Sharon's Blurb

 When the days seem oh, so dark and dreary And it's difficult to not feel old and weary When the daylight seems at best so bleary And the short, dark days have you feeling teary Remember Spring will come soon, deary And make us all feel oh, so cheery!

  One of my favourite morning routines is watering the potted plants and filling up the bird bath. As I do so, I stare in wonder and awe at all the trees, shrubs, plants and flowers that have taken up residence at our house. Most we have planted, replacing dead ones, and creating new spaces. Others have mysteriously, miraculously appeared on their own; no doubt the result of a bird or squirrel or chipmunk unknowingly depositing the seeds of flowers and trees. There is a new Rose of Sharon along the side of the house now, a new cedar at the edge of the back deck, and a couple of lilac bushes too that are pure happenstance. Numerous Blanket Flowers have found their way into our perennial gardens too, along with Black Eyed Susans and White Daisies; none planted or planned by us, purely Mother Nature doing her thing. And if these plants bring along a flower or two, they can stay. And as I marvel at these new entities appearing each year, I humbly realize I am only their...

  I would like to talk about the fact that I just shelled out over a hundred dollars for a pillow. An orthopedic pillow. Yes, I am at the age and stage where I invested in a special pillow to help with alignment and posture. The instructions, (yes, it came with instructions), say it could take two to three weeks to get used to it. And they are right. After years of sleeping on a very soft pillow, which has become so flat that it allows my head to virtually be horizontal or even worse, I figured it's time to be kinder to my neck and spine, head and shoulders. And so I went to a special health and medical goods supply store and paid over a hundred clams. They saw me coming. There were many more that were much more expensive. I couldn't believe it. However, it is made of some soft memory foam or something that offers firm yet supple support. There is a roll or ridge that fits under the back of my neck, firmly supporting it indeed. Almost too much so. It...

  The Danes are at it again. Making me re-obsessed about what makes them consistently among the Happiest Countries In The World. After reading numerous books on hygge, lykke and what it means to actually live in Denmark, I have come to the conclusion that it is because they are so heavily taxed. They, like all Nordic countries, and even us here in Canada, to some degree, pay a large amount of taxes. It is perhaps a coincidence that all of those countries are extremely cold for a part of the year. As I understand it, they pay so much in taxes that it virtually levels the playing field as far as income goes. For example, if you make not very much money, say under $10,000, you pay no taxes. If you make a bit more, you pay some taxes. And if you make a lot more, you pay a lot more taxes. That is it. It makes everyone more or less equal. There really is no have and have not. It is really everyone has. At social events, in neighbourhoods, community gatherings,...

  "So, do you have any grandkids?" I was asked the other day. "No!" I replied, taken aback at the question. Clearly I have passed the due date to be asked if I merely have any children. That biological clock has long since sailed and as the lines on my face get clearer, the question now turns generational. Do I have any grandkids? I have always dreaded the question do I have any children, as if by saying "no" I am some sort of a failure, failing the system, failing the country, failing the future. I am always asked these questions by people who do have children and grandchildren, and who are only too happy to open their phones and show me the latest pictures of their offspring. I, on the other hand, do not have pictures of offspring. Only cats and horses. And flowers and rainbows and sunsets and full moons and clouds and beautiful scenery and anything else that takes my eye. I must say in my 20's I certainly yearned to have childr...

  There are a few areas of the world where people regularly live to be 100 years old. They happen to call them Blue Zones. Not because they are full of blue haired people. But because someone just circled the areas in blue marker on a map. There are five such communities and they are in Italy, Greece, California, Japan and Costa Rica. Scientists have studied what it could possibly be that allows or causes the residents in these locales live to be so old. They have narrowed it down to a few things. Among them are food, exercise, and socializing. All of these places are somewhat remote. Isolated slightly from mainstream culture and society. I personally feel it may have more to do with the food than anything else. There is likely no chance these people consume any processed food whatsoever. Everything they eat is from the land, or made directly from ingredients from the land. Whether it be protein, dairy, vegetables, wheat, rice, etc. Not a chemical to b...