Ahoy Me Maties!

Looks like Christine Manjeh's dog Daisy Duke is ready for Halloween, all decked up as an adorable wee pirate (with a little help from her "mommy".)

We're not sure if Daisy Duke will be going out trick or treating, but if she does, we hope she gets lots of Milk Bones and other doggie delights. Great pix Christine, thanks for sending it to me.

 EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS & STORIES

The Cat's out of the Bag

With Halloween just around the corner, it's time for us to start planning on what great costumes we'll be wearing. Luckily, my sister Jane Storie has taken care of that task for her 5 year-old son Graham, who is seen here modelling his awesome "Cat in the Hat" costume.

That crazy Cat in the Hat is one of Graham's favourite Treehouse TV shows, so it's only fitting he would hit the streets trick or treating as the lovable character. And with all that fur, even a chilly Halloween Eve will be no match for this cool little cat!

Motodriven rolls into town

Usually we conduct business inside the Talk Wireless building, but a few weeks ago, things took a unique twist, as we stepped outdoors and into the parking lot. The event was Motodriven, a chance for invited clients to view all that is new in the world of technology and business. The specialists from Motorola were on hand to give demonstrations and seminars from within a large trailer, parked out front.

Guests also had a chance to win a new ipad and there was plenty of soft drinks and food for everyone (with plenty of leftovers for staff to enjoy for several days afterwards -gotta love that!)

Although many people were involved with putting the event all together, a lot of the organization for the big day fell on the shoulders of our scribbles pal Christine Mantej. What a great job she did, everything looked wonderful and even Mother Nature played favours, by keeping the rain, wind and clouds away.

Princess tips her tierra to you Christine!

Bob's Fish Story

Our friend Bob Miller loves the great outdoors, capturing magnificient moments regularly with his high-end camera.

Bob tells scribbles, "Recently I went up to the Manresa Retreat Centre, for a couple of days. While there I went down in the Rouge River Valley and found the Salmon and Brown Trout, spawning. Just like on TV, they splash, wiggle and leap up over stones, pebbles and all sorts of logs, branches, etc., battering and bruising themselves in the upstream struggle."

Wow Bob, that sounds like a heck of a way of getting from point A to point B just to reproduce - coyldn't they just get a room?

 More New Readers!

Lovebirds Tammie & Lee are our newest scribbles Readers

It never ceases to amaze me how many longtime scribbles readers we have out there. Some of you have been with us since day one -over 31 years ago now - while others have joined in on the fun along the way.

And then there's always new friends, rookies to scribbles, but lovin' it just as much. Our latest inductees are Tammie Holditch and her BF Lee Ruberg. I officially met the happy couple on Thanksgiving weekend, when we all enjoyed the "Three Amigos" birthday party at N.E.T. campground. [see article further down page for more details on this event.]

As with every scribbles pal, we've got that Six Degrees of Seperation thing going on. How is Tammie connected to me? Her brother is Rick Holditch, his best friend is Andrew MacNeil and Andrew's dad Doug & I have been best buddies since High School (in otherwords...forever..LOL)

Tammie & Lee live in St Catharines and as Tammie's facebook page indicates, she's a "Western Hiller for life" (awesome). They share their home with an adorable 6 month old kitten named Chloe. This is not Chloe's first home, she was rescued from horrendous conditions and it took the little girl a while to adjust to a much better life with Tammie & Lee.

Now she has them wrapped around her paws. Lee told us there's always many assorted varities of Fancy Feast for Chloe to choose from. Tammie said sometimes Chloe won't eat the food that's in her dish, but if you take it away, pretend like you are adding new stuff and then place the dish back down, she gobbles it all up. This made me laugh, as my cat J.R. does exactly the same thing!!

As for the couple themselves, 'tis love I tells ya! Recently Tammie posted this message on facebook: "You and I are this weird type of amazing together, and it's far too good to ever give up on." How sweet is that, eh?

Tammie, Lee, Chloe, it's my pleasure to introduce you to the world of scribbles. I'm glad you like what you've seen and hope you both become scribbles "lifers".

"Hello? Who did you say is calling? Santa?

