Happy March 1 everyone! Here in Calgary, March came in with a mixture of the lion and the lamb. In parts of the city we had bizarre periods of white out snow conditions, while in other parts of the city it was mild and dry.
Whatever that means to us here, (if it will go out like a lion or a lamb) I'm not sure, but it is just wonderful to know that we are in the month of spring.. snow or not!!
It's Mother's Day in the UK! Here it is referred to as "Mothering Sunday". The displays of greeting cards, flowers, candies and gifts have recalled good memories of our mothers and of my own long-ago parenting days.
So ... all you mothers, wherever you are, have a good day today. Here in Scotland, we salute you!
Well...it seems that the March blog has come in like a lamb. Maybe as Ed's Edition nears its first birthday on March 18th, a storm of entries will appear.
That's right blogatives, we have been at this for almost a year. Ed is on his 10th posting and we have made a total of 4278 comments, including this one.
BTW ... Today I looked at the wool-clad sheep in the farm fields of Fife and wondered, "Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?"
I'm a-walkin' in the rain, Tears are fallin' and I feel the pain. Wishin' you were here by me, To end this misery And I wonder. I wah-wah-wah-wah-wonder, Why. Why, why, why, why, why, She ran away. And I wonder, Where she will stay-ee-ay, My little runaway. My run, run, run, run, runaway.
Thanks Kbub, now I've got the Runaway organ solo stuck in my head.
It's amazing that we're almost at a year with this blog and although most have become blurkers and March came in like a lamb, at 4,283 comments that's still a pretty respectable 12 per day.
Thom ... my sister, Christine, calls that tune stuck in your head an "ear worm". I guess that's a good description of how it gnaws away in your mind over and over again.
Dave and I like your latest report on our "respectable" average of 12 comments a day in just under a year of blogging on Ed's Edition. You often have a unique, forward-looking perspective on statements and stats.
March did come in like a lamb here in Regina, with a beautiful 1 degree (yes, that's on the positive side of the thermometre!). It was finally warm enough for us to get outside and make some snowmen - you know you're a (Western) Canadian when you have to wait for spring for it to warm up enough to make a snowman! Anyways, that lamb was eaten by a lion, because March 2nd saw a -28 degree windchill. Ouch.
It's a good thing that you have learned to seize the moment in Saskatchewan, Holly. At least the snowmen, created at +1 degree will survive and enjoy the -28 degrees of the following day. We hope they are standing where the children can see them from inside a warm and comfy home.
Man! I didn't know you guys were over here. I've been blogging on the old thread.Someone better warn me next time! I wondered where Lucy had gone - 2 days in a row and no sign of her is what I thought. So you'll find a couple of messages from BJ, Marty and me back on the old thread. Now, I've got some catching up to do. Later all.
We hope you have a terrific day of artistic inspiration, musical enjoyment and real-life drama. Celebration should be easy since you ARE that package of talents all rolled into one.
Relax, make the time special with family and friends, and celebrate YOU. Today we toast your health and happiness. Cheers!
Mary-Ellen ... thanks for taking us back to February's thread. It has a great series of closing comments, with a playful quotation from Dr. Seuss, clever verses by BJ and you, feedback from Marty, and important forwarding info, courtesy of Kenneth. Bloggers and blurkers alike should check it out.
It seems to me that Ed is setting a pattern for 2008. He has done a new posting on the first day of each month so far. Maybe we should watch for a new thread on April 1. In the meantime, we are all back on the same track again ... Marching on.
Hi Everybody and thanks to Ed for his new thread with his opening poem. Louise, I should have known you had to be here somewhere. By the way, I love your "wonderings". Next time if nobody's here, I'll know to check for a new thread. What a maroon!
Happy Birthday, Marty!! This one's for you.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a super hero. - Marc Brown
Happy Birthday to my little brother AND my super hero!
I wonder..... how come I'm always the last to know! You've done it again. Gone on to a new thread without me. Well, I'm here now, and from now on I am going to check more closely.
Happy birthday Marty.
Thanks for the Mothering day greeting, Lucy.
Thanks for the invitation Thomas. Right now it doesn't look like we'll get there for the party, but we'll mark the date just in case.
Barb and Holly, You might live in Canada if the weather is part of your daily conversation. Yesterday we had a record high. Today we have another storm warning for tonight and tomorrow. Only 16 days till the first day of spring.
Hey all you blurkers, come aboard. We miss you. Love, BJ
BJ ... we wonder how come Ed's latest posting doesn't automatically appear when people sign onto the blog. That's what happens on our computer. Anyway, welcome back.
Thom ... your June 28th Canada Day party sounds terrific. We are not likely to be there for it but we have already marked our calendar, just in case Canada draws us home.
Marty ... we're glad your birthday is going well. Here in Scotland it is just 45 minutes from being over for another year.
Lucy, Maybe because I bookmark each thread??? Don't know why it doesn't come up automatically, but I have no trouble getting into the new thread once I know about it. BJ
The Barker Branch of our family tree tells us that you are 21 years old today.
The tree may have stretched out in all directions but our roots are still connected. So, today, we join the people who are closest to you in wishing you health and happiness.
Thanks, Thom, We were hoping that Patrick would get our birthday greetings, one way or another.
Today David and I both had early morning dental appointments and railway bookings to tend to. Once we took care of the mundane, we went to a luncheon concert presented by Scottish Fiddlers at Younger Hall on the University Campus.
This time next week we will be on a 4-day excursion that includes a train trip to Newcastle in England, ferry travel on the Queen of Scandanavia across the North Sea to Bergen, Norway , a bus trip through the fjords of Norway to Stavanger. a return ferry trip to Newcastle and train ride home to St. Andrews. We will be gone from March 11th to the 14th. We'll keep you posted on our impressions.
Sorry for the confusion. The idea that Patrick is 21 just seems outrageous to me. When I first read it, I thought "That's absurd, Patrick can't be 21".
And the "competition" for ridiculous things wasn't from this blog, but from some of the junk I end up reading at work.
Thanks, Kenneth, Overstatement aids understanding. I'm sure that Thom didn't need your explanation, but I did. I just got thinking too hard about what you had to say.
(You have to admit that we sometimes feature silly stuff on the blog and we've even had competitions that some might consider ridiculous.) LOL, Lucy
We're in a freeze! I do not tease. Our blog was once a hive of bees. We loved to stop and shoot the breeze And interact with daily ease. I tell you now upon my knees I miss the mix of he's and she's. And though my verse is oozing cheese, I'm saying, "Please!" Love, Louise
In response to Lucy's clever, clever plea for interaction, and also as a ruse to learn more about our family, I am starting a 'breaking' news department. Anyone is free to answer. Or if you want to contribute--just make your contribution in the form of a question:
Which member of this family fell victim to a Canadian winter and 'broke' an ankle falling off an icy curb? Love, BJ
...Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"...
ah, you've got to love the English language
practice is generally a noun meaning a habitual or customary operation (i.e., doctor's practice)... to practise is a verb meaning both the act of operating a practice and to rehearse or learn by repetition
CONFUSION: in Britain (and by extension former colonies) the verb can also become a noun as in "you need more practice"
MORE CONFUSION: by operating a practice, a person is more than likely also practising (i.e., learning by repitition)
STILL MORE CONFUSION: in the U.S. the spelling has become interchangeable as practice (presumably because it's easier to accept misuse of the language than teach Americans English)... this is unusual because normally when Americans "standardize" English words, they go with the "s" rather than the "c" as in licence/license
to be fair, the yanks may be onto something, although if you're going to simplify a cumbersome language like English, a more elegant solution would be to discontinue the meaning and use of the verbs practise and license in favour of the better verbs rehearse, prepare and learn and permit and allow
...why the sun lightens our hair but darkens our skin
both skin and hair contain melanin, a brownish-black pigment that filters ultraviolet rays (hence evolution of dark-skinned people whose ancestors lived in tropical zones) the sun triggers production of melanin in skin, which is made up of living cells, but breaks down melanin in hair, which is made up of dead cells
Wow, Quite a bit of activity on the blog this morning. Thanks again Louise, for all your wonderings and thanks to Thom for his answers to your wonderings! Louise, your pleading poem seemed to spur people on and even our snow-bound sister responded with a "Breaking News" challenge. BJ, I'm pretty sure the answer to your question is: our own Vic! She was at university in Saskatoon at the time, and the break she experienced was a very bad one. As a result, she has hardware in her ankle! I remember it well because I was also in Saskatoon at that time. Did I win?
Thom ... I had not expected anyone to answer any of my wonderings, especially with such attention to detail, scientific research and fun. Thanks! BTW ... I believe that YOU are the only person in the family having a CD mastered at this time. How's it going?
BJ ... I don't remember you ever breaking an ankle but you DID go to Saskatoon before Slippery Vic got there. Did you also take a fall the year before she did?
