Mixed Bag of Home Life!

August 7/14.

It's amazing how many wacky, weird things can go on in the course of just 11 days of home life around here. (that's how long it's been since my last entry in Lain's Log). While out shopping, ran into my good old musical blog mascot, Aubrey Bolton on Gerrard Street. The fast fading few followers I have left, may recall Aubrey from the many times he's appeared here - (usually with his brother, Dana, who happened to be performing elsewhere on this particular day). I was caught off guard when I spotted Aubrey sitting comfortably under a straw palapa, donated by a friend to protect him from the bright hot sun. Funny how it almost exactly matches my hair! - (and not just the colour, but the "straw texture" of my tresses too). Ha!

I meet panhandlers all over town. Most won't even help carry a heavy grocery bag to the car for you, preferring to just stand around outside Loblaws or Sobeys asking for cash. A few even pick fights with folks who refuse to give a coin or two. Not Aubrey. He's NO panhandler. He knows my name, always has a short chat with me, works hard - up to eight hours a day, singing for his supper, and very well too! I often stop and listen to a couple of his fun eastern Canadian songs. Aubrey's an excellent guitar player/vocalist, (who sounds even better when joined by his bro), - and on sunny summer days, makes decent cash as a busker. Most of his enthusiastic fans toss money into his guitar case. I prefer to give him a cool one, (which he always appreciates)! When I ask what brand he'd like, he's never particular and often quips, "Surprise me!" He was happy with this icy Laker.

Meanwhile, driving around Toronto has become a frickin' nightmare! Besides the massive slowdowns (or COMPLETE stops on the Gardiner), it seems every corner of our Riverdale neighbourhood  is making it tough to drive (or to arrive) ANYWHERE on time! - Fuhgettaboutit!

Wherever I go, I overhear conversations from passersby about the city being such a mess. Several times, while walking along Broadview between Gerrard and King, I've had to ask city workers to open fences so I can get through to stores! I'm not sure how some of these establishments are even staying in business!

It seems nobody loves winter in Toronto, but construction sites are the downside of summer. Wonder how many times I've heard stand-up comics tell audiences here, "Toronto's a nice town. - If they ever finish it."

In the midst of the mass mess, I drove Kate to the Bay/Dundas bus terminal, for an overnight trip.

Bye bye! (yep, I HATE goodbyes - they're my WORST thing - always have been - even for ONE night)! I shudder to think how I'll react when my kids leave home for GOOD! - Gak!!!!!!!!!!!

I even tried to to stowaway in the cargo hold, but the driver wouldn't let me! The bum.

Kate was off to visit friends,

and see Calgary sisters Tegan and Sara in concert. They got a terrific spot to stand and cheer!

Must have been "concert week". The next night, Max, Kate, Sam and I went to the Molson Amphitheatre

to see James Taylor in concert. Has been many years since we've seen him in person.

Unlike my usual dinner menu at home, (which is pretty much nothing), I got a takeout pizzadilla (half pizza, half quesadilla) AND fries! - Those who say I don't EAT enough - take a look! 

(sadly, most of the fries got knocked to the ground when we arrived at our seats), but the pizzadilla was perfect)!

The sunset was very pretty as we waited for the show to begin, and we were really happy there was no opening act. For his fans, it was nothin' but JT for more than two hours! He performed some new material, but all the big hits including Sweet Baby James, Shower the People and one of my favourite songs in the world, Carole King's You've Got a Friend. 

He joked with the crowd that when he first heard Carole perform the song back in the '60s, he picked up a guitar to learn it, - "Never dreaming I'd be singing it EVERY NIGHT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE"!!!!! 

Thank goodness for the big screens as it was tough to see around posts and over people's heads when they stood up, but that gorgeous voice of his was as clear and lovely as ever. Tickets to the show were a gift Sam bought for himself to celebrate a milestone birthday! 

It was a fabulous and funny Sweet Baby James performance.

Max loved the JT show as he was preparing to release his OWN solo album two nights later. After months of work, The Palindrome Years was finally ready to be heard! Will get back to that in a minute. This was one mixed up, variety-packed day!

I went from Party Girl with my friend Pam Deacon-Pickard at her beautiful house, (my first visit there!), to celebrate her Mother's 90th birthday, 

to Roadie Mum for Max, - all in the course of a couple of hours!

A girlfriend of Pam's actually CREATED this Y & R cake, which proclaims,

Young at Heart and still Restless,

a tribute to her diehard Y & R fan Ma! - (left to right - Pam's teen son George, Pam's Mum, Lenore,

Pam and her brother Rod. They created a very memorable day for her!

I brought the publicity stills from my Trials & Tribulations/Soap Dish golden Global days, 

and was given the honour of cutting the cake for guests, (some of them, lifelong relatives and friends of Lenore's).