 Why yes, I HAVE been a very good girl this year"

 Humour

It was entertainment night at the Senior Centre. Claude the hypnotist exclaimed: “I'm here to put you into a trance. I intend to hypnotize each and every member of the audience.”

The excitement was almost electric as Claude withdrew a beautiful antique pocket watch from his coat. “I want you each to keep your eye on this antique watch. It's a very special watch. It's been in my family for six generations”, he said.

He began to swing the watch gently back and forth while quietly chanting, “'Watch the watch, watch the watch, and watch the watch...”

The crowd became mesmerized as the watch swayed back and forth, light gleaming off its polished surface. Hundreds of pairs of eyes followed the swaying watch, until, suddenly, it slipped from the hypnotist's fingers and fell to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces.

“SHIT!” said the Hypnotist.

It took three days to clean up the Senior Centre.

More Amazing Household Tips


Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
 
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
                                              
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done.  An easy clean up.

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes.. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. 

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 
 
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper.The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
 
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! 

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two.

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner youbought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.
 
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
 
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 

Child calls 911 more than 400 times
By QMI Agency

Emergency phone lines in southwestern Ontario were kept busy over the holiday weekend, as one child called 911 over 400 times.

Owen Sound, Ont., police say the child, who identified themselves as Alex, tied up emergency resources in the region for hours on Sunday by repeatedly dialing 911.

Police are not sure if the child was a boy or a girl but suspect the caller was 4 or 5 years old.

Police said dispatchers repeatedly asked to speak to Alex's parents and to stop calling 911 but were ignored.
Adults could be heard in the background talking and offering the child pie. The dispatchers tried calling and shouting into the phone to attract the caregivers' attention but were unsuccessful, police said.

The phone the child was using was likely a pay-as-you-go or deactivated cellphone, police said.
"Caregivers must realize that deactivated cellphones are capable of dialing 911, even if it's a pay-as-you-go phone with no balance or time available," police said in a release.

Children should not be allowed to use a cellphone as a toy, police said.

"Tying up 911 resources like this can result in unnecessary delays for legitimate 911 emergencies," police said.

Big Bird!

We ate and ate and ate this Thanksgiving long weekend, making this officially stretch pants week for many of us. I enjoyed two great family gatherings, meaning two times the turkey and two times the fun.

My first Thanksgiving feast was at my sister & brother-in-law's place. Kim & Don Papple once again outdid themselves serving an array of delicious food including a record sized turkey which they started preparing at 7am that morning.

In addition, thanks to the guests attending, we had four (count 'em FOUR) pies, ice cream, and a creative tray of cupcakes (shaped like a turkey). No room for a waffer thin mint after this bounty.

The following day (Thanksgiving Monday) it was off to Welland where Rob's brother Rodney Dennis and his wife Heather had yet another mountain of dishes. Turkey, ham, veggies in cheese sauce and some kick-ass sweet potatoes, topped the bill. We had pie for dessert and I brought an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen (shaped like a jack-o-lattern) which was a big hit amongst the young and young-at-heart.

Talk about a Gobble Gobble weekend....(burp).

The Three Amigos

It may have been Thanksgiving weekend, a time for turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but at N.E.T. Campground in Vineland, it was Birthday Central.

Andrew MacNeil was joined by family and friends at his parents trailer, to celebrate his 25th birthday. Since it is also his dad Doug's 50th birthday on Oct. 19th and it was my 50th last weekend, it soon became a triple threat, as we commemorated all three big days at the same time.

Instead of birthday candles, everyone was givne a large sparkler which we lit in the bonfire and waved around while singing "Happy Birthday". When the long-lasting sparklers finally burned out, Andrew, Doug & I joined hands on a large knife as we cut a birthday cake which said "Happy Birthday Everyone" (that saves on icing, doesn't it?) LOL! 

It was great to see Andrew's grandparents Bob, Liz and Drew's friends Rick, his partner in crime Steph, Rick's sister Tammy & her BF Lee, join Doug and Heather for the festivities.  A BBQ feast cooked earlier by Drew & Rick, meant there was plenty of leftovers for us to enjoy later, when most of the guests went home. Good times, great friends...who could ask for more.

