Category: arts

Posted on in arts, community, Hobbies, holidays, writing

So this is Christmas

Writers group at Kingston Seniors Association

So this is Christmas, and what have you done?

On Friday, at my last writer’s group meeting of 2024, one of our group members Joanne wanted to share something she had written in the spirit of the season. She called it “So this is Christmas” and started with the immortal verse John Lennon wrote more than 40 years ago during the Vietnam War for the song Happy Xmas/War is Over.

As Joanne read her heartfelt piece of thanks and gratitude, I looked around the room and thought about how grateful I was to be a part of this interesting group of people and how much I have learned from them in the four short months since I joined the group.

I’ve learned about botany, the undercover world of police work and drug busts, life in the Congo in the 1950s, the wild ponies in the New Forest in Hampshire, growing up on the Isle of Wight and so much more.

Some of us are writing novels, others short stories, and some their memoirs. All of us share a love and passion for writing.

But as much as writing brought us together, it is the people and camaraderie that make us come back each week.

There’s Franklin, our kind, patient leader who reminds us he will ring the bell if we go over time when sharing our work, but hasn’t rung it once since I’ve joined.

There’s Dorothy Anne, our skilled master, always with an encouraging word, tip or suggestion to improve our writing.

There’s Wayne, our pastry muse who scours the local bakeries to feed our minds and souls and lets us choose not just one, but two delectable treats, one to eat in class and one to take home.

There’s Sister Maureen, Greta and Pamela who honour us by sharing a glimpse into the fascinating lives they’ve lived each week.

There’s Mo, who shared such a moving piece a few weeks ago describing the sounds of a home filled with children, and the heartbreaking silence when they become adults and move out, that it took three members to finish reading it as each person welled up with tears.

As I was thinking about this group and Joanne’s words, she shared this, “It’s true we cannot change what is happening around the world and often not even in our own communities, so we may think, ‘Why bother?’ or ‘What can I do?’. The answer is plenty, and it all starts with kindness.”

So, this is Christmas. What have you done? Another year is over and a new one begun. Let’s all take a page from my writer’s group, and start the year with kindness.

Posted on in arts, entertainment, humour, pop culture

50 Years of Saturday Night Live

SNL cast members on screen for golf sketch

“Live from New York…it’s Saturday Night!”

This fall marks the 50th season of Saturday Night Live. “SNL” premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975 and is the most Emmy-nominated show in history with 101 Emmy wins.

Now, thanks to Showcase, you watch the replay of each week’s episode at 10 pm on Sunday nights.

SNL has always been a trailblazer, with irreverent humour mixed with searing, insightful political sketches. It has also been an incredible pipeline for new musical talent, including big names like Nirvana, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga.

Canadians have always had a soft spot for SNL, claiming Executive Producer Lorne Michaels, 79 as our own and showcasing Canadian comedic talent like Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Meyers, Phil Hartman, and Norm Macdonald.

I got excited last this week, thinking their annual Thanksgiving special would be airing soon, only to remember I’d have to wait another month for it to air.

I watched the October 5th episode with host Nate Bargatze with musical guest Coldplay. The new cast is witty, diverse and very, very funny.

There was a hilarious skit of Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris and Andy Samberg as Joe Biden watching and critiquing the recent Vice-Presidential debate. Rudolph is always bang on, but it was Samberg’s imitation of doddery Joe Biden that had me in stitches.

There was another spoof of golf commentators giving a play-by-play of a pro golfer who keeps killing wildlife, hitting a long drive and nailing a goose, and spearing a chipmunk with the flagpole on the green. I almost fell off the couch laughing.

My favourite segment featured Bargatze as George Washington and his soldiers in a boat crossing the Delaware in 1776 pontificating on what they were fighting for. It was silly, focusing on the absurdities of the English language but with biting commentary on important issues like racial inequality.

