KIDS | A Little Hipster

YOU | 'BS Live Rocks' Continues to Grow

An announcement from BS LIVE ROCKS:

"BS LIVE ROCKS is happy to support and help our Niagara Music Community with your needs...From TV support on YourTV Niagara to Podcast Interviews to appear on multiple platforms ....Band Management and Co-ordination of Music Distribution through our Record Label. 

We have a great music community with great people working to help out the artists be in venues like the Warehouse with Erik Dickson, indie-rocks.ca with Christie Hails and Kandy Burns. 

So many music people here in Niagara to help artists move their career's forward . Lean on those that can help ! we have a great music community that help each other...share success and help people to have a passion to make a difference with their music."

VISIT BS LIVE ROCKS OFFICIAL WEBSITE HERE

bsliverocks@gmail.com

PETS | Good Boy Deacon Passes Training

Our friend Gloria was happy to let her friends know that her new family dog Deacon successfully completed his training. 

On Dec. 16, Gloria said on Facebook,  "Deacon Passed !!!!!! 😀

Can’t wait till next year ... We signed him up for a one year membership, intermediate classes!!!!
Thank-you sooo much Dave McMahon & your trainers & your dogs xo

We wanted to bring Deacon to be trained only by the best !!!!!!! — Dave McMahon's Dog Training Academy."

Awesome news Gloria! Deacon Shake a paw. you're a good boy.

FAMILY | A Tail-Wagging Christmas

Timmi sported a holiday tie as he joined me and our family for a wonderful Christmas gathering at my mom’s.

My old furry friend and I were actually there Christmas Eve Day too, as I helped mom prepare the food and table setting. Everyone was bringing yummy dishes and desserts Christmas Day to go along with what mom & I prepared, which included the infamous cooking the turkey (Don't let on, but we cheated on the gravy, it was from a can. LOL)

I had packed an overnight bag when I went to mom's on Christmas Eve Day. There was snow forecast and we had a lot to do and it would take some time. If there was a blizzard going on at the same time, I was staying.  But when we were finished and looked outside, there wasn't a single flake of snow falling. So -as previously planned- I took mom's car to get Timmi & I home.

I had already asked my neighbour if I could park mom's car in the back. She was fine with that, meaning I had a place to put the car when we got home.

Although it was still not snowing when I went to bed, snow began to fall in the middle of the night.

When I looked outside the next morning, mom's little Nissan car looked like an igloo. When I took Timmi out for a pee, I brought along my broom, first to sweep a path for the dog and then to sweep off the car, before returning inside for my well deserved morning coffee.

Even though the car was now visible, I still had a problem. There was a lot of snow in the driveway. I would not be able to get the car to the road. There is a shovel here, but I don't usually use it because with my f'd up back, lifting a shovel totally does me in. And I mean REAL BAD!  Not exactly a good way to feel while doing the family Christmas shindig.

As I sat in the living room, sipping my coffee and wondering how I was going to take care of this car situation, I heard a sound outside.  It was my neighbour. He was shoveling the driveway. He shoveled from the car to the road including the area the plow had gone by.  It's not uncommon for him to shovel the driveway, but what was special was the fact he only shoveled where "my" car was. He usually shovels a path that would go from the garage where his mom's car is, to the road.

But not today. This time it was a direct path for me to get the car out and I was very touched by that. 

Cinderella could go to the ball and Timmi & I could go to Nana's to spend Christmas Day with our family.  It doesn't get much better than that!

PHOTOS FROM CHRISTMAS WITH MY FAMILY COMING SOON

EDITORIAL | That's a Wrap

ME WITH TIMMI & MY MOM'S CAT PATCHES

REVISED DEC 22

Hello Friends:

Here we are once again near the end of another year and into the holiday season. And once again I also find myself wondering, “Where did the time go?”

When I look back at the past 12 months, there’s many things that come to mind. I’d like to say those things are all wonderful, but that would be a lie. The world is a much different place than it was when we rang in 2017 and not all of it is good.

There’s been natural disasters, including record-breaking hurricanes and wildfires. There’s been devastating acts of hatred like the Vegas concert massacre and terrorist attacks around the globe and even inside a church.

And there’s been that guy who masqueraded as the leader of one of the most advanced countries on the planet, whose preferred methods of communication have been taunting tweets, inappropriate insults and unwarranted accusations. Try as I might, it’s hard to look back at the past year and not think of him and be very concerned for us all.

MISS KITTY SAYS SEASONS GREETINGS

We’ve personally said goodbye to friends, family members and pets, while the world wept with the passing of celebrities including Mary Tyler Moore, Tom Petty, Gord Downie, Glen Campbell, Chris Cornell, Jerry Lewis and David Cassidy.

I’ve continued to experience periods of depression and anxiety and increased chronic pain, while watching my dog Timmi rapidly “show his age”.

