Sharon's Blurb

Can you feel it? The excitement in the air is palpable. Taylor Swift, music icon and legend, is performing her opening show in Toronto tonight. She's here for six shows - in the SIX. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, rest, then repeat the following week. Where does she get the energy? Hopefully it is fueled somewhat by the thousands of fans who are descending upon the city in droves to see her. Security is tight. Streets will be closed. And rightfully so. For with such popularity also come the detractors. Witness the concerts in Vienna, Austria, which were cancelled because of security threats. But this is more than just a concert. This is an event in the grand scheme of things; a polarizing mark in the space-time continuum. Where were you when Taylor Swift came to Toronto? Her largesse extending to the economics surrounding the venue; cities and towns reaping the benefits of the rewards of a visit by Her Swiftness. It has even been dubbed "Swiftnom...

 I have started a new book. It's called The Horse Whisperer. You may have seen the movie. I encourage you to read the book. It is written by a man who inherently cares so much about horses that he writes with excruciating detail. In fact I can only manage a few pages a day. I am wrought by such emotion that I need a whole day to process the events. And it is not a Schindler's List kind of emotional draining. It is a good emotional draining. A great way to start my day. Kind of like Holly Hunter's character in the movie Broadcast News where she starts each frenetic day bawling alone in her office, to clear out her emotional pipes, I guess. And as I sit there, weeping while I am reading, Princess the cat sitting on the mat in front of me, looking up at me wondering what she can do to help me, I have a confession to make:  I read in the bathroom. Yes, while I am having my morning constitution, I am indeed getting my read on. There, I admit it. I am sure I am not alone. There i...

  Princess hopped up onto the ledge and into the sunbeam. It was her favourite spot in the whole house on sunny days. Despite being a black cat, very nearly becoming too hot to the touch after sitting in a sunbeam for any length of time, she loved her sunshine. The problem this day was that Chester, the other black cat, was already lying on that ledge. Something Princess had seen and taken note of, but jumped up there anyways. Perhaps in her old age she didn't care that the ledge was already taken. Perhaps she thought she could squeeze into the other half of the sunbeam that wasn't already being taken up by Chester. At any rate, there she was, up on the ledge, a mere three inches away from Chester. Chester, for his part, was flabbergasted. Neither of them are cuddle buddies; in fact Princess is very particular about her bubble, preferring a fairly big one around her, all day, every day. Chester at first was startled at the sudden presence of Princess. ...

  Remember the one where Penny fell in the shower and Sheldon had to drive her to the hospital? Or the episode where Sheldon got several cats to replace Amy but then ended up giving them away to kids along with $20? Or the one where... It doesn't really matter which episode you watch. They are all great therapy after a really long, hard day. Or an emotionally grueling experience. Or you just need some mind candy for awhile to take your thoughts off things. Great therapy. As all the characters wend their way through their own foibles, there is always a message in there somewhere for all of us. As Howard negotiates his overbearing mother, and frighteningly similar wife, somehow, somewhere, we can all relate a little. And there is always a great deal of humor to get us through. Always at someone's expense, but in the end, all is forgiven in the name of friendship. And there's always a lesson thrown in along the way. Either for Sheldon, as he learn...

 Dear Mrs. Raccoon; I would like my garden back please. I know you are raising your five adorable babies in the window well under our deck. I know you need a safe space to do so, and thought that would be suitable. Well, you have worn out your welcome. I am sure they are big enough to move along to a suitable forest. I know one just down the street. I realize they are still nursing on you. I can see you all through our basement window. A clear view of your nursery. And yes, your babies are cute beyond reason. Snuggly and cuddly and who wouldn't want to just pick them up and kiss them to death. It is you, Mrs. Raccoon, who has put the fear of god into me. I am afraid of you, to be quite frank. Ever since that afternoon last week when I was enjoying a snack out on the back deck. I saw you out the corner of my eye, as you came up onto the deck and wanted some of that snack! Thankfully I had a broom handy - just in case - and was able to wave you away. ...

  When I was first hired by CKVR-TV as an anchor and reporter back in 1993, I was living in a small apartment in Richmond Hill. I was happy to commute back and forth in my little Honda Civic, up and down Highway 400. There was no way I was moving up to Barrie. That was farm country. Where the rubes lived. It even had a Co-op store, where country bumpkins bought their farm feed and supplies. The only culture that city had was agriculture. Imagine! I was better than that! I had been born and raised in the thriving metropolis of Oakville, then we moved to Brampton when I was a teenager.   I even lived in Montreal for several years while in my roaring twenties, for goodness sake!  La creme de la creme of culture and sophistication! Well, after three long years of driving up and down that Highway 400, surviving snow storms and other harrowing highway experiences, I succumbed. In 1996, I moved up. Literally and figuratively. And I have, sinc...