Here we go again. My plan is to bring part two up to six hundred and then the number of posts will be easier to keep track of. Within a few days we will be within one month of the date.
I think everything is going pretty smoothly. We have the student lounge at Campion on the 25th from 12:00 until 10:00. The plan is for each family to bring their own drinks and snacks for the day. I think Vic is bringing some candied popcorn and there are plans for a rice crispie cake. I expect some Italian Confetti as well. The Wok Box is now up and running and we will have them deliver us a meal around 5:30 or 6:00. There are vending machines in the lounge and a water fountain as well. The restrooms are a good size and just down the hall. I believe we all have Marcia's request for denim and white dress. Therese has the performances set and the day is set for visiting.
Sunday the 26th we have the hall at Holy Rosary Cathedral from 12:00 until 5:00. You are welcome to join mom for the 11:00 mass before hand. The CWL will cater with sandwiches, coffee and juice. Cathedral Bakery is making up a cake or two for mom for the day.
If there are any questions or if there is something else you can think of that I have missed let me know and I'll look after it.
See you soon.
Ed
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Mom says it's getting awfully close to party time!
Four door pickle. LMAO
What country are we in?
Blogland!
Hey Lou
I guess we should get together and work on your song.
Marty
Hey, Thom
Did you read about the monk who went to his dentist prepared to transcend dental medication?
Lucy
Thom, talk about misunderstood lyrics! In the late '60's Marie and her best friend Peggy used to sing what they thought was a drug induced song; they sang - 'shy Violet, how high can you fly!' The song they were singing was actually Sky Pilot by Eric Burdon and the Animals and was a song about war - the Sky Pilot was the Chaplain and he prayed for the soldiers before they went into battle.
Obviously everyone thought it was a Viet Nam War protest song but at one point in the song Bagpipes are heard playing 'All the Blubonnets are Over the Border' so it may have been about a war Scotland was in. In any case, it had nothing to do with drugs and an unfortunate girl named Violet. LMHO
It's five o'clock somewhere!!
Then there's the story of the painter who tried to make his paint supplies last longer by adding too much thinner.
He was told to repaint and thin no more!
Luce
YOU GUYS ARE DOOG!!!
Hey Thomas,
I'm in for the golf.
I asked Lou if I can improve my lie in the rough...he said...as long as you can roughly prove you not lyin'.
How about that Tiger eh?!!
Marty
Thomas,
How about one of the most famous of all misunderstood lyrics:
"I know a little ditty nutty as a fruitcake
Goofy as a goon and silly as a loon
Some call it pretty, others call it crazy
But they all sing this tune:
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
If the words sound queer and funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy, A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?
Lui,
The state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet, so maybe the song was about the Alamo. Quite a mystery you've posed.
Lucy,
There is a lot of poetry going around. And, even though you call your own poetry doggerel, I remember a year when everyone got a poem from you in his/her birthday card. I loved it, and still have it.
And how about your riddles, they are poetry to our ears, too.
Love, BJ
BJ, "Cowzy tweet and sowzy tweet and libble sharksy doisters."
Have a banana!
Here's one from Texas:
redneck 1: MR SNAKES
redneck 2: MR NOT SNAKES
redneck 1: OSAR CM BD EYES
Thom....
I C U R A Gr8 T's 2.
Luce
BJ ... I appreciate your kind words about the verse and poetry that I sometimes write. Rhyming couplets are "easy peasy".
While we are on this topic, I can't resist telling you that the chicken I just put on the rotisserie is poultry in motion.
Love, Lucy
Luce, did we have this blogversation b4?
It's like Deja Vu all over again.
Or maybe someone just changed a program in the blogtrix.
I think I'm going to fall way short on my prediction of the final blog numbers and my own copious contributions are certainly not helping my case any.
I guess you could say I'm being hoist by my own petard.
Laughing out loud again.
You guys are just too clever and too funny. Poultry in motion, indeed!
BJ
Well, I got back home from the Wakaw reunion a couple hours ago. I am caught up now and I must say I had more laughs in these hours than the whole weekend provided.
Great entries, I liked Lou's clever guess of 25/08 for entries. The songs were great but if I get any more melancholic I'll need a bucket to bail the boat Dennis put me in.
The "peep" riddle. I didn't know the girls did that. Us guys weren't quite as smart, thinking dad hadn't heard our tiny "peep" we would increase the volume until it was so loud we didn't hear him until he was in the room with the broom. Good dad though, he only used the soft end.
Thomas, don't worry about me and the English language, it took me a really long time but my command of it is way more better then it used to be at one time long ago.
It's really good to see the blog so active. I'll have to go away more often.
ROTFILAT
Ed
Hey Thomas,
I took my clubs up to Wakaw and played nine holes. It only took 78 strokes before all the dust was off them and I have 3 balls left so count me in on Monday. I understand your handicap is made up of your last twenty games, seventeen were 30 years ago but put me down for an 11. I'm not missing out on a round with Mythical Lou, Mr. Butcher of St.Andrews and the Amazing Ticia. The rest of the bunch will have to earn their titles on the course.
ed - speeking of the peep story, did'nt you tell me one time, you, tony and lui would yell out o'henry and dad would come running up and spank you because you were the only one laughing in your pillow. i seem to remember the story going something like that. can you refresh my memory please.
mike
Tony and Lui were always pretty funny and of course a younger brother wants desperately to be included in their plans no matter the consequences. We played a game that you won if you called out last, I guess it didn't matter what noise we made, sometimes it was O'Henry, like the chocolate bar. Tony and Lui soon caught on to dad's strategy of moving two or three steps up each time one of us called out. Once they realized he was just outside the door they pretended they were sleeping while I made the final error of calling out once more. I think I caught on after winning ten nights in a row.
Thom ... I am not having the same sense of deja vu that you are experiencing. "Easy peasy" is your expression and I have adopted it along with "Tommy Time". Here on the blog that's fair game.
Maybe the I C U R part of my reply to MR Snakes triggered a memory of its source:
2 Y's U R
2 Y's U B
I C U R 2 Y's 4 me?
Whatever sparked your deja vu escapes me at this time. Can you give me another clue?
Luce
Ed....
At the risk of asking the obvious, what's ROTFILAT?
Lucy
It's been a couple of days since Lucy's last riddle and no answer so I'll have to take this one. The answer would be dad's cane. He did indeed point with it, he'd nudge you if he wanted your attention and he'd use it to walk with once in a while too. Mom didn't mind the pointing so much but she did not like the nudging. I thought it was just mom but, wanting to be like my dad, I picked it up one day and nudged Deanie with it...I swear I didn't see her hands move but there she was standing in front of me holding the very cane I had just nudged her with. Ripped out of my hands faster than a lightening strike... I had to add her to my list of women I fear that day.
ROTFILAT...rolling on the floor in laughter and tears
Tricia,
I don't know when you'll get around to dropping in on the blog but when you do, Grandma and I want you to find a message of thanks from us.
Today's visit with you was the bright spot in our day. For a time, Mom, you and I were three generations of women sharing ideas and experiences.
In this instance, the first and second generations gleaned wisdom from the third. Thank you for taking time to visit us today!
Lots of love, Grandma and Louise
You know, Louise, that's the funny thing about Deja Vu, I have no idea what triggered it either and I wasn't about to go through 2,220 odd posts to find out if it was something we have actually been through before, or, as I mentioned, maybe someone changed a program in the Blogtrix.
good news on Ed joining the golf tourney
Oh Ed .... now you have me ROTFILAT!