I'm sure it's a day she'll never forget. Pam, Steve, Rod and George, - you did her proud! Thanks for inviting me. The food you prepared was terrific, it was great to meet your friends and tour your home! SO many incredible trinkets and funny figurines from trips! ("Lucy! You got some 'splainin' to do"!) Ha! - Love that Stomping-the-Grapes doll you have on display! - Hope your Mum has a very happy REAL 90th birthday on August 12th - maybe poolside at Fern Resort, where you and I first met years ago. - Have a martini (with extra olives) for me! Cheers!

OK - so, from floaty mini-dress to jeans, hoodie and hair-stuck-under-a-spiked-hat as I turned into Roadie Mum

for my talented son, Max at the Smiling Buddha on College Street for his long-awaited CD release bash!

Max's pal, Duke was official photog, while Kate and her boyfriend, Damian, toted the box of CDs.

Kate wanted to support her bro, so she was also on door duty, collecting admission fees, (which came with a free album)! Woo hoo!

Love this shot I somehow managed to snap before showtime, featuring - (left to right), opening act and bandmate/friends, Jacob Switzer, (HeadSpace), Emmett Webb, (Ghost Daze) - plus (of course) -  headliner - MAX!!!!!

Jacob and Emmett really warmed up the gang for Max's debut. Terrific job guys!

Max played ALL 12 songs from the album. Whew! If you HEAR it, - know that he played EVERY instrument (but keyboards), and even did the background vocals himself. - When he hits the Performance & Music Production course at Centennial College next month, he'll really have a head start!

If you'd like to get the album, click here!  - Max declares "Buy Now! - Name Your Price"! - $$$ 

Good deal!

Max's friend Jelly, was a big help - sang on stage with Max at the show and is also featured on the album.

Talented singer Missy, (another performer on the CD) came out to cheer Max on, 

as did the fabulous Jackie Moore - (rhythm guitar in one of Max's OTHER bands - Sister Hyde)! - If you can believe it, Max continued on to do ANOTHER show AFTER his own solo release with Sister Hyde at 11 p.m. -  I drove him there and can tell you he was heavily STOKED and PUMPED, as you might imagine! What an amazing evening for Max!

As for ME,- one proud Mama! And, not ONLY is Max finished with his OWN CD, 

he's ALSO producing his sister, Kate's album, titled Stay Golden, (one song already finished), - plus - (here's an intriguing shocker),

- our long-time friend and extremely dedicated & reliable appliance repairman extraordinaire, Trevor Bailey, - (a grandfather!), has requested that Max record HIS album!! Wouldn't that be cool? LOVE this guy! - (Do you think he's written any washing machine or dishwasher lyrics? He's the EXPERT on those!) Only kidding. He says his songs are much deeper than that - and very bubbly. Hmmmm.

After all the musical excitement, Sam's Dad, Ben Bornstein, requested we take him to one of his fave places, - The Mandarin, for dinner. We picked him up and drove off to the massive buffet! We had a great dinner, (DUH), and Zaidy particularly enjoyed the delectable desserts! 

Sam, (always reluctant about having his photo taken), agreed to pose with his primo Pop. As you see, Max is a fabulous fan of his zealous Zaidy!

Later in the week, had a quick visit with my sister, Carrie, who dropped by to show me a few things on my iPhone, (as I'm heavily-technically-challenged). She was on the way to her annual canoe trip with boyfriend Paul, so this was a nice farewell. 

Since then, she and Paul have been enjoying a much-deserved peaceful and quiet week together somewhere in the Kawartha Highlands. - This time, NO BEARS in sight. - (thank the Lord). Have fun you two! Miss you! xoxo

Only chippies around their campsite! (Our late Gramma Burridge and Mum, would have LOVED this sweet little guy). Naturally, Carrie brought peanuts to feed them!

So that pretty much wraps up the past 11 days. Sounds like heaven on earth, (which in many ways, it IS). We have our share of problems, just like everybody else, but I choose to leave that stuff OUT of the blog at the moment. I have a terrific family and should be nothing but grateful.

And will leave you with one final musical note. Kate, Max and I have laughed our heads off at Jimmy Fallon's "Tight Pants", co-starring Will Ferrell. (I like THIS version better than the JLo one and can't stop singing it)! - HEY EVERYBODY! - Get out your tightest pants to dance and sing along!

See ya next time!!

Wrapping up the summer with mishaps and fun!

September 7/13.

The month of August wasn't ALL about the fabulous 5-day holiday in New York. There were plenty of other adventures, ups & downs to keep us busy. As usual - never a dull moment - (that's the name of my autobiography - if I ever write one! - well, actually, always wanted to call it - I CRAVE A DULL MOMENT!)