ME ... your timely quote makes me wonder how it is that others accomplish so much more than I do in the same 24-hour day. I'm going to guess that they seize the moments that I let slip away.
How is something that happened (no offence Vic) more than 40 years ago BREAKING NEWS? Unless of course you're talking strictly about people who have broken things. I broke a plate the other day, does that count?
Technically speaking, Luce, it's actually Ken who is having the CD mastered today.
I like your answer to my fishy question better than the one I had in mind, Thom. But, did you ever hear the story about Edward casting his line and catching himself in the back of the leg? He calmly limped home to find someone who might remove the hook from his calf.
BTW ... don't get too technical, now, the CD that Kenneth is having mastered is YOURS, right?
Now I know I can answer that question.. none other than my mom, Mary Ellen! I don't know how many toes she has broken, but I think almost each one has had a turn! Am I right?
I just caught on to this "breaking news" theme. Are there really enough broken-bone stories in our family to keep the thread going?
As far as I know, I have never broken a bone in my entire life. I stubbed a toe very hard once but I didn't see a doctor about it so I have no proof that the foot bone was as broken as it felt.
I'm going to guess that Mike Wohlberg may have broken his ribs on a dirt bike. He certainly did a lot of riding.
Don't be too forlorn yet. I don't get home til 4:30.
I'll add some breaking news. I have broken my nose, but if I follow Thomas's lead...it was the ball that hit it that broke it the first time and two weeks later it was the kid who hit me in the nose that broke it, and the two weeks after that it was the dresser I fell against that broke it...so "technically" speaking I never broke my nose.
Thanks for the clue about the bike incident, Louise. BJ, I'm guessing that since it was Mike's bike, but not Mike who fell, it must have been his fearless sister, Michele. What a girl!
More breaking news: Who had their nose broken 3 times, in a matter of weeks, by a baseball? I'm sure everyone knows this one. Ouch, ouch, ouch is all I can say!
OOPS! Ed snuck in his comment as I was sending my "news". Hi, Eddie, it's so good to hear from you; I loved your reasoning that technically YOU didn't break your nose. I still say, ouch, ouch, ouch!
Ooh. I know this one. The broken ribs belong to Bob Barker, who fell off Michael's dirt bike at the farm and had to be driven into town with bruised body and bruisder ego.
BJ ... I would never have guessed that Bob once broke ribs riding a motorbike. Now I've heard everything!
ME ... I was trying to recall the story of Ed's thrice-broken nose but I, too, forgot the details (ouch, ouch, ouch). True to form, Ed provided them for us, himself, in a light-hearted way.
Ed ... Is there really no answer to the question, "Who wrote the book of love?" Who asked the question in the first place?
Thom ... Dave and I visited www.thombarker.com before he went golfing this morning. It's an eye-catching, honest and impressive site; you have been busy!
Kenneth ... and you have been practicing! Don't worry, your month's silence on Art Facts has been filled with previously recorded pieces. You play for us on demand.
Marty ... your feedback is always so enthusiastic and funny. Somehow I don't think Kenneth's "great groove" featuring the "cunning cowboy", would be "coool stuff" at the Calgary Stampede. It has a "kick" of a different sort altogether.
Yes, Kenneth, it was Bob who broke his ribs. He hit a gravel shoulder on the country road outside the farm. And Lucy, you haven't heard quite everything. When we took him to the hospital in North Battleford he was treated by the same doctor who had treated him when he was a child living in N Battleford. And while we were there a man with a shot gun came in and tried to take his wife from the hospital and had to be taken away by the police. It ended up being quite an exciting holiday.
What member of the family broke an arm while staying in a very safe house?
When I was in high school, Dennis Hoffart and I went out on the town one night and after a few too many I ended up laying down in the back seat of the car for a little snooze. Dennis decided he was ok to drive so he took the wheel. Unfortunately, he side swiped a telephone pole. The breaking news is that my feet were hanging out the back window, on the side that hit the pole. Hey Ed, remember that gigantic cast I had on my leg!!!!
Last Sunday we were at the Globe Theater on 11th Ave. After the play we came out to find a police card on the windshield of our car. I could see a piece of a bumper lying on the ground behind the car and a broken tail light in front, very suspicious, I checked the bumpers and sides of the car to see if there was damage, a few smudges I thought might have already been there but not the kind of damage that would leave the mess that was at either end of the car. When I got hold of the cop who left his card he told me to check the roof. Sure enough there were two dents deep enough to "break" the paint on the passenger side. Monday's Leader Post had a picture of our car parked beside a large sign laying in the drive lane. The wind had ripped the Royal Bank sign off the building and it bounced off the roof of the car before hitting the ground. Whichever way you look at it, it was either good or bad timing, we were only at the show for two hours.
Oh, BJ ... I think I know the answer to your breaking news. Mom tripped in Vic's home and broke her arm. You couldn't find a safer place or a more watchful hostess. Mom even called Wohlberg's home, 311 - a bit of heaven. She fell while she was pacing around, saying her rosary.
BJ ... I think that might have been Tony, brought home from an outdoor skating rink. If it was, his cousin, Joe, developed a sympathy limp that lasted long after Tony's own leg had healed completely.
Sunday brunch with the family may turn into a birthday party for you today. We hope so.
Whatever happens, Holly, Eddie, Mia, Lui and Ellie are sure to make the day special, with their gifts, wishes and love. With a family like that, everyday is cause for celebration in the Gustafson home.
We wonder if you'll have a special rice krispie cake for your birthday. That seems to be a family tradition that adds to the surprise and enjoyment of the day.
You're right, Thom But then there are multiple birthdays in every month in this family. January (15) has most but the March(13)and April(14)counts are high, too. It seems that whatever people are doing in June is happening in April and July, too.
I will pass on the birthday wishes to Jamie. This morning mom had a birthday brunch for him after church with all his favourite brunch foods, so instead of a birthday cake, he had a "birthday pea-meal bacon". This is the perfect birthday "cake" for someone who wants to open up a restaurant called "Seconds", where instead of dessert, they just serve more supper.
Thanks, Holly I am a dessert-first kind of person myself. Maybe I could open a restaurant beside Jamie's and call it "Sweet Seconds". He could serve seconds of the main course and I could double up on the desserts.
In any case, cake or no cake, Deanie's brunch in honour of Jamie was probably a hit for the entire family. From what I have heard those Sunday brunches after morning Mass are always enjoyable.
Today the UK is being hit by the same storm that recently dumped all that snow on Eastern Canada. We're not getting the brunt of it here on the east coast of Scotland but reports from down south are bleak.
Here's hoping Scotland doesn't equal the 56 cm in our latest snowstorm, bringing our total for this winter to 411 cm. That is 33 cm shy of our all time total. We are NOT, I repeat, NOT hoping to break that record! No doubt, you are all as tired of hearing about it as we are of having it.
Which member of the family broke a finger just two weeks before a piano exam? Guesses allowed.
Lucy again, BJ ... we won't ever get tired of your precipitation reports or of Bob's glorious pictures of Ottawa's winter wonderland. Remember, we are merely observers of the close to record-breaking snowfall that you are experiencing first-hand.
Heck, you're so close now ... go ahead and set a new record in 2008 and and keep us posted.
Yes, it was Tony who broke his leg. And it was Kenneth who broke his finger. Fortunately, it was only a hairline crack, and he was able to do the exam with only an occasional twinge.
Congratulations on winning the national award for your Ian Bush story, Thomas. Well done!
PPS: There IS a debate about whether we should go for the record.
About 407 cm (13.4 feet) of snow has fallen in the city so far this year, which approaches its seemingly invincible record of 445 cm, also set in 1970-71.
Nearing the record has produced a sharp though good-natured divide between those winter-weary souls who say enough already, and those who want to have something to tell their grandchildren.
"Bring it on! Be brave," said Marc Moreau, smoking outside an Ottawa office building in a group where snow was the only topic of conversation.
"Second is good enough for me," disagreed his friend John Carmichael, hoping, probably in vain, that this past weekend will have seen the last snowfall.
Our next snow is expected on Wednesday, but we have been promised just a little bit of the stuff.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches. -e.e.cummings
Our skiiers would probably love some of that snow Ottawa's been getting. However, my Bob says Calgary doesn't want it because it would ruin the golfing! Yes, they're starting to golf here lately, with our warm weather. Go figure!
Thanks Thom ... we will be away from our computer for the next few days. As soon as we return from our travels, we'll revisit your website for words and music.
We doubt very much that Stephen's son, Cory, is a blog blurker but we want to wish him an early Happy Birthday for tomorrow, March 12. Will someone in the Barker family relay our greetings, please?
HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY, CORY! Tomorrow we will be sailing on the Queen of Scandanavia, bound for Norway. We'll raise a toast to you as we cross North Sea waters. May your life's journey be smooth and adventuresome ... cheers! Louise and David
Hi, Margaret March 12th is likely to bring you over to St. Andrews from Cupar to celebrate your Dad's mid-week birthday.
