Saturday, December 21, 2013

Lesson 276: Make Room at the Inn


This was the blog that almost didn't happen, Folks.


If the undone hair, 
dark circles, 
and the fact that tonight I had to run my one miler for The Holiday Running Streak
in the rain
at 11:00 at night,
don't give you some clue; 
I'm sorry to say--
YOU HAVE A READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEM.

It's been one of the roughest weeks of the year at the Lamp Post.
Here's a recap:

Erie is leading the country in December snow totals:


But the snow that wouldn't stop


 returned to its liquid form today after a 20 degree warm-up.
Snowy fresh and white has quickly turned to a sloppy brown mess.

This snow earlier in the week, fell AFTER I cleared the driveway.


Clearing the Lamp Post driveway is not a usual task for Eloise.  
I had to help this week because hubby is laid up.


He's spent the last seven days flat on his back with a back problem.
The orange juice container near his head does not contain orange juice.
He can't roll, bend, crawl, slither, sit, nor stand.
That means he cannot get to the potty either.


If you have not figured out what is in the orange juice container from the context clues above,
YOU HAVE A READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEM!

So, Eloise.  How did you survive the week minus a set of hands, 
the week prior to Christmas, nonetheless?

With teamwork, of course!



I had to allow some people to lend me a hand this week.


The biggest hands lent were actually the two trusted hands of Dr. Steven Krauza.
He is our lovable local chiropractor who makes house calls in extreme cases.
Doc has adjusted Louie every single day right in our home, and monitored his healing.
He even left his portable chiropractic table in my bedroom all week!


In order to receive help for hubby, et al,  I needed to make room for them in the inn.
Desperately needing Doc for advice and treatment meant that he had to enter the inner sanctum--
Eloise's bedroom.

It is there I keep my most personal of items--
framed photographs,
Kindles,


and all of my books.


A quick survey of the space allows one to see that I love maps,


 and my giant, roll top desk.



It's large enough to hold all of my treasured belongings,
and display some very special photographs,
like my wedding photo.
(Wait.....Hubby wears a black hat???)


Well..........not exactly.


Allow Eloise to explain:

Missing a full week of work unexpectedly is hard for anyone.  I found a couple of babysitters for hubby around lunchtime today so that I could run to the schools to check my mailboxes and sign needed paper work before our holiday break.  

When I got to my desk at the high school, I found this hanging on the wall near my desk:


It was a gift from the legendary art teacher, George Humes.
It's a long story, and I'm low on sleep, so I'll save it for another time.
In short, I told him for my second marriage, he could be my bridesmaid, 
and that he should start growing his hair again for an up-do.

It seems that George was experimenting with several styles.
I also think I need to grow my own hair longer.  It looks pretty nice!


Current hubby is a bit jealous, I think, so I did what only Eloise would do:
I put these photos in his line of sight and told him that I am leaving them there until he walks across the room and takes them down himself.  Annoyance is a very good motivator for healing, right Doc?

Meanwhile Hubby's been watching a bunch of movies, loaned by some more friends I allowed into the Inn.


So.... who watches both Shreks AND the X-Men?


Some sent an easy clean-up dinner,


another a surprise, one of a kind, tree ornament.


You are right Jimmi C--life is better with friends.

Mom's been running my errands 
and Dad has been changing every light bulb that decided to burn out this week 
(like every single one in my house)!


To all of you who have entered the Inn or offered your assistance, THANK YOU!
Without you I wouldn't have had a chance to wish my sister Kenyan, Happy Birthday.


She turned the big 4-0 on December 18th.


 I got to see Ellen off to her first high school formal dance.



Her daddy was able to stand for a few precious seconds for a photo op.
Thank you, Dr. Krauza!


I was able to have some fun with Elf #1


and Elf #3.


I also had time for a quick Wal-Mart run to find that Ugly Sweater.


Eloise never passed up a moment to photograph nature's beauty.




Make room for people in your inn, Readers.  Allow friends and family to help you when you are in need, say thank you, and someday you will get a chance to repay the favor.  In case you missed that earlier in this post, I am sorry to say once again that YOU HAVE READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEMS.

I set this week's photos to a very special song.  It is one of my favorite Christmas carols, Away in a Manger.  This version is sung by the Robertsons, otherwise known as the Duck Dynasty clan.  They too, have had a rough week.  In case you missed it YOU DON'T JUST HAVE READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEMS, YOU ARE LIVING UNDER A BRIDGE!


Phil Roberston made a comment about gays in a recent interview.  As a result, A&E, the network that airs the show, has suspended Phil indefinitely.

Last time Eloise checked, we were allowed to speak freely in this country.  With 315 million of us, different viewpoints are not only encouraged, but are protected.  That is part of what makes our country so great.

Eloise still supports the show my family loves, and hopes that Phil and his clan will walk away from A&E and find another network.  I support the Robertsons in the same way I supported Ellen Degeneres when a major networked pulled the plug on her sitcom fifteen years ago, after she openly admitted that she was a lesbian.  I went to a book store and bought her book the very next day.

To those on either side of this issue:  the Bible is not meant for cherry picking.  It must be read and studied and looked in all its glory at as a whole. If you don't understand this, I am sorry to inform you that YOU HAVE A READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEM!

 Extracting a line of text and wrapping yourself in that blanket and calling it faith is just as wrong as suspending a person for speaking freely in accordance with his beliefs.  If you want to play the game of boiling the entire Bible down to one verse, Eloise will throw on a jersey.  Here's my pick:

Matthew, Chapter 7

Do Not Judge
1"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?…


Enjoy the pictures as well as the Robertson's version of Away in a Manager.

Speak freely, but kindly this weekend, My Readers.  Make room for everyone at the Inn.

Peace,
Eloise

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