It's the Most Frightful Time of the Year!

No I'm not talking about Halloween, the scariest day in October for me is Oct. 2nd.....my birthday. It's a low key affair this year having made a glutton of myself with 4 days of fun last year when I hit the big 5-0 (or Oh, OH, as I prefer to call it).

Since some of my family are away on my actual birthday, we celebrated  last Sunday instead. As if having another birthday isn't bad enough, this year I had to muster up enthusiasm an entire week early.

Fortunately my doctor has added a stronger med to my chronic pain line-up, so I was feeling "no pain" and was therefore much happier. Of course I hammed it up pretty good too, making out that my new meds were the reason I was being so silly that day, but really it was just great to be surrounded by my family to celebrate my favourite subject...ME...and to be doing so virtually pain-free!

My gifts this year included a handy cart that I will find useful when bringing in groceries or doing some laundry. I'll be the envy of all the seniors in the building with this beauty.

Thanks to my mom for a fantastic dinner and to my entire family for your gifts and celebrating with me. A week early or a week late, there's never a bad time to spend time with my loving family.



scribbles VIDEO CLIP

"Slightly Mad"

"I'm Going Slightly Mad" performed by Queen

Let it never be said that I don't have a good sense of humour. Here's a clip featuring the kind of photos most of us would hide. Fortunately for you, the freaky photos are of me, although I do have a stash of pix of some of our readers which would make excellent blackmail material, so let's hope we never get in a big argument....LOL!

So sit back for a few seconds and watch as I go slightly mad right before your eyes!

Cher Goes "Gaga"

Get ready Cher fans...the original diva is set to release a new album soon. The first single is a cover version of Lady Gaga's "The Greatest" which was used with the pop sensation's blessings. Gaga's rumoured to have helped on other cuts, to be featured on Cher's new Fall release.

And to prove once again she really can "Turn Back Time", Cher plans on touring in 2012. [Hmmmm, I think I know a few extraordinary scribbles pals who may have just wet themselves a wee bit...heehee]

Spook-tacular!
Simpsons Horror Classics at Burger King

It's no secret I'm a major Simpsons fanatic, so you can imagine my sheer delight when Rob brought me home a Halloween Bart Simpson character the other day. I'm usually don't encourage my big guy to dine Burger King too often, buit when I discovered the Home of the Whopper will be distributing 10 different Horror Classics Simpsons characters, that changed quickly.

The very next morning I was standing in a Burger in Niagara Falls at 8am asking the lady at the counter if I could buy a large coffee and one of each Simpsons character they currently had. She was happy to oblige my quirky request. She even searched out back to see if they had more and told me to ask the manager if I could buy the display once the promo is over. 

AY CARUMBA! "You just made my day" I told her as I skipped out of the store with my java in one hand and Marge and Scratchy in the other!

Humour

Poem

Scribbles is...

Scribbles is a unique site that Ken creates for you,
A place to showcase the many things that you enjoy to do.

Thre's lots of unique contests and funny photos too,
Plus celebrities, events and videos, to name only a few.

So please keep visiting scribbles, the way you always do,
Cuz if you stopped reading it, Ken would certainly be blue.

Rollin' Along

Ciuchcia (Steam train engine), a four-month-old dog, chases a cat in a courtyard after being helped onto a specially made wheelchair at Schronisko, a shelter for homeless animals, near Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland, August 26, 2011.  REUTERS/Peter Andrews

True Colours

Fall is officially here and that means it's time for Mother Nature to surround us with trees filled with colourful leaves. Sadly those breathtaking colours never last long, as the trees soon become bare, reminding us Winter is just around the corner.

Here's a few encore photos of one of our favourite places, St John's Conservation Park, which- believe it or not- I have not had the opportunity to visit this year (you can thank my messed up neck and back for that one.)

We'd love to share YOUR Fall photos with your fellow scribbles friends, so please feel free to send some to us.

And just look at this fabulous Fall photo below by our artist

pal Amy Ballett. It was taken last year in Niagara-on-the-Lake

and the house in the pix is supposedly haunted.

THIS JUST IN...

Real Northern Colours

Marsha Scott sent us this photo which she took last week while vacationing around North Bay. Very nice Marsha!

Playing in a Travelin' Band

Our pal Gail Sharratt Mallory enjoyed watching her daughter Katie as she marched in this year's Niagara Wine Festival Grande Parade. Katie rocked on with her classmates from Laura Secord Secondary School in their infamous "Junk Band".

Looks like Katie had a blast and is every bit as silly as her adorable mom. Need more laughs? Scribbles will be adding a collection of Gail's photos very soon, 100% guaranteed to make you laugh (or your money cheerfully refunded)

Welcome Back Katie!

Our pal Katie Lacey's recent trip to Disneyland may have started off a bit "crappy" (LOL) but from what her mom Diane Murray told us, lovely Ms. Lacey had a blast all the same.