Your answer to my latest riddle is not only correct, it is about as funny as Dad himself could be with that cane of his. He used it to reach for stuff, make a point, shake a fist, hurry you along, grab your attention, knock things over, break ornaments, hold elevator doors open, shut car doors and, of course, to walk.
I once saw Mom react as swiftly as Deanie did but because he was nudging her into a church pew, she could only glare at Dad with a look that said..."Don't ever do that again if you value your life".
I wondered if my latest riddle was lost in the most recent rush of blog entries. I guess not.
Here's another:
WITH JUST A NICKEL (HALF A DIME!)
TREATS COULD LAST A LONG, SWEET TIME.
LOLOL, Lucy
OK Thom ... I'm with you on the decision to let this one go.
While I have your attention, I have to tell you that your Tim Horton's song really surprised me. When I suggested that you write a pet peeves song I was kidding around, of course.
How could I have known that you are already working on a Saskatchewan version of an existing tribute to that mediocre brew? That's awesome.
Luce
Luce, I know I probably won't get full credit because I'm sure there are fascinating anecdotes that complete the riddle, but I suspect you're talking about jawbreakers (they were a quarter in my day).
There is a funny story, I remember my mom telling me, though. She had a nickle and Vic had a dime and she convinced her poor little sister the nickle was more valuable because it was bigger. I don't know for certain if she was in any trouble for it at the time, but I think she's felt guilty about it all her life. Even the sweetest among us have their skeletons.
I've been working really hard on letting my pet peeves go. The thing about them is, they are such inconsequential things in the big scheme. It's probably some kind of a defense mechanism to help us vent and keep us from going ballistic over all the truly crappy stuff that goes on in the world.
I was going to say my pet peeves were Rusty, Kadee, Mocha, Molly, whatever the name of Carol's cats are, and the many other animal pets in the family I haven't met. You see, I thought pet "peeves" were like your neices and nephews...you know...animals that are related to you.
What a maroon.
Uncle Ed
I have one.
I have a grievance against those who inform you of facts that aren't facts at all.
No wonder people look at me weird when I state a fact. Those blue crops out in the fields probably aren't what they make pool chalk out of, are they?
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
My sister taught me everything I really need to know and she was only in 6th Grade at the time!
-Linda Sunshine
I love this quote because my sisters have taught me so much. Each one, in her own way, is a remakable woman, and wonderful to spend time with. They bring out the best in me and have shown me tools to use in my own life. I can't begin to list all their qualities - you guys know what I'm talking about - the "stupendous six".
Thank you to my six fabulous sisters - you are my heros!
LOL,
ME
xoxoxoxoxox
luce - just to add to thomas jawbreaker answer, your talking about 5 cent day at regina beach, i remember some candy was 3 for 1 cent, and there was 1 or 2 items that might of been 5 for 1 cent, and it might of been the black jawbreakers.
welcome to the golf ed, another one of the big boys is coming.
mike
Marty said...
Good job Mike.
Yes, I remember well, the days we spent at the Red and White store before going swimming at the Big Beach.
Mary Ellen was our mother in those days. She'd drive us downtown everyday in the little red and white Vaxhall. One day was popsicle day, one was fudgesicle day, and one was 5-cent day, and you could get a big bag of candy for a nickle.
Ahhhh the blog... what a great book.
love, Marty(a.k.a. Mike)
Okay, so far for golf I've got:
Thomas 14
Mike 21
Tricia 35+
Marty 35+
Lui scratch
Sonia ?
Ed 11
David 21 (at St. Andrews)
Lucy (gallery)
I'm also putting down Don because I know he'll want to play and now that he's retired (yeah, right) he's got no excuses
Let me know if I'm missing anyone or if any info is erroneous.
If we have 10 or less, we'll play a 2-person best-ball scramble. If we have 12 or more we'll play 4-person best-ball.
thom - you forgot chris rathwell +35,
there will probably be 12 or more golfers, and are we playing 9 or 18?
m.e - was there an ice cream cone day or anything else at the beach?
Oops, sorry Chris
Chris Rathwell 35+
As for 9 or 18 holes, let's take a poll. My vote is for 18.
What time would we golf? if it is in the morning i can pull it off. we have football and football later on that night.
that is not a typo, two of the kids play. and they practice at the same location this year. THANK YOU LEN AND KELLY.
oh, but i suck at golf - i believe i mentioned that before. just ask ed! or ask deanie! or ask the creatures that live in the trees and brush of one of the golf courses in moosejaw. or ask the frogs that live out at deer valley, or the lady who gardens right off the fairway on one of the holes.
just don't pretend to cancel the golf plans so i don't golf - just tell me that i am not worthy to golf and i will completely understand!
great blog memories by the way...love the "peep" story.
sonia
welcome to the golf sonia, 9;30 a.m is tee off, so your in. can you play until 2:00?
thomas - marty and i will play 18 holes
Hi Mike,
Yes, you are right; there was an Ice-Cream Cone Day. Marty said fudgicle, but it was actually ice-cream cones bought from Korner Kubboard. The popsicles and candy were bought at Red & White. This was the routine: Popsicle Day, Ice-Cream Cone Day, & 5 Cent Day. It was quite interesting taking 7 little kids into the store to fill up their individual bags with each's own variety of candy. In those days, you got a lot of junk for 5 cents!
Once my term was over, I believe Marcia carried on with the routine.
I really enjoyed my summers at the Beach and taking the "Little Kids" to the Little Beach in the morning and the Big Beach in the afternoon. However, I must admit I would breathe a sigh of relief when I heard Dad honk his horn as he passed Grandma & Grandpa's cottage. I knew my shift would soon be done!
Some of my best memories of growing up have to do with Regina Beach. Looking back now, I realize just how lucky I was to be able to spend all of July & August ( every year ) at the beach. I am still a beach bum to this day. Bob & I have always had a beach holiday every summer since we were married. Granted, the beaches were usually in the Okanagan, a few times in PEI, a couple of times in Alberta, and twice at Regina Beach, but we always went to a beach, first with our kids, then our Grandkids, and a few times, just the two of us. It's my idea of the definitive vacation!
Loving these blogs AND the blogsters,
ME xoxoxoxoxoxooxxoox
PS.
Popsicles were 7 cents and ice-cream cones were 10 cents.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
ME xoxoxo
PPS.
Dad had his own way of handling the dreaded 5 cent day. After Marcia & I no longer did it, Dad would just go by himself to Red & White, buy a huge variety of penny candy, take it back to the cottage and let the kids buy 5 cents worth from him. Pretty clever, I'd say, and way less confusing!! What a guy!
ME xoxo
m.e. - thks for the clarification.
love mike
I figured I was good for 9 holes, having only 3 balls in my bag, but I've managed to find 3 more in the grandkids toy box so with any luck I'll be good for 18.
Is the Regina beach course hazardous? You don't really plan on losing six balls, do you Ed?
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ed
Even I don't lose more than two balls in a round.
Oh wait! Oh yeah, I did lose three balls in the windmill hole once.
Marty
thomas - you better buy a couple extra sleaves for this course, water, trees, bushes, rocks, sand traps everywhere!!!!!
Thomas, your uncle Ed does not like ants, beetles, crickets, damselflies, spiders, snakes, bees, wasps, horseflies, mosquitoes, worms, lacewings, antlions, mantids, mayflies, moths, grasshoppers...you probably get the picture. If my ball strays off the fairway and into the rough, it's a gonner. I only hit it 135 yards at a time but it's always straight down the middle.
