Friday, January 29, 2016

Lesson 402: Stealth & Seldom

Eloise welcomes you to another Friday night.


It looks like it's shaping up to be a 
Free & Easy 
 winter weekend at the Lamp Post.


Not too many commitments this weekend.
We have a week off of bowling--
well until Sunday, anyway.

The three weekend long Erie Times News Bowling Tournament
was completed last Sunday.
Hubby placed 6th


in a sea of really good competitors.


One pin that 
Wobbles & Stands
can cost a bowler a whole lot of points.
6th place is nothing to be down about, Mr. Lamp Post!
You'll get that crystal bowling pin for your trophy case someday!

Local legend Lee Eighmy won it this year.
He is one of the best amateur bowlers in our city,
and probably the nation.
Lee claimed the ETN victory for the seventh time.

Impressive  & Admirable!



Lee is an all-around

Nice Guy & Great Competitor.

He is very deserving of this praise.

Our families dined at the same restaurant
after the Saturday round at last week's tournament.

Pop Quiz!
This building is next to the restaurant.
What building is this?
Bonus point:
Where did we dine?



Hubby engaged in polite table talk with the Eighmy family
as they ordered and ate next to us.

Eloise set up a blockade with the menus
so Lee would not overhear our plan of attack for the next day's oil pattern.

Hubby slapped Lee's shoulder on the way out
and wished him luck on the next day's matches.

I smiled,
and when I shook Lee's hand, 
I squeezed it extra hard
 when I wished him well.

Lee mistakenly thought I said,
"I hope you break your finger."

Geez, Lee!
How competitive do you think I am?
Simple misunderstanding.

I only said,
"I hope you throw a slinger."

Bowling tournaments of the Times News caliber are 
Long & Tedious 
for Eloise.
I get sick of doing the math.


I have to do something to keep myself entertained 
while ball after ball is rolled down the alley.
At least there is always something to take pictures of.


I window shopped the Bad Ass Pro Shop.


There were a whole bunch of bowling balls displayed on the wall.


If I ever decide to hang up my teaching career,
I'm going to apply for a job naming bowling balls.
Maybe I'll get some free ones to give away.
 I'd give the following to:

The Clintons


My Sister--
she gets delirious from all that running she does.


Me--
I like the blue and purple
and the name matches by shoe size.


Ellen
She has horrible vision.


Sam--
I need to say nothing further.


Natalie--
My heart breaker is a game breaker.


Hubby
The maroon and gold remind me of North East 
and the helmet reminds me of the one they stick 
on their school mascot of the North East Grape Pickers---
the fighting grape.
(Sad, but true)


My Dad
for his love of the flame.


My Mother-
enough said.


After a day of reflection,
I called an end to the 
Moping & Moaning 
that resulted from this year's bowling tournament loss.

Mother Eloise turned on the cheer charm
and got everyone excited about the next tournaments on the calendar.

Sam joined in, too.
He's a chip of the old block.
He made everyone these paper awards representing our past victories
in the sporting world,
hoping to lift everyone's spirits.


Me & Natalie--
we got plaques.
Thanks, Sam,
but that completely sucks.

Loud & Thunderous
were the words to describe tonight's Erie Bayhawks game.
It was Penn State Behrend night,
which meant cheap tickets and a fun crowd.


Watch & Wait

We came home with a thunderstick tonight.
They drop them from the ceiling during the quarter break.
This one got stuck in a vent above me.
45 minutes later it fell and hit me on the head.
Eloise was struck with a thunderstick!


Fun times!



Despite the winter being
Long & Cold
we find ways to get outside to get
much needed sunshine and exercise.

Sam and his friends get out most days at recess time


on the Clark School


sledding hill.


Eloise & Friends
play outside, too!



Team Adrenaline workouts stay outdoors all winter long.
They are really fun.
Last Saturday morning we were instructed to bring sleds 
to the football field.


We pulled one another


from end zone to end zone
several times.


It's a great way to stay healthy 
and beat the winter blues.
Contact Eloise for details if you want to join in the fun.


You may even leave with a prize.
We found this frozen shirt last Saturday.


I  took it to the Lamp Post,
washed it and had a drawing for it
 after the shirt remained unclaimed.


Melissa won!


For my inside entertainment I've turned to these two things:

Circle & Colony

The Circle is a book I just finished.
I highly recommend it.


The main character is a young, dumb 20-something girl,
(who is a bit of a slut).
The basic plot of the book is good,
aside from the protagonists Ana like qualities.

If you use Google, Twitter,
and love cameras and social media--
this book will really make you think.


The movie is already in production.
Check out the leads:


My other new obsession is this show on USA.
COLONY.


Your keen eye probably picked up Carlton Cruse is in charge.
He produced my favorite TV show ever--LOST.
Josh Holloway, known as Sawyer in LOST,
has the lead, which is perfectly written for him.

The show has great acting and a very interesting plot,
which I won't reveal.
You'll have to tune and and see for yourself.