Just in case we are lucky enough to catch you blurking:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISLES! Your card should be hand-delivered, on time, by Royal Mail. You will be in our thoughts as we make our way north on your special day.
Can you believe it? We are somewhere south of Bergen on our way to Stavanger, taking a lunch break. We found a free internet access. Our bus is leaving again...bye LOL, Lucy
Thomas, Snow report from Ottawa: 415 cm and counting. More coming. Roads are one lane wide. If you meet another car on the street one of you has to back into a driveway to let the other pass.An oil truck got stuck on our street yesterday. The air was blue from the driver's cursing. Traffic lights have the cross buttons buried in snow, or pedestrians cannot get close enough to reach them to press. Only roads are being cleared in the down town area. Sidewalks are impossible. With impeccable timing Ottawa police are ticketing people who are jaywalking. A couple of roofs in Ottawa have caved in; fortunately no one was hurt. We are all suffering from snow insanity. Bob can no longer get to the feeders at the back of the yard; his snowshoes would hold him up but he can't get to the top of the banks at the edge of the walk.
To answer your other question: I think Burtyn (Manitoba skip) has had surgery and the marks on his skull are the results of that.
Lucy, Louise and Steve have shown Cory your birthday greetings. Aren't you lucky there are so many birthdays in March--totally justifies the wee drams you and David are enjoying. We are anxious to hear about your Norwegian trip.
Marty and others, I was really asking for song titles made up by you, not titles already in existence. I figured you, Lui, Thomas, Kenneth and Mary-Ellen could all come up with some original howlers.
That's all folks! Waiting to hear from the rest of you.
Hi again, Tonight we are back in St. Andrews. Our travels were new and exciting from beginning to end. We didn't spend long in any one place but while we were in Norway we had a terrific tour guide who was informative and funny.
Bergen and Stavanger are Port cities that date back to the 13th century. We were able to get a sense of their strategic location for trade and commerce then and now. The cross-islands road system that connects them is a series of spectacular bridges, deep mountain and undersea tunnels and fast ferries.
The North Sea ferry trip going to Norway was smooth and easy for us. Returning was rough and difficult, but we are back on solid ground and feeling better already.
The weather was mostly dry, cool and sunny everywhere we went. What luck, eh!
March 15 ... we are already half way through the third month of 2008. Is anyone else out there trying to apply reins on racing Time these days?
The March edition of our Barker Bugle was in the mail for us when we arrived home from Norway. My sense of urgency was heighted by the three front page headings "February Fading", "Marching In ..." and "The End is Near". I poured myself a cup of coffee, read on, and took all the time I needed to read and enjoy this latest issue. Thanks, again, BJ!
Not only the 15 of March, but the Ides of March. The soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar: "Beware the Ides of March" has come to be used as a metaphor for impending doom. In reality Ides was just the 15th day of the months March, May,July, and October and the 13th day of the other 8 months. Let's hope this year's Ides isn't the forecast of yet more snow!!
How could I have forgotten the Ides of March? Julius Caesar was on the high school English curriculum when I was a student at Sacred Heart Academy and it was still required reading years later when I taught English literature classes in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon and BC.
Ok everybody, put on your thinking caps, get ready to access your memory, and do some deducing because this quiz is tough. I'll see how you do with the numbers only, then add some clues for the ones you don't get. The answers are all places we may remember.
Freaking amazing!! Betty Jo is probably shaking her head over 403-2830. Dad would ask "how many" when told how often she sent mail there. Then I realized she probably sent mail to Grandpa and Grandma as well as the Coopers. I knew the Cooper's myself but I had to drive by the house on Athol for Ma and Pa's as Auntie Jo would call them. I had to call Len on the cabin address. I had to look up the Grey Nun's, Sacred Heart and the Academy, where Marcia also attended. 1140 and 1544 were sure things I figured. I'll give you a bit more time, I think some one could figure out 3350.
Ed... could 3350 be the Albert Street address where the Precious Blood Monastery used to be? We visited it often as children but I can't remember the house number.
I thought I had put in the Gordon Street one when I answered. I certainly knew it and recognized it immediately.I should have done them in order, I guess. It was fun.
I knew you had just forgotten to put the suite in Betty Jo. You had sent mom too many parcels not to have recognized that one immediately. I read an interesting book that explains us doing things like that. We see ourselves doing something, it stores in our memory and we remember having done it, without actually having done it. It's kind of an interesting theory. Louise, it's not the Precious Blood Monastery, although that's one I was going to include. This building was in all 14 lives but significant? It was nott.
Wow!!! Really amazing, I figured you would be able to get all the places but not so quickly. Did the double t help. We all walked across the Scott grounds on our way to Sacred Heart. I hope my little quiz brought back a few good memories.
Betty Jo...the book I read is titled STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS by Daniel Gilbert, if you like, I can mail it to you.
Oh yes, the extra "t" helped Ed. Right away I wondered why it was there. My next guess seemed to fit your description and the 3300 block address was possible.
Wow busy weekend on the blog. I guess we've got Lucy's return to Fife and Ed's groovy number contest to thank.
I've got a reverse number game for y'all.
Lorraine and I just got back from a little weekend getaway in Moose Jaw. On the way back we tried to visit Grandma and Grandpa, but I couldn't find the site. Anyone know the number of their section?
Louise and David Butcher have become the first ever owners of my new album Twice the Usual.
Not only am I happy to have my first sale, but I now know that the buy buttons on my Website are working, woo hoo.
You can check it out at:
www.thombarker.com
There you can also find my latest award-winning article, pictures of my art and a bunch of self-indulgent text including my songwriting journal and Ken's technical journal about the album.
Everything now appears to be working, although my dad had trouble with the music which is supposed to play when the home page loads. It asked him to download a plugin. I'm working on a better solution, but if anybody else has any issues with the site, please let me know.
Luce, when I get the CDs (probably mid-April), I will open the first one and number and sign it so it will be forever marked as the first ever copy sold. Thanks.
Now that is exciting, Thom. Thanks. I often listen to selections from your Twice the Usual album on Art Facts and I'm becoming quite familiar with your songs. David and I look forward to having our own numbered and signed CD whenever it arrives.
BTW, we have been running into the same home page download request as your Dad and have not been able to hear your music on your own site. It's a fascinating place to explore though.
Your award-winning article on Ian Bush is both gripping and emotionally draining. Congratulations on being able to hold the reader's interest from beginning to end.
Lucy, I'll accept all your answers although some of mine were different. Anyone who fits the initials and is a singer is acceptable. Mine were: Louis Armstrong Jimmy Buffet Jimmy Durante, Dale Evans The other 2 were the same as yours. I didn't know Liz Anderson
Thomas, Mom and dad's address is block 116D plot 13 lot a. The easiest way for me to find it is to spot the veteran's monument. The road that runs along the east side of that ends up running immediately north of block 116.
MARCH 17, 2008 St. Patrick Day Greetings to bloggers and blurkers alike!
May the sun shine, all day long, Everything go right and nothing wrong. May those you love bring love back to you And may all the wishes you wish come true.
I think we should celebrate the birthday of the blog by encouraging all the blurkers out there to post something (even if it's just a happy birthday). It would also be nice to see if we could get a first time blogger on. Maybe we could set a record for the highest volume or the highest number of unique logins (i.e. different people). Then we can have fireworks! It's going to be just like New Year's.
That was fun from Armstrong to Zamfir, Betty Jo! Thanks.
Now the excitement is building for tomorrow's big blog birthday celebrations. Can you believe that we have been contributing to Ed's Edition for a whole year? As of this entry we are at 10 original postings and 4460 comments.
Thom, do you really think there are any blirgins out there? BJ, have you added that term to your blog lexicon?
Yes, Lucy, I have added blirgin to the Blexicon. The original Blexicon had 60 entires. The Addenda had 21. Sadly, I have only had 3 new ones since the addenda. I wonder if I missed any.
Thomas, Am I right in assuming that a Blirgin is a Blog virgin, a first time blogger, especially one who has not blogged within the first year of the Blog? That is the definition I gave it, so correct me if I'm wrong. Mom
189 comments:
grab your coat and grab you hat
leave your worries on the doorstep
life can be so sweet
on the sunny side of the street
think about it, it follows Ed's post perfectly
Happy March 1 everyone! Here in Calgary, March came in with a mixture of the lion and the lamb. In parts of the city we had bizarre periods of white out snow conditions, while in other parts of the city it was mild and dry.
Whatever that means to us here, (if it will go out like a lion or a lamb) I'm not sure, but it is just wonderful to know that we are in the month of spring.. snow or not!!
Cheers and hugs to all.