On a gorgeous day, early in August, I was heading for the plastic surgeon's office, (NO, not about a nose job! - I WISH!) - but had some time to kill, so wandered through the Rosehill Reservoir in the Yonge/St. Clair area.

The pretty fountain sculpture was built

in 1967.

The park is located at 75 Rosehill Avenue. It's beautifully maintained and filled with flowers. I was happy for this brief respite, before having to see the Doc to ask him about something that had me worried. There's a tiny bump right under my bottom lip. Having been through breast cancer, I was concerned it could be oral cancer. Turns out, it's not, thank goodness. It's actually a vascular malformation and has to be removed by a plastic surgeon, using a scalpel. Really NOT looking forward to that! The specialist, Dr. Derek T. Ford, tells me it must be done in a "controlled environment" due to the massive bleeding this will cause! He also says I'll be in pain and "have a fat lip" (yikes) -  for at LEAST a week or more. Great. Surgery is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday September 17th. - Can't WAIT!!

Till then, will TRY to remain calm, (although, anyone who knows me, also knows that is highly unlikely!)

Two days later, I'm supposed to attend the Burton Cummings concert at Massey Hall - but not sure what shape I'll be in for THAT!

May need to attend the show wearing a medical mask to cover the damage! (got this one from Alex, owner of Urban Nails where they sport these things to protect themselves from the Acetone fumes). - Just call me Michael Jackson.

Meanwhile, our microwave oven had been on the fritz for weeks. Sometimes it would heat things, other times, not a chance. So aggravating. Finally, we were told it was a goner and out it had to go -

leaving nothing but a giant, gaping hole in the wall.

In order to get the old microwave OUT,

every single solitary item from the "spice cupboard" above, had to be removed. Fun job. Gak. - (well, at least it gave me the chance to scrub down the shelf with the help of Mr. Clean)!

Finally the day arrived and the NEW microwave was delivered -

but it was a drag to find out the space wasn't QUITE big enough (despite measurements having been taken),

so, the installers had to use a saw to cut part of the wood around it to fit it in. Ta da!

The NEXT day, the dishwasher broke down and was leaking water all over the floor. Our appliance repairman, Trevor, came and fixed it.

Then, the very old basement fridge cacked out completely. A lot of frozen food unthawed and had to be tossed. What a waste.

That meant shopping for a new one at Home Depot.

Delivery guys hate our house because no large items can come in through the front door! They have to be dragged all around the property,

down a flight of metal stairs,

on to the back deck and in through the patio doors to be put in place.

Then the OLD fridge had to removed the same way. These two guys (a father and son team) were really happy to take off after this job!

Next, we were hit with electricity woes. Our 100 year old house was equipped with 100 amp service and needed to be upgraded to 200 amp.

We called in Mr. Electric.

Scott and Gary spent a full day at our place, starting with drilling a huge hole

in the brick wall. It felt like an earthquake inside the house!

We were "powerless" for the day, so no computers or TV. Max spent his time reading, while the rest of us did other chores -

or just vacated the premises!

Scott spent his time removing the entire electrical panel inside a cupboard in Max's drum room,

working around a pile of rocks and cement that crashed down inside, - (delightful!) -

and then installing a whole new breaker board.

In the end, they THOUGHT they were done, but it turned out, further electrical troubles were created, (with appliances going out), forcing Gary to make a return engagement a couple of days later. He quickly discovered one of the fuses they installed was a 15 amp, (but should have been a 20). The second it was replaced, everything was finally back to normal. No more flickering and dimming lights and everything working as it should. Quite the ordeal.

After coping with workmen and broken appliances for weeks, I was ready to "party"! - LOL. - So went to McDonald's for breakfast one morning - (haven't done that in years), -

had dinner with my good friend, Pam at the Eaton Centre Mr. Greenjeans restaurant - cheers!

- and at long last, got to converse with the new man in her life - Steve, (who was very late due to a huge traffic jam!) But that was OK, because it gave Pam and me lots of time to catch up, which was long overdue!

Really enjoyed getting to know Steve after hearing so many stories about him! Hey Pam - very happy you've found someone special you really care about. From what I saw, he's kind, funny, smart and attentive! I wish you both the best!

(and Pam, - thanks so much for the Cowardly Lion mug, that boldly declares - COURAGEOUS). To quote the lion, "Ain't it the truth? Ain't it the truth?"

(not!) - ha ha! - I'm the original coward.

August also brought the chance to attend Taste of the Danforth, just six blocks up the street from our house.

Watched a very classy band in action!

witnessed Thai sparring,

saw some funny sights,

??

and hung out in the sunshine with my friends, Dan Ivak, (Val's amazing husband), Nancy Marshall (whom I enjoyed meeting for the first time this day), the lovely Karen Wilkinson, and my old pals, Joanne and Val. We had a blast and sampled lots of good food! (photo by Karen's husband, Perry).

