A to Z Blog Challenge -- Z is for Zany

Welcome to Day 26 of this year's A to Z Blog Challenge where --
   

  

Z is for Zany

My attraction to all things silly goes wa-a-a-y-y back, to when I used to sit in my playpen with a bucket on my head making sounds just to hear them reverberate. At a basic level, even as a toddler, I knew it was silly to sit with a bucket on my head.

I do have to say that I come from a long line of silly people. No doubt my penchant for zaniness is genetic.

That's my cousin Charlie on Christmas Eve, 2009 -- an early photobomber.

I remember filling out a questionnaire in my bridal planning book where I had to list the top three things I couldn't live without in a mate.

One guess as to where 'sense of humor' ranked for me.

Even our dog was kooky. That's Xena crammed between the couch cushion and me in the purple shirt.

My sister gets eaten by the rhododendron during the Sisters Christmas Lights Decorating Party, 2012. We don't even try to be serious during lights decorating time.

My cousin-in-law Stephen, at right, can't even be serious at his own film premiere (at last fall's Atlantic Film Festival.)

Sure -- a mutant oversize zucchini is cause for silliness at our house. Why wouldn't it be?

My husband Brad deals with The Damage after a restaurant meal during our Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island vacation last summer.

I will confess to prompting other people to join me in my zaniness. Strangely, my writing group peeps have always been more than ready to flaunt their inner jesters. That's Nikki McIntosh and Kelly Boyce working it before a walk at the 2010 fall retreat.

Hey -- Nikki again at center, still working it at the 2011 retreat. At left, Annette Gallant, at right, Lori Robitaille.

Nikki...you are on a rampage of working it. Fall Retreat, 2013.

Maybe if I sit with my writing group's president Taryn Blackthorne, perhaps I'll settle down...

...nope...

And there you have it, folks! It's a wrap on 2014's A to Z Blog Challenge.

I'll be making my way to all of my commenters in the coming weeks. Thanks Everyone for dropping by A Piece of My Mind. It's been a pleasure to meet you!

Thursday Thirteen - 283 - 13 Ways to Remember My Grandmother

1 - Last Thursday my sister and I boarded a plane to fly to Michigan. Although my sister and her husband had just been in Michigan only a few weeks before, she was headed back again. Her strong urge to schedule their vacation for May and to drive there to see our 90-year-old grandmother Viola gave them a last chance to see each other before Grandma's life came to an unexpected close.

2 - This is the quilted runner that my sister made for Grandma, using her favorite color -- purple. Grandma was a talented quilter. The purple quilt which she made for my wedding is one of my most prized possessions.

Grandma had not been ill, merely elderly. No one was expecting her to pass away, although my sister's urge to get to Michigan was, in hindsight, an important one.

3 - This is a shot of the wedding quilt Grandma made for me. It wasn't a stored-away kind of quilt. We used it every day. This was taken when I lived in Toronto in the late 90s, and shows my husband Brad with our little cousin Emily.

4 - This was taken at a Phillips family dinner in Michigan, where I lived until I was six. I'm the older sister in blue. Grandma was the originator of what is now known as Phillips rice, my most favorite food in all the world. It was served at every Phillips dinner, and is now made by all of the  granddaughters -- even by me, the non-cook.

It's fairly simple: just cook the rice in chicken or turkey broth instead of plain water, with a bit of butter if needed, and a few blobs of ketchup, and a bit of black pepper. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Grandma got this recipe from an old Armenian neighbor of theirs.

5 - I believe this was a Thanksgiving dinner, 1970-ish, at Grandma and Grandpa Phillips'. Pictured from left: my Grandma Doucet (my mom's mother), a family friend whose name escapes me, my Aunt Suzie (Dad's sister) and Uncle Raymond, Grandma Phillips, Grandpa Phillips, Aunt Denise and Uncle Maurice (Dad's brother), Aunt Loretta (Dad's sister), little me, my dad, little Michelle (my sister) and my mom. My Grandpa Doucet (Mom's father) was a photographer and likely took this picture. He definitely took the black-and-white portrait at the top of the blog.

  

6 - Cheers! My grandparents came from Quebec to Michigan in the 50s for work, and like immigrants everywhere, all of the French Canadians found one another in their new anglophone American life. That's how my two families -- my dad's side and my mom's side -- came to be friends with one another before my parents even began dating.

