Lesson 964: Anthesis

 Hello, Readers.

Eloise here,

wishing you a happy weekend.

Today's vocabulary word is:

I've been watching our sunflowers reach 

this stage in their development.

Every stage along the way is beautiful.

I love going out to see them,

and returning to them a few minutes later

and there are changes.

Unfurled is true anthesis.

This one is the Autumn Beauty.

The Skyscrapers have not bloomed yet.

We are trying to figure out this one.

This one is Lemon Queen.

The Russian Mammoths are starting to bloom.

What is most impressive with that plant 

is the leaves!

Garden win of the week

in terms of tiny anthesis--

We planted Forget Me Nots

around Josie's grave.

She passed away on August 3rd, 8 years ago.

We will always remember

our beloved black lab.

A few months after her death

we adopted Hazel.  
When we reviewed her paperwork 

from the ANNA Shelter,

we discovered she was born the next day--

August 4th!

Natalie and I read the back of the seed packages

for two varieties of Forget Me Nots,

and tried to time their blooms

for August 3rd and 4th.

We were spot on!

If you are a local,

and have a cat adoption in your heart,

I have two young cats in need of homes.

They are not feral.

They will be going to the vet this week

to see if they are chipped 

and if they are boys or girls.

One looks like this--

a gray tabby with blue eyes.

I named it Welcome,

after a friend of our family who recently passed away.

Her middle name was Welcome!

The other is a pure black cat

with green eyes

and silky-shiny fur!

I named that one Artemis

for the NASA Moon Missions.

Please contact any of the Lamp Posters

if you would love to see one of these kitties!

Enjoy the weekend, Readers.

Eloise

Lesson 963: Williamsport

 Hello, Readers!

The Lamp Posters returned home

from the American Legion Baseball State Tournament

in Williamsport, PA.

It is home to the Little League World Series.

This team of guys was really fun to watch.

The field was in a gorgeous setting.

The mascot for the Williamsport Area High School is a Millionaire.

Given it's proximity to the Susquehanna

and river shipping of lumber,

there was a great concentration of wealth

a century ago.

It took us awhile to figure out the logo.

That's a top hat,

white gloves,

and a rose.

We lost the first game--

a close one to the team 

who eventually won the tournament--Pittston.

We had a win for the second game

which was has landed in my top 3 of all time games.

Sam hit well,

pitched well,

and had a blast.

The game that sent us packing

was the third game.

Louie watched from the hilltop in the outfield.

I walked up and down the hill to burn off stress

and took pics of wildflowers between innings.

We enjoyed the area so much

we would love to go back.

If you have dogs,

we found the best Vrbo!

Sam never got to eat at Pier 87.

Look up the restaurant if you ever are in Williamsport.

It's right along a creek.

Home Sweet Home

means Home Gutted Home

at the end of every July.

The annual Lamp Post resort has begun

and there are bins and boxes everywhere!

I rearranged all my bedroom furniture today

and I'm feeling it,

so I'm headed to bed soon.

Not before I give you your weekend homework, however.

Last week I told you about Natalie's 

Happy Mail project.

It seems she's not alone.

Snail Mail is trending!

If you watch the segment below

and read The Mailman,

you will want to bust out a pen and paper yourself!

CLICK HERE FOR Today Show Snail Mail

Goodnight, Readers.

Eloise

Lesson 962: Letter Carrier

 Hello, Readers.

Eloise, here,

delivering you a bit of good news.

The tomatoes are ripe!

We only have a few plants in pots,

but prefer the cherry tomato plants

so our resident gardener has lots to pick.

Between the teeny tomatoes

and her bean teepees,

Natalie is keeping quite busy

and her thumb polished green.

She painted up her old wagons this week.

Locals, 

if you see the wagons parked at the end of the driveway

with flowers in them,

stop and take some.

They are free!

If you see this machine parked at the end of my driveway

with this guy strapped inside,

he is NOT free.

From now until the snow flies

you'll catch us in the vineyards

going for 

(often shoeless)

rides.

Sam discovered hacky sacs this summer.

We told him old news.

We were aces in the 80s.

He and his teammates from

Wesleyville Post 571

will be playing in the state tournament

this weekend.

One correction to my earlier facebook post.

The game schedule switched

and we are playing Pittston

instead of Philipsburg.

Ellen Louise traveled to see Cousin Jack

and had a great trip to the big beach.

With so many things going on,

a once a week blog can't cover it all.

But a letter could.

Maybe you'll be receiving one of these

brightly colored envelopes in your mailbox soon.

Inspired by my two favorite books of 2026,

The Correspondent

and The Mailman

Natalie will be starting her 

Happy Mail project.

The act of practicing her printing

will help with the bit of the summer slide we see

every summer when she is away from her job.

It is much like what students experience

being out of the classroom for two months.

She becomes more echolalic

and she forgets how to spell some of her

known words.

In fact,

she started a stamp collection this week, too.

She picked the horses

and my favorite,

Mr. Rogers!

If you receive a Natalie Note,

please send her one back.

She absolutely loves to get mail!

If you want to get into reading,

or back into reading--

start with The Mailman.

I think it is a book 

everyone will enjoy

and learn a lot from.

Baseball before Books!

When the season is over,

I'll schedule a book party at the Lamp Post!

Have a great weekend!

Eloise