Four-legged Party Crashers


Also joining the fun at the campground were Doug & Heather's dogs Sassy & Jack. Sassy was pretty laid back at the party, while Jack was -well, Jack...always interested in what was going on and who or what was passing by the campsite.

Hangin' With Gus

Rick Holditch has a purr-fect furry friend -his cool cat Gus. As we see above, Gus likes to watch his "Daddy" play hand-held games and can't resist sampling a little ice cream..yum yum.  Gus sure reminds me a lot of my cat J.R.. 

Photos courtesy Stephanie Dawn. Be sure to click on the pix above to view a larger version.

"Look What I Made"

Laura Degraaf poses with a unique hand-knit Chapstick holder that she recently made.


This was actually Laura's second attempt, the first one had a more unique shape and when she asked us what we thought of it, she got some rather racy answers. Feeling others might also think the same, it was back to the drawing (knitting?) board, for a less confusing edition.


Good stuff Ms.D.

Squeezing Out a Bit More Birthday Fun

My birthday bash actually extended to 4 days, when my partner Rob prepared dinner for me after my "Fearless at Fifty" weekend. Rob was working throughout the weekend and did not get to join me for the festivities, but he made up for that with a delicious chicken dinner -the perfect thing to come home to after a long day at work.

There were plenty of leftovers, which I brought to work the next day for my pal Laura Degraaf and I to enjoy. Laura loved Rob's special chicken dish so much, we had it again the next day. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!

We wish my future mother-in-law Merry a speedy recovery after her recent hip surgery.

When I visited her at the hospital, the day after her operation, she was in good spirits. Her doctor said she was making great progress, and she was released the very next day.

All the best Merry, can't wait to go on a marathon walk with you sometime in the near future.

Remembering our friend Betty Breen

[OBITUARY]  BREEN, Elizabeth Margaret (Betty) - Passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 7, 2010, at Extendicare, at the age of 89. Beloved wife of the late Bertrum (1945). Loving mother of Mervyn (Darlene), Terry (Patti), Bert (Denise) and Bonnie (Clark) Killborne.

Adored Nanna of Brenda, Darren, Michelle (Jason), Nancy (Mike), Wendy (Jason), Becky, Heather (Chris) and great grandma of Jade, Brett, Jason, Bretton, Jayme, Triston, Kassidy, Karly, Colton, Mitchel and Owen.

Betty will be lovingly remembered by her many brothers and sisters, extended family and friends. Special thanks to the staff at Extendicare for their care, compassion and card playing.

Back in the glory days, Betty always made everyone laugh, with her dry wit and amusing ways. It had been many years since I last saw Betty, but will always remember her with great fondness.

  Welcome Back Gail!  

Site Seeing at its Finest

She originates from the land down under, but our pal Gail Mallory seems right at home in England. Gail has just returned to St Catharines following a much-deserved vacation, where she travelled to London, Rome, Italy, Venice, Paris and more.

With her mom as her travelling companion, Gail had a remarkable vacation. "Now it's back to being a wife and mother" Gail commented on facebook.  A wife and mother with many exciting memories to recall, we might add.

Longtime scribbles readers may recall when we first met our bubbly pal Gail. It was back in the HoJo's days, when Gail, myself and several other veteran scribbles pals all worked together and shared each others adventures. And thanks to scribbles, we still do.

  Meet Our Proof Reader... 

"Looks Good Daddy"

I'm not the only one who enjoys putting together scribbles these days. My cat J.R. is seen here over-looking our latest updates, making sure everything is picture purr-fect. As cute as he looks in this pix, he often sits directly in front of the monitor or plants his butt on the keyboard, making it a bit difficult to work on my site.

Next time you don't like what you see on scribbles J.R. you could just meow, there's no need to get physical.

  New Show

Talk "The Talk"

The Talk is co-hosted by Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

The co-hosts-all moms whose children range in age from infant to adult-swap stories, challenge each other on issues and engage the studio audience and viewers at home with events from the headlines and their own homes through the lens of motherhood.

Promising not to be a clone of ABC's The View, producers say The Talk will have a kinder, gentler format. No one will be screaming over top of the others conversations and the show will be far less political.

The one hour program airs at 2pm weekdays on CBS.