Posted on August 19, 2013 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

This has to be one of the greatest summers ever, weather wise. I’m not a big Facebook user but whenever I scan down the page, it seems like just about everybody is having fun. I have never seen so many wedding photos, barbeques, firepits, camp scenes, soccer games , swimming pools and pictures of the ocean, in my life. Did I mention drinking pictures? Most of us should be incredibly grateful for where we live and what we have and should never take this for granted.

The story “An Old Romance” was a big hit. I got more comments on this story than any to date and it sounds like most of you had a good chuckle. On second thought I could have titled the story “Lookin’ For Love in all the Wrong Places”. This is the first time ever that I re-edited a story that Betty had already edited… just a few words here and there. ( I chose leafy green vegetables over marijuana ) Good thing I won’t be running for office ever again! One of these days, I will show you my grad photo from X and everything will make sense.

My reputation as a feminist leaning male will come crashing to earth with the publication of my story ” Does This Ring Hurt Your Finger”. This is a story about rings and why I can’t ( and won’t ) wear any jewelry… not even the precious X ring ( blasphemy, you say ). You will be just as likely to find me in a jewelry store as in the lingerie section of a woman’s clothing store. NOT.

Do you collect Air Miles? Check out another new story coming soon called ” Don’t Drink and Fly”

I will have a story in this week’s Casket and also in the Highland Heart publication.

Posters for the fundraiser on September 26th. will be going up any day now and tickets will be available at Brendan’s, Brosha’s short Stoppe and The Tall and Small. After my promo last week, I had some inquiries so I have a feeling we’re going to have a sell out. Get your tickets early. Gather up a crew, sit in the front row and heckle me. I dare you. You might find yourself the subject of one of my stories.

Hope you have a great week. Make a point of saying something nice to someone today.

Posted on August 11, 2013 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

We’ll start out the week with a little quiz. Who is Jennie Shontell and what was her signature song? A hint… if you’re not over the age of 55 you might struggle with this one.

I celebrated my 26 th. birthday on the weekend. Or was is 62? Doesn’t matter. I feel young and that’s good enough for me. I had more birthday greetings in one day on Facebook ( over 100 ) than I’ve had in all previous birthdays combined. Thanks . It got me to thinking about memorable birthdays and I suspect that every one of you can remember one that stands out. Either something spectacularly good happened or it was one of those that’s better left in the archives. Let me know about your most memorable.

As some of you know, I was a school teacher and principal in another lifetime. All teachers would like to think that they made a difference in the lives of their young charges. Even after 35 years of not teaching, I still get e-mails from former students. Recently I heard some stories that caught my attention and it wasn’t what I was expecting. I stole a line from the old Crosby , Stills, Nash and Young song in writing a new piece called “Teach Your Children Well”. Coming soon.

I made reference the other day about couples taking road trips together. GPS devices have not completely eradicated discussions between husbands and wives when it comes to directions and driving styles. One of my readers had this beauty of a line: when his partner is getting on his nerves he suggests that he steer while she drives. Ouch!

Coming Tuesday is a new story called “Chequed”. Most of us do our banking on line these days but occasionally we need to go into our financial institutions to get rid of coin or maybe get a money order or some U.S. cash. If you happen to go in on “cheque day”, be prepared to wait. Many things crossed my mind as I stood patiently in line a few weeks ago.

OK. Put up your hands. How many of you used to watch “Stacey’s Country Jamboree”, a show beamed in from Bangor, Maine? It was a live production with some really good entertainers and some really bad ones. Google up Jennie Shontell and hear her rendition of “Wings of a Snow White Dove”. I’ll let you decide whether or not she’s got talent.  Don’t ask me why I thought about this but as you are coming to discover, I have all kinds of unusual thought processes!

Hope you all have a good week and stay well. Live, love and laugh.

Posted on August 5, 2013 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

It’ s a holiday Monday in most places in Canada. Everybody savors long weekends like a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies. Both are truly delicious.

Betty and I are winding down our visit to the Peace River Country where we attended a couple of reunions. The combination of beautiful weather, laughter, music and gargantuan amounts of food has been a smile inducing experience for sure. I am embarrassed to report that a few of my current 30 day challenges have fallen by the wayside but I will hastily pick them back up when I return home.

Reconnecting with old friends is an amazing experience.. Some of the students I taught 35 years ago are not only parents but in some cases , grandparents. I certainly don’t lament the passage of time but it is quite shocking when you come face to face with it like I have this week.

One of the best moments of the weekend was playing tunes with a fellow that I taught way back then. I used to teach guitar lessons to a group of kids at lunch hour. I had only learned how to play the previous year so it was a case of the “blind leading the blind”. I normally spent the first 20 minutes of every class tuning guitars. I think we must have played Kenny Rodger’s “The Gambler” several hundred times. Anyway, Trevor was one of the kids who really got the bug to play and he became a great player. He played me a song he had written about the rodeos, another passion of his. He told me his children play guitar as well.

We also visited a friend who is gravely ill. He has a wonderful sense of humour and it shone through the pain. As we have this opportunity on a holiday Monday to put our feet up, let’s be grateful if we have good health and good friends.