Nothin' Could Be Finer......

This week has been unusual. I stepped outside and the full moon, the smell of the wild cherry blossoms (and they are so intoxicating the past few days), the clear sky - so clear you can see stars in the night sky with the full moon - it's a beautiful night. The wild cherry tree blooms are right up there with honey suckle, peonies, and daffodils as far as favorites; does anything smell sweeter? OK, maybe cotton candy. Melt-in-your-mouth sugar rush.

This afternoon, I was taking a stroll around the lake with Terry. Behind the old Petroleum building was Charlie and this beautiful bird in the picture below (please forgive the quality, it's the best my cell phone can do). He had flown into a window and Charlie had picked him up and set him in crotch of a flowering cherry tree (or maybe it was a flowering crab...there are several of both back there.) Anyway, I looked him up when I got back to the office. He is called a summer red bird or a red tanager. I have never seen one before so this was exciting for me. These beauties migrate north from Mexico and fly as far north as Lake Huron. He must be lost because he's on the wrong side of the river. He's commonly found in Ohio, but no mention of Kentucky (at least that's what I found on a couple of web sites.)

So I am well into reading week 1 of my new class, called Fundamental Principles of Sound Research. So far, the reading has been interesting to me. It's certainly better than the first half of philosophy I read. As a result of the readings this week so far, I have a much better understanding of the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods. Now I am really torn because part of me really likes quantitative and part of me loves qualitative too. I think my talents lie more in qualitative.....hmmmmm.

I became a green belt in karate, 6th green, last Saturday. I am now working toward a 5th green. My new form is (sounds like) Pin Yon Som Don. We learned part of it tonight. I will get my first tip next week I think, for 8th code of ethic. The code is some pretty good mantra, except #9. I disagree with #9 which states "I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievments in the future." Personally, I will accept past mistakes but if I forget mistakes, I could repeat them. I have repeated mistakes so forgetting is not good for me. Maybe Chuck Norris prefers to forget his but I prefer to learn from mine. I will learn some one-step self-defense moves this time too. Vickie (in my class) is going to have her hair streaked green tomorrow morning to match her new green belt.

This Saturday, in just two more days, I will watch Sarah graduate from college. Wow, is this really happening so soon? I know it has been an eternity for her, but it seems like only months ago I was bringing her stuff to Butler Hall. Sarah fell in love with that area like I did. Morehead is a beautiful part of Kentucky. She fell in love with Kentucky and the country too and she is living her dream or, well, part of it anyway. If she is happy, I am happy. I couldn't be prouder. Erin and Emily will see their sister graduate just like they watched Katie graduate. I hope they follow in their sisters' footsteps.

I have been working on Emily's old room. It will become the spare room and/or Sarah's new room. We swapped Emily and Sarah so that Emily has the bigger of the two bedrooms. Hers was the smallest in our 4-bedroom house. I cleaned the carpet and it really cleaned up well. I have patched holes, treated and touched up the pink paint, and tomorrow I will repaint the entire closet. I need to revacuum and swap dressers..then start moving Sarah's stuff back into it. She is planning to move her stuff out this summer. Next up, clean the living room, then start on redoing Emily's room. Also, I need to find somebody to do repair work..it's going to be expensive :-(