Lesson 472: For Seventy-Two

Four hundred seventy-two times I've sat at this computer

on Friday nights to recap the week.

I've shared seasonal photos,

celebrations,

milestones,

passings,

and new beginnings.

Eloise was tickled that for the 472nd time,

I'm able to write this blog to honor two, seventy-two year olds,

celebrating fifty years of marriage--

For the Seventy-Twos!

OK, Mother.

I just heard you scream next door.

I know.

You're still 71 for a few more months.

It's called literary license. 

Deal with it.

I am fascinated by numbers,

although readily admit I don't understand them well.

My favorite number is 33,

and I've written a lot about its significance over the years.

3's always have a way of finding their way into my life.

Last Saturday, 

Natalie and Sam were in a bowling tournament.

The lane conditions were tough but Natalie came out the victor.
She beat her little brother,

with a game total of 366 to his 333,

a difference of 33 pins.

As we were calculating those scores,

I received a text from a friend 

who was watching the Lady Huskies play in Slippery Rock.

Ellen just hit a triple!  

the text read.

On the car ride home, 

I surfed my Ibotta ap,

only to learn that I had a year to date gift card collection of $333.

After the long car ride, the van needed a refuel.

It didn't surprise me much that the pump automatically shut off 

at $33.33.

If I was a gambler,

I probably should have played all 3's 

and reserved my spot on the Today Show couch,

retelling Matt and Savannah

 what led to the story of my remarkable win.

But I'm not a gambler.

Yet, tonight,

I did stop to play 472

for a week,

boxed and straight,

just for these two.

My parents.

They are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary tonight.

50 is a neat number, as well.

50 is the traditional amount of years in a jubilee period.

It's also the atomic number of tin.

I spent part of my week 

going through family photo albums and scrapbooks,

where I found old photos like these

capturing moments of life.

In the front sleeve on one album,

I found the article written by Harold Kirk,

a gentleman who lived in the house I was raised in,

and now live next to.

My parents' house is pictured on the right--

it was originally yellow when they purchased it in 1967.

My house stands today just in front of where the barn was.

Here is another shot of a horse that is standing in what is now

the 6 Mile Cellar's parking lot.  

I wonder if the horse is Winsome,

after their wine Winsome Red.

The parking lot for the winery was once the corral.

The fencing still lines it today.

If my parents are historians,

 my mother is the chronicler.

She saved not only photos,

but many things of interest she's collected over the years.

They are all neatly sorted and preserved in protective sleeves.

I found their marriage certificate,

 and a receipt from the Dixie Hotel in New York City

where they spent their honeymoon 

50 years ago.

$16.80 a night!

She even had some of her wedding cards.

Then,

as with any type of historical review,

you always come across things that make you say,

What the hell?

Lord help me.

Sigh.

Eloise is a weaver who enjoys finding the common thread.

How can I summarize 46 years of my life

and 50 years of theirs?

What lessons have I harvested from that old, red farmhouse,

and transplanted into the Lamp Post next door?

When I think about defining my parents and their outlook on life,

there is one thing that stands out:

they make people feel welcome.

Here is your vocabulary lesson for this weekend:

Welcome is a cool word.

Its roots trace back to Old English.

According to various internet sources, 

the word welcome comes from the world wilcuma.

wil-- pleasure

plus

cuma---guest

One of the gifts my sister and I chose for them was a welcome mat.

My parents love people.

They have lots and lots of friends 

whom they have opened their lives and home to.

The parties are evident of this.

Oh, the parties they have had!

Patriotic as they are,

Olympic themed parties are always their favorite.

They celebrate all things Erie.

In the off-Olympic years,

the old coots get a little more creative.

They must have had a few too many

in order to come up with this one.

And once in awhile 

their parties are down right ridiculous...ly fun.

This one commemorates the year that my dad patched up 

his old fishing boat we named The Titanic.

She sprung leaks quite often.

Jack and Rose drove it through the Gay Bay,

to claps and cheers of a beachful of onlookers.

To Mom & Dad,

thank you for making us ALL feel so welcome.