Cousin Barbara
It's Mother's Day in the UK! Here it is referred to as "Mothering Sunday". The displays of greeting cards, flowers, candies and gifts have recalled good memories of our mothers and of my own long-ago parenting days.
So ... all you mothers, wherever you are, have a good day today. Here in Scotland, we salute you!
Love, Louise and Dave
Well...it seems that the March blog has come in like a lamb. Maybe as Ed's Edition nears its first birthday on March 18th, a storm of entries will appear.
That's right blogatives, we have been at this for almost a year. Ed is on his 10th posting and we have made a total of 4278 comments, including this one.
BTW ... Today I looked at the wool-clad sheep in the farm fields of Fife and wondered, "Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?"
LOL, Lucy
What causes you to wonder?
...If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
...Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
...Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
LOL, Lucy
I wonder...
I'm a-walkin' in the rain,
Tears are fallin' and I feel the pain.
Wishin' you were here by me,
To end this misery
And I wonder.
I wah-wah-wah-wah-wonder,
Why.
Why, why, why, why, why,
She ran away.
And I wonder,
Where she will stay-ee-ay,
My little runaway.
My run, run, run, run, runaway.
I should have known that someone in this family would hear a song of "wonder" coming on! That's a good one, Kenneth.
Today I'm wondering:
...why "abbreviated" is such a long word.
...why the man who invests our money is called a broker.
...why we don't ever see the headline: "Psychic Wins Lottery".
LOL, Lucy
Thanks Kbub, now I've got the Runaway organ solo stuck in my head.
It's amazing that we're almost at a year with this blog and although most have become blurkers and March came in like a lamb, at 4,283 comments that's still a pretty respectable 12 per day.
Thom ... my sister, Christine, calls that tune stuck in your head an "ear worm". I guess that's a good description of how it gnaws away in your mind over and over again.
Dave and I like your latest report on our "respectable" average of 12 comments a day in just under a year of blogging on Ed's Edition. You often have a unique, forward-looking perspective on statements and stats.
Haven't we done well, folks?!
Love, Luce
March did come in like a lamb here in Regina, with a beautiful 1 degree (yes, that's on the positive side of the thermometre!). It was finally warm enough for us to get outside and make some snowmen - you know you're a (Western) Canadian when you have to wait for spring for it to warm up enough to make a snowman! Anyways, that lamb was eaten by a lion, because March 2nd saw a -28 degree windchill. Ouch.
It's a good thing that you have learned to seize the moment in Saskatchewan, Holly. At least the snowmen, created at +1 degree will survive and enjoy the -28 degrees of the following day. We hope they are standing where the children can see them from inside a warm and comfy home.
Today the mailman brought me my generous inheritance from Mom's modest estate. I am feeling nostalgic and grateful as I retire for the night.
Thanks, Mom, wherever you are!
Love, Louise
Man! I didn't know you guys were over here. I've been blogging on the old thread.Someone better warn me next time! I wondered where Lucy had gone - 2 days in a row and no sign of her is what I thought. So you'll find a couple of messages from BJ, Marty and me back on the old thread. Now, I've got some catching up to do. Later all.
Lagging behind,
ME xoxoxoxo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARTY!
We hope you have a terrific day of artistic inspiration, musical enjoyment and real-life drama. Celebration should be easy since you ARE that package of talents all rolled into one.
Relax, make the time special with family and friends, and celebrate YOU. Today we toast your health and happiness. Cheers!
Lots of love,
Louise and David
Thanks Lucy
I just had a birthday last year. I can't believe another one is here already.
Having fun reading all the great stuff.
Lead me not, into temptation.
I already know, the road all too well.
Lead me not, into temptation.
I can find it, all by myself.
Lots of love and lol,
Marty
Wow, I see you were still awake when we posted your birthday greetings, Marty.
Or maybe you are already celebrating? The verse of the song you're singing on the blog suggests that might just be the case! Have fun.
LOL, Lucy
Mary-Ellen ... thanks for taking us back to February's thread. It has a great series of closing comments, with a playful quotation from Dr. Seuss, clever verses by BJ and you, feedback from Marty, and important forwarding info, courtesy of Kenneth. Bloggers and blurkers alike should check it out.
It seems to me that Ed is setting a pattern for 2008. He has done a new posting on the first day of each month so far. Maybe we should watch for a new thread on April 1. In the meantime, we are all back on the same track again ... Marching on.
Lucy
Hi Everybody and thanks to Ed for his new thread with his opening poem. Louise, I should have known you had to be here somewhere. By the way, I love your "wonderings". Next time if nobody's here, I'll know to check for a new thread. What a maroon!
Happy Birthday, Marty!! This one's for you.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a super hero.
- Marc Brown
Happy Birthday to my little brother AND my super hero!
LOL,
ME xoxoxooxxoox
Happy Birthday Marty!
Love Sonia
Happy Birthday Mar-tay, hope you have a great Par-tay.
Thanks guys
Y'all made my day.
Love,
Martin
Speaking of great parties, pencil in June 28 for my Canada Day Party. This will be a bash modeled on my legendary Austin Canada Day shindigs:
live music
outdoor movies
fireworks
a lamb roasting on a spit on the beach
Don't miss it!
I wonder..... how come I'm always the last to know! You've done it again. Gone on to a new thread without me. Well, I'm here now, and from now on I am going to check more closely.
Happy birthday Marty.
Thanks for the Mothering day greeting, Lucy.
Thanks for the invitation Thomas. Right now it doesn't look like we'll get there for the party, but we'll mark the date just in case.
Barb and Holly,
You might live in Canada if the weather is part of your daily conversation. Yesterday we had a record high. Today we have another storm warning for tonight and tomorrow. Only 16 days till the first day of spring.
Hey all you blurkers, come aboard. We miss you.
Love, BJ
BJ ... we wonder how come Ed's latest posting doesn't automatically appear when people sign onto the blog. That's what happens on our computer. Anyway, welcome back.
Thom ... your June 28th Canada Day party sounds terrific. We are not likely to be there for it but we have already marked our calendar, just in case Canada draws us home.
Marty ... we're glad your birthday is going well. Here in Scotland it is just 45 minutes from being over for another year.
Good night, everyone!
Lucy,
Maybe because I bookmark each thread??? Don't know why it doesn't come up automatically, but I have no trouble getting into the new thread once I know about it.
BJ
Happy Birthday, Patrick!
The Barker Branch of our family tree tells us that you are 21 years old today.
The tree may have stretched out in all directions but our roots are still connected. So, today, we join the people who are closest to you in wishing you health and happiness.
Cheers and best wishes,
Louise and David
Yes, indeed, my youngest is 21 today. It's hard to believe. (I know, BJ, "how do you think I feel, I have a grandson who's 21).
I realize it is trite to say it, but sometimes a hackneyed cliche is appropo, they grow up so fast.
I don't think Patrick is even blurking round here, but I will pass along the birthday wishes.
Thanks, Thom,
We were hoping that Patrick would get our birthday greetings, one way or another.
Today David and I both had early morning dental appointments and railway bookings to tend to. Once we took care of the mundane, we went to a luncheon concert presented by Scottish Fiddlers at Younger Hall on the University Campus.
This time next week we will be on a 4-day excursion that includes a train trip to Newcastle in England, ferry travel on the Queen of Scandanavia across the North Sea to Bergen, Norway , a bus trip through the fjords of Norway to Stavanger. a return ferry trip to Newcastle and train ride home to St. Andrews. We will be gone from March 11th to the 14th. We'll keep you posted on our impressions.
Lots of love, Luce
@b@bigdog: Yes, indeed, my youngest is 21 today.
That's the most ridiculous thing I've read today (and there was competition).
Lucy here.
Now, I'm confused, Kenneth.
Sorry for the confusion. The idea that Patrick is 21 just seems outrageous to me. When I first read it, I thought "That's absurd, Patrick can't be 21".
And the "competition" for ridiculous things wasn't from this blog, but from some of the junk I end up reading at work.
Thanks, Kenneth,
Overstatement aids understanding.
I'm sure that Thom didn't need your explanation, but I did. I just got thinking too hard about what you had to say.
(You have to admit that we sometimes feature silly stuff on the blog and we've even had competitions that some might consider ridiculous.)
LOL, Lucy
When I woke up this morning
You were on my mind
And you were on my mind....
Lucy
Lucy again. Wondering....
...why the sun lightens our hair but darkens our skin.
...why apartments are all stuck together.
...why Noah didn't swat those two mosquitoes.
We're in a freeze! I do not tease.
Our blog was once a hive of bees.
We loved to stop and shoot the breeze
And interact with daily ease.
I tell you now upon my knees
I miss the mix of he's and she's.
And though my verse is oozing cheese,
I'm saying, "Please!"
Love, Louise
BREAKING NEWS.....
