Posted on June 13, 2014 under News & Updates with no comments yet

For you CBC radio buffs, I have been asked to be a guest on Maritime Connections this Sunday. It is a call in show heard around Atlantic Canada. The topic is Father’s Day and they are looking for some light hearted stories about out dads. I’m thinking that the story I did about former B.C. Premier, Dave Barrett ( “Grin and Barrett” ) would be a natural for this show. It will be aired this Sunday the 15th. at 4:00 p.m.

Posted on June 12, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

An odd place for a toaster? Not really.

 

 

The picture that you see above won’t make one bit of sense to you if you haven’t read the story I posted last week called “ Hide and Seek.” You see, our house is for sale and when the call comes for a showing, it is a mad dash to get the house “staged.” I thought I knew what this term meant but like so many things, I was dead wrong. Staging is just a giant game of hide and seek.

So when the call came Tuesday for a showing, I did a lot of the foot work , including hiding things so that the people looking at our house wouldn’t think someone actually lived there. I have learned from previous stagings, that the most appropriate place to put the toaster is under the kitchen sink. Wait until Betty tries to find her coffee cup. Only joking.  A man would never hide his spouse’s coffee cup. Not unless he wants to join the endangered species list.

The good news about showing the house in the early evening is that we get to go out for dinner, which we did on Tuesday. We went to a local watering hole and restaurant and were treated to magnificent food served by a knowledgeable and courteous staff person. There were a few good ol`boys ( looked like tourists ) sitting at the bar. They might have been there for a while. They were good natured but did you ever notice that some people`s voices are quite a bit louder, the more they drink? They “filled the room” and I think everyone in the restaurant exhaled when they left.

It is a joy walking to work these days, admiring the gardening skills of others. People take great pride in their properties. The town as a whole also does a spectacular job making the community look terrific with the `Communities in Bloom` initiative. After a long winter and cold spring, it is joyous to see the foliage come alive.

I heard the bagpipes outdoors for the first time this spring last weekend. You know that The Highland Games is fast approaching. I am hoping to do a story about piping and drumming. That’s almost as challenging as doing a story about quantum physics. I don’t know much about either. But with some help from aficionados and Google, I should be able to fabricate something. “ Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling.” Coming soon.

Hope you have a great weekend.

 

Posted on June 10, 2014 under Storytelling with no comments yet

Waxing eloquent

 

 

I have been a member of the Chamber of Commerce most of my working life.  Organizations like this are very important in small towns and large cities as they give a voice to the business community.  They help to orchestrate public policy and put their weight behind community projects.

But it is not “all work and no play”.   From time to time, the Chamber members assemble to kick off the dust and forget about the worries of business.

My colleagues at work are the major sponsor of a fundraising golf tournament each year.  The proceeds go to the Chamber to help facilitate the important work it does.  The fifth annual event was held recently.  I was asked to round out our team’s foursome.  I did so with some apprehension.  I haven’t played golf in almost eight years and I have a bad back.  These are two good reasons to take a pass.  But every once in a while, a person has to take one for the team.   The scramble format is conducive to someone like me who hasn’t played much golf recently.  You can lean on the other three members of the foursome.

The forecast was a bit iffy.  Heavy rains were due to subside by tee off time and then there were hopes of sunshine.  The weatherman got the first part right.  By the time we set out, the rains had indeed stopped and it was balmy.  Like many of the other golfers, I anticipated a pleasant day and was dressed in shorts, a golf shirt and a wind breaker.

Our foursome got off to an auspicious start.  On the very first hole, we scored a two on a par four hole.  The eagle has landed.  The best news is that I didn’t have to hit a shot on that hole.  I decided, wisely, not to try anything heroic, like hitting a driver.  Most of my day was spent hitting wedges and putting.  And shivering.

I’m not sure where weather people get their education but I’m glad I don’t always count on their prognostications.  The weather did not continue to warm up.  As a matter of record, the thermometer took a nose dive.  The day went from balmy to chilly, to downright cold, in rapid succession.  I could not even fortify myself with the “demon rum” as that ship sailed several years ago.  Three cups of black coffee in rapid succession only made me shake more.

My personal purgatory became my partners’ hell.

I would like to say that I made a considerable contribution to the team.  I would also like to say that I am filthy stinking rich.  Both would be bold faced lies.

Simply put, I stunk the joint out.  I looked and played like a beginner.  My best shots of the day were with my camera.

I don’t function well when I’m hungry.  When I reached the 14^th tee off, I walked briskly to the refreshment cart in search of sustenance.  No sandwiches or chips left.  The only option was chocolate bars.  I practically ripped them out of the hands of the young lady driving the food wagon.

Have you ever hoarded food so that no one else could get a morsel of what you were eating?  I devoured two bars in rapid succession and made no attempts at sharing.  My day care training of “sharing and caring” was left in the dust.

The only bright spot in the day was taking part in a unique contest where you had a chance to drive a ball into an apparatus containing a pane of glass.  If you were able to break the glass, you had an opportunity to be part of a putting contest for a 52” flat screen T.V.  I think they should, forthwith, call this contest “A Pane in the Glass”.

The day ended on a high note with a wonderful steak dinner and the handing out of several door prizes.  I never win door prizes.  I watched with envy as name after name was called.  The prizes were quite impressive.  A night’s stay at a resort, rounds of golf and gift cards. And when it appeared that almost everyone in the room had won something, my name was called.  I pulled my aching body out of the chair and proudly walked to the front of the room.

The master of ceremonies presented me with 3.87 liters of “Zip Wax” car wash and wax and a camouflage baseball cap that would be the envy of the boys on “Duck Dynasty”.  If you saw our car, you would know that applying a coat of car wax would be akin to putting lipstick on a pig.

My own personal Chamber of Horrors finally and mercifully came to an end.