Mary-Ellen,
The feeling is mutual. When we sisters are together we are beautiful, clever, witty, each other's heroes, and invincible.
You made my day with both your quote and your dedication.
Love, BJ
Wow, I don't think any of my other riddles generated so much tasty discussion. Thom and Mike, I'm giving you joint credit for this one.
There's nothing quite like a jawbreaker for a colourful, lasting treat. On five-cent day at Regina Beach we could buy 15 of them, if that's how we chose to spend our allowances.
Once the first layer blackened our mouths we would take a peek at (and even compare) the diminishing balls of candy. Again and again, the colour changed from green to orange to white to yellow ... until all that was left was an anise seed. It took a long, sweet time to repeat the process 15 times.
We didn't always find it easy to make a choice from the many candies on display in the Red and White store. There were licorice sticks for a penny, marshmallow strawberries at 2 for a penny, jawbreakers at 3 for a penny, jelly babies at 5 for a penny and lots more bargain bits. Our little brown bags overflowed by the time we paid for our carefully chosen treats.
You might be an Antonini if you've ever bought a day's supply of candy for a nickel.
This riddle might cause you to spend a bit of time in a tree:
OUR BIRTHDAYS FALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
BUT THIS MONTH GIVES US MOST TO CHEER!
LOLOL, Lucy
Mary-Ellen, WOW!
I agree with BJ. Your quote for the day and your blog tribute to us, your sisters, is an honour.
Your words encouraged me stand a little taller today. Did you know that compliments motivate people to reach for the qualities that others already see in them? Thank you!
Love, Louise
Thom ... your Aunt Lucy does not like ants, beetles, crickets, damselflies, spiders, snakes, bees, wasps, horseflies, mosquitoes, worms, lacewings, antlions, mantids, mayflies, moths, grasshoppers ... you probably get the picture.
Please take my name off of the gallery list. I'll look forward to your report of the event after the prizes have been awarded.
I hope you have one for the bravest golfer on the course. Ed is already the most cautious contender.
Leery Luce
Sonia,
Have you read the list of creatures that will be sharing the golf course with you on the 27th? (I'm talking about real beasties, not your golfing buddies.)
I think you might well be relieved to be struck off the roster before you get bitten worse than you will ever be beaten.
Your concerned and cowardly Aunt Lucy
BJ... did you hear about the book store that called its poetry section the Scene of the Rhyme?
Alan ... have you met the oil-well owner who sends his drillers "Get Well Soon" cards?
Ed ... fact or fiction?... Adam and Eve were the first union to defy management.
What time is it?
LOLOL, Lucy
Bedtime ... definitely, bedtime!
Now Lucy, don't be encouraging golfers to bail on us.
It's good insider information to know about these phobias, however, if Ed's team starts to get too far ahead we can just dump a bunch of earwigs in his golf bag.
How about Barry Bonds? He just hit number 756 to surpass Hank Aaron's all-time homerun record.
Thanks for the partial credit on the jawbreaker riddle, it's probably to generous. I don't specifically remember nickel day, but for some reason I remember having jawbreakers at the beach.
I'm almost like a sibling... yeah right, but I am older than two of them.
I just got back from a 7-day camping excursion with the family, and I survived not only sharing a camper with 4 children age 5 and under, but also catching up on the blog after a week away! (I don't think that sentence was very elegant, but I tried to use the "not only...but also" construction properly so as not to be added to Thomas' list of pet peeve perpetrators! J/K! Thom, I assume you have purchased, read, critiqued and memorized the book "Eats Shoots and Leaves"; who knew a book about punctuation could make the best seller list?!
I've set up the new ohoto contest: you can check it out at http://112gustafsons.spaces.live.com
I think it's much easier than the last, but I could be wrong! I hope that all generations will take a guess - Marty and Tricia won the Regina Beach contest.
Must be off to bed - I sat down at this computer to check the blog an hour ago!
Thomas, I'm in for 18.
ME, when you and Bob went to the beach alone did you build castles in the sky?
Louise, would your riddle be January with 4 out of the 14 and 5 out of the 16?
I believe the answer to Lucy's latest riddle would be January, besides all 14 families celebrating mom's birthday on the 19th, there are 14 other birthdays spread out amoungst 8 families.
April runs a close 2nd with 14 birthdays shared by 7 families.
There are 6 birthdays unaccounted for in my copy of the tree.
I just previewed my comment and see Lou beat me to the punch, I'm entering anyway.
I think we're rapidly reaching a consensus on 18 holes.
Lui, I take it by the fact you didn't correct the "scratch" handicap I assigned you means you want to let the mythology live on... excellent choice. I've got a book of excuses in case you don't happen to live up to it.
Holly, nice use of the not only, but if construction. I'll have to read that book.
Not only, but also.... sorry
With all these numbers flying around how about this one....17...days left to the reunion.
Thomas, I have been known to hit the ball into the trees. My usual foursome referred to me as "Tree Blight" or "Tree Levino" and through the process of evolution it became, simply, "Tree".
Whoa! It's getting late. The next time you look, there I will be...gone.
Thomas,
I have an extra copy of Eats,shoots, and leaves.You can have it. And Holly, did you know the author has written a second book called Talk to the Hand.
Lucy,
Among the siblings and their children, Kenneth is the only one born in February. Every other month has more than one birth. I don't know about the in-laws.
Edward,
I think the latest tree has ALL the birth dates on it.
Love BJ
Good morning Betty Jo,
Thanks for the heads up on the new tree including all birthdays. Although I am in the process of going through the data base between my ears, confirming all questionable facts I have been lead to believe, I have not yet reached the files on xtra-terrestrials so I'm really happy to know the missing birthdays are accounted for.
I'm off to work
Have a great day
Edward
Well done, Lui and Ed ... together you have provided a correct and detailed response to my latest riddle.
Indeed, January is Birthday month!
At the risk of missing a celebrant, I'll use my version of the family tree to list them here:
January 1: Christine Evans,
Carol Antonini and
David Weisgerber
January 5: Holly Gustafson
January 10: Geron Wohlberg
January 11: Emmanuel Weisgerber
January 13: Marcia Pinvidic and
Bonnie Antonini
January 16: Edward Antonini and
Grace-Anne Weisgerber
January 19: Mary Clark Antonini and
Kahless Pinvidic
January 21: Lui Gustafson
January 23: Michael Antonini
January 25: Braden Pinvidic
In the event of a tie, I was prepared to enter January 22 - the day Tony refers to as his "other birthday" ... when he received Marcia's gift of a healthy new kidney and got a new lease on life.
January takes the birthday cake....hands down!
Now, consider this statistic:
OUR TREE'S ALIVE, THE NUMBERS GROW
THIS GREAT-GRAND YEAR HAD SEVEN SHOW!
LOLOL, Lucy
Thom ... somewhere, sometime ago on the blog you called our family tree "the bomb". I agree! It is an explosion of information. I love it. It is sure to be a hit at our reunion .... 16 days from now.
Luce
Holly,
I have looked at your Regina pictures and I think I recognize three of the images. Grandma and I are going to study the photos together later today. As we comb through them, Mom will get one of them for sure.
Should we submit our answers by email or on the blog?
Luv, Louise
Mary-Ellen,
I don't recall buying penny candies from Dad's supply of sweets. Wasn't he clever to set up his own candy store on 5-cent day?
