Double, double toil and trouble,
fire burn,
and cauldron bubble!
Do you know that line is Shakespearean? It's from Macbeth. Shamekia Hopson posted a summary on the Education Portal. It is a far better summary than I could give you, although I have been brushing up on my Shakespeare lately, at the urging of a colleague. It is better the second time around, Rob L. Thanks again for loaning me your three hundred pound book. Here is your lesson for today:
Lesson Summary
'Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble' is one of the most famous lines in English literature. These lines are spoken in unison by three witches who predict Macbeth's future throughout the play. These lines show how what the witches say can have double meanings and can be contradictory. Macbeth literally believes what the witches say to him without questioning the alternative meaning of their expressions. As a result, he starts to live his life to prevent the unpleasant aspect of the predictions made by the witches. Eventually, all of the negative things suggested by the witches occur and Macbeth is killed.
Interesting. Thanks, Shamekia.I'll try not to be like the trio of Macbeth witches and be contradictory in today's post. That ended bad for Macbeth. Eloise would not want you to have the same fate--although it will be hard for me to resist a play on words.
The cold, fall rains have come to Erie.
Skies are now cloudy and overcast.
Just looking out the window at the cold, dreariness makes you want to crawl back into bed and sleep the day away. Wake you up when it's all over, right? If that's the case, Erieites, you better set your alarm for June.
Eloise understands. Early sunsets and lack of sun exposure leave me feeling like a bean plant science fair experiment. I'm the pasty, weak thing trying to grow in the dark closet. That is why I need to wake up early on weekends, get my butt out of bed, and meet these people.
We played pirates on Saturday. Our booty was the work we did to our own booties in the form of squats, lunges, step ups, and box jumps. We didn't walk any planks, but we sure did hold a few.
We exercised through the wind on Tuesday,
and a cold, light rain on two consecutive Thursdays.
Wake up, Readers, and join us and brave the fall, too.
Last Sunday, I gave my friends another Wake Up call. I wanted to conquer this really big hill I ran by this summer. Eloise vowed to run up it before the snow flew. I've learned that life's obstacles are always easier to overcome with friends, so I invited them all along for the fun.
Some crazies met me upon the hilltop.
Others ran to meet us from a nearby point of origin.
We all gathered at the bottom of this beast and ran up it together.
Well, all except for Eloise because I was taking the pictures.
I did run it first. It took me 6 minutes and 45 seconds of steady running to get up it!
As soon as they all reached the top, torrents of rain fell, mixed with hail.
The blurred shot is from the sheets of rain.
It stopped in just enough time for this shot to come into focus.
Cute, Girlfriends.
Real, cute.
After that last moon shot, my camera blanked out. It wouldn't take a single photo beyond that one. Busted camera on their butts! Eloise was a bit upset.
My new Canon is only a few months old and I wasn't THAT worried as I knew it was still under warranty. I killed my last camera at the end of last summer photographing an Amish person. The Amish cannot be photographed because they feel the camera steals their soul. Someone better head to Spartansburg to get word to Jedediah that HE sucked the soul out of ME!!! Camera killer. I'm still holding a grudge.
I shouted at my friends, telling the asses, that their asses damaged my lens! The only logical conclusion that I could come to was that my running group had been infiltrated by the Amish. The new little blond. She looked suspicious.
Later I realized that in my shock and awe over the moon shot, I must have pressed the button too hard. It was stuck down. One simple, hard press and the button released. Camera fixed. The little blond is still a suspect, though.
She's the one in red, down low in the middle. Can you see her in a bonnet?
Hmmmmmm!
As a post-run treat, everyone got a scabby apple from my 100 year old organic apple tree.
They had to blindly draw from the basket.
I wrote an inspirational saying on each.
I even took my chances and braved ingesting Sharpie Marker ink.
Eloise picked a good one!
(and I lived).