SNL will mark its 50th anniversary with a three-hour live primetime special on Sunday, February 16, 2025 starting at 8 pm on NBC.

This week’s #HappyAct is to catch some episodes of SNL this fall and set your PVRs for the primetime special in February. Here is a fun quick SNL quiz for you to test your knowledge:

1)Who was the first host of SNL in 1975?

a) Andy Kaufman
b) Paul Simon
c) George Carlin

2) Who has hosted SNL the most?

a) Buck Henry
b) Alec Baldwin
c) Tom Hanks

3) Which SNL cast member performed “The Chanukah song” in December 1974?

a) Al Franken
b) Jon Lovitz
c) Adam Sandler

4) Which cast member did a black inner city parody of Mister Roger’s Neighbourhood?

a) Eddie Murphy
b) Chris Rock
c) Garrett Morris

5) Which guest host proclaimed “I gotta have more cowbell” in the famous More Cowbell sketch?

a) Seth Meyers
b) Tom Cruise
c) Christopher Walken

Answer: 1c, 2b, 3c, 4a, 5c

Posted on in arts, entertainment, family, pop culture

Watch a busker

North Fire Circus performs at Kingston Buskers Rendezvous

It was a beautiful night for a buskers rendezvous.

Last night, we went to Kingston to see the fire and night shows at the 34th annual Kingston Buskers Rendezvous.

Kingston is one of the best places to watch buskers, with its spectacular backdrop of city hall and the marina at Confederation Basin, the shops and patios of Princess Street and the historic buildings in Market Square lit up at night.

The girls were hungry (of course!) so we stopped first for a drink and a bite to eat at the Toucan on Princess Street and were pleasantly surprised to get a table on the patio right away without having to wait.

After fuelling up, we strolled down to Ontario Street and caught Steve GoodTime’s fire juggling show. He was very funny and had the crowd eating out of his hands.

One of the talents you need as a busker is being able to pick good-natured people out of the crowd to participate in the show. We spotted our friend Jenn and her daughter across the street from us in the crowd. Sure enough Steve GoodTime picked Jenn out of the 500 or so people watching the show. She danced for the crowd before holding his guitar and lighting his firesticks.

We wandered up to Market Square next. This year they billed the main Buskers After Dark show as “an immersive journey into the beating heart of urban creativity”. There was a DJ, graffiti artist, the North Fire Circus and a group called Dr. Draw and the Strange Parade who were incredible.

Dr. Draw played electric violin and had a terrific band complete with horns (even a tuba!) They played a fusion of musical genres from Irish, classical, pop and rock while North Fire Circus performed light and fire acts to the music. My favourite number was a slower version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Market Square was magical in that moment.

This week’s #HappyAct is to watch a busker. If you’re in the Kingston region, there’s still time to catch the Grand Finale of the Kingston Buskers Rendezvous tonight at 6 pm at Confederation Basin.  

Busker Steve GoodTime performs for the crowd
Busker Steve GoodTime performs for the crowd

Photos: North Fire Circus and Dr. Draw and the Strange Parade perform in the beautiful historic Market Square at night. Above: Steve GoodTime juggles for the crowds on Ontario Street. Here’s our friend Jenn dancing for the crowd!

Posted on in arts, charitable, community, money

The little lending library that could

Me and Clare beside a little lending library in Pennsylvania

Last week, during my regular lunchtime walk, I stopped at a little lending library outside one of the old beautiful limestone homes that grace this area.

I don’t always stop when I see little lending libraries, but sometimes I do. I looked inside and saw more than 50 packets of seeds in addition to the regular array of books.

I decided to help myself to some watermelon and malva seeds and found two books on my reading wish list: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.

Next week I’ll replenish my neighbour’s little lending library with a couple of books from my own bookcase I’ve read.

The origins of the original Little Free Library begain in 2009 when a Wisconsin fellow by the name of Todd Bol built a model of a one-room schoolhouse and put it on a post on his front yard and filled it with books with a sign, “Take a book, share a book” .

