YOU | Stag & Lots of Dough

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INSPIRING VIDEO | Patrionism

IN YOUR WORDS | Mikol Zahorchak Remembers His Hero

We were so taken by our friend Mikol's post about his late father, that we asked Mikol if we could share his words with Scribbles. Mikol said yes and because of that, we proudly present his words about his father.

What do I say about my father?

I cannot talk about him as if he is gone. I know in most senses he is still here, although not in the way I want him to be. I won't talk about him the way he is today. Not this day.

There was a day I remember when I was younger, we had gone to Disneyland. We stayed in the Epcot Centre and in the morning we went down and had a continental breakfast in the main restaurant. Mickey and Goofy had walked through and said hi, and then Chip n Dale came and sat at our table and started pretending to eat off my dads plate. I remember thinking how cool this was, that my dad actually knew Chip and Dale!

That was the day my dad became my idol.

There was a day that my dad use to take me to the drive in. Not a night, but the day. Not to see a movie though. He would strap me in to the front seat of his jeep and drive really fast over all the bumps. It was our own personal roller coaster!

VIEW LARGER -CLICK PIX

That was the day my dad became my friend.

There once was a day that we were heading home from an appointment in Etobicoke. Dad was driving, and my sister Mysh and I were fighting as usual in the back seat. Suddenly dad had to swerve as he saw something in the road. Even though he tried to miss he still hit it. We started freaking out and I started balling. I kept saying "we have to go back! Give it a proper burial!" Even as I was saying it, the car started to smell. It wasn't just anything we hit, it was a skunk. Yet still, dad went back for us. He got a shoe box he had in the trunk and scooped up that skunk. We drove all the way back to Oakville gagging and crying, and gagging again!

That was the day my dad became my protector.

There was a day when walking home from school, a group of guys older than me decided to pick on me. They circled me and started to beat on me. I managed to break away at one point and was only a block away from home so I ran. I got in the door and my dad was there. He saw my bloody nose and asked what happened. I couldn't even finish saying that a group of guys jumped me around the corner and he was out the door. My stepmom Deb and I waited for over an hour when dad finally came back in, huffing and puffing. He said he chased those boys all the way over to Kerr Street before he lost them. There was my dad, 6'1 and about 300lbs at the time, and he ran all the way across town for me.

That was the day my dad became my hero.

Then there was the day I came out to my father. I was so scared that he would reject me like my mother had. I sat him and Deb down at the apartment my boyfriend and I shared and I mustered up the courage and told him. He responded "I know. I have always known. I, like any father, wished it wasn't so, since it is such a hard road. But I love you still the same."

That was the day that my dad became my support.

Just three weeks ago I saw my dad. My sister came back to visit and he picked her up from the airport in Toronto and drove her down here. They stopped in so we could spend the afternoon together before I had to go to work. My dad didn't know, but I had been craving a hug from him lately. Just missing him, and with the things I have been going through, I just wanted to feel his arms around me saying it would be alright. So when we finally hugged, I held him a little extra long. Just held him and felt his arms around me.

That was the day my dad became my comfort.

These are the days I will always hold on to and talk about. The days of my hero, idol, support, protector, friend, and comfort. The days of my dad. One day, but not today, I will talk about the day my dad became our angel.

Mikol

PETS | Surrendering

This photo was taken by our friend Joan Wiley.

Her description of the photo..."Franklin the stray cat surrenders to the extreme muggy heat of Southern Ontario."

I'm with you Franklin, this weather is too humid.

FAB PHOTO | "Peas" by Jenn Young

PETS | Faux Toy

VIDEO | Rupaul's Insightful Speech

YOU | Love Birds

SUN-SATIONAL ENCORE | Pint Sized Picasso's

This post first appeared on Sept. 2014  .Here's some colourful art by our younger fans.

ABOVE: Kiera Blythin of Niagara Falls created this drawin of her dad Neil in sidewalk chalk. Great job Kiera, it looks just like your daddy!

