Sedulous: A Penchant for Pursuit

When Jean-Pierre Giguère—most respected for his sedulous forechecking—scored the game-winner, his teammates hooted with delight and thrust their arms toward the rink's rafters, domicile of the hockey gods.

Belauded: Much Ado About Mediocrity

The belauded St. Andrews Beaverbrooks, resting on the laurels of early-season success, have lost six straight games and now coast toward mediocrity in the Atlantic Hockey League.

Dundrearies and Duh Playoffs

Benoit, the team captain and comedian, stood on his dressing room chair and issued his annual mandate: "Men, we need to play more like a team—no one here padding your stats, eh?—so we will all complement our playoff beards with dundrearies.

"Dungarees?" a rookie, unaccustomed to Benoit's French accent, asked.

"Non, you oaf," Benoit replied and then glanced at his best friend, a smirking Seamus J. O'Sheehan. "DUNN-drear--ease," Benoit repeated as he drew imaginary lines from his large ears to his jaw bones. "We let our side-uh-burns grow wild, eh?"

Lodestar: Guidance from the Galaxy

Seeking answers to life's myriad questions, some cast their gaze skyward—toward Polaris or perhaps a favorite planet or pulsar—and wait for the Creator of these lodestars to whisper guidance.

Georgic: Curious?

H. Holm photo, Nova Scotia Photo Album: Halifax

Seamus J. O'Sheehan's grandparents, accustomed to the georgic lifestyle in rural Nova Scotia, didn't warm to the notion of selling the family farm and moving closer to urban congestion, to Lower Sackville, some twenty-five clicks from Halifax.

Happy Birthday, Gráinne: WordSmart's WotD

Moved by Irish mythology and the full moon's luminosity, Nana and Granda named their first-born daughter Gráinne.

The Cantatrice and Her Captivating Performance

Nathalie’s performance in the public square that late-spring evening–her unwavering mezzo-soprano voice, a hint of French Canadian accent when she spoke to the audience, those big brown eyes and her chestnut hair—so captivated me that I fell in love with the cantatrice.

Oriflamme

Seamus J. O'Sheehan's oriflamme, a Celtic harp tattooed on the instep of his left foot, reminds him that his family is always with him.

Gráinne's Garden: Scarlet Pimpernel

When she wasn't working to secure endangered children or preparing her signature pot roast and noodle dinner, Gráinne often found peace in tending to her garden, which was punctuated with Scarlet pimpernel and blue-eyed grass.

Cerebrate

Cerebrate is my new favorite word. I mean, think about it...

Tonsorial: A Clerical Error

Seamus J. O'Sheehan, a bookish and reclusive red-headed sixth-grader at St. Kevin's Parochial School, pondered a career as a monk—until he read about one religious order's practice of tonsuring its new disciples.