Vital Imagery Blog

It will soon be April Fools' Day, a big event for practical jokers of all ages and intellect. 

To be honest, it's not something I've paid a lot of attention to over the years. That tease, trick and shock kind of comedy has never really been my thing.

Pulling off a really good April 1st prank usually takes a lot of work.  Few people can come up with an original, guffaw-worthy joke. The majority are just silly and often cause pain or shame to the victim.  Not to mention, it's not easy to slide something by someone,  who because of the day, just might be waiting for it.  Sometime it's even difficult to figure out who is actually the fool — the joker or his target.

But I do love to laugh — hard. And to hear others do the same. Not that little giggle, or polite 'Ha Ha', but an honest, sincere, you caught me by surprise with that, full-out, burst.  What will make it happen for me isn't in-your-face  or corny comedy.  No, I like  humour that surprises you, t…

This time of year, after snow and cold, there's nothing like adorable to warm your heart. 

While Easter is a religious holiday on the Christian calendar,  the secondary aspect exemplifies all that's perfect about spring.  Spring takes us away from the bleak into sunny warmth and rebirth. Rather than stark and barren, we begin to think of vitality and life.

Though for me it doesn't quite have the magic of Christmas, there's something enduringly cheerful about Easter.  Unlike that earlier celebration,  where crisp and cool, lushly Victorian, or playful but traditional are the decorations and illustrations of choice, at Easter we are all drawn to  breezy images of spring. Who doesn't smile at fluffy bunnies, petal soft baby chicks, wicker baskets of decorated eggs in soft pastels and colourfully wrapped chocolate in a variety of appropriate shapes?

When looking for graphics to use in Easter projects, whether it's for cards or invitations, completing a scrapbook…

I love to decorate Easter eggs. I'm not saying that I'm particularly good at it, but there's something soothing about such a simple creative task.  Lining up the colours, trying to find ways to make each egg original, doesn't take a lot of effort, but makes you feel as if you've done something just a little special.

Then, of course, there's the fun that goes with it. I look back fondly on the hunts that took place in my rather competitive family over the years.  The excitement of seeking and finding, of adding to one's stash. It was important to my kids to keep tabs on who was leading, and fun for their father and I to sit back and watch the renewed zeal when they realized one had just a few more in their basket than the rest. 

There was also the giggle of finding that one that had been overlooked by all, long after Easter had passed. 

For now, however, though I will be painting eggs, the end result of my seasonal artistic endeavour will be more centrepie…

It's been a heady time for local sports fans in this area. With winter being the season for this country's favourite sport,  arenas have been stacked with people excited to watch their favourite teams, whether the players be professional, farm or family, skate to victory. 

As noted, the hockey squads where I live have been doing quite well, with the Midget level having recently captured a provincial title.  The championship was capped by a late- night, rather rambunctious tour around town via fire truck, with excited players hooting and proud parents following horns honking.  Actually the parents and die-hard fans in the community may have been even be more excited than the kids.

Getting hyped up over sports is almost as much a part of any game as the game itself.  A team's success is a source of community pride.  Parents' enthusiasm often reaches immense proportion with their daydreams of having given birth to the next Gretzky looming large. The devotion of college st…