In response to Lucy's clever, clever plea for interaction, and also as a ruse to learn more about our family, I am starting a 'breaking' news department. Anyone is free to answer. Or if you want to contribute--just make your contribution in the form of a question:
Which member of this family fell victim to a Canadian winter and 'broke' an ankle falling off an icy curb?
Love, BJ
...Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"...
ah, you've got to love the English language
practice is generally a noun meaning a habitual or customary operation (i.e., doctor's practice)... to practise is a verb meaning both the act of operating a practice and to rehearse or learn by repetition
CONFUSION: in Britain (and by extension former colonies) the verb can also become a noun as in "you need more practice"
MORE CONFUSION: by operating a practice, a person is more than likely also practising (i.e., learning by repitition)
STILL MORE CONFUSION: in the U.S. the spelling has become interchangeable as practice (presumably because it's easier to accept misuse of the language than teach Americans English)... this is unusual because normally when Americans "standardize" English words, they go with the "s" rather than the "c" as in licence/license
to be fair, the yanks may be onto something, although if you're going to simplify a cumbersome language like English, a more elegant solution would be to discontinue the meaning and use of the verbs practise and license in favour of the better verbs rehearse, prepare and learn and permit and allow
Who broke their ankle? I'm guessing Stephen.
BREAKING NEWS:
Which member of this family is having a new CD mastered as we speak?
WARNING: SCIENCE CONTENT
...why the sun lightens our hair but darkens our skin
both skin and hair contain melanin, a brownish-black pigment that filters ultraviolet rays (hence evolution of dark-skinned people whose ancestors lived in tropical zones) the sun triggers production of melanin in skin, which is made up of living cells, but breaks down melanin in hair, which is made up of dead cells
...why Noah didn't swat those two mosquitoes...
hahahahahahahahaha
...why "abbreviated" is such a long word...
from the latin brevis=short (root of the word brief), thus breviare=shorten + ad=to leading to late Latin abbreviatio (nominative form)...
don't worry, though, you can abbreviate it to abbr.
...why we don't ever see the headline: "Psychic Wins Lottery...
obviously, because a synonym for psychic is charlatan (although i'm sure they would claim some kind of ethical convention)
Wow,
Quite a bit of activity on the blog this morning. Thanks again Louise, for all your wonderings and thanks to Thom for his answers to your wonderings! Louise, your pleading poem seemed to spur people on and even our snow-bound sister responded with a "Breaking News" challenge. BJ, I'm pretty sure the answer to your question is: our own Vic! She was at university in Saskatoon at the time, and the break she experienced was a very bad one. As a result, she has hardware in her ankle! I remember it well because I was also in Saskatoon at that time. Did I win?
Love,
ME xoxoxo
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.
- Charles Richards
Sieze the day!
LOL,
ME xoxoxoox
Mary-Ellen,
Yes, it was Vic.
Someone else in this family broke an ankle in Saskatoon the year before Vic. Who was it?
BJ
Now, that's more like the old blog!
Thom ... I had not expected anyone to answer any of my wonderings, especially with such attention to detail, scientific research and fun. Thanks!
BTW ... I believe that YOU are the only person in the family having a CD mastered at this time. How's it going?
BJ ... I don't remember you ever breaking an ankle but you DID go to Saskatoon before Slippery Vic got there. Did you also take a fall the year before she did?
ME ... your timely quote makes me wonder how it is that others accomplish so much more than I do in the same 24-hour day. I'm going to guess that they seize the moments that I let slip away.
LOL, Lucy
BREAKING NEWS:
Which fishing member of this family walked home with the biggest catch on the end of the line?
Lucy
How is something that happened (no offence Vic) more than 40 years ago BREAKING NEWS? Unless of course you're talking strictly about people who have broken things. I broke a plate the other day, does that count?
Technically speaking, Luce, it's actually Ken who is having the CD mastered today.
Lou is probably the biggest 'catch' in the family... is it Marie?
I like your answer to my fishy question better than the one I had in mind, Thom. But, did you ever hear the story about Edward casting his line and catching himself in the back of the leg? He calmly limped home to find someone who might remove the hook from his calf.
BTW ... don't get too technical, now, the CD that Kenneth is having mastered is YOURS, right?
Luce
Yes, Thomas, breaking news...was meant to be who broke what.
Vic broke her ankle in S'toon. Mary-Ellen was the one who broke it the year before.
What member in the family has broken the most toes?
BJ
Now I know I can answer that question.. none other than my mom, Mary Ellen! I don't know how many toes she has broken, but I think almost each one has had a turn! Am I right?
Barbara
Barb,
You will have to ask your mother how many; I only know that she has broken more toes than anyone else. So you are right about that.
What member of the family had a nose deliberately broken by doctors to correct a nasal condition?
BJ
Could that nose belong to the biggest fish ever caught by our family?
Marty
If Lui is the biggest fish, then you are right Marty.
Whose ribs were broken in a fall from a dirt bike?
BJ
You might live in Canada if you are hoping for a 35 cm snowfall..... instead of the 35 to 50 cm predicted for tomorrow in Ottawa.
BJ
Doesn't anyone else have any "breaking" news? Or is it too morbid a subject?
Love, BJ
I just caught on to this "breaking news" theme. Are there really enough broken-bone stories in our family to keep the thread going?
As far as I know, I have never broken a bone in my entire life. I stubbed a toe very hard once but I didn't see a doctor about it so I have no proof that the foot bone was as broken as it felt.
I'm going to guess that Mike Wohlberg may have broken his ribs on a dirt bike. He certainly did a lot of riding.
LOL, Lucy
No, Lucy, it wasn't Mike, although it was his bike that the victim fell from. So you are getting warmer.
I was hoping that some of the people who broke things would come forward. I guess it is a forlorn hope.
BJ
Don't be too forlorn yet. I don't get home til 4:30.
I'll add some breaking news. I have broken my nose, but if I follow Thomas's lead...it was the ball that hit it that broke it the first time and two weeks later it was the kid who hit me in the nose that broke it, and the two weeks after that it was the dresser I fell against that broke it...so "technically" speaking I never broke my nose.
Thanks for the clue about the bike incident, Louise.
BJ, I'm guessing that since it was Mike's bike, but not Mike who fell, it must have been his fearless sister, Michele. What a girl!
More breaking news:
Who had their nose broken 3 times, in a matter of weeks, by a baseball? I'm sure everyone knows this one. Ouch, ouch, ouch is all I can say!
Love,
ME xoxoxoxo
I know Lou could answer this but I wonder if Thom can.
I wonder wonder who, oouu who
OOPS! Ed snuck in his comment as I was sending my "news".
Hi, Eddie, it's so good to hear from you; I loved your reasoning that technically YOU didn't break your nose. I still say, ouch, ouch, ouch!
Love you,
ME xoxoxoxoxo
Holy Smoke Ed,
You snuck in another one! Love it & you, too.
ME xoxoxoxo
Sorry, Mary Ellen,
It was not Michele who fell off the bike. It wasn't Thomas either, but he probably knows who it was.
BJ
Well then, BJ, is it that modern-day biker -.... your daughter, Louise??
Getting puzzled,
ME xoxoxoxoox
No, Mary Ellen, It wasn't from that generation. Look for an older (and totally unexpected) person.
BJ
....wrote the book of love?
YO, check it out the new AND improved:
www.thombarker.com
is now online!!!!
PLEASE, somebody buy my new CD so I can make sure the BUY NOW buttons are working
also feel free to point out any broken links, bad grammar or any other improvements you can think of
cheers
You're right Thomas. They never find out who it was.
Ooh. I know this one. The broken ribs belong to Bob Barker, who fell off Michael's dirt bike at the farm and had to be driven into town with bruised body and bruisder ego.
And for those who had given up hope...
I've broken my month-long blog silence over at art-facts with a new recording. This was a tough one (which is why it took so long).
Marty, if the Takacs was like climbing Everest in your underwear, this one is like climbing Everest while pregnant with triplets.
(Not that I've ever been pregnant with triplets).
(Or climbed Everest).
Wow!
Now THAT sounds tough.
I'll have a listen K
Marty
Hey Kenneth
Holy smoke signal!
That cunning cowboy kicked.
What a great groove.
That's nothing like the cowboy music I play during Stampede.
You sound better and better every time I hear you.
Coool stuff.
Marty
Happy Birthday, Presley, dear
We hear you're turning TWO.
Your mom, Christine, and daddy, James,
Will celebrate with you.
You bring them joy and fill their lives
With love and lots of fun,
And everyday throughout their year
You are their NUMBER ONE.
So, let the birthday song ring out;
Let gifts and food abound.
Today a cuter Birthday Girl
Can simply not be found.
Happy Birthday wishes with lots of love,
Louise and David
Whew, it was a busy night on the blog.
BJ ... I would never have guessed that Bob once broke ribs riding a motorbike. Now I've heard everything!