On the flip side, I got to visit with my cousins in the Ottawa Valley and take a road trip with an old friend. I shared the excitement of the birth of my cousin Megan’s baby Joe and friend Shanny’s beautiful boy Liam. I enjoyed a sleepover at my friends Doug & Heather’s campsite, attended Bylynnda & Phil's wedding, took in local concerts with my friend Shelley, had a gay old time at Pride in the Park with sister Jane, did lots of stuff with my mom and gave out goodies to over 70 kids on Halloween at my sister Kim's place.

Many of you got new pets, new jobs or new homes. You went on vacations, you celebrated holidays, including Canada’s 150th birthday, you took some amazing photos of your day-to-day lives and one of you has even put their name on the ballot to be mayor of their town next fall. And as always, we were there to share these things with your fellow Scribbles pals.

Here’s wishing each of you a wonderful holiday season and a new year filled with lots of great moments which we’ll all be talking about next year at this time.

Your friend,

Ken

KIDS | Best Christmas Ever!

VIDEO | The Bell Tower Has the Holiday Spirit

This video from 'Your TV' shows how our friends Marc and Noel and the staff and volunteers from The Bell Tower Community Arts & Entertainment Complex  in Fort Erie, celebrated their 2nd annual holiday dinner where they all gave back to the community.

Video courtesy Your TV Niagara
 

VISIT THE BELL TOWER WEBSITE HERE

REVIEWS | Downtown St. Catharines Draws Big Names

REVISED DEC.22

As we've bragged about before, things have changed in downtown St. Catharines over the past few years, thanks primarily to the addition of the Meridian Centre and The First Ontario Performing Arts Centre. Both venues recently saw some major artists take to their stages, one a Canadian icon, the other a world-renown performer, who we still can't believe graced us with his presence.

On Wednesday, November 8th, Gordon Lightfoot played at the Performing Arts Centre. I was there with my friend Shelley Stewart, as we kept up with our tradition of taking in musical acts at the PAC (after first enjoying dinner at Gord's Place on James Street, the tasty part of our routine.) 

Lightfoot performed 'Sundown', 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' 'If You Could Read My Mind' 'Carefree Highway' and 'Rainy Day People' as well as other songs he made popular in the 60's & 70's. Although he looked a bit frail, he joked that rumours of his death were greatly exaggerated. He was accompanied by his band and played several guitars throughout the night at the sold out venue.  

He never was one for belting out major notes or wildly attacking the guitar and remained consistent in those regards. Still, it was an enjoyable night out and a chance to say I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert.

The following Wednesday (November 15th) Sir Elton John performed to a sold out crowd at the Meridian Centre. Although I tried, I was unable to snag tickets to the show, but Shelley and her sister Kim were among the 6,000 enthusiastic fans who were fortunate enough to see the true 'Rocket Man'.

With a massive catalog of hits to choose from, there was something for everyone at Elton's show.  Midway through the venue, John's band took a brief break, while Elton continued to tickle the ivories and sing some newer tunes. When the band returned, so did the songs that made Elton famous. 

Although some report that Elton required assistance getting on to the stage, his voice and piano skills were still stellar and no one left the stadium disappointed.

ME | iFreak for iPhone

REVISED DEC. 22

It was all Megan's fault. I was quite content with my exciting iPhone until I saw her Plus size version.

It started at the end of September. My friend Doug had offered to drive my mom to Renfrew, where she would spend a week visiting family and friends. He would return the following weekend to take her back to St. Catharines. I would join Doug for company on the rides and also to enjoy visits with my cousins. 

The first Saturday, we stayed at my cousin Jeanne and her husband Peter's spacious home. Her daughter Megan and her boyfriend Andy, ventured down from their home in Ottawa to spend some time with us at her parent's place.

Of course, I wanted to take lots of pictures of the gang. Megan also decided to take some pictures.

And that's when it happened! Megan brought out her iphone and I was in awe. I had the regular sized iPhone 6, but Megan had the Plus size version. 

I tested out Megan's phone by putting it in my pocket to see if the larger size was awkward. It wasn't. She also had a funky stretchy "ring" on the back of her phone, which you could use to get a better grip on the device.  

I immediately fell in love with the larger sized iPhone and that ring thingy too (hey, give me a break, I don't have much of a life, so it takes very little to excite me...LOL.)  From that point on, I made it my mission to find a Plus size iPhone of my own.  

The iPhone 8 was released and I wanted to get the Plus size.  It was going to cost me $360 up front with a standard 2 year contract.

They'd take off $125 if I gave them my existing iPhone. I gave it some thought and waited for a few weeks.  

The Cyber Monday special offered the Plus size phone for $130 ...a whopping $230 less than it was before AND I didn't have to give them my existing phone to get this deal. It was too good to resist. 

Part one of my mission was now accomplished...I now had the Plus size I had gone gaga over a few months earlier. Now I just had to find that ring for the back of it. I found a variation to what Megan had on eBay.

The ring on my case is handy for holding the phone and can also be used as a "kick stand" to prop the phone up slightly, for when I'm watching videos on it. 