Do you remember how Dad would freeze the strawberry marshmallow candies and give them to us as frozen treats?
LOL, Lucy
You are right, BJ
February is not a winning month for family birthdays. I see three on the tree:
Sadie Wasylko on the 15th, Julianna Pinvidic on the 19th and Kenneth Barker on the 27th.
Maybe February is just too busy being the month of hearts and flowers to promote the growth of trees as well.
LOL, Lucy
Golf well or just golf until 2....yes, i should be able to pull that off.
i can handle the creepy crawlies at the golf cours, and the bugs too....!
ed - i have never seen you hit one in the rough anyways so you won't need to worry about the bugs.
and ed hits more than 135 a drive too...
Hi Lucy,
The reason you don't remember Dad selling the kids candy is because you had already left home for Toronto and the Sisters of Service.I wonder if any of the little kids still remember Dad's store? As far as the frozen strawberry candy goes, my memory draws a blank. I have sort of a vague recollection but not enough to confirm it. Anybody else?
QUOTE OF THE DAY;
Our roots say we're family, but our hearts say we're friends!
-author unknown
Love to all my friends,
ME
xoxoxoxo
xoxoxoxo
It's another riddle unanswered so I'll say the year is 2006.
I don't remember the 5 cent candy store dad set up, nor do I remember the frozen strawberry candies. Then again, I don't remember what I had for lunch today.
I do remember I have to pick up Heather from yoga class...now.
Later
Lucy here,
Paul is planning to play a round of golf early Friday morning on one of the Regina area courses. If anyone is available to tee off with him, he'd like that.
You can e-mail me your guesses, Auntie Louise, so you don't give away any answers!
Dang, I may have to leave on Tuesday now so I can play golf with Paul on Friday before the beach festivities.
Okay calm down, don't over-commit.
No, I won't be able to golf on Friday, but Paul is more than welcome to join us on Monday.
That's okay Thom ... I just spoke to Dave on the phone and he says he will join Paul for golf on Friday morning. Paul has to be back in Kelowna to start work first thing Monday morning so he will have to do his Saskatchewan golfing on Friday.
Luce
Thanks Holly, Grandma and I will send you an email sometime tomorrow. We think we have four answers now.
Louise
Sorry, Mary-Ellen,
I have no memories of either the candy store or frozen strawberries. I guess that's what happens when there are really 2 generations in one. I have great memories of the early days, but almost none of the later ones. With the younger members of the family, it would be the opposite.
Holly,
I think I recogize 3 of your pictures, but will look at them again before hazarding any guesses. Memory is important in figuring them out, but I think it helps if you have an artist's eye. (I don't).
Love, BJ
Louise, I would like to play on Friday with Paul and Dave. Thanks
Good morning Betty Jo,
I find it funny you saying you don't have an artist's eye...and yet you see the beauty in everything.
Lou, Dave and Paul...I'm torn between walking to The Arm or walking on the course. Mark Twain said "Golf is a good walk spoiled". That depends on who you're walking with, both walks will be in great company.
I'm gonna pull a Len.
hi
ps - my lawn looks great. i watered it the other day with rainwater, that is the trick to a nice lush lawn.
ok, i am going overboard with the word lush...
holly - i will check out those pictures today!
Sonia
Good morning!
Ed, your answer to my latest riddle is correct. In 2006 seven great-grandchildren were born and added to the family tree. According to their tree designations, six are great-grandchildren and one is a 2nd great-grandchild.
In the order of their birth:
January 25: Braden Pinvidic
March 8: Presley Rathwell
May 27: Bjorn Butcher
June 4: Jack Antonini and
Davis Antonini
August 26: Piper MacDonald
August 30: Elisabet Gustafson
2006 was a great-grand year, indeed!
And now it's time to post another riddle:
"DIGGING IN" MUST BE DELAYED
UNTIL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IS MADE. AMEN!
LOLOL, Lucy
Lucy again,
Lui ... Paul and David will be pleased to hear that you'd like to join them for a Friday round of golf. Since telephone contact works best for Paul on the road and Dave in transit, I'll keep you posted on the details.
Ed ... I think Paul is planning to tee off as early as possible on Reunion Friday. He doesn't want to miss any of the Regina Beach action either.
Sonia ... Thom will be relieved that my own fears did not deter you from playing in Monday's golf tourney. I should have known that creepers and crawlers wouldn't bother you. By the way, I'm glad Mother Nature is helping you with your yard work.
LOL, Lucy
One more tasty bit of news ....
Grandma, Barbara and I are getting set to make a rice krispie cake for afternoon tea with Aunt Jo. We'll think of you while we are enjoying the fruits of our labours. Yum.
Lucy
Ed,
Thank you for the compliment. I never thought that "seeing beauty in everything" might be thought of as having an artist's eye. I just meant that I can't envision how something might be painted or visualized in its entirety, or how one tiny thing might be morphed into a larger thing. But I guess you could be right. I watched a beautiful sunset last night and an even more beautiful sunrise this morning. And I always go out to look at the moon several times when it is full. Thanks for reconizing something in me that I didn't know about.
Love, BJ
Hey... Somebody is going to have to help me out with Lucy's latest riddle. I'm stumped.
Wanted:
One alto saxophone
i want to learn to play the sax before the reunion so i can do a couple of songs....
hahahahahaha, NOT
but jacob is joining band at school and needs one, so i was looking to rent, buy, steal - no wait. that would be wrong.
and my dad is handy - but he can't make one.
so, if you hear of anyone looking to part with one, please let me know!!
thanks.
this could be a new thing for the blog... people could post ads?
yeah - bad idea. i am going now. off to football!!!
Lou...I think you should record your song it could be a hit.
Lucy...You contribute so much to the blog I would like to change the title to Lucy's Launch.
Wait a minute!!! I've got Lucy's riddle. Duh.
Bless us O Lord, and these our gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen
Dig in
I'm going for supper
Later
comment #300 on Take 3!
Melissa
a quick update on stats
I'm still 600 entries away from being caught up and that only if everyone stops posting and I know that will never happen so I will keep plugging along and I promise that it will be done by the 22 when I leave to come out to Regina.
OK STATS FROM THE FIRST ENTRY (Take 1)
Fine detail yet to be tallied but the entry #'s are...
ME 92
Marty 104
Louise 238
Vic 51
Bjorn 2
Ed 114
Melissa 87
BJ 146
Tony 53
Tricia 10
Mike 79
Christine 10
Marcia 34
Robert 40
Holly 53
Dave B 2
Grandma A 3
Lui 62
Len 5
Therese 36
Sonia 37
Mary E 1
Alan 5
Heather 4
Paul 8
Nicholas 2
Jessica 3
Bob Barker
Michele 14
Keenan 1
Thom 78
Little Eddie 2
Dana 5
Dennis 1
Bonnie 1
Karen 1
Lindsay Elizabeth 1
Junes total number of Entries are you ready .....
1511 Entries WOW!!!
At this point that's All I have stay tuned for more numbers!
Dad, I think you forgot "Please feed the hungry people"!
Gack! I'm in the top ten on Melissa's charts!
BTW, Eddie knows that grace very well, and usually offers to say it for us, since he knows that we can't eat until it's said! I've also noticed that the speed at which he says grace directly corresponds with how hungry he is and how tasty the meal!