The door is always open, 

there are plenty of lawn chairs for you at the beach,

and without a doubt, 

there's always a cold beer waiting for you in the 'frig.

I don't have a single complaint about how I was raised--

well,

except for the matching outfits.

That was a little over the top,

but at least it explains 

why I wear t-shirts

and she wears sequins.

We had to do something to define our own styles.

I'll end this 472nd blog tonight with some wise words

found written in a wedding card from 50 years ago,

from their longtime friends, Pat and Bob.

It looks as though they took your advice.

They have

and

He has.

God has blessed them, yes indeed!

Enjoy some more snapshots on the photo video 

set to one of their favorite songs,

Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.

Happy Anniversary,

Eloise

XOXOX

Lesson 471: Bust a Move

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Welcome to the double digits!

Our rumble-tumble,

rough and tough,

math wizard-sports fanatic son

turns 10 today.

When I think of Sam,

I think of movement.

He's pitched and rolled and twitched his way

into all of our hearts.

Sam is always on the go,

and at the same time,

he keeps all of us moving here at the Lamp Post.

There is always a practice to attend,

a game to be played,

a friend to have over,

and a joke to tell.

Here are some photos of Sam from the last year of his life.

You can see what an important role sports play.

Best wishes on your next decade, Sam.

Love,

Mother Eloise

Lesson 470: Stitches

Welcome to the Lamp Post, Readers.

Allow Eloise to shed some light on this lovely March night.

The start of this blog will contain your typical Erie weather updates,

and the end will leave you in stitches for sure.

March is a transitional month weather wise.

Lingering snow.

Lots of rain.

Really cool colors.

Lots of great photo opportunities.

There is a restlessness in the spring.

Everyone is waiting for things to come.

Sometimes the spring fog prevents you from seeing what lies ahead.

That's when you have to dig down,

trust your gut,

and just keep moving.

Sam had to employ a great deal of trust last Saturday

when he attended a roller skating birthday party for a classmate.

Roller rinks are cool, not to mention timeless.

Sam is stubborn and swore up and down he wouldn't skate 

because he feared injuring his arm for baseball season.

My boy tried wheelie-feet before with not much success.

He looked like a baby elephant trying to roller skate.

Hanging out next to the claw machine for two hours was not an option,

so he laced up and promised me one lap.

Sam did a 15 minute once-round,

clinging to the wall with his fingertips,

loudly protesting the entire way, begging for rescue.

I could hear him even over the blasting music.

There was nothing his sisters and I could do for him

but sit in the booth and laugh.

It was quite comical.

What it really took to break Sam free was watching his buddies do it.

They, too, looked like Dumbos on on wheels.

They also fell.

But they laughed at themselves,

got back up,

and kept at it.

One 15 minute lap for Sam

turned into another-and he shrunk his time to 10 minutes around.

By the third time around, he finally let go,

and PR'ed with a 6 minute loop,

falling sixteen times.

Sam got himself up every time,

and left the rink not in need of stitches!

Success!

We have so much we can learn from kids

and how they approach life.

Spring is a great time to move with my workout group.

All workouts are free during the month of April.

Team Adrenaline workouts truly are for everyone.

Scan this crowd from Tuesday night's workout.

There is a face like yours in it.

Bring your significant other,

kids,

neighbors,

and 

grandparents--

all for free during the month of April.

You will get a great workout and the light-hearted humor

will surely leave you in stitches.

I received my own little stitch fix this weekend 

from Stitch Fix.

It is the box-clothes order delivered to your home

based on a style profile you fill out.

Curious, more than anything,

I gave it a whirl,

I ended up loving all five items they sent

and kept two of my favorites.

I am going to give it a try again next month.

We're getting geared up for baseball and softball seasons.

Ellen Louise,

our Lady Huskie played her first scrimmage of the year this week.

Brrrr!

It was a cold one.

Her softball game went a little better than her Driver's License test did.

Grandma took Ellen to the test center.

Ellen's failure was a blast from the past.

I failed my first attempt way back in 1987.

Grandma was a