Katie returns to work at Talk Wireless this week and we're sure she'll have many tales to share with us and hopefully she'll post some pix on facebook for us to "steal" and "reveal" to our scribbles family.

M.I.C. (see you real soon) K.E.Y. (why, because we love you),
M.O.U.S.E.!!! 

You

SPRING BREAK ENCORE
ORIGINALLY POSTED: 9/25/11

Minnie Mouse's Long Lost Twin?

SillyRob looks a bit cheesy as he jokes around wearing Minnie Mouse ears. For the record, the Disney cap was a gift his Aunt Linda received from her daughter Gloria, but my big guy couldn't help but try them on. 

SPRING BREAK ENCORE
ORIGINALLY POSTED: 9/25/11

Stand Back Sandra!

We found this amusing pix amongst Sandra Vedder-Burger's facebook photos, it was taken while she was on vacation with her family. 

Good thing this prehistoric creature isn't alive, especially considering what end of it Sandra is standing near.  LOL!

The Doctor is "In"

With all the problems I have had with my chronic neck and back pain plus my visits to our local hospitals when I thought I was having a stroke (but thankfully was NOT), I have seen plenty of doctors, specialists and medical staff over the past few months.

It's no secret that there's much room for improvement in the Niagara Penninsula, when it comes to professional and accurate health care, as I discovered first hand. When I had my TIA/ mini-stroke scare, I saw what a terrible lack of communication there is amongst our local hospitals. And when I had my follow-up appointment with a grumpy old cardiologist a week ago, I once again was reminded of the sad state Niagara's health care system is in.

Fortunately, there are exceptions to this rule. My family physician is Dr. W. Oelofse (more commonly referred to as "Dr. O".)  He has been my doctor for several years now and no matter what my issue may be, Dr. O has always been caring, courteous and professional. He was there for me a few years back when I was suffering from depression and he has been there for me through all my neck pain issues. Dr. O takes my concerns seriously and always makes me look on the positive side of things. He makes me laugh and he relieves my concerns. 

Although numerous tests have ruled out that what I experienced a while back was NOT a stroke (WHEW!) unfortunately my nerve burning treatments in Toronto have not relieved my chronic neck pain. Dr. O has ordered additional MRI's and prescribed something more heavy duty to deal with my "heavy duty" pain. He hasn't given up on me and that in turn makes me feel better about where things are at.

Kudo's to Dr. Oelofse, a rare gem in Niagara's health system. He truly is a remarkable doctor and I'm grateful to be one of his patience.

I was always taught to respect my elders,

But it keeps getting harder to find one.

Household Tips

- To determine whether or not your eggs are fresh, immerse them in a pan of cool water. If an egg sinks, it fresh: if it rises to the surface, toss it

- After you cook potatoes, save the water (it will keep in the fridge for a few days) and use it in soups, breads or anything that calls for extra liquid. The potato starch adds body and nutritional benefits

- To disinfect slimy, smelly sponges or dishcloths, soak them overnight in a mild bleach solution or a mixture of half vinegar and half water. Run them through the dishwasher, or soak them and nuke in the microwave for a minute. Careful – let them cool before you pick them up!

- Sprinkle kitty litter in the bottom of your garbage pail to absorb odors and any liquid that might leak out of the bottom of the bag

- To make your house smell wonderful, sprinkle cinnamon on a square of aluminum foil and place it in a hot oven; turn off the heat and open the door slightly. It’s better than potpourri!

- If your cookbook won’t lie flat, lay a glass baking dish over it – you can read through the glass

Let's Dance!

It's only aired for one week and already the new season of Dancing With the Stars is loaded with controversy and surprises. This season's "stars" are the must eclectic ever. There's CNN mouthpiece Nancy Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Carson Kressley (dancing with a GIRL!), TV host Ricki Lake, Military man, burn victim turned actor J.R. Martinez, reality TV star Rob Cardashian and the one-to-watch, Chaz Bono, the show's first ever transgendered contestant, to name but a few.

Although some close-minded viewers have decided to boycott this season because of Chaz's appearance on the hit ABC series, others are tuning in for the very first time ever to see how Cher's son does in the weekly dance competition.

The show airs Monday's at 8pm on ABC and CTV/CTV Two and the weekly results show airs live Tuesday's at 9pm.  There's never been a better time to tune in to the ballroom and watch the stars shine.

What a Bad Trip

Wee Bobby Miller was walking down the street,

  When an uneven sidewalk, got caught in his feet.

He hit the ground suddenly, with a mighty thud,

  Leaving his hands and face all covered in blood.

When he saw what he looked like, he had to groan,

  And decided it was best for him to go home.

And although he can walk to places that aren't far,

  In the future Wee Bobby will probably drive his car.

UPDATE: Bob's all better now friends and looks as good as new