ME ... I was trying to recall the story of Ed's thrice-broken nose but I, too, forgot the details (ouch, ouch, ouch). True to form, Ed provided them for us, himself, in a light-hearted way.
Ed ... Is there really no answer to the question, "Who wrote the book of love?" Who asked the question in the first place?
Thom ... Dave and I visited www.thombarker.com before he went golfing this morning. It's an eye-catching, honest and impressive site; you have been busy!
Kenneth ... and you have been practicing! Don't worry, your month's silence on Art Facts has been filled with previously recorded pieces. You play for us on demand.
Marty ... your feedback is always so enthusiastic and funny. Somehow I don't think Kenneth's "great groove" featuring the "cunning cowboy", would be "coool stuff" at the Calgary Stampede. It has a "kick" of a different sort altogether.
LOL, Lucy
Yes, Kenneth, it was Bob who broke his ribs. He hit a gravel shoulder on the country road outside the farm. And Lucy, you haven't heard quite everything. When we took him to the hospital in North Battleford he was treated by the same doctor who had treated him when he was a child living in N Battleford. And while we were there a man with a shot gun came in and tried to take his wife from the hospital and had to be taken away by the police. It ended up being quite an exciting holiday.
What member of the family broke an arm while staying in a very safe house?
Love, BJ
Here's some 'breaking news':
(now that mom's gone and won't find out)
When I was in high school, Dennis Hoffart and I went out on the town one night and after a few too many I ended up laying down in the back seat of the car for a little snooze. Dennis decided he was ok to drive so he took the wheel. Unfortunately, he side swiped a telephone pole. The breaking news is that my feet were hanging out the back window, on the side that hit the pole.
Hey Ed, remember that gigantic cast I had on my leg!!!!
Lui,
hahahahahahaha
er, i mean... that's awful
and don't be too sure grandma won't find out
Lui,
You are so right. There are some things a mother should never know! How did we all ever make it to 21?!
Love, BJ
Here's breaking news of another sort.
Last Sunday we were at the Globe Theater on 11th Ave. After the play we came out to find a police card on the windshield of our car. I could see a piece of a bumper lying on the ground behind the car and a broken tail light in front, very suspicious, I checked the bumpers and sides of the car to see if there was damage, a few smudges I thought might have already been there but not the kind of damage that would leave the mess that was at either end of the car. When I got hold of the cop who left his card he told me to check the roof. Sure enough there were two dents deep enough to "break" the paint on the passenger side. Monday's Leader Post had a picture of our car parked beside a large sign laying in the drive lane. The wind had ripped the Royal Bank sign off the building and it bounced off the roof of the car before hitting the ground. Whichever way you look at it, it was either good or bad timing, we were only at the show for two hours.
All passengers accounted for.
Whew
I thought I had control...I tried
But now I would be satisfied to hold on.
Chris Smithers
HEY!!!...Hold on Lou!!
I remember asking you about that big cast and all you had to say was..You shoulda seen the other
guy.
Confused,
Marty
Eddie
Now THAT...is breaking news.
Mart
Edward,
Wow! That definitely qualifies as "breaking" and breaking news. Thank goodness no one was in the car when it happened.
Love, BJ
Oh, BJ ... I think I know the answer to your breaking news. Mom tripped in Vic's home and broke her arm. You couldn't find a safer place or a more watchful hostess. Mom even called Wohlberg's home, 311 - a bit of heaven. She fell while she was pacing around, saying her rosary.
You might ask, "Where was her Guardian Angel?"
LOL, Lucy
Right you are Lucy,
Another family member fell victim in the winter time, breaking a leg and being brought home on a sleigh.
BJ
BJ ... I think that might have been Tony, brought home from an outdoor skating rink. If it was, his cousin, Joe, developed a sympathy limp that lasted long after Tony's own leg had healed completely.
Lucy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMIE!
Sunday brunch with the family may turn into a birthday party for you today. We hope so.
Whatever happens, Holly, Eddie, Mia, Lui and Ellie are sure to make the day special, with their gifts, wishes and love. With a family like that, everyday is cause for celebration in the Gustafson home.
We wonder if you'll have a special rice krispie cake for your birthday. That seems to be a family tradition that adds to the surprise and enjoyment of the day.
Cheers to you, Jamie!
Love and best wishes,
Louise and David
there seem to be an awful lot of birthdays in March... hmmm, wonder what people are doing in June...
Happy B-day James
You're right, Thom
But then there are multiple birthdays in every month in this family. January (15) has most but the March(13)and April(14)counts are high, too. It seems that whatever people are doing in June is happening in April and July, too.
Luce
I will pass on the birthday wishes to Jamie. This morning mom had a birthday brunch for him after church with all his favourite brunch foods, so instead of a birthday cake, he had a "birthday pea-meal bacon". This is the perfect birthday "cake" for someone who wants to open up a restaurant called "Seconds", where instead of dessert, they just serve more supper.
Thanks, Holly
I am a dessert-first kind of person myself. Maybe I could open a restaurant beside Jamie's and call it "Sweet Seconds". He could serve seconds of the main course and I could double up on the desserts.
In any case, cake or no cake, Deanie's brunch in honour of Jamie was probably a hit for the entire family. From what I have heard those Sunday brunches after morning Mass are always enjoyable.
Love, Louise
Today the UK is being hit by the same storm that recently dumped all that snow on Eastern Canada. We're not getting the brunt of it here on the east coast of Scotland but reports from down south are bleak.
Lucy,
Here's hoping Scotland doesn't equal the 56 cm in our latest snowstorm, bringing our total for this winter to 411 cm. That is 33 cm shy of our all time total. We are NOT, I repeat, NOT hoping to break that record! No doubt, you are all as tired of hearing about it as we are of having it.
Which member of the family broke a finger just two weeks before a piano exam? Guesses allowed.
Love, BJ
I don't specifically remember that, but it had to be Kenneth... bet he aced it anyway
The following is not actually "breaking news" but it is breaking news
Which member of this family won a national newspaper award today for best feature story?
It had to be you, Thom. Tell us more!
Luce
BJ ... I was going to guess you on the broken finger but Thom thinks it was Kenneth.
Was I right about Tony's sleigh ride home with a broken leg?
Lucy
Lucy again,
BJ ... we won't ever get tired of your precipitation reports or of Bob's glorious pictures of Ottawa's winter wonderland. Remember, we are merely observers of the close to record-breaking snowfall that you are experiencing first-hand.
Heck, you're so close now ... go ahead and set a new record in 2008 and and keep us posted.
Lucy,
Yes, it was Tony who broke his leg. And it was Kenneth who broke his finger. Fortunately, it was only a hairline crack, and he was able to do the exam with only an occasional twinge.
Congratulations on winning the national award for your Ian Bush story, Thomas. Well done!
love, BJ and Mom
PS: Regarding going for the snow accumulation record:
SNOW WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
PPS:
There IS a debate about whether we should go for the record.
About 407 cm (13.4 feet) of snow has fallen in the city so far this year, which approaches its seemingly invincible record of 445 cm, also set in 1970-71.
Nearing the record has produced a sharp though good-natured divide between those winter-weary souls who say enough already, and those who want to have something to tell their grandchildren.
"Bring it on! Be brave," said Marc Moreau, smoking outside an Ottawa office building in a group where snow was the only topic of conversation.
"Second is good enough for me," disagreed his friend John Carmichael, hoping, probably in vain, that this past weekend will have seen the last snowfall.
Our next snow is expected on Wednesday, but we have been promised just a little bit of the stuff.
BJ
Where can we read Thom's award-winning Ian Bush Story?
Lucy
I'll post it on my website tomorrow.
Hi All,
I've been blurking and enjoying the comments.
BJ, this one's for you.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches.
-e.e.cummings
Our skiiers would probably love some of that snow Ottawa's been getting. However, my Bob says Calgary doesn't want it because it would ruin the golfing! Yes, they're starting to golf here lately, with our warm weather. Go figure!
Cheers,
ME xoxoxo
Thanks Thom ... we will be away from our computer for the next few days. As soon as we return from our travels, we'll revisit your website for words and music.
We doubt very much that Stephen's son, Cory, is a blog blurker but we want to wish him an early Happy Birthday for tomorrow, March 12. Will someone in the Barker family relay our greetings, please?
HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY, CORY!
Tomorrow we will be sailing on the Queen of Scandanavia, bound for Norway. We'll raise a toast to you as we cross North Sea waters. May your life's journey be smooth and adventuresome ... cheers!
Louise and David
Hi, Margaret
March 12th is likely to bring you over to St. Andrews from Cupar to celebrate your Dad's mid-week birthday.
Just in case we are lucky enough to catch you blurking:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISLES!
Your card should be hand-delivered, on time, by Royal Mail. You will be in our thoughts as we make our way north on your special day.
Best wishes and lots of love,
Louise and David
Good bye for now Blogatives!