He built more, and soon it became a movement with others doing the same. According to littlefreelibrary.org, today there are more than 150,000 registered little free lending libraries in the world. There’s even a mobile app so you can find the one nearest you. In many communities, little lending food pantries have appeared, stocking canned goods or even fresh vegetables from people’s gardens.

The story of the little lending library that could is a tale of inspiration and hope. It embodies all that is good in a world where sometimes it’s hard to see the good: people helping others and their community through an action as small as sharing a book or a packet of seeds.

This week’s #HappyAct is to take a book or share a book. If you’re really ambitious and want to build your own, check out these 10 designs from familyhandyman.com.

two books and two seed packets

Photos: I didn’t have my phone with me during my walk, but here’s a picture of a little lending library we visit in Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania on our trips down south. Above: my treasures from my latest haul from my little lending library near my work.

Posted on in arts, entertainment, Hobbies, travel

A Shaggin good time

During our recent trip to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Clare and I took shag dancing lessons at Fat Harold’s Beach Club.

Shaggin was born on the beaches of South Carolina and rose in popularity after the second world war as young people returned from the war and found a new outlet and zest for life, stepping and swirling to the boppy beats of beach music. North Myrtle Beach and Fat Harold’s Beach Club became the epicentre for shag.

The dance itself has been called the “swing dance of the south” or a slowed down jitterbug. It’s now the official state dance for North and South Carolina and Myrtle Beach and hosts the national competition every spring.

Lessons are free on Tuesday nights at Fat Harold’s. We pulled into a packed parking lot and sashayed across the dance floor to plant ourselves at a cocktail table at the back of the club on risers. Behind us was a beautiful mural of a sunny day at the beach to get us into the beach music vibe.

Fat Harold’s is “home of the shag” and it felt like we had stepped back fifty years. There was a pool table and burger counter as soon as you walked in (they are known for their cheeseburgers). Inside the main club, a long wooden bar and cocktail tables flanked the wooden dance floor. The walls were covered with funky old beach signs and pictures of celebrities who had visited Fat Harold’s and plaques listing all the shag dance champions over the years.

Dave and Grace sat on the sidelines and ordered a drink, while Clare and I took our places on the dance floor.

They lined us up, women on one side of the floor and men on the other and taught us the basic step of shag which is a six-step choreography, where the partners take three steps towards each other, three steps in the middle, then back two steps so they are constantly moving towards and apart in perfect flow. The goal is to dance as smoothly and synchronized as possible. The instructors took a bit too much time focusing on the basic steps for my liking. I would have liked to learn some of the fancy footwork and spins that shag is known for, but it was still fun.

I assumed most of the people taking the lesson that night came as couples, but it was surprising and fun to see how many singles there were in the crowd when they paired us up. People were laughing and smiling as they counted out the steps with their new dance partner.

We went to sleep that night with the basic steps refrain of “one-and-two, three-and-four, five-six” in our heads. It was a shaggin’ good time.

This week’s #HappyAct is to learn a new dance step. Here’s a throwback. One of the first blog posts I ever wrote was “Busta move” and I shared a link to the shag dancing championships! My friend Dianna who was pictured in that old blog post dancing with me dances four days a week. She was telling me recently that most of the dance classes she goes to are mainly older women, so any guys out there, if you’re interested in meeting women or just finding a good dance partner, go dancing!

Fat Harold's Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach
My family at Fat Harold's with a beautiful beach mural in the background
Fat Harold's dance floor

Posted on in arts, entertainment

Take in the best in Canadian film

Yesterday, they announced the line-up for the Kingston Canadian Film Festival.

If you’ve never been to this local homegrown festival that features movies and special events that “spark curiousity, ignite discussion and provide a fresh experience of Canadian film”, you’re missing out. It just keeps getting better and better, with screenings in three downtown theatres and other venues with unique live performances.