7 - Here's a great shot of two sweethearts in Canada, 1942. Gaby and Vi, starting a life together.

8 - Did I mention that my silliness factor always rates in the higher percentile? Quite obviously, inherited.

9 - Here my dad is sneaking up on us in my grandparents' backyard. Silly.

10 - Uh oh...still silly.

11 - This was a Christmas celebration with the Phillips' after many years celebrating with the Doucet side in Nova Scotia, Canada. My parents had moved back to Michigan for a year in the late 80s. I've got my back to the camera as we sang carols together.

12 - These are the flowers we brought to the church, celebrating her life and saying farewell at her funeral mass last Saturday.

Six years ago, only a month after I began my blog -- the imminent passing of my dad encouraged me to put waiting aside and seize the day -- Grandma Phillips, my Aunt Loretta and my cousins Shelly and Jenny hopped in Shelly's van and raced out here to spend my dad's last days together. Grandma, my step-mom Doris, my Aunt Loretta, my sister and I were all present when my dad passed away. I'll always remember how my grandma laid her hand on dad and said, "I was with you on your first day, and now I'm with you on your last." Then she led us all in a recitation of the Hail Mary.

13 - My sister somehow knew Grandma's time on this earth was winding down. She got to Gram only hours before she had a massive stroke and began her passing away.

It was a bittersweet joy to reunite with my aunt and my cousins for my grandma's funeral. My thanks go out to them for their trip here six years ago.

Pictured from left, back row: my late Uncle Maurice's daughters Jamie and Christa (with recently-wed Casey in Oklahoma) / Aunt Loretta's daughters Jenny and Shelly

Front row, L to R: oldest sibling Norman's daughters, myself and Michelle / the last member of her immediate family, my Aunt Loretta, and her daughter Tammy 

Summer Stock Sunday - 36

Robin's Summer Stock Sunday meme continues - she invites all to post summery photos and visit other bloggers who share their feelings and memories about this magical season.

After a few weeks off of posting to this meme while I was away in New York City, I'm continuing with my vintage look at summer.













This shot was taken in the late 1960s on Centre Island in Toronto, Ontario.

My late father-in-law was a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, and every summer my husband and his brothers and sister would enjoy the union family day out at Center Island, an easily-accessible oasis of small-town vibe a ferry ride away from the downtown core of Toronto.

For the thirteen years I lived there, I always cherished every day trip out to Centre Island. It runs the gamut from an amusement park area to a serene wildness area, gorgeous beaches and a fairy-tale cottage village where residents have the best of both worlds - a lake view, a cityscape view, only foot traffic, century-ago peace-and-quiet, with all the amenities of a metropolis at one's fingertips.

Shown in the picture, L to R:

My sister-in-law Karen, brother-in-law Ken, peeking out behind is my husband Brad, brother-in-law Jeff, mother-in-law Joan and Brad's late Grandma Smith (otherwise known as Esther.)

Thursday Thirteen - 192 - 13 Ways I Celebrated the Holidays

1 - My Eye Candy Thursday Thirteen series will continue in February. I do hope you'll join me again to savor and enjoy.

This week I'd like to share some highlights from my holiday celebrations. They began early with my writers' group Christmas potluck at the end of November.

That's my cousin Julianne MacLean with me above, and below:

Back row - Deborah Hale, Heather D. Veinotte

Front row - moi, Kelly Boyce, Heidi and Pat
















2 - At the beginning of December, my sister and I held our annual Christmas Lights party, which always begins with mugs of whisky or wine, some Frank Sinatra playing on the CD player out on the front steps, the tangled mysteries of the light cords and it all working out somehow at the end.
















3 - In mid-December, my office held its annual Christmas luncheon, including entertainments concocted by each department. I wrote a new version of Twas the Night Before Christmas, featuring the folks with whom I work, and my team stepped up to the mic to recite it in turns.

That's my work friend Kelly with me above - she's the one who first went to the acupuncturist who has helped me so radically with my chronic pain issues. Thanks, Kelly!
















4 - The day after my work party, my husband and I climbed aboard the Acadian Lines bus bound for Toronto. With more time than money, we travelled 26 hours straight, changing buses in Moncton, New Brunswick and Montreal, Quebec before rolling into Toronto Saturday afternoon. We hit two bad patches of snow which were hard driving for the bus drivers, but they took it in stride and got us home safe and sound.