Today we are taking Alexander Graham Bell's advice:
"Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods. You will be certain to find something you have never seen before."
Norwegian Wood here we come!
Hey Louise, that sounds like a great name for a song!
Just leave off 'here we come'.
Hey everyone,
Maybe we should have a contest to see who can come up with the best,looniest,funniest, punniest,wildest,or weirdest original song title.
"There's snow in the air, in my hair, everywhere"
Love, BJ
One of my favorites:
" I can't get over a girl like you,
so answer the phone yourself".
Martyn
I'm so miserable without you, it's almost like you're here
Here's another one:
My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend and I Sure Do Miss Him.
ME xoxoxo
Here's a beauty:
"Yer wife's been cheatin' on us again"
.
With a little editing that could be a great 7-word story, Mar-tay.
Figures, Lucy leaves, blog dies.
Are we really so in need of leadership, that we have to wait for her to get back from Norway.
B.J. where are the snow reports? Are you buried?
There are still thousands of brilliant country song titles out there.
C'mon people I'm counting on you for my daily entertainment. Don't make me go find another blog!
Just kidding about that finding another blog remark, I'd feel too guilty cheating on Ed's Edition.
Okay, I've got a question for you. I'm watching the brier. What the hell is that orange crap Manitoba skip Kerry Burtnyk is wearing on his noggin?
I figure there has to be plenty of expertise in this family on adrogenic alopecia to get an answer.
I Kissed Her Ruby Red Lips
and Left Her Behind for You.
.
Can you believe it? We are somewhere south of Bergen on our way to Stavanger, taking a lunch break. We found a free internet access. Our bus is leaving again...bye
LOL, Lucy
Thomas,
Snow report from Ottawa:
415 cm and counting. More coming. Roads are one lane wide. If you meet another car on the street one of you has to back into a driveway to let the other pass.An oil truck got stuck on our street yesterday. The air was blue from the driver's cursing.
Traffic lights have the cross buttons buried in snow, or pedestrians cannot get close enough to reach them to press. Only roads are being cleared in the down town area. Sidewalks are impossible. With impeccable timing Ottawa police are ticketing people who are jaywalking.
A couple of roofs in Ottawa have caved in; fortunately no one was hurt.
We are all suffering from snow insanity.
Bob can no longer get to the feeders at the back of the yard; his snowshoes would hold him up but he can't get to the top of the banks at the edge of the walk.
To answer your other question: I think Burtyn (Manitoba skip) has had surgery and the marks on his skull are the results of that.
Lucy,
Louise and Steve have shown Cory your birthday greetings. Aren't you lucky there are so many birthdays in March--totally justifies the wee drams you and David are enjoying. We are anxious to hear about your Norwegian trip.
Marty and others,
I was really asking for song titles made up by you, not titles already in existence. I figured you, Lui, Thomas, Kenneth and Mary-Ellen could all come up with some original howlers.
That's all folks! Waiting to hear from the rest of you.
Love, BJ
Here's an original song title:
"I Done Broke My Nose... Again"
Hi again,
Tonight we are back in St. Andrews.
Our travels were new and exciting from beginning to end. We didn't spend long in any one place but while we were in Norway we had a terrific tour guide who was informative and funny.
Bergen and Stavanger are Port cities that date back to the 13th century. We were able to get a sense of their strategic location for trade and commerce then and now. The cross-islands road system that connects them is a series of spectacular bridges, deep mountain and undersea tunnels and fast ferries.
The North Sea ferry trip going to Norway was smooth and easy for us. Returning was rough and difficult, but we are back on solid ground and feeling better already.
The weather was mostly dry, cool and sunny everywhere we went. What luck, eh!
BJ ... I knew it wouldn't be long before someone would notice all those celebratory wee drams that David and I are enjoying. Cheers!
Holly ... was your song title inspired by your Dad's sad tale of a thrice-broken nose? It's a good one - ouch.
Think I'll try a take-off, too:
"Every little freeze, causes pain in my knees".
LOL, Lucy
March 15 ... we are already half way through the third month of 2008. Is anyone else out there trying to apply reins on racing Time these days?
The March edition of our Barker Bugle was in the mail for us when we arrived home from Norway. My sense of urgency was heighted by the three front page headings "February Fading", "Marching In ..." and "The End is Near". I poured myself a cup of coffee, read on, and took all the time I needed to read and enjoy this latest issue. Thanks, again, BJ!
As ME might be heard to say: "What a girl!"
Love, Lucy
Lucy,
Not only the 15 of March, but the Ides of March. The soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar: "Beware the Ides of March" has come to be used as a metaphor for impending doom. In reality Ides was just the 15th day of the months March, May,July, and October and the 13th day of the other 8 months. Let's hope this year's Ides isn't the forecast of yet more snow!!
Love, BJ
How could I have forgotten the Ides of March? Julius Caesar was on the high school English curriculum when I was a student at Sacred Heart Academy and it was still required reading years later when I taught English literature classes in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon and BC.
Thanks for the memories, BJ.
Lucy
Ok everybody, put on your thinking caps, get ready to access your memory, and do some deducing because this quiz is tough. I'll see how you do with the numbers only, then add some clues for the ones you don't get. The answers are all places we may remember.
1140
473
3210
1314
1544
403-2830
4101
3350
1677
3225
Good luck, talk amongst yourselves, see if you can amaze me.
1140 Garnet Street. The family home. Grandpa A built it. Mom and Dad and family had it next. Chris and Ron had it last.
1544 Albert Street. Antonini and Sons Marble Tile and Terrazzo.
1677 Athol Street Emily and Silvano Antonini moved there from 1140.
3210 Dewdney. Betty and Art Cooper's home.
1314 Elphinstone Street. Sacred Heart School.
4101 Dewdney Grey Nun's Hospital
Those are the ones I can remember.
BJ
Wow! I'm impressed, I'll add some clues tomorrow if you guys need them.
Nice work, BJ!
Ed ... I'm confident of my first answer but not so sure on the second and third. I'm still working on 3350.
403-2830 Gordon Road: Mom's and Dad's suite number in Westfield One
473 Green Avenue: Mary-Lou, the family cottage at Regina Beach
3225 13th Avenue: Sacred Heart Academy, the alma mater of BJ, Vic, Louise and ME, now a posh condo complex
Lucy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 10 YEAR-OLD!
Emily, you're 10 today!
(We checked the family tree)
And we hope your celebrations
Are as grand as they can be.
'Cause turning 10 is special:
We count fingers, toes and more...
We count down from 10 to "BLAST OFF!"
We count up to "PERFECT SCORE!"
So we add our friendly greetings
To the many you will get
May this birthday with 10 candles
Be your very best one yet!
Lots of love and warm wishes,
Louise and David
Freaking amazing!!
Betty Jo is probably shaking her head over 403-2830. Dad would ask "how many" when told how often she sent mail there.
Then I realized she probably sent mail to Grandpa and Grandma as well as the Coopers. I knew the Cooper's myself but I had to drive by the house on Athol for Ma and Pa's as Auntie Jo would call them.
I had to call Len on the cabin address.
I had to look up the Grey Nun's, Sacred Heart and the Academy, where Marcia also attended.
1140 and 1544 were sure things I figured.
I'll give you a bit more time, I think some one could figure out 3350.
Unbelievable!
As Mary Ellen would say, "You guys are good!"
Ed... could 3350 be the Albert Street address where the Precious Blood Monastery used to be? We visited it often as children but I can't remember the house number.
Still guessing, Lucy
Ed,
I thought I had put in the Gordon Street one when I answered. I certainly knew it and recognized it immediately.I should have done them in order, I guess. It was fun.
Love, BJ
Lucy,
I'm pretty sure Stephen blurks, but just in case they miss it, I have sent your greetings on to Emily and have told them it is on the Blog.
Love, BJ
Thanks, BJ
Love, Lucy
I knew you had just forgotten to put the suite in Betty Jo. You had sent mom too many parcels not to have recognized that one immediately. I read an interesting book that explains us doing things like that. We see ourselves doing something, it stores in our memory and we remember having done it, without actually having done it. It's kind of an interesting theory.
Louise, it's not the Precious Blood Monastery, although that's one I was going to include. This building was in all 14 lives but significant? It was nott.
OK Ed, my next guess is 3350 7th Avenue: Scott Collegiate?
Lucy
PS: was the double "t" on not a clue?
Ed,
I can ascribe to that theory. I do it all the time!!! I would like to read the book. Do you remember what it was?
Love, BJ
MEAN GUY DO ODOR !!
WOW! You guys have great memories. You're not getting older, you're getting better!
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
God was just showing off when He created you.
- from the movie Keeping The Faith
LOL,
ME xoxoxoxo
Thanks for the vote of confidence, ME. Today's quote is a gem.
DITTO to you, girl!
Lucy
Thanks Mary Ellen,
Back at you!
