Wednesday. 4:35 AM.

Rain hammered the windows in my bedroom so fiercely that I feared the glass would break.

Then, the weather emergency alarm sounded on my phone. I hopped out of bed as I remembered I had left the door to the deck open so that fresh air could fill the house. As I raised the storm door’s window, the tornado sirens began. I returned to my room to find Chief partially under the bed and the other four snuggled together beneath the bed. The bed rests on 8” risers.

5:00 AM, the winds and rain had receded and sleep was forbidden to return. I’ve read that “something” had been spotted above Oakwood, three blocks away.

Tuesday was lovely, windy, and like an early April day. I got to spend some time out in the weather and enjoyed it immensely. 

I took lunch at Elsa’s on Stroop Road before taking the No. 28 to Town & Country shopping center to deposit some checks, grab some music books from Second & Charles Bookstore, and then headed across the street to Kroger. The store is still a mess as they continue to renovate the expansion. Some areas are spacious and comfortable, but the aisles feel cramped and difficult to maneuver with passing shopping carts. By 1:30 PM, I was back home with the pooches.

At 7 PM, I was seated in Fairmont HS’s auditorium to enjoy the four impressive choirs presenting their OMEA contest selections. The preview concert was conducted just as an audience would experience at the OMEA contest in a few weeks. There were three judges to offer their recorded and written responses, and no video or recording of any kind was allowed.

The Kettering Fairmont High School choral department, under the direction of Brody McDonald, has some of the sharpest choirs in the state. Musically, there are few, even some college choruses, that can compete with these Firebird ensembles. I was delighted with each ensemble’s three songs and noted that their diction was superb. It was also terrific to observe the singers standing with their arms and hands to their sides, and not looking like the Golden Corral buffet of posture and hand positioning.

Bravo to these fine young vocalists, and to their directors and support staff.

I will be away from the house for events on Wednesday and Thursday until 2 PM but have my evenings free for writing and researching. Some great progress has been made in plot development and I am quite pleased.

It’s going to be a soaker, today, but I intend to make it a great day!