ABOVE: 10 year old Kayla Whiteley who lives with her family in Nova Scotia, has her mom's artistic talents, as this colourful drawing reveals.

ABOVE: My nephew Graham Clark, who turns 9 in October, painted a hip looking hippo at school last semester. Great job bud!

EDITORIAL | We ALL Matter

Sabotaging a parade which celebrates diversity and inclusiveness is certainly not an appropriate way to get your point across. All people of all walks of life matter.

Moving forward there will no longer be police floats in future Toronto Pride parades (one of many demands made by the group who stopped the Pride parade until their bucket list was approved upon by Pride organizers).

I guess LGBT cops and their supporters don't matter as much as others. Yes, big mistakes were made in the past involving the police and the LGBT community but much has been done to improve that relationship. Banning police floats does nothing to continue building upon the progress that has been made.

One of the people involved in the disruptive "sit-in" said that although they can celebrate on parade day, they can't be that free and open in their day to day life.

Millions gather annually for the Toronto Pride parade because it's the one time all year that they can feel totally accepted and free to be themselves. It's not like that every day and many who attend the parade return to smaller towns and communities where being openly gay is not totally accepted. Is that right? Not really, but it is something many in the LGBT community can relate to, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Sadly, the diversity we celebrate has been severed thanks to one group. All lives matter, including those who, through no fault of their own, will no longer be a welcome part of the festivities.

That's nothing to be proud about.

UPDATE:

There is a strong possibility that the police will be welcome to participate in future parades, after the rep from Pride who signed the "agreement" BLM penned said deciding who is allowed to participate in Toronto Pride parades is not a decision that would be made by him. He also said he signed BLM's document because he had to get the parade moving again.  Pride Toronto officials will meet with Toronto police to discuss this matter further (a meeting that should not even be taking place but thanks to a few individuals at BLM, will be.)

YOU | Amanda & Kevin's Wedding

Kevin MacNeil and Amanda Bergsma were married on Sat. Jul. 2nd in a ceremony as unique as the couple themselves.

As both Kevin and Amanda are gamers and Star Trek TNG fans, the musical selections were from galaxies far away and the "Wedding Tutorial" guests received upon arriving, included the bride, groom and their wedding party as game characters.  The line-up for the event was written like instructions from a game. It was all very creative.

The ceremony started at 5:30 and was immediately followed by a vast buffet of delicious hot and cold selections and lots of non-alcoholic beverages to wash it all down with. The chicken wings and mini sliders were from Gord's Place and they were so good.....Mmmmm.

Amanda made a speech after dinner and then the couple cut the cake, as desserts were made available. For those who were interested, an After Party was planned to happen at the groom's parent's place, they have a pool, for guests who wanted to take a dip (No I did not attend the After Party.)

I've known Kevin since he was a baby, as his parents are my life long pals Doug & Heather.  That connection, landed me an invitation to this one-of-a-kind wedding.

Here's a brief look at Amanda & Kevin's wedding as seen through Scribbles eyes.

Want to see a complete photo album of pix from the wedding?? CLICK HERE

PETS |

KIDS |

KIDS | It's a Tie

YOU | Tying the Knot

INFO |

KIDS | Three Times Two Equals Fun!

A beautiful hot summer day was ideal fora party celebrating the 3rd birthday of twins Maia and Kayla Dennis. The party was held Sat. Jun.25th at the Dennis home in Welland and attended by family and friends. I received a last minute invitation, and I leaped at the opportunity to join in the fun.

We have a slideshow of photos taken at the party which are sure to make you smile and crave a piece of birthday cake.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

SUN-SATIONAL ENCORE | Funny Photos from 1995

Oh I remember it well.....

When Scribbles was a magazine, there were many challenges when it came to putting it together. Remember, publishing Scribbles was prior to computers, so when I cut and paste, I was literally cutting & pasting and when it came to creating funny photos, that was tricky too.