The best part is Carlton Cuse works beyond the tv screen once again.
There is an on-line interactive you can play in conjunction with the show.

Before you play, 
you must choose a side.
Will you Collaborate or Resist?
There is no & sign.
You must choose.


Eloise is a registered Resistor and began game play last week.

This is my map of the Los Angles Resistance Bloc.  
Different areas and safe houses are unlocked as episodes air.

Clever & Brilliant, Carlton Cuse!



If you choose to Collaborate,
here's your map---
but be forewarned--
you won't be playing on Eloise's team,
and that is a mistake!


Here is an example of an on-line mission.



For a look at this great feature,
log onto www.colonytv.com
or click on the link below.


And finally,
to the Blog Title,
Stealth & Seldom.

Has Eloise kept you guessing?
What could Stealth & Seldom be?
I bet you guessed Eloise passing gas, right?
WRONG!

Meet my adopted cats,
Stealth & Seldom


Credit goes to my dad for finally naming them.
We've been calling them 
Orange Kitty & Gray Kitty 
for over two months!
We couldn't agree on any names, 
and truly, nothing suited them, until now.

In case you missed a prior blog post,
Stealth & Seldom are the two bastard cats we took in last November.
A co-worker caught them up on Harborgreene Road
and asked me if I'd take them.
My co-worker had an offer to adopt one of them,
but she felt bad separating the pair,
as they learned to survive together alone in the wild.

I suspect neighborhood cat Joe Kelly is the father.


They resemble him with their pointy ears,
whiskers,
and long tails.
While the paternity suit is pending, 
we are giving them a good home in the barn.

Their house is warm and cozy and packed with straw.
They get wet food and warm milk
and have plenty of mice to chase around.

Kitties abandoned by their fathers suffer with attachment issues.
They are skittish cats and rarely let us handle them.

This one is Stealth.
We've only been able to pet him once or twice.
He gets within 6 feet of us,
and at the slightest move, he bolts.


Meet Seldom.
This one lets us hold her once in a great while,
hence the name.


Hopefully by the summer the cats will be tame enough to play with.
Eloise will take any cat-taming tips you have to offer.
Send them my way.

And to end tonight's post,
the perfect video from a perfect singer--

Tim McGraw released the video for
Humble & Kind.

It is my #1 favorite video and has risen to my #2 favorite Tim McGraw song.
Please don't miss this one.
Great job, Handsome!

Goodnight & Goodbye,
ELOISE



Friday, January 22, 2016

Lesson 401: A Peaceful Easy


Eloise has a peaceful, easy feeling tonight.


Maybe it's the snow.


It's so calming and pretty.

This is a shot of the Klein Elementary playground,
one of the schools I teach in.


Remnants of snowman bases litter the soccer field.
If we had a longer recess 
we could actually complete a whole snowman.


Speaking of Klein School,
my students are in a national contest to win a $10,000 prize.
No, it's not a billion and a half prize,
but ten grand sure could do an elementary school a whole lot of good!


Please vote for their Scotties Trees Rock video
to catapult us from 8th place to first.
You can vote once a day.
You read this ad free blog every week.
You owe me a click.
I'd love to be able to report back next week 
how we climbed the prize ladder,
all because of you loyal readers.

I know you won't let me down.


Here's the squirrel in my yard.
I named him Chuck.
I fed him before last weekends snow blast.
Chuck's usually in the trees,
but for this shot
he was 

already standing on the ground.



Peaceful and easy has been anything but
for Eloise's sports world.

Here we are after Aaron Rogers touchdown to take the Packers into OT,
only for their defense to blow it a few short minutes later.



The darn Steelers lost last weekend, too.
Now all that jacket is good for


is for blowing snow.


You can sport this jacket with pride tonight!
HTown gave us an exciting game.


Three Zero, my hero,
made the OT buzzer beating shot 


to give my beloved Huskies an OT win.


I found out a long time ago
what bowling can do to your soul.

Hubby is in the finals of Erie's largest bowling tournament.
Good luck this weekend, Louie!


We celebrated his win last week to make the cut 
with a dinner at Chopstix.


Sam got an adapted set,


and opted to eat a cheeseburger with them
over sticky rice.

Keep at it, Sam.
You'll get the hang of chopsticks someday.

I know you won't let me down.


I got a peaceful


easy feeling



that this weekend is going to be a good one.

Lessons for the week:
Live in the moment.
Cherish the day.

Thank you for coming to the light of the Lamp Post again this week.
Make use of today's lesson,
because you never know if there will be a tomorrow.

This voice keeps whispering in my other ear,
that you may never read this blog again.

Thanks, Heather Cass,
for this photo.
It has a special meaning for some Erieites this week
who lost another friend
much too soon.


To continue tonight's lesson about peace and easy living,
here's a few more snow pictures in memory of Glen Frey--
a true musical artist that passed away earlier this week.

Peace,
ELOISE