding of what is proposed as a “safe” back-to-school format, which has been broadly criticized as insufficient to protect both students and teachers. At present there seems to be no backing down and the desired smaller class size. As was said by someone, that may result naturally if a number of parents keep their kids home for distance learning. I don’t believe that is ideal because it means a parent may need to be present, but we’ll see what the future holds.