Do I need to get out more?  Perhaps. But in the meantime, I have a wonderful new way to keep myself occupied and it's all because my cousin Megan showed me her Plus size phone. WOO HOO! 

ENTERTAINMENT | 'Roseanne" Reboot Premieres in March

PHOTO COURTESY ABC ARTICLE BY ELYSE WANSHEL - HUFFPOST REPORTER

It’s almost time to return to Lanford.

On Friday, ABC released a teaser trailer for the return of “Roseanne” that also named the date. The highly anticipated nine-episode series will premiere on Wed. Mar. 27, 2018, with an hour long special.

The show will then settle into Tuesdays at 8 pm EDT, which was the time slot for the original series’ final two-and-a-half seasons.

The original cast of the show ― including Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), Sara Gilbert (Darlene), Laurie Metcalf (Jackie), Michael Fishman (D.J.) and Lecy Goranson (Becky) ― will return. Even John Goodman, whose character, Dan, died of a heart attack in the show’s original finale, will be back.

Sarah Chalke, who played the character Becky in later seasons, will appear in another role. Johnny Galecki, who currently stars on CBS’ “Big Bang Theory,” will reprise the role of David in one episode.

Follow 'Roseanne on ABC' on Twitter - CLICK HERE.

How Scribbles Thinks They Will Explain Dan's Return

As most 'Roseanne' fans know, the original series ended on a sad note. In season 9 - which was not up to par with the previous 8 seasons - the Connors win $108 million in a lottery and the storylines included Dan almost cheating on Roseanne with his mother's nurse.

In the very last scene of the very last episode, the family is sitting around the table eating and Roseanne reveals they didn't actually win the lottery, that Jackie was a lesbian (and her mother was not) Becky was actually married to David and Darlene was with his brother Mark. She also revealed that Dan had died of a heart attack.

So how will they explain Dan's return?  We think they will say that what Roseanne said in the last scene was also part of the book she was writing. It will be done quickly somewhere within the first episode and never mentioned again. Either that or they'll parody the prime time soap 'Dallas' and say it was all a dream.

We'll find out exactly how they'll do it, when the series returns on Mar. 27th.

KIDS | Mesmerized

PETS | Cozy Cat

We love looking back at some of our most popular posts from Christmas's past and this cute photo from December 2015 is definitely one of them.

VIDEO | Our Pal Dana Gets Us in the Holiday Spirit

If this video doesn't get you feeling all warm and fuzzy for the holidays, nothing will.

Our friend Dana Quinn Slaunwhite, whose videos we have featured in the past, is back with another Christmas classic.  This time it's '(Have a) Holly Jolly Christmas' originally sung by Burl Ives and if you are familiar with that version of the song, you're in for a treat. Dana sounds soooooooooooooo much like Burl Ives, it's unbelievable. (He kinda looks like Burl too.)

Don't believe us?  Listen and see for yourself...

PETS | Photobombed

PICTURE PERFECT | Capturing the Spirit of Christmas

This shimmery, shiny photo was originally featured in Scribbles December 2015.

CHRISTMAS VIDEO | Jingle Moo

YOU & ME | I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends....

Over the next few weeks we will present CHRISTMAS CLASICS,  a collection of photos from holidays past, found in Scribbles massive photo archive.

SCRIBBLES VIDEO | Real Pussycats of St. Patrick St. | EPISODE 7

SCRIBBLES VIDEO | Your Magical, Memorable Costumes

Now that the countdown to Christmas is officially on, we finally reveal the winner of this year's Scribbles Costume Contest. We also take another look at all the entries and reveal who sent them to us.

Plus! We take a look back at some Scribbles Costume Contest results from previous years.

An upbeat clip that took more hours to put together than most would believe. A labour of love. All in hopes of making you smile and forget the world's woes for 4 minutes and 9 seconds.

ENJOY!

WARNING: SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING TO YOUNGER OR SENSITIVE VIEWERS

Environment Canada says:
"White Christmas ahead, but expect mild winter temperatures"

by Daksha Rangan, CTVNews.ca 

In tune with the balmy conditions felt this fall in southern Ontario, Environment Canada is calling for a mild winter ahead with above-average temperatures for much of Eastern Canada.

But for winter-weather enthusiasts, Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips said the upcoming season won’t disappoint. A “white Christmas” is highly anticipated in southern Ontario, although conditions won’t be as snowy – or as soggy – as winters past.

“Overall, we think [in terms of] snowfall, it doesn’t look like a horrendous amount,” Phillips told CTV Toronto. “And we certainly won’t see as much rain as we saw last year.”

In terms of just how mild the season will be, Phillips says it’s unlikely there will be a repeat of last winter, which was the second warmest in 70 years.

KIDS | Just a Little Bit of History Repeating

 PHOTOS ABOVE COURTESY MEGAN FOX  - IMAGE BELOW FROM SCRIBBLES MAGAZINES

CLASSIC SCRIBBLES COMICS |

KIDS | Ho Ho Ho!