Sg = H + Ym (Speed of grace equals Hunger plus Yumminess of meal)
Sorry Thomas: "correspond TO"
Melissa, good job on getting number 300 on Take Three, which, by the way is 2,300 overall.
Looks like I'm going to be way short on my guess at the final number with 2,393.
Darn you Mike for getting the ringleader set up with a computer in Regina. I am, of course, just kidding, I Love Lucy. Haha. I've been waiting for a chance to use that. Seriously, the blog would be, well, let's say seriously diminished without you, Aunt Louise.
For the younger folks, I Love Lucy was a television show from the 1950s. Does anyone from Generation II have a story about the first Antonini TV? I know that you do!
My new guess is 2,460 (still being conservative because I suspect there will be a few lulls.
Holly, good call on "please feed the hungry people," I can still hear Grandma saying that, even though it's been years.
I am making an urgent plea to Tony to put on the instructions for building a kite. As you know Len has volunteered me to fly one, Friday Aug. 24. First of all I have to make one, that's where T-Bone comes in. I don't need any help constructing it I just need some direction. Please.
I'm kinda sorry I brought up my language pet peeves.
In fact, I am very tolerant of colloquial (check spelling) speech. Some of it I find particularly charming.
Lorraine has a couple that just make me smile, like: "I couldn't get a hold TO her." I also love the Quebecois expression: "Close the lights."
Now I'm really missing Lorraine. I feel badly. My angst is comprised of all the little things she does.
Gotta go call her.
Cheerios, for now.
Thomas, the only thing I remember about our first TV was a test pattern that was always on. Later on I remember the Flintstones being on late at night and us not being able to watch it. Then there was Bonanza with Little Joe, Hoss, Adam and Ben. The best was yet to come with the terrific special effects and the amazing acting of Star Trek. I also remember Hockey Night in Canada starting half way through the second period. That's a blast from the past.
Hahahaha. I knew the first TV stories would come out, I just didn't know how quick.
Amen, Ed!
You have come up with the correct answer to yet another riddle.
Mom's Grace before meals is actually a 3-part prayer. You provided the initial request for God's blessing on those who are about to eat and on the food that is being served. .... Amen!
Holly added Mom's personal prayer for hungry people throughout the world ... Amen!
I was waiting for someone else to mention, Mom's closing words of gratitude: " and thank you for my company" ... Amen!
Around here, you learn to wait for that third "Amen" before you begin your meal. It's another one of those family traditions.
Holly, thanks for the cute story about Eddie. Those of us who grew up saying Grace before every meal, know exactly how eager Eddie is to give God glory and get at the grub.
Thom ... here's a timely riddle for you:
A ROYAL STORY WE COULD SEE
THE YEAR WE GOT OUR FIRST TV.
LOL, Lucy
Ed .... about renaming the blog. I appreciate your kind gesture but we like Ed's Edition. You know what happened to Thom when he made changes to your first "take". Please don't spoil a good thing. I promise to remain a loyal contributor.
Love, Lucy
Lucy again,
Here's a blogland clarification.
The computer I am using here in Regina belongs to Christine and Ron. It's their personal laptop and they have loaned it to me while I am staying with Mom.
Their son, Christopher is the Access Cable technician who came to the suite to hook me up to the Internet.
The intial plot to get me back on line was Mike's but before he could put his plan in motion, Christine had made these current arrangements for me.
Thank you Christine, Ron and Christopher for providing this terrific connection to my family and friends.
Here on the blog, I certainly feel needed, wanted, loved and welcomed. Thanks guys!
Love, Lucy
Melissa,
What can I say? Here on the blog, we are not showing you any mercy while you are busy tallying numbers in the countdown to our family reunion. You have 14 days to catch up to us. Good luck!
Love, Louise
....and good night! Lucy
Oooooohhhhh, goody. I know I'm probably the only one online so I have unfettered access to Lucy's riddle. I will take my time.
Obviously, I have no idea when the Antoninis got their first TV. Television was invented in the 1920s but it really didn't pick up until long after. Since my mom was born in 1938 and I know she remembers getting that first TV, that totally lets out the coronation of George VI in 1936 following the abdication of Edward VIII to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson.
In Canada, although many Canadians within close proximity to the American border could pick up signals from there and owned TVs prior to 1952 when the CBC first started broadcasting, television in Canada was not very prevalent anywhere and I suspect certainly not in Regina.
I also know, from my Mom's telling of the story, that Grandpa bought one of the first TVs in the fair prairie city named after Queen Victoria.
Because I am not aware of any significant royal stories, except one, that would have been televised within several years of the founding of CBC TV on Sept. 6, 1952, I am going to have to go with 1953 as the year of the first Antonini TV and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II as the event in question.
Boy, that was fun.
Sorry B.J., 1939.
Good job on the riddle Thomas. Your answer is like a history lesson.
Although I can't remember if 53 was the year, if it was, I probably had a great time playing in the box it came in. Hey! Maybe that's the box Tony and Lui sent me flying down the stairs in.
I really enjoy Mary-Ellens quotes, here's one of my favorites.
"Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others".
Kakuso Okakura...The Book of Tea
I'm off to work. I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening. Hopefully there will be a blogburst today and I'll have some good reading to do when I get home.
Hey everybody, the Man from St. Andrews is coming to visit our fair city. David flies in late tonight and he can't get a better taxi driver.
I'll start off Ed's blogburst.
GO RIDERS!!!
thomas - the date was feb 9 1963 and it was the first appearance of the beatles, i'll never forget, the four mop tops looked like something from outer space, i was only 8 years old but was a beatles fan for life that day. the t.v. was in the south west corner of the living room, i remember it like "yesterday"
the reason i know the date, was after your grandpa died feb 9, 1995 i heard the date, feb 9 1963 on a beatles special, so the date stuck with me of course and i do remember waiting anxiously for the 1st beatles appearance on t.v. that day
love mike
Mike, nice try, but I'm sticking with QEII.
Should be a good one tonight. Kent Austin returns to the scene of the crime. Toronto is struggling. The east sucks.
Also, part 2 of the double-header, I hope the Boo Bummers smack B.C. around real good.
Thom, I think you are correct in your guess. We definately had a TV when I was just a little guy so it had to be early to mid fifties. I quite enjoyed your build up to the answer. Also, I have a 1953 mint coin set that was the first for Elizabeth II. Good job!
Sorry Thom, I must be more careful when I post my comments. Definitely!!
Thomas, here is abuse of the English language pet peeve – ‘irregardless’ – arghhhhhhhhh!
Louise, while your story of losing your letters began as a sad tale, the story of your triumph was inspirational – here’s my Gloria Gaynor tribute to you:
I Will Prevail (sung to the tune of I Will Survive)
At first I was afraid,
it was such a crime.
I kept on losing precious files
on which I’d spent my time
And as I watched my keystrokes fading
to oblivion’s dark night
Did you think I’d ever stop my writing?
Did you think that I’d give up the fight?
Oh no not I,
I will prevail
And every paragraph I save
Will mean I cannot fail.
I’ll write my letters, saving frequently with ease
Computers never more will bring me to my knees
I will prevail!
Ah Therese ... you console me in the loss of my correspondence by writing a song to celebrate my tenacity. Thank you!
Congratulations was the last thing I expected from someone who is so at home and creative around computers. You are too kind and diplomatic. Surely you had a quiet giggle over my simple coping strategy ... yes ... no ... maybe so?
Other things about this technology will continue to give rise to frustrations and "bring me to my knees" but as you proclaim ... I will prevail!