There are so many things I love about this festival. First, there’s the films themselves. If you’re like me and want to scream every time you see another Marvel or Avengers sequel or prequel or postquel or whatever they’re calling them, the films you’ll see at the KCFF are a refreshing change. They’ll make you laugh, cry and most of all, think.

Over the years, I’ve seen some incredible films, from the insightful and stirring Scarborough about three families in a low income neighbourhood in Toronto, to the drama Norbourg, the true life story of Vincent Lacroix who defrauded investors of millions of dollars in Quebec, to lovely romantic comedies like The Swearing Jar.  

Then there’s the venues and the city itself. The opening night feature film is shown at the Isabel Bader Centre for the performing arts, an amazing venue and The Screening Room in Kingston has done a super job elevating the movie-going experience in an intimate way. The festival is a wonderful excuse to explore downtown Kingston and grab a bite to eat in many of our excellent restaurants.

My favourite part of the festival hands down is the Q&As and guest appearances by the directors, producers, writers and actors. These segments are always fascinating—to see the inner thoughts and workings of the people who bring Canadian film to life and sadly, the barriers and challenges to making films in Canada.  

I’ll be spending the next few days checking out all the screenings, but here are a few you won’t want to miss:

  • The Queen of My Dreams: this year’s festival opener at the Isabel, a moving story about the complicated bonds between a Pakistani mother and her daughter
  • The Movie Man, the story of the Highlands Cinema in Kinmount, Ontario with a bonus short about our local (and now sadly closed) Classic Video store in Kingston
  • Float: a romantic comedy filmed in Tofino, BC
  • The Sadies Stop and Start concert film, followed by a live performance of the Band at the Broom Factory

This week’s #HappyAct is to come to Kingston and support Canadian film by taking in some screenings at the festival.

Posted on in arts, Food and drink, holidays

Enjoy a homemade Christmas

homemade Christmas wrap

I’ve decided each year I’m going to try to resist the trappings and wrappings of the commercial side of Christmas and embrace a homemade yuletide celebration. Here are some easy, simple ideas to bring Christmas home:

  • Make your own egg nog. If you’ve ever had homemade egg nog, you’ll know it’s the BOMB! Check out Jaime Oliver’s egg nog recipe.
  • Try making a gingerbread log cabin or house from scratch instead of buying a store-bought kit.
  • A great craft to do with kids is making glass Christmas ornaments. Buy a dozen basic plain glass balls and a selection of paints. Pour the paint in the balls and swirl it around so it covers the whole surface, then turn them upside down to drain in egg cartons. If you choose any colour mixed with white, you get a beautiful hand-blown glass look.
  • Go for a hike and cut down some grapevine and cedar to make your own wreaths and garland.
  • If you’re not a great baker or cook, you can still make some simple yummy homemade treats to give as gifts. Check out this recipe for Spicy coated nuts and my recipe below for homemade caramel corn that Dave and I make every year
  • Be environmentally friendly and make your own holiday wrap using up that stack of plain brown paper bags sitting in your back closet. Make them festive by gluing pretty pictures from a magazine or old Christmas cards on them or spruce them up using sprigs of pine, ribbon or candy canes.

I’m not very crafty, but here are some of the treasured things I’ve made over the years for Christmas that bring me joy. Happy holidays!

Homemade Caramel Corn

2 cups popped corn (to make 30 cups of popcorn)
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pop the corn and place in two large roasting pans. In heavy saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves about 5 minutes. The butter won’t look like it’s blended in, but don’t worry about it. Remove from heat and stir in baking so it foams a bit. Pour over popcorn, stirring constantly, then place in a 250 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes.

glass ornament
homemade cedar garland
Christmas tree made out of willow
Posted on in arts, holidays, inspiration, pop culture, travel

Lessons on life and happiness from It’s a Wonderful Life

Me and Leslie with Beford Falls sign

This summer, my best friend Leslie and I toured the “It’s a Wonderful Life” Museum in Seneca Falls, New York. I fell in love immediately with this wonderful little museum said to be the inspiration for the town of Bedford Falls in the Christmas classic.

