Lesson 936: Winter Moon

Hello, Readers!

It's finally frozen over!

No, not Hell.

Lake Erie.

This season has the most beautiful of days.

Snow piles in the Clark School parking lot.

I had to climb to the top of this snow dune

to see how my tree was wintering.

There's Lake Erie,

all frozen over.  

The daytime skies are beautiful

with the bright white 

against the sky blue.

But the nighttime is equally stunning

on a clear night

and a winter moon.

It's not an easy capture for my little mom camera,

but here I was in negative one degrees this morning

giving it the old college try.

My first task of the day is to feed the ferals.

They get bowls of warm milk

and fresh, hot chicken.

Evidence of my foot shuffling walk.

Outdoorsy folks--

what animal makes tracks like these?

I'm giving out the weekend homework

early in this post

so you get right on it!

The countdown is on.

NASA's Artemis II mission

is nearing the start.

Launch date:

February 6, 2026,

the same date as the Opening Ceremonies

of the 2026 Winter Olympics--Milan Cortina.

Here are the very smart and dedicated astronauts

on the crew of three Americans and one Canadian.

As my students say,

Lucky Bummers

 

Look what you can do!

Sign up to include your name on a jump drive,

and your name can go for a ride around the moon!

Thank you to Jeff Burger, 

Science Teacher extraordinairre

for telling me about it!

CLICK HERE to sign up!

I got a great moon book recommendation for you.

I got the hot tip from my Principal at Clark.

It was granted this seal in 2016.

If it wins the Newberry,

it has to be good.

I just started it,

and agree with the New York Times--

it is impossible to put down.

Plus it has chapters not only titled,

but with clever plays on words

for each chapter.

It's simply as brilliant as the moon itself.

I'll bring you back to solid earth

for the next moon link--

My Prairie Moon seed catalog came today!

Yay!

I'll be choosing one of the Staff Favorites to plant this year.

Help Eloise decide--

post in the comments in you have a favorite.

Eastern Bluestar?

Sneezeweed?

White Trout Lily?

Royal Catchfly?

Western Indian Physic?

Maybe I'll ask Whitford.

He's always by the fire,

ready to lend an ear.

We'll close the blog tonight with some winter wildlife.

I've been trying to catch this little guy up in the tree!

Success!

He's a birdseed thief!

Tufted Titmouse doesn't mind.

Time to watch out for my nightly visitors.

They know to follow the light of the Lamp Post.

I'm glad that you do, too!

To be sure to be notified of my weekly,

Friday night post,

become a follower on Blogger.

Facebook isn't circulating my posts,

probably because I'm not paying

the advertising fees they are requesting--

if that is even a thing.

I'm not sure what to trust anymore.

Enjoy your wintry weekend.

Look up at the moon 

and take in a big deep breath

of frozen air,

to remember in

hot, humid July.

Don't forget to do your homework!

Eloise

Lesson 935: 3 Ferns

Hello, Readers!

We are in the depths of winter here in Erie, PA,

and it looks as though most of the country 

wants to join our party!

Winter storms, although treacherous,

are decent in their own right

because they give you some time to prepare.

As we battle our own frigid temperatures 

and below zero wind chills

we wish our neighbors to the south

a safe and well-prepared weekend.

I texted with a old friend in Phoenix today.

She sent me these two old photos discovered

while deep cleaning a closet.

Even way back then

I loved Halloween parties

and cats.

If my friend gets tired of the warm temps,

she can come and visit Erie in the wintertime.

It does look charmingly romantic

in this photo,

doesn't it?

I had a blog outline ready this week

as I was going to share my 

Word of the Year for 2026.

I chose a prefix this year:

tri

I like how it looks, ending in that pretty little i.

It means three, of course

and is the root of all good words like

triangle

trinity

trio

It also is a homophone of the word 

try

I love this word, too.

I like to look for things that come in threes.

And just like that,

I found three Ferns!

Last week I mentioned that

my favorite children's book is Charlotte's Web.

I wanted to give you some more 

depth as to why

and planned on writing more about 

Fern's character.

She's my favorite because I identify with her as an animal lover.

Fern is compassionate,

creative

and dreamy.

.

Lo and behold

a Winter Storm came along,

and look what the weather people named her:

And for the third Fern of the week

I give props to none other than

FERNANDO MENDOZA!

He's the Heisman Trophy Winning Quarterback

of the Indiana Hoosiers,

a fellow Big Ten team

who just won themselves a National Championship!

When I posted that the world needed the story

of Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers,

I meant it.

In a world polluted with yuck-all-around

this story is almost too unbelievable to be true--

but believe it.

CLICK HERE for his Today Show interview

Fernando wound up playing for the National Championship

with a team he led to a historic 16-0 record.

The championship game, decided long before the season started,

was in Miami stadium against Miami,

one mile away from where he grew up.

A lifelong Miami fan he dreamed of playing for Miami

but they passed him up.

CLICK HERE for his famous 12 yard touchdown run

You just can't help but like this guy.

His smile is radiates positivity.

He is bold in his faith

and fiercely loves his family.

If that  is not enough,

the guy shares the name with a 

catchy ABBA song,
Fernando.

How about the lyrics in the chorus?

There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, 

Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, 

Fernando

    

What must that have been like,

watching a stadium filled with people

singing you this song?

CLICK HERE crowd singing/Fernando's reaction

No matter what weather the weekend

blows your way,

make the best of it.

Hold on to what you hold dear

and pray for others in need.

See you next week

under the light of the Lamp Post.

Eloise