Lesson 711: Back to the Pack

Hello, Readers.

Eloise returned to school this week,

so Friday night feels like Friday night again.

This time of year is so pretty,

especially in the morning.

The dewy coolness of the day

captures sunlight in the most interesting ways.

It's been hot for the pets this week,

so we walk very early or later in the evening.

Don't raise an eyebrow if you see hubby walk by you

on the park path.

That's a squeaky toy!

The dogs will behave as long as you have the toy.

We try to walk after Sam's football practice every night.

As much as Sam doesn't feel like it,

a walk after practice loosens his legs.

He's sporting some odd tan lines this year!

School is starting.

Eloise loves school.

I'm always happy to return.

Here's your lesson for the week:
learn this word.

It's my new favorite.

Who wouldn't want to return 

when your walkway into work 

was this inspirational.

Yes, our pack is back.

And if we learned anything from the pandemic,

we are better together.

As the school year begins,

remember to

Schools are the grandest collections of brilliant ideas.

Motivational signs like these dotted every hallway

in every school.

The problem with this one is in the determining 

of whose right

is right.

Here's a wrong:

The size large iced pumpkin spiced latte.

We got a large to share--

Natalie, Ellen, and I each had a sip and

just about went into sugar shock.

If you want a 450 calorie shot to your diet,

go for it.

After you burn off some of that sugar with exercise,

grab a book.

This was my favorite reminder on the walls at school.

Huskies,

I have a stack of book recommendations for you,

waist high

(and I'm tall)!

I've found the best recommendations for books on

TikTok's BookTok.

If you haven't hopped over to TikTok,

run, skip, and jump on over to the book world.

Excellent reading models for kids and adults.

Speaking of models,

Natalie's sporting  her new band aids.

If you know Natalie,

her favorite things are bacon and band aids.

More Happy People gear coming soon,

mid-September, most likely.

For my colleagues at today's in-service--

my favorite session today was on the bees.

I also saw two yellow cars after work today.

Eloise

 

Lesson 710: A Week in the Life

 Hello, Readers.

The summer, by teacher standards,

is winding down,

even though we officially have another month until fall.

Returning to school for 21-22

makes me a little happier than I was last year,

despite the lurking worries.

The girls have been busy with their joint venture.

Miss Natalie's Happy People Tumblers

have been a big hit.

The girls opened their Etsy Shop this week.

Getting it all set up was much harder than it looked.

Look them up on Etsy.

Their name was one character too long for the Etsy requirement.

Mountain Laurel Apparel is shortened to MtnLaurelApparel when you search it..

Miss Ellen Louise will be able to devote more time

to this project as she said goodbye to a job she loved for over two years.

Work requirements in the company changed,

and she was unable to fit the designated hours between her classes.

She's learning lots.

The number one lesson was not to leave cups on doorsteps 

of two chewy dogs.

Our friends have a set of brown and yellow chewer, too!

Here is a link to a TikTok of their fun this week:

TikTok

My one regret of having Ellen home during the pandemic

was not working with her more in the kitchen.

She really needed to learn to cook for herself a bit better.

I was sort of thinking ramen noodles and salad,

but her lattice topped peach pies turned out fine.

Ever the artist, she is.

She even made a few pie dough cookies

with the leftover dough

just like hubby's mom used to.

They came close,

but they never come out quite the same as Frannie's.

After football practice,

Sam worked on functional fitness--

stacking the woodpiles for winter.

This book is worth the hype.

Very good so far.

And the dogs,

they stole my spot in bed.

Again.

Time to kick them out.

Eloise

Lesson 709: Buzzing Around

 Hello, Readers.

It's a rare Saturday night posting.

I've been stuck in a House on the Cerulean Sea.

Soft fantasy that sucked me in.

Who'd of thunk it?
I've grown attached to two sprites,

a shape shifter,

and a wyvern.

On Friday I spent 12 hours with my girls and my sister,

leaving me exhausted by our late return to the Lamp Post.

We've been buzzing around the Allegheny National Forest,

and rounded out the night at Bent Run Brewery

in Warren,

sitting at Table 13

on Friday the 13th.

We explored the Clarion River

and hiked to the Overlook at Minister Creek.

We savored every ounce of our perfect day.

We rented kayaks and a canoe from the Cook Forest base.

The week prior

we rented tubes from the Clarington base.

The Clarington section had cabins and homes

to view as you floated by,

so I thought that section was a bit more interesting.

While I was floating down the Clarion,
Mr. Lamp Post was buzzing around the yard.

My feral cats have signed a petition against the construction,

but once they realize it is a new woodshed

for them to roost on,

they will be fine.

The placement of this woodshed 

will be long known as 

The War Over the Woodshed.

Eloise didn't like the first location,

and I won, by the way.

While I've been buzzing around

finishing up summer,

I've been learning about bees.

Eloise has been all about the butterflies

over the last several years.

Recently, I've been learning about bees.

I love the beekeeping TikToks!

Here's an interesting story about a beekeeper.

I bought bee hotels like these

for my parents.

So far,

the Vacancy sign is lit up red.

Any readers with bee hotel experience,

please pass along your best tips for attracting bees.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Eloise

Friend of the Bees