Lesson 445: Close to Home

Fall has fallen on the Lamp Post, 

and the scenery close to home is breathtaking.

Curious if my local readers know 

the location of this shot,

close to home.
It's my favorite of the week.
I was so excited when that old Ford actually drove by me.

Mother Nature knows about complementary colors.

Purples and golds.

Reds and Greens.

Oranges and blues.

How about black and white?

Do those count?

Cows make the greatest additions to landscapes.

Team Red and Team Green 

of the Harborcreek Little Gridders 

have been complementing one another all year.

The well balanced teams have

resulted in about equal wins, losses, and even a tie game.

The little Huskies had some luck when they played their first away game last Sunday.

The big Huskies haven't had too much luck this season,

but I sure do love them running on the field with the American flag

at the start of every game.

Nothing more American than discussing politics

 25 days before the election.

I spent a lot of time taking on line quizzes to see where 45 year old me resides--

Democratia or Republiland?

Just as I was 27 years ago.

and 10,

and 5.

Eloise is straight down the middle,

with equal beliefs on both sides of the line.

Mike Rowe,

the guy from Dirty Jobs,

had some brilliant statements about American politics 

and voting.  

You can read it here.

For simple brilliance, CLICK HERE

Masses of uneducated voters,

treating this election as if they are electing an American Idol singer

based on likability and personality,

are part of the problem.

But in schools, 

we are taught to solve problems.

We teach the students that problems

are the best opportunities for growth.

Mrs. Eloise has to explain the American political process 

through Snoopy this year.

I've had to shut down three political conversations in class this week

 because they've become too heated

and topics were turning too mature for elementary schoolers.

Rather than take a pass on this election,

instead Mrs. Eloise encourages you to focus on elections closer to home.

Start with your local races.

Do you know your supervisors?

Mayors?

Representatives?
and  Senators?

Who is on your school board?

Inform yourselves.

Pennsylvanians, did you know the 13 cyber charter schools

use your tax dollars to pay for television commercials?

19,298 commercials to be exact.

Did you know that the "tuition free" cyber schools actually cost

Pennsylvania tax payers $436.1 million dollars,

and not a single one received a passing score on the state's School Performance Profile?

Last year alone,

my school district paid out $560,000 in tuition to cyber schools,

with about $415,000 going to failing cyber charters.

Stick close to home.

Learn about who is making decisions about town,

policing your community,

and teaching your children.

Pay attention to the races closest to you,

and bite the bullet with this election.

I will miss the clever humor, though.

After all this exhausting political talk,

I'll stick close to home and

 flop on the couch for a bit.

Oh, yeah.

Thanks for the reminder, Sam.

 

I no longer have a couch,

and haven't started shopping for one yet, either.

Sigh.

Sighs aren't a good way to start a weekend.

Instead football team losses,

Presidential elections,

and couchless living rooms,

let's end this blog with some photos of baby animals.

Everyone likes baby animals.

Enjoy your weekend, Readers.

Here's my favorite Home song--

Phil Phillips, Home.

Great tune.

If you haven't heard it in awhile, 

give it a listen.

ELOISE