Ended up walking to Karen and Perry's lovely home just off the Danforth and had fun, chatting on their back deck.

While Joanne was in town from L.A., I showed her a neighbourhood garden that I just adore,

covered in thousands of little rocks. Amazing! I'd like to do this at OUR place and forget about trying to grow green grass! 

Another day, I met up with a "blast from the past" - Margaret Ecclestone, (who now goes by "Maggie"). She was my first friend in Toronto - at the age of 11! - I took her to lunch at The Friendly Greek. Decades of history to catch up on - some of it happy, some very sad. Found myself in tears as we shared so much of our past together.

Maggie now lives out west, but I took her back to our old stompin' grounds. This was HER childhood home at 77 Moore Avenue,

while MY family, (Mum, Carrie and I), lived next door, at 79. Great to see you Margaret - (I haven't gotten used to "Maggie" yet)!

Speaking of Carrie, she drove downtown to our house to help me with some garage organization in her new vehicle - a white Suzuki sx4 all wheel drive - the first new car she's ever had in her life! Yippee!

Congrats! You deserve it. Here's hoping it brings you many years of comfortable, safe and sporty travel!

(meanwhile, Carrie's son, Lee, just got his G1. Lookout!)

Max studied hard and got HIS G1 too. Next up? Months of driving lessons!

Cayr - really appreciate you stepping up to struggle through the mess in the garage. (we discovered someone had broken in and rifled through all the boxes, making a total mess and leaving our late Mum's precious diaries in the muck and mud). Hopefully they will dry out and we'll be able to read them at some point.

One day, Kate went to the Distillery district to see the Soulpepper production of Angels in America - from a front row centre seat! - It's very long. Three hours, then a dinner break followed by three more hours. She told me she cried through much of it and feels it's the most important play of  her generation. Kate has seen it TWICE and is going back for a third time soon!

I headed down to the theatre and met her there

for dinner and drinks during the break at the Mill Street Pub. (Kate has now become a fan of Mill Street Organic lager!) - Here's to you Sweet!

By late August, it was time for a trip to JC Salon to see master stylist Paul Taylor. Came in like this.

Got highlights, lowlights and colour,

and left feeling much better, - like THIS!

Thanks again Paul!

Too bad, afterwards, I wasn't going anywhere but the grocery store, so the only folks I could "impress" with my new hair? (ha ha) - the clerks at No Frills,

and my musical blog mascot, Aubrey Bolton. Ran into him a little later while he was busking.

Came home to discover a gorgeous arrangement of flowers sent by my sister-in-law, Jan and her husband, Arlen in Ottawa! An early Rosh Hashanah surprise! Lovely!

Max did some barbequing - (a skill he's become mighty good at!)

And we invited my father-in-law -"Zaidy" (Ben Bornstein) - down for quite a feast!

The next day, went to visit my cousins, Kevan and Marilyn and was thrilled to discover Mar's fabulous Dad, Jan Kiewiet (artist extraordinaire), visiting from Detroit! Always great to see him! He is such a wonderful man. (photo by Marilyn).

He loves music, and sat right beside Kate on the piano bench to hear her sing and play.

Cousin Kevio watched in awe. He's a big Kate Sloan fan and has recorded her music in studio several times!

Continuing the August partying, I whipped up a batch of spaghetti and meat sauce for the fam,

and for Max's friend, Duke. They seemed to enjoy it. (or least were polite enough to lie to me and SAY they did!)

I had more checkups at Princess Margaret Hospital, - (everything OK - knock wood), 

and checked out the inspirational board in the lobby, as usual.

Also had another mother/daughter outing with Kate,

this time, to Molson Amphitheatre

to see Kelly Clarkson,

and Maroon 5. Love Adam Levine's voice and energy! He really gets the audience involved.

Max and his great buddy, Emmett Webb - (lead singer of their band, Ghost Daze), had a practice in our basement for upcoming gigs, just days before having to return to school.

And finally, we set up for a Rosh Hashanah dinner at our place for 15 people. Strangely, the party fell on my late mother-in-law - (Jean Bornstein's) birthday. It was the first New Year party without her.

Despite the sadness, and the hole in our hearts left by her passing, a good time was had by all, and the food, (catered by Yitz's) was delicious! - Thanks to one and all for pulling together, lending your talents and making the evening a success. Good to see everyone for a HAPPY occasion.

Then it was back to school. No more time off to relax. Max is heading for a Victory lap at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts to study more music (among other courses),

and Kate, now in second year Journalism at Ryerson.

So that about wraps up the summer!

Wonder what the fall holds in store??