Karen’s Opinion

Hubby and I will be attending a ceremony this afternoon. The ceremony will be honoring a young man who is receiving his Eagle Scout award.

From Wikipedia

Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men. The title of Eagle Scout is held for life, thus giving rise to the phrase “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle”.

Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating Scout Spirit through the Boy Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages. Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal and a badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout. Additional recognition can be earned through Eagle Palms, awarded for completing additional tenure, leadership, and merit badge requirements.

This honor is not given at random and takes hard work to earn. I can’t wait to give our friend a hug and tell him how proud we are of him and his achievement.

Hubby and I decided that if we didn’t have to pay for our own health insurance, we would be rich! I’m not saying I want the government to take care of me or even provide pet insurance for us. Although, dog insurance is something I wish we had invested in before we got our Shitzu. We could have saved thousands of dollars. Oh well, we are not going to risk going without health insurance. Some things are not worth taking a gamble on.

On the other hand, some things are worth the gamble. I recently won this beautiful brooch! By commenting and blogging about the giveaway on Three Fates Design, I was in the running to win and by golly I won!

Victoria at Three Fates Design makes the most beautiful jewelry. She has a little pug dog, named Yoda. I love reading her blog to see how Yoda is doing. Yoda has had some health issues.

Did you watch the Westminster dog show? Congratulations to Hickory, the winner of the best in show category at the 135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. This champion dog is a six year old Scottish Deerhound. This old breed is known for their loving personality, forgiving nature and sudden bursts of playful activity. This large dog is similar in stature to a greyhound with its graceful curves and long legs. It has a natural, wiry coat with shaggy beard and brows. They are the perfect dog for a family who wants a loyal friend.

Somehow, I find it hard to picture a champion dog like Hickory as a pet! I would definetly have the type of insurance that the owners of the horses who run races have. I wonder if there is dog insurance similar to horse insurance? Equine horse insurance is not just thought of as an add on when dealing with that caliber of horse. I am sure that champion dog owners protect their animals in much the same way.

Sounds like subject worth checking into! I love trivia.

My daughter in-law and son are visiting over this weekend. I am enjoying hearing about their dog’s antics and how they have had to deal with an onery dog who thinks it is okay to pee when upset. Oh my. They are having some success with a few new methods of reward vs punishment. I hope it works out. It takes determination to be a good pet owner. Maybe as much as being a parent! My daughter in-law is a teacher in a rural high school and often is frustrated by the lack of respect from students. I wonder if it is because kids are not getting attention at home. My daughter’s friend is a first grade teacher in Florida and was assaulted by a first grader! Now, I will be the first to remind myself that not all kids are like the ones in her class. Many come from loving homes and have parents who nurture them.

That brings me to the subject of profiling. There is a big problem with police harrassment in all areas of the United States. I often find myself growling when I see a kid with his pants falling down while sauntering down the hallway in the mall. Then, I stop and think, this is someone’s child. He or she might be a great kid who is going through the time in our lives when we struggle to discover who we are. Sometimes we follow the styles of others other times we want to be different and stick out like the individual we are. I hope our police remember that people are individuals who deserve a moment of respect. Sure, police, teachers, moms walking through the mall should go through the necessary steps to keep themselves safe but remember, the majority of the folk they deal with are good citizens.

Just my take.

Usually, if a movie is nominated for a Grammy award, it means I will not like it. I am not sure why but I guess that what leads the movie to be nominated is a sense of outrageous portrayal. If one looks back on the movies that have been nominated, they are not the normal, easy to follow movies. They are the ones with grandiose costumes and outlandish behavior. At least, this is what I find to be true of Grammy nominated movies.

Not so, with The Kings Speech. Hubby and I were trying to pass time while waiting for our daughter’s flight to arrive from Florida. We shopped at Family Leisure in Oaklandon. That is another post in itself! What a place. We ran a few errands at Joanne Fabrics and Gander Mountain then walked around the mall for a while. We went to dinner and were lucky enough to be seated in the bar area where we could pass more time. We watched the Louisville, Cincinnati basket ball game. That was fun.

We still had 3 hours to kill! We laughed at the obscurity of the situation. Usually, our days are planned with detail at every turn. It was nice to not have an agenda. So, finding ourselves with time to kill, we decided to take in a movie.

With only two movies available at 9 pm, The Kings Speech and The Company Men were our choices. We chose The Kings Speech. OMG! What a great movie.

I am sad to say, I don’t know much about the history of England’s monarchy. I do now! I went to the library yesterday and have been reading all about the kings and queens. There was a lot of scandal! I am drawn to stories that expound on human frailty. My daughter informed me that if I were to watch The Tudors, I would learn quite a bit about the history of England’s Monarchy. She is working on a distance learning education degree and finds she needs a break now and then. She loves history and retains information like a sponge. I love to learn from her!