As the story goes, Frank Capra, the film’s director visited Seneca Falls in 1946 after returning from the war. He loved the town with its beautiful bridges so much, he based Bedford Falls on it.

While in town, Capra no doubt also heard the story of Antonio Varacalli, a young 19-year old Italian man who jumped off one of the town’s bridges in 1917 to rescue a woman from drowning. While Varacalli successfully saved her life, he drowned, sacrificing his own life for another.

There is a plaque dedicated to Varacalli on the bridge and today people from around the world place bells on the bridge helping to give angels their wings in tribute to the film and its message of hope, friendship, love and self-worth.

Plaque on bridge in honour of Antonio Varacalli

The museum, which is currently in a temporary location on the main street as the main building undergoes renovations has photos, memorabilia and quotes from the film and the actors. Every year, the museum hosts a “It’s a Wonderful Life” Festival weekend on the second weekend of December with gala dinners, the chance to meet cast members and people associated with the film, special screenings, parties and more. The dates are Dec 8-10 this year and you can see the full list of events here.

What struck me the most as I was wandering around the exhibits and listening to the marvelous old songs from that era was the lessons on life and happiness from the film, both woven into the dialogue of the movie itself, but that has also become part of the lore and culture surrounding It’s a Wonderful Life.

Old Man Potter in the film says, “I am an old man, and most people hate me. But I don’t like them either so that makes it all even.” Lionel Barrymore, the actor who played Mr. Potter was quoted as saying, “The older you get, the more you realize that kindness is synonymous with happiness.”

From Angel Clarence: “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends” and “Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

George Lassos the Moon drawing

In an interview of the film, Capra once said, “It’s a Wonderful Life sums up my philosophy of filmmaking. First, to exalt the worth of the individual. Second, to champion man, plead his causes, protest any degradation of his dignity, spirit or divinity. And third, to dramatize the viability of the individual, as in the theme of the film itself. There is a radiance and glory in the darkness, could we but see, and to see we only have to look. I beseech you to look.”

This week’s #HappyAct is to watch this holiday classic in the next month and make plans to visit the museum in Seneca Falls (you won’t want to miss the National Women’s Hall of Fame and Women’s Rights Museum which are also undergoing renovations).

I’ll leave you with a famous interview Capra did in 1976 that beautifully summarized the meaning and appeal of the film.

“I like people. I think that people are just wonderful. I also think people are equal in the sense of their dignity, their divinity; there’s no such thing as a common man or uncommon man.

To me, each one is actually unique. Never before has there been anyone like you. Never again will there be anyone like you.

You are something that never existed before and will never exist again. Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t that something pretty exciting? So I look at you as something that plays part of a great whole, an equal part of everything, or else you wouldn’t be here.” – Frank Capra

piano in museum
Leslie on the bridge
Author in front of museum entrance
bell on bridge
Posted on in arts, Hobbies, photography

An unexpected gift

artwork of trees

This week, I received an unexpected gift. It was a beautiful piece of artwork of red leaves in the fall sent to me by our good friend Jon Begg.

Jon lives in the Great White North but always comes for dinner and a fish whenever he is back in southern Ontario. On his last visit, we talked photography and he showed me pictures on his phone of images he had taken of the fall foliage that he had photoshopped to look like artwork. They were simply stunning.

Fast forward to this week, and I now have one of his beautiful creations hanging in my dining room. I’m not sure if that will be its permanent place of honour but every night at the dinner table, I find myself admiring this unexpected gift.

This week’s #HappyAct is to bring some joy to someone special by sending them an unexpected gift. Leave a comment and share what you did. Here’s another one of Jon’s treasured gifts, a mock magazine cover of one of the boys’ 2008 fishing expeditions on the Moira River.