Believe it or not, our all-day-all-night-all-morning bus ride used less fuel than the two-hour flight we took home at the end of our vacation. For people interested in leaving lower carbon footprints upon Mother Earth, food for thought.


















5 - The first week of our vacation was mainly spent with the Smith family. Brad is a Toronto boy, born and bred. His family and his lifelong friends are all in Ontario, so he was a very, very happy guy this Christmas. And do they ever miss their Brad!

We went out to a Thai restaurant along the Lakeshore, just down from his mom's place, where we were staying. His sister corralled eight of us for the dinner so we could visit with our neice Emily, shown on the couch at right, who was due to head for the states to spend the holidays with her sister and brother and their families.

L to R: my sister-in-law Violetta, her daughter Pamela and Violetta's step-daughter Emily
















6 - An intensely joyous afternoon was spent with my blog friends, writer Wylie Kinson, left, (whom I met on a previous trip to Toronto) and blogger Apprentice Writer, center, (whom I met for the first time In Real Life that day!) Four hours dissolved into thin air as we ate and talked and laughed and had a wonderful time together.




















7 - Brad and I met up with with his dear friend Lisa and their mutual friend Ted Heeley - all of whom used to work at the Imperial 6 Cinemas together - and had a marvelous afternoon wandering along Yonge Street.

Brad and I spent as much time downtown as we could manage. We love it there.




















8 - My favorite night of the year - Christmas Eve! We spent it at Brad's brother Jeff's place in Oakville.

At top: Violetta, Jeff, moi and Brad

2nd shot: Pamela, Violetta, Brad's sister Karen and Jeff

3rd shot: Christmas Eve dinner, clockwise from Pamela, Jeff, Karen, Brad's mom Joan, moi and Brad

4th shot: chillaxin' and watching Breakfast at Tiffany's




















9 - Christmas Day at his mom's place, where we spent our vacation.

Dinner, clockwise from our nephew Francis, our sister-in-law Anna, our suddenly huge nephew Peter, Brad's brother Ken, Brad, Jeff and his step-daughter Pamela

Opening prezzies: Ken, Peter, Francis, Jeff, Violetta and Pamela

Ken carting off his son Francis






















10 - We were so blessed to enjoy time with so many friends whom we miss dearly.

1st shot - Charlene Roberts, Chris Szego and moi

2nd shot - Brad and his New School of Acting classmate Andrea, who stood up for him at our wedding

3rd shot - Moi with my former co-workers (we all worked as ushers at the O'Keefe Center/Hummingbird Centre): Alan, his wife Marianne and their daughter

4th shot - My former co-worker Lisa, who survived the trenches of the Simpson's Children's Shoe Department at the Queen Street store with me

5th shot - Moi with Donna, whose daughter I cared for as a live-in nanny (the daughter now having a master's degree with distinction...)

































11 - As you can imagine, an afternoon of bliss was mine when I attended The National Ballet of Canada's performance of The Nutcracker. As an usher at the theatre that was their home for 40 years, I got to see over 70 shows of this Christmas ballet - but do you think I will ever tire of it?

Of course not.

































































12 - We had a lot of karaoke this New Year's! Brad's brother Jeff is a karaoke DJ, and their sister Karen holds an annual karaoke party at her place for the holidays which we enjoyed - we stayed for six hours!

1st shot - My mother-in-law's Uncle Danny, mid-90's, grabbing the mic and going for broke

2nd shot - My wonderful sister-in-law, Violetta

3rd shot - Brad singing Conquistador

4th shot - Jeff taking the mic, with his beautiful voice and incredible range

5th shot - Violetta makes sure her mother-in-law gets a chance to shine

6th shot - Party hostess Karen and her sister-in-law, Violetta
























13 - New Year's all-nighter and leaving on a jet plane:

1st shot - Brad and me joining his brother for his New Year's Eve show on the Lakeshore, trying to stretch time so we can stay in Toronto just a little longer

2nd shot - I head up to sing I Think I'm Paranoid

3rd shot - Violetta and me

4th shot - Brad joining me as I sing Chains by The Beatles

5th shot - After having a coffee with Jeff, he dropped us off at the airport. Brad waits to embark.

6th shot - Our plane ride home, a completely decadent gift from my best friend on Earth, Connie. Her devious plan: to make sure we headed back to Halifax...