I had an envelope full of Scribbles pals heads, cut from photographs and often in various sizes. I would then remove photos from magazines and paste our friends heads over the ones in the pix.

Sometimes I didn't have a friend's head in a size that matched the magazine pix. As a result, often the heads and bodies didn't match very well, which kinda made the photos even funnier.

These days, thanks to computer programs like Photoshop, I can put your heads on just about any pix and they can easily be resized to fit the photo.... but sometimes I think the old manual ways were a bit more interesting, heads up!

Here is our STRANGER THAN TRUTH Funny Photos section as featured in Scribbles Magazine's April 1995 edition. Where we could, we've added recent photos of the friends featured in this special section, which debuted over 21 years ago....WOW!

THIS IS ALL PARODY, THERE IS NO TRUTH TO ANY OF THE STORIES FEATURED IN THIS SECTION, INCLUDING THE QUOTES. 

ABOVE: THE COVER OF OUR APRIL '95 EDITION. 
BELOW: PAGE ONE OF OUR FUNNY PHOTOS  SECTION

MORE SUN-SATIONAL ENCORE FUNNY PHOTOS....

 IN CASE THERE IS ANY CONFUSION...REBA IS NOT APPEARING AT THE WEST HILL...THIS IS ALL PARODY.

&  NOW THE LAST PAGE OF OUR STRANGER THAN TRUTH-FUNNY PHOTOS SECTION

QUOTES FEATURED BELOW ARE MADE UP

YOUR WORDS | For the Love of Stubby

Written by Joan Wiley

We’ve been caring for Stubby the stray black cat for several years, feeding him, bringing him into the house on the coldest of winter days and nights, and springing for shots and meds for worms, fleas, and whatever else befalls a community cat.

When he visited for breakfast on the last weekend in April, it was clear he’d been wounded. He was unable to lift his tail, and at first I thought it might be broken. He would not let us touch his lower back. A neighbour later told methat he believed Stubby had been bitten in the backside by a rival cat.

I called the vet on Monday, May 2, and made arrangements to bring in Stubby after I’d captured him during breakfast the next day.

But he didn’t show up the next day. Or the day after that. A week went by, two weeks, a month. Longer. We called and visited the humane society to see if someone had turned him in. I left my sweat-soaked gym T-shirts at the entrances to our back yard, hoping that my familiar scent would lure him back to us. I regularly checked the cat shelters on our property. I called his name every time I went outside, and kept an eye out for him during walks around the neighbourhood. Nothing.

I began to lose hope, imagining the worst. He’d succumbed to a painful infection, fallen prey to predators in his weakened condition, been hit by a car.

And then last night….

“Joan, you have to come downstairs,” said my husband. “I’m not sure, but I think Stubby is in the back yard.”

And there he was. Eight weeks had passed since I’d last seen him. Stubby took one look at me and yowled louder than I’ve ever heard him. We tentatively approached each other. He allowed me to stroke him; his protruding shoulder blades indicated how thin he’d become. One plate, two plates, three plates of food were presented, and he gobbled them up.

Last night I didn’t wait for the next day. Lesson learned. I gathered him up and placed him in a temporary safe place in our home, with a cat bed, food, water and litter box. He kneaded his bed, stretched out full on the floor, let me stroke his belly. Later he slept like the dead.

This morning I took him to the vet clinic. Except for an abscess under his tail, which was drained, he’s in good health and recuperating in his little room.

Stubby, where have you been? Wherever it was, whatever adventure you were on, I’m sure glad you came home.

And don’t you ever do that again.

Great piece Joan. If our Scribbles pals would like to read more about when Stubby first became part of the neighbourhood, in another article written by Joan as featured in The Globe & Mail CLICK HERE   (First the Globe & Mail now Scribbles, you are on a roll and we want to read more of your trials and tribulations, so don't be shy, you've got a captive audience here my friend. 

PETS |