Friday, March 27, 2026

Lesson 945: Calculations

 Hello, Readers!

According to my calculations,

the Big Baby of the family turned 19 today.

We celebrated at 5 Iron Golf.

It was so fun!

And there was a Motown Band--

an added bonus!

Sam is a Math major at Penn State Behrend.

His multiple math classes are always his favorite.

Here is an example of one of his practice questions.


Sam said he had to tell his Prof this problem was incorrect.

Inherited ability from his Mom, no doubt.
Here is my kind of Math:


According to my calculations
the Golden Forsythia is about to bust.


I smell Spring!
And Penny does, too.


According to my calculations,
I should be getting some precious time back into my schedule.

The Happy Rollers are done for the season.


The Gliding Stars season also came to a close.
It was the 26th year!


Their ice show was so cute this year.
No matter where I am,
she always finds me.


She loves skating with sweet Alex!


The show is always so good,



But these two stole the show this year!








A reminder from Ellen's teacup.


Calculate the time in your week.
When was the last time you extended yourself
to help someone?


Have a great weekend!
Eloise




Friday, March 20, 2026

Lesson 943: Funny Things

 Hello, Readers.

It's Eloise here, in the Great Lakes Region

experiencing the typical crackpot weather in March.

One day like this,

and the next like this.

Ice and snow






wiped away the memory of 70 degrees
the week prior.

Funny how that works.

Even the wildlife was saying,
this is for the birds.




There is a light at the end of the tunnel--
spring arrived today!


Mr. Lamp Post practices reading with Natalie
every single day.


She's doing so well!


Funny thing what fifteen minutes of focus each day can do.
Weekend homework:  try it!
Pick something you want to improve 
and practice for 15 minutes every single day.

Eloise has been suffering with a case of diagnosed laryngitis.
I'm on my 12th day.


12 days of sucking on lozenges,
leaving me with a sour stomach
and some very bad breath.

Time,
fluids,
and vocal rest 
were the doctor's orders.
However,
there is not much of a chance for vocal rest in school.

One of the first graders tapped me on the shoulder
while we were working on a floor game this week.
The students noticed that my voice was returning
and slowly improving.

"Mrs. Eloise,
you don't sound like a scary person anymore..
you just sound like a frog."

One of the funniest things I followed this week
was the airport drama of a friend,


and her newfound friendship
with a foreign stranded passenger named Lucy.  


Here are a few funny things to end this blog tonight.


I'm going to get a copy of this
to hang in our cabin.




Eloise




Friday, March 13, 2026

Lesson 942: Dark & Stormy

Hello, Readers!
Oh my!
March handed us quite a night.


The wind is a-howling!



Weekend pop quiz:
Which of Eloise's favorite children's classic books
did Snoopy swipe this line from in 1965?
See the bottom of the blog for the answer.

Fun fact:
The line It was a dark and stormy night 
history goes back even further,
to an 1800's poem.
The line was known as an example of bad writing. 
Bad or stormy history, 
no matter--
it is connected to Snoopy
and his quest to be an author,
so Eloise likes it.

Last Saturday was sunny and bright for a bit.
Erik and I rode to Presque Isle to see the melting snow,
and some boys enjoying the bay side
in shorts.



This morning,
at dawn,
the sky was painted pink and purple.


A few seconds later, rose gold,


And of course,
who else is up at the crack of dawn,
already finishing her 15th task of the day?

Grandma!


She's out and about in the community every day,
often before I even leave for work.

Our community has a bit of a Dark & Stormy past.
If you stop at the roadside park,
near the railroad tracks,
you'll find a marker 
explaining the armed skirmish
at that location in the 1850's.
My students are working on a project about
The Gauge War
and the stubborn band of farmers
who kept ripping up the tracks.
I'll let them work on their project a little more,
and then I'll fill you in.
Bonus points if you stop at the marker
and read about it for yourself.


Here's a snapshot of a Dark & Stormy group--
the Huskies student section
at the Lady Huskies basketball playoff game.
The girls season went one more than the boys this year.
It was nice to see the boys show up to support them.


Kids are fun to watch in the stands.
It's something I'll never tire of.

The Lady Huskies won that game,
but lost later in the week.
Basketball is all wrapped up for the season
with an orange and black bow.

We are now caught in the awkward time
between the end of basketball
and the start of baseball.

What shall I do with my time?


I'll be inside the Lamp Post,
and outside in the Greenhouse, 
puttering.









A Sunny & Bright note
to end this Dark & Stormy blog--
Natalie has reignited her win streak.
She won the Mexican Mint plant
at BINGO on Thursday.


Answer to Pop Quiz:

It was a dark and stormy night
was used by Madeline L'Engle
in A Wrinkle in Time.
Side note:
Some of the books elements are included in LOST,
particularly the character Eloise Hawking.

Have a great weekend.
Eloise