BJ
Wow!!! Really amazing, I figured you would be able to get all the places but not so quickly. Did the double t help. We all walked across the Scott grounds on our way to Sacred Heart. I hope my little quiz brought back a few good memories.
Betty Jo...the book I read is titled STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS by Daniel Gilbert, if you like, I can mail it to you.
Oh yes, the extra "t" helped Ed. Right away I wondered why it was there. My next guess seemed to fit your description and the 3300 block address was possible.
That was fun! What's next?
LOL, Lucy
Thanks Edward,
I'll try to get it at the library. If I can't I might take you up on your offer.
How about an alphabet quiz?
Name these six singers (male or female, any category).
last name first,
e.g. A,G
AUTRY, GENE
A,L
B,J
C,N K
D,J
E,D
F,N
If you get these, I'll post 6 more.
Love, BJ
Wow busy weekend on the blog. I guess we've got Lucy's return to Fife and Ed's groovy number contest to thank.
I've got a reverse number game for y'all.
Lorraine and I just got back from a little weekend getaway in Moose Jaw. On the way back we tried to visit Grandma and Grandpa, but I couldn't find the site. Anyone know the number of their section?
Louise and David Butcher have become the first ever owners of my new album Twice the Usual.
Not only am I happy to have my first sale, but I now know that the buy buttons on my Website are working, woo hoo.
You can check it out at:
www.thombarker.com
There you can also find my latest award-winning article, pictures of my art and a bunch of self-indulgent text including my songwriting journal and Ken's technical journal about the album.
Everything now appears to be working, although my dad had trouble with the music which is supposed to play when the home page loads. It asked him to download a plugin. I'm working on a better solution, but if anybody else has any issues with the site, please let me know.
Luce, when I get the CDs (probably mid-April), I will open the first one and number and sign it so it will be forever marked as the first ever copy sold. Thanks.
Now that is exciting, Thom. Thanks. I often listen to selections from your Twice the Usual album on Art Facts and I'm becoming quite familiar with your songs. David and I look forward to having our own numbered and signed CD whenever it arrives.
BTW, we have been running into the same home page download request as your Dad and have not been able to hear your music on your own site. It's a fascinating place to explore though.
Your award-winning article on Ian Bush is both gripping and emotionally draining. Congratulations on being able to hold the reader's interest from beginning to end.
Luce
BJ ... I think I know the singers you have listed but I may date myself here:
A,L - Liz Anderson
B,J - Joan Baez
C,N K - Nat King Cole
D,J - John Denver
E,D - Don Everly
F,N - Nelly Furtado
LOL, Lucy
Lucy,
I'll accept all your answers although some of mine were different. Anyone who fits the initials and is a singer is acceptable. Mine were:
Louis Armstrong
Jimmy Buffet
Jimmy Durante,
Dale Evans
The other 2 were the same as yours. I didn't know Liz Anderson
Next 6:
G, J
H, E
I, B
J, T
K, C
L, J
Love, BJ
Oh, I get it now, BJ! It's an alphabet of singers and anything goes! Here goes, then:
G,J - Judy Garland
H,E - Engelbert Humperdinck
I,B - Billy Idol
J,T - Tom Jones
K,C - Carole King
L,J - Jerry Lee Lewis
BJ, I suspect you're going to get a lot of different answers to your alphabetical singer quiz.
Here's mine for your last half dozen:
Gary, John
Harris, Emmylou
Idol, Billy
Jacks, Terry
Khan, Chaka
Lennon, John (of course)
Thomas, Mom and dad's address is block 116D plot 13 lot a. The easiest way for me to find it is to spot the veteran's monument. The road that runs along the east side of that ends up running immediately north of block 116.
I know I will get a lot of different answers, but that's half the fun. They are all correct and I am hoping to get lots more.
My answers were:
Josh Groban
Engelbert Humperdink
Burl Ives
Tom Jones
Connie Kaldor, or Carole King
John Lennon
My next 6:
M, A
N, O
O, T
P, L
Q L THIS ONE HAS THE FIRST NAME, FOLLOWED BY THE SURNAME
R, H
Looking forward to some different answers.
Love, BJ
Oh good...nobody around at this time of night, so I have lots of time to work on this one:
Anne Murray
Oliver North
Tony Orlando
Lake Placid
Queen Latifa
Holy Rosary
Good Night all,
Marty
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
on St. Patrick's Day, Keaghan,
What a lucky combination!
K eep well, and may your
E ighteenth birthday be
A n especially
G ood one.
H ere's to YOU
A s you begin your
N ineteenth year!
Cheers and best wishes,
Louise and David
MARCH 17, 2008
St. Patrick Day Greetings to
bloggers and blurkers alike!
May the sun shine, all day long,
Everything go right and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true.
And that's no blarney.
Cheers to you!
Aimee Mann
New Order
Terry Oldfield
Lee Roy Parnell
Helen Reddy
Right on, Marty and Thomas.
These were my answers:
Anne Murray
Olivia Newton-John
Tony Orlando
Luciano Pavarotti (I had to have one classical singer)
Queen Latifah
Helen Reddy
Last 8:
S, F
T, T
U, C
V, L
W, T
X C THIS ONE HAS THE FIRST NAME FOLLOWED BY THE SURNAME
Y, N
HELP ME OUT HERE, PEOPLE.
THE ONLY Z I CAN COME UP WITH IS:
Z INSTRUMENTALIST, NOT A SINGER, GOES BY ONE NAME ONLY.
Love, BJ
How about Z Z T? ;)
Perhaps also not "singers" in the strict meaning of the word...
FYI, we've just surpassed February's blog count, and we are only halfway through March!
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!
Sonia
Z: Warren Zevon
Frank Zappa
Brock Zeman
Happy Birthday, Keaghan. Don't do anything I would do (or rather would have done when I was 18).
Isn't today actually the birthday of the blog, too?
Ok, BJ, here goes:
S,F - Frank Sinatra
T,T - Tina Turner
U,C - Carole Urban
V,L - Larry Verne
W,T - The Who
X C - Xavier Cugat
Y,N - Neil Young
Z - Zamfir
Lucy
Thom ... tomorrow, March 18, is the birthday of the blog. How are we going to celebrate?
Luce
It must be spring, this morning all the ice-fishing shacks are gone.
How about a new game:
You know it must be spring when...
For example, BJ could say:
You know it must be spring when... it's snowing again!
Nice stat, Holly. It's only right that we bombard the blog in its birthday month.
Isn't Zamfir a Pan Flute player?
I think we should celebrate the birthday of the blog by encouraging all the blurkers out there to post something (even if it's just a happy birthday). It would also be nice to see if we could get a first time blogger on. Maybe we could set a record for the highest volume or the highest number of unique logins (i.e. different people). Then we can have fireworks! It's going to be just like New Year's.
Maybe Ed will even set up a new happy birthday blog post (hint, hint)
Yep Thom, Zamfir plays the pan flute. I believe he fits BJ's description of "instumentalist, not a singer, goes by one name only".
Luce
You're coming up with some real good suggestions for our blog birthday celebrations, Thom. The challenge is on!!!!
You know it must be spring when trees turn pink.
Lucy
Thomas,
Thanks for the Zs.I should have thought of Frank Zappa.
My answers were:
Frank Sinatra
Tina Turner
Carrie Underwood
Leroy Van Dyke
Tammy Wynett
Xavier Cugat (I think he also sang)
Neil Young
and Zamfir
Thanks for playing.
You know it must be spring... when the golfers take off their winter boots to golf.
I love the idea of a celebration. Let's go for it!
Love, BJ
Start encouraging all the blurkers and blirgins to have a go tomorrow.
That was fun from Armstrong to Zamfir, Betty Jo! Thanks.
Now the excitement is building for tomorrow's big blog birthday celebrations. Can you believe that we have been contributing to Ed's Edition for a whole year? As of this entry we are at 10 original postings and 4460 comments.
Thom, do you really think there are any blirgins out there? BJ, have you added that term to your blog lexicon?
Well done, folks!
LOLOL, Lucy
Louise
Thanks for the wonderful birthday greetings for Keaghan.
BJ
Great contest
We will try to recruit blirgins for tomorrow.
Marty and Karen and Keaghan
Yes, Lucy,
I have added blirgin to the Blexicon. The original Blexicon had 60 entires. The Addenda had 21. Sadly, I have only had 3 new ones since the addenda. I wonder if I missed any.
Thomas,
Am I right in assuming that a Blirgin is a Blog virgin, a first time blogger, especially one who has not blogged within the first year of the Blog? That is the definition I gave it, so correct me if I'm wrong.
Mom
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Irish.
Irish who?
I rish you a Happy St Patrick's Day!
If you are here and it is March 18th, the party has already begun with Ed's brand new birthday posting. Check it out. It's a beauty!
Lucy
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