I believe I can get these same people and a whole bunch more to join me this winter on Eloise's Winter Run Series 2. The plan and destination points will be revealed on next week's blog post. Until then, keep thinking. What could it be? And no hints. Hints are for sissies. The brave take guesses.
I went to a baby shower recently.
These cute ducks were handed out as party favors.
My friend Kathy who was giving the shower, knows Natalie loves rubber ducks. Kathy gave me the extras to give to my daughter who loves to line things up. At bath time, every night for the last 15 years, Natalie literally puts all her ducks in a row!
To answer your question, yes, that is a Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night shower curtain. If you know my family, you know which child of mine talked me into the purchase.
Speaking of bathrooms, the downstairs bathroom is finally getting some long overdue remodeling. The flusher on the potty finally stopped working. After five different repair attempts, the hubby gave up, put a board across the tank, and is making us flush it manually with a chain. The novelty of that fun activity has long worn off, and I found a damn ducky floating in the back of the tank! Eloise decided it's time to redo the bathroom. It's been in need since Sam peeled the wallpaper off when he was potty training. I have a brilliant idea, and can't wait to show you when it is done. It is going to be a crowd pleaser. You'll want to come to the Lamp Post just to sit on my potty. I'll post pictures when the project is complete so you can come and get in line. I've got a lot of readers now. Maybe I should make it a pay toilet.
Sit tight though, folks (literally). My creative projects are taking me awhile now that I have given up coffee. Pots of joe well into the night kept Eloise's creative brain a jumping. Unfortunately that got my heartbeat and nervous system a jumping too, and I gave it all up but one cup every morning. Caffeine fueled me and I was rarely tired. I could stay up late writing, working on projects, or reading. All of those things move slower now because I am sleeping by 11:30 every night. It can take me an entire month to finish a book!
Not this book , though.
If you want a creepy book to read, check this one out. It was loaned to me by legendary HCHS art teacher George Humes. This is a true story about an Amish murder that happened in a town a little more than an hour's drive from the Lamp Post.
It is written by former Edinboro Professor, Jim Fisher. He has written several other books that are very good too. He followed the Pizza Bomber story, that the locals will remember. He has a very easy to read writing style and his research is impeccable. Check out his website at this link:
One book I have been plugging away is this highly anticipated one:
I've had it a few weeks and I'm still not through it. The sequel is not grabbing me as much as the first one did. I read The Noticer last fall and have been cheerleading for it ever since. The Noticer Returns is falling a bit short for me.
Perhaps it's the time of year, or the lack of coffee to blame. Still I think Andrews is making his points in too roundabout of ways. Jones's wise advice seems more scripted and less authentic this time around. I'm not done yet, and will post my final thoughts when I finish.
There is one section of the book that I LOVED. I think Andy Andrews wrote it about me. One of the characters is a photographer. She doesn't have an overly expensive camera or a ton of equipment to make her pictures perfect. The character named Christy was described as this:
The Noticer Returns, Andy Andrews, page 86
.....Christy's bubbly personality was the fist thing anyone noticed. As a photographer who never posed anyone, her ability to connect immediately with the people she photographed
created a relaxed, joyful atmosphere
that was always visible in the final product.
Christy had a gift with natural light.
She not only didn't pose her clients but also never used extra lighting
or flash equipment either.
What it was that Christy was able to see wasn't visible to anyone else,
but the camera caught it.
Her photographs were proof of some sixth sense that never seemed to fail.
Heck, maybe that is why Fionnula bought me this necklace that reads
Capture life.
You know, on second thought, I think I am liking The Noticer Returns even more. I think I am going to make a cup of decaf and try to fake myself out. Eloise is headed off to bed to finish that book.
Enjoy your photo story set to Avicii's Wake Me Up. Fitting, because I have a feeling that tonight (like always), I'll wake up with a book on my head. I fall asleep reading every night. It's my new habit.
Wake up and capture life, Readers!
Eloise