Luv, Louise
Thom ... You did such a terrific job of answering my latest riddle that I don't have to say another thing. I had as much fun reading your considerations as you had in leading us to your correct conclusion. As Ed would say: Good Eye, Thom. Mary Ellen would add: DAMN YOU'RE GOOD!
Well .... perhaps I can add one interesting fact. Our television did not arrive in time for us to watch the June 2, 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. However, some of us arranged to sit in on the action in the home of friends who lived across the street.
Not long afterwards, though,
Dad did buy the family a brand new TV (black and white, of course). In those days, programs started about mid-afternoon and quit again around 10:00 pm. At first, even the test pattern was a fascination for us.
You will have less to chew on with this riddle:
"CLEVER" TREATS MAKE FLOWERS AND FACES;
COLOURS BRIGHTEN CRISPY BASES.
LOLOL, Lucy
Holly,
How are we doing on your Regina images? Grandma, Barbara and I have enjoyed discussing the pictures and sending our responses to you. Six eyes are better than two in this case. Thanks for the memories!
Love, Louise
Our list of attendees is growing as we approach the reunion date. Kenneth has decided to join us and will be in Regina on the 25. So that makes 7 (so far)from our branch of the family.
Love, BJ
BJ has successfully guessed all of the pictures! Here are the answers:
#1: the dormer windows at Sacred Heart Academy, which is now Cathedral Courts. It is an apartment building and also houses the Cathedral's office in the basement. About 4 years ago I attended a retreat at the Cathedral but since the church was booked for organ practice at the time, we got to go across and have mass in the chapel. It was quite a treat!
#2: the window at the entrance of Campion High School, which is now the Regina Christian High Scool.
#3: the shutter at 1140 Garnet - I'm surprised more people didn't get that one right away! I'll post a full picture of the house.
#4: the west stands at "Taylor Field", now Mosaic Stadium.
#5: BJ was the only one to correctly guess that this was the home of Great Grandma and Grandpa (BJ also provided the address of 1677 Athol)
#6: a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the front of Sacred Heart Church, which is now owned by Souls Harbour/Rescue Mission.
#7: is the outside wall of the Auditorium of Sacred Heart School.
#8: of course, is Grandma's now-famous red hair!
Louise you are obviously referring to the myriad of designs mom has made her rice crispy cakes into over the years.
I think we should all bring pictures we have of cakes from bygone days.
I know we have an array of pictures of cakes that are colorful with fascinating designs.
I say let's all bring as many different cakes as possible to pay tribute to mom's rice crispy efforts over the years!!
Sorry, just bring the pictures of the cakes. I doubt if anyone has any of the cakes left and if they did they would be rock hard and too difficult to eat now.
Congratulations to Betty Jo on Holly's contest.
Our numbers are increasing, it's good to hear Kenneth is coming.
I'm still waiting for Tony's instructions to build the kite.
Touchdown!!!!!
I'm still waiting for Tony's instructions for building a kite, too. And believe me, they are worth waiting for! Tony, where are you?
Love, BJ
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious!
- Bill Meyer
Ain't it the truth?
I see our reunion number keeps growing. There is less than 2 weeks to go and I can hear the excitement on the blog. The entries are so much fun to read and I'm loving Ed's Edition aka Lucy's Launch. What a lot of fun we've had and continue to have.
GO NEW DREAM! DO!
Love,
ME xoxoxoxoxo
Hi everyone!
I'm still a daily blog lurker but find I don't have much to contribute myself, so I happily enjoy reading and just BEING part of this family. We're so amazing, aren't we?
On that note, I did want to say to Uncle Lui that I think that your idea of pictures of Grandma's cakes is a very interesting and fun idea.. I know that mom has pictures of cakes dating back to the 80's and before. I think we have a picture of a cake to mark most of the important milestones in my life! :) Thanks Grandma! I love you!
I am so excited about the reunion and I can't believe that we are only a couple of weeks away now! Hugs to everyone. See you soon.
Cousin Barb
Okay Lui,
Good eye on my latest riddle.
I was thinking of the way Mom uses SMARTIES (clever treats)in particular to create colourful designs on her cakes but the cakes themselves fit here too.
Anytime you check Mom's cupboard, you'll find a ready supply of Kellogg's Rice Krispies, Kraft jet-puffed marshmallows, icing sugar, vanilla and Nestles Smarties. Real butter is also on hand, in the fridge. What Mom can do with these ingredients is truly amazing.
You're right, Lou, we should bring pictures of the hundreds of Mom's special cakes that we have enjoyed over the years. They are a tribute to her creativity and love.
Despite our enjoyment, here's something we won't be bringing to our reunion:
THIS FAMILY PASTIME COMES IN PIECES
FUN ASSEMBLING NEVER CEASES!
LOLOL, Lucy
Now, I must go and meet a flight from Calgary. My husband is on board!
Lucy
The answer to the riddle is probably jigsaw puzzles, which some Antoninis have a gift for assembling. I, unfortunately, did not get that gene, and usually fit in one piece to Dad and Heather's 10!
I actually still do have the top of my RK wedding cake, but it is too small to share and surely would be a dental hazard after nearly 10 years in the freezer! However, I will start rounding up the cake pics - my all-time favourite was the Ernie cake that was as a big as me on my third birthday, followed closely by a 3-D koala bear with a nose molded out of chocolate icing. Grandma always had a knack of making the perfect cake and its arrival was always one of the most exciting moments of any occasion!
Kenneth... as in my brother Kenneth? I just talked to him on Tuesday and he said he couldn't make it.
I want credit for getting three... most of those places I've never seen before (or at least not for decades) and I did get the shutter at 1140... huh? huh? huh?
Speaking of Taylor Field (NEVER Mosiac Stadium), how about them Riders.
24-13... buh-bye Big Smoke.
Now we just need the Boo Bummers to come back against the Leos.
Love the idea of RK cake pics for the reunion. I think I still have photos of a guitar cake, grey cup cake and maybe a couple of others. Unfortunately I just went through all my pix and stored them away in a box buried in our storage closet. Now I've got to pull it out again. Oh well.
A couple of funny things about jigsaw puzzles proving the family obsession. Lorraine (crap, now I miss her again and have to go call her) brought one home one day a few months ago. She was uncertain about whether it was an activity I would like and thought we could put it together over time. We spent the entire day and put it together in one sitting.
Another interesting jigsaw tidbit. My two sons Bryen and Patrick were both remarkable puzzle-doers, although in very different ways.
Bryen would meticulously turn over all the pieces. He could pick out the tiniest detail of the picture to match and get the peice in place.
Patrick wouldn't even bother turning them over, he functioned on shape alone.
I find myself doing both.
Finally (you know it's not true), I would be remiss if I didn't mention Tiger Woods.
All I can say is: WOW.
Oh yeah, that puzzle we spent all day putting together became a cat toy as we slept. I don't know if we ever found all the pieces.
Thom, I laughed when I read about the one sitting because we do it all the time. Of course we think we will work on it a little bit at a time but once we start we are obsessed.
We quite often go to ME's at Christmas and Marty and Karen usually come as well. ME always has a new puzzle and I remember a couple of years ago we put it together in under an hour. If I recall correctly ME pulled another one out because we went so fast our addiction was not satisfied!!
Ahhhh!!!
Only two weeks to go and I still don't have my instructions for the kite. If we had kept the one we flew at our last reunion I could have put it together like a jigsaw puzzle and tried again.
I don't do jigsaw puzzles anymore. Betty Jo sent me a Jelly Bean puzzle and it cured me of my addiction. Now I'm just addicted to jelly beans...and a number of other things.
Some people might think I'm addicted to junk food, but that's a myth, I just need something for the slurpee to wash down.
Wow, it's getting close now!
Louise, you've done a fabulous job of keeping us up to date on Mom's activiities and health.
Thom, you should also mention Frank Dancevic.
Ed, you could google kites.....
Holly, great contest. I got 4 correct.
See you all soon (and I mean soon).
Love, Marcia
Good work, Holly!
You put the pieces together perfectly on my latest riddle about jigsaw puzzles.
Our interest in doing jigsaws goes back generations. Great-grandma Antonini decorated the walls of the living room in Knick, Knack, Knook with her favourite puzzle pictures. She and Grandpa always had a jigsaw on the go in their Regina Beach cottage.
Stories told here by Thom, Lui and Ed show that the tradition carries on to this day. Ed may think he doesn't do jigsaws anymore but even he can't resist inserting a few pieces into our latest puzzle project when he drops in at the suite.
It is true, Holly, that some of us did not inherit the jigsaw gene. That might be Grandma's "fault"; she is not the least bit interested in puzzling with Aunt Barbara and me. We can't even entice her to insert the wonderful last piece that completes the assembly of a fractured picture. Ah well, with all this talk about addictions, Mom may be the lucky one.
Here's another riddle about our gene pool:
THIS SKILL WE LEARNED BY WADING IN -
SOME GOOD ENOUGH TO "GROW A FIN"!
LOLOL, Lucy
Lucy here again,
Dave got to Regina safely but not without incident. His 10:50 pm flight from Calgary arrived here at the same time as one of those prairie storms of wind, rain, hail, thunder and lightning.
After circling above the city, the pilot decided not to land. The plane went back to Calgary where the passengers were transferred to a waiting jet for a second flight to Regina.
Westjet finally touched down here at 1:45 am. By then Dave had been in transit for 22 hours. He is just getting up for breakfast now.
Barbara...I read your latest blog entry to Grandma. She was pleased to hear your memories of her cakes. She appreciated the thanks and love you sent her way.
Love, Louise
No, no, no, Edward. Do not google kites. Tony's instructions for making a kite are imbued with his priceless sense of humor. They are the only instructions we want. Shall I get on the phone to him? Everyone should have the pleasure and fun of reading them.
Love, BJ
i'm going home to dig out my rice krispy cake pictures.
love mike
Frank Dancevic
Hahahaha, sorry.
Frank Dancevic
Tennis player
Canadian, Croation descent
Born Sept. 26, 1984 in Niagara Falls
Current ATP (world) ranking: 91 (73 this year) top Canadian
Highest ranking: 82 (Oct. 23, 2006), best Canadian since Sebastien Lareau reach 78th in January 1999.
Made it to the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal this week but came up against Rafael Nadal and lost 6-4, 2-6, 3-6.
Made it to the second round of Wimbledon in June, but went down to David Nalbandian in four sets.
Irregardless of what anyone says, I hate sentences that are comprised of double negatives or double positives.
I.e., Kenneth is coming as well, too.
Did anyone let him know about the golfing opportunities? I hear he hits the ball pretty solid.
Does he know about the blog?
The latest riddle must be swimming. Dad looked like he was wearing fins while he swam and quite a few of the family members have made the swim from the south to the north shore of Last Mountain Lake. I'm not one of them. I know all the strokes but there's the problem of breathing while I'm doing them.
I remember having Brandon and Tricia staying with us while Lou and Marie were on a trip. Brandon was just a little guy, even smaller than me at the time. He was on the Regina Dolphins swim team and practiced every morning. When I asked if he wanted me to get up with him to wait for his ride, he informed me I would "Throw up" if I got up that early.
I think I surprised him though, I heard him rattling the kitchen blinds waiting for his ride. I ended up driving him to practice because his ride forgot he was staying with us.
Oh yeah...I threw up when I got home.
I've started building the kite without the benefit of Tony's expertise. I tried to remember his original instructions, something about measuring once and cutting three times.
I have to go out and get some more wood.
Later
Ah swimming the lake, I'd forgotten all about it. One time Dennis Hoffart was out at the beach visiting and I wanted him to know good I could swim so I swam across the lake and back while he paddled the kayak beside me. I finished the swim in a few hours. Unfortunately it was a very hot, clear day and we both got so badly burned that we blistered and all we could do for the three or four Dennis was there was sit on the sofa with our arms hanging out away from our bodies so our skin wouldn't rub the blisters open. Yikes that sounds more like a nightmare!
ed - that is measure once, cut 3 times, lose your tape measure, screwdriver, knife and pencil.
look for them, keep looking for them, then realize you are kneeling on them....
but the end project always looks like it was built by the best (because it was)
ohhh, almost midnight. better go hang the garlic.
sonia
Screwdriver?
I don't ever remember dad using a screwdriver to build a kite.
Where are those instructions?
Good Morning, Ed
I don't have kite instructions for you but I will congratulate you on giving the correct answer to my latest riddle.
When we were kids, we swam our summers away. You might say that we spent more time in the water than we did on land. Dad was a natural at everything and Mom did a mean breaststoke. Grandma Antonini had a wonderful side stroke. Aunts Vic and Jo did a graceful crawl.
I'm sure there are dozens of swimming stories out there. Ed's tale about Brandon brought back memories of a youthful Antonini star. Lou's burning saga adds a painful touch.
On a recent visit Jessica and Nicholas brought their suits and towels for a swim in the Westfield Towers pool. The tradition lives on in the Antonini family.
Ah... more memories abound:
ANOTHER GAME AT WHICH WE'RE ABLE -
PLAYED UPON A FELT-LINED TABLE!
LOLOL, Lucy
Very funny, Sonia
Your Dad did not build perfect kites by measuring once and cutting three times! If he used a screwdriver at all it functioned as the spool for the string. I recall my Dad doing that very thing once or twice.
Usually the spool was a large stick that Dad twirled magically in a figure 8 movement that allowed him to control the release and return of the kite with ease. Aren't Dads wonderful people?
Did the midnight garlic trick work for you?
Love, Lucy
Mary-Ellen
Guess what we had for supper last night - your frozen chili...yum.
I served the chili with baked potatoes and mixed veggies. As you know, Mom has not been at all hungry since her stay in the hospital.
For the first time since I have been doing the cooking, Mom asked for a little more of everything but the vegetables. (That's a good sign, too.) Even she was surprised at how much she enjoyed last night's meal. Thank you!
Any more good meal ideas?
Love, Lucy
Marcia ... guess who did the breakfast dishes this morning - Mom, while I blogged. Isn't that an encouraging sign?
Though Mom hardly notices her own improvement, she is making good progress towards building stamina for our reunion weekend.
Sometimes the thought of our family gathering overwhelms Mom and she says; "It's too big for me". (I have yet to tell her that's her own fault. Her sense of humour is intact but she is not ready to laugh at a comment like that yet.)
It is good for us to be together.
Love, Louise
Hi Lucy,
Glad you & Mom enjoyed the chili. It's great to hear that she is beginning to enjoy a few things.
Swimmimg - ah-h-h! We loved it, but we all must admit that Vic was the number 1 fish among the 14 of us. She loved to swim for long periods of time and for long distances! It also did not matter to Vic what the weather was doing. She swam no matter how cool or how cloudy the day was. In fact, she claimed the water was warmer on those days.
I remember her asking me to accompany her on a swim from the Little Beach to the Big Beach ( A HUGE task ). Vic swam with long, slow, srong, graceful strokes. I floundered right along side her, stopping every little while to float on my back to rest and catch my breath. Finally the Little Beach was in sight! I struggled up onto the raft and collapsed. Not so Vic. She pulled herself up onto the raft and to my utter astonishment, dived right back in. She did this a number of times, while I hugged the floor of the raft!! Amazing!
After our adventure, we stopped to get a tray of Butler's and walked home down the tracks. What a girl!! HERE'S TO YOU, VIC!!!!
Love,
ME xoxoxoxoxo
Oops. I meant"finally the BIG Beach was in sight". I imagine you all knew that's what I meant. As BJ and her kids would say: What a maroon!
Love,
ME xoxo
Louise,
I thought the pool table at 1140 Garnet was just about the most exotic thing in the world when I was little.
Who has one of those in their house? It didn't make sense to my child's brain, but was enormously fun, when the big boys (uncles) weren't around.
I'll answer another riddle only because Tony and Lui aren't on the blog. The answer is billiards or pool, dad had a table in the basement at 1140. He had a game he played where he would break the balls, send them all down to one end of the table and then sink them in the two pockets at that end, I think his record was 22 shots.
There are quite a few good players in the family, Lou and Tony rank one and two but Brant and Cory are very good as well.
I purchased dad's table when they moved from 1140, I repaired some of the damage it had sustained over the years and replaced the felt. It took up a little too much room in the basement so I sold it to a young fellow who refinished it and replaced the diamonds and pockets. He was really happy with it and wanted me to see it.
Lou and Tony have tables in their basements and we often play when visiting.
hey luce - i believe your talking about the pool table in the basement at 1140.
thomas - ii've never heard of frank dancevic before, but i'll be watching for him now.
dennis hoffart, now theres a name from the past.
dads latest swimming story, shortly before he died, i'd go for a swim with him a couple a times a week, at the suite, and he would slowly make his way to the pool, cane in hand, down through the basement tunnel, back up to the pool area, he would slowly get ready, move gingerly as he entered the pool, then he would transform into a fish, i can still hear the water swooshing like a small boat was leaving a wake, i would watch in amazement as he would stride from end to end like he was a kid again, i love this memory , and i love that i get to share it with everyone reading the blog, thanks ed for getting it started, and thanks to everyone else that keeps it going.
love mike
i see i'm a little late on the latest riddle. lol
I see Thomas beat me to the answer while I was typing. I was surprised to see no one had answered anyway, so good for you Thom.
I remember Thomas filling in for us during league play not that many years ago. I think we played that night at the German Club.
sorry, ed and mike... a little too slow on the uptake, there
of course you're at the disadvantage that I type for a living
Whoa!!! Thanks for the memory Mike. It took me a bit of time to read cause I got something in my eye part way through.
I have to admit, I have almost no recollection of filling during league play. Probably because I'm so unskilled, I helped you lose and have blotted it out of my memory.
Yeah Thom. Typing is not one of my talents. My lessons are not coming along so good, I always seem to have something better to do.
Yeah, it's like anything, if you do it enough you get good at it. At least if I ever get bounced out of the journalism game, I could become a secretary... oops, sorry executive assistant.
Dancevic is only 22, wouldn't it be something to see a Canadian actually get into the upper echelon of world tennis?
My memory tells me dad always wore a bathing cap when he swam. I would be standing in a couple feet of water, that's about as deep as I went, and dad would be what seemed like a mile out. His cap would duck beneath the water and the next I saw him his head would pop up in front of me close enough to spew a stream of water from his mouth on me.
Interesting, Tennis world number 1 Federer and Golf world number 1 Tiger are both putting on clinics this weekend. And I'll get to watch them both. The PGA should be wrapping up just in time for the final of the Rogers Cup.
tigers in the bushes on number 2, oh! oh!
He's on the green at three now, but dropped a stroke at two
T-Bone,
WHERE ARE YOU? Edward needs the kite instructions. I heard them the year you guys had your first reunion and it was one of the funniest things I had ever heard. Please share it with the rest of us.
Lucy,
What good news about Mom. You sure are good for her. I have passed your comments on to Vic and she is delighted.
And you are right about the swimming stories. Before I could really swim, I somehow managed to get myself out just beyond where I could walk back. I kept trying to get traction on the bottom of the lake and I kept losing ground. I figured I was going to drown, when suddenly a hand grabbed mine and pulled me in. It was Gordie(?)Wimpney, Great Grandma's nephew. I guess he could see I was in trouble, and although he was a terrible tease and sometimes played tricks on us, he was very kind and didn't make fun of me or tell anyone else. I was very grateful and had a whole new image of him. People can really surprise you sometimes.
Mary-Ellen,
You didn't mention the synchronized swimming you and Vic used to do. Remember a few years back when you tried to teach me how to do it in Mom's pool. We tried a few routines and I laughed so hard I nearly drowned. Well, those are my 2 swimming stories.
Love, BJ
Holy cow,
I started typing my latest blog at #374 and by the time I posted we were up to #390. I like Mike's swimming story best. I also like all the pool stories.
Love, BJ
Hey mom, those sound more like drowning stories than swimming stories.
BTW, talked to Kenneth last night, looks like he'll get into Regina Saturday morning and leave Monday.
When was the last time all six of us were together?
I don't ever remember swimming all the way across Last Mountain Lake, but when I was a teenager we used to swim across the Ottawa River a similar distance at Constance Bay to go to Quebec. I think their might have been female motivation involved... gotta love those French girls.
Of course, I meant there not their... where's an editor when you need one?
Right on, Thom!
Your answer to my latest riddle goes beyond the game of pool to the table that we played on in the basement of our Garnet Street home.
For some reason, the guys went on to play a lot more pool than the girls did. Those of us who don't play pool or snooker understand the games though; we are good spectators and fans.
Thanks for telling us about Dad's solitaire play on his pool table, Ed. I'm glad to hear that the table went to someone who restored it and proudly showed you the finished item.
Now, I wonder who will get the answer to this toughie?
COMPOSED BY MOM, BUT WHO REMEMBERS
THIS HOME-MADE PRAYER FOR FAMILY MEMBERS?
Love, Lucy
D'oh! I guess the Rogers Cup final was played earlier and was being televised at 4:30 (PT) because I just heard a report about who won. I won't mention it, though, just in case anyone is lurking who may still be planning on watching it. Wouldn't want a repeat of the Marcia Wimbledon fiasco.
Mike....thanks for the swimming story about Dad. I read it to Mom and she laughed with delight at the point where I she a tear ... at the image of Dad swimming "like a kid again".
After my back surgeries in the mid-80's, the only place that I could move with any ease and comfort was in a swimming pool. I can relate to Dad's freedom of movement in the water. I'm so glad for him.
Love, Lucy
Good thinking, Thom, that's very considerate of you.
In the meantime, we are watching Tiger live. He is just starting the back nine and nobody knows the final result on this one.
Ha! Who am I kidding?
Lucy
Yeah, it's really suspenseful. Ernie just dropped a shot at 12 so the lead is four and I wouldn't be surprised if Tiger drains this putt.
Realistically this tournament was over on Friday night.
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