Lesson 744: Finding

Hello, Readers.

I'm finding some time to write tonight,

albeit a bit late.

It's already creeping in on 11:00 pm.

We had a nice fog roll in this week.

My parents' house looked creepy.

So did the vineyards.

The fog lifted and my students and I 

found our way to the Envirothon.

The Huskies found their way to a third place ranking!

This bird found a ride on one of neighbor Laura's horse!

I think it's the same bird that's been terrorizing the Lamp Post

for weeks by flying headfirst into the glass door.

Now, 

nest construction on our garage refrigerator.

We pulled it down,

and they rebuilt.

Pulled it down again,

and this was the retaliation.

Natalie found these candles at Walmart to give to her helpers.

She and Ellen celebrated the end of their school semesters tonight.

There are 12 different summer scents with cute labels

and clever names.

Priced at t an affordable $3.33 

they are a summer must-have.

Natalie and I found our way to Warren this week

to fight the mighty Dragons.

Varsity slayed.
JV got singed.

I found a Kombucha I actually like!

I know it's good for you and I've been trying to gag it down.

This one is good!

I found this old photo tonight

and loved it so much I'm going to end the blog with it.

Goodnight, Readers.

I hope you find yourselves into a nice weekend.

Eloise

Lesson 743: Blue and Orange

The month of April is coming to a close, Readers.

If December is known for green and red,

April is known for blue 

and orange.

April is autism awareness month.

My crew wore these tees all month long.

Sam and Ellen never mind highlighting Natalie's uniqueness.

I can honestly say that I cannot think of a single instance

that Sam or Ellen have ever been uncomfortable with Natalie

or resentful over the way we live our lives to accommodate her.

The same goes for my nephews.

Jack is very patient with Erik and takes his quirks in stride.

I mean,

after all,

who else shows up to your cousin's first Homecoming

wearing a reindeer onesie.

Nobody even thinks twice about it.

Natalie has made a nice little life for herself,

working at Penn State Behrend

and doing the things she loves

with the people (and pets)

she loves most.

My Sundays are spent with Erik.

We've walked our shoes clear through

during the pandemic.

One of his favorite places to go 

is the playground and walking path 

at the North East Gravel Pit Park.

He loves to go on the stage.

This is my next favorite pair of siblings.

Ryan McGuire has autism.

This is his younger sister, Brittany.

They have become a TikTok sensation

by sharing their lighthearted and fun videos

of their life and relationships.

Brittany loves TikTok dances and taught Ryan how to do them.

Ryan is a sports fanatic and loves to go to games with Brittany.

Check out their interview on the Today Show.

Consider it mandatory homework.

So Fun! Please watch! CLICK HERE

What's new in the autism world this year?
There's a bit of a debate over the symbol

used to represent it.

Here is a nice, 

easy to read article about autism symbols

for Bonus Points.

Autism symbols article CLICK HERE

It began with the puzzle piece ribbon.

Twenty years ago Kenyan and I 

were pinning these on your shirts.

The ribbons identified closer to diseases

than the diverse conditions of autism,

so just the puzzle piece was used to represent it.

Eventually there was a debate about the colors.

The primary red, yellow, and blue

made people think of young children

and that autism was a condition of a child.

A rainbow color of puzzle pieces represented

the broad spectrum of autism much better 

than red, yellow, and blue could.

Next came the issues with the puzzle piece.

People with autism spoke out against it

stating they did not want to be known as

a problem that needed solving---

so enters the infinity symbol.

The rainbow symbol was new and confusing,

so the term neurodiveristy

was attached to it.

In keeping with the times,

someone came up with something clever to

try to keep everyone happy.

Meet the unicorn rainbow sprinkles version

of the autism awareness symbol.

The other parts of the month we roll with the orange.

Played two games tonight,

and two more to go tomorrow,

so this blue and orange household is headed to bed.

Next week Ellen will be back from the plaid.

She's finishing up her junior year at Edinboro University next week!

We can't wait to have her home for the summer.

Let's hope she brings some consistently warmer weather with her.

The roller coaster temperatures are killing my sinuses!

Eloise

Lesson 742: Inside Outside

Hello, Readers.

Happy Earth Day.

Here's a quote from an author from one of my favorite

childhood books.

Can you guess the classic novel?

It made me desperately want to raise a pig

and name it Wilbur.

If you guessed EB White to be the author of

Charlotte's Web, you are correct!

Reading about wise old Charlotte the spider

made a lasting impression on young Eloise.

Spiders are one thing I never have feared.

I think I missed reading it to Sam.

I found the gentle giant getting ready for school in the downstairs 

half bathroom off of the kitchen this morning.

I peeked in the door with a raised eyebrow 

to inquire what was going on.

"Spider," he said.

It's like an elephant with a mouse.

Sam had a great varsity debut tonight in McLane,

so I'll go easy on the teasing tonight.

Earth Day was a beauty!

Outside the sun was shining

and the school kids got to play outside for recess 

on a nice, spring day.

These are the perfect springtime clouds/

After the snow last weekend,

I am tickled to see things greening up.

The earth laughed, too,

giggling up some fresh buds and blossoms.

We know the end of the school year is closing in.

The congrats seniors 2022 sign is on top of the stadium!

If you drive by my house and try to look in from the outside

this mess is what you will see.

It's part of our bird deterrent system.

We have taken almost every one of your suggestions.

He keeps at the window pecking,

but not quite as often.

Natalie and I blasted Metallica at him a couple of days ago, too.

The garage is summer ready with the recliners back in place.

Inside we've finally chosen a floor.

Mr. Lamp Post did a fabulous job!

We finally agreed on a wide plank maple!

Now back to the disagreements.

We cannot decide on a color for the counter peninsula!

As always--

we kindly welcome Reader suggestions.

Lighter?

Darker?

Black?
A color?

Baseball season is the most hectic of the year.

The games are long.

The weather is unpredictable.

By the end of the night, I am always very tired,

but wound tigher than a top.

I find that if I have a good laugh before bed,

I sleep much better.

Freeform runs episodes of The Office every night.
We just watched the one where Michael Scott said,

"I'm not superstitious.  I'm just a little stitious."

Here are some good Office quotes if you are in need of a laugh, too.

Best Office Quotes

Weekend MANDATORY homework:

Don't worry. 

It's a video.

Watch this Earth Day piece

narrated by David Attenborough.

 8 Important Minutes David Attenborough

And, if you like going down rabbit holes on searches

like Eloise does,

check out 10 Fascinating Things About David Attenborough.

From what I looked up tonight--he's 95 years old!

CLICK HERE

I hope you find your internal motivation to take the steps

necessary to help protect and preserve the external world.

Have a great weekend.

It looks like Sunday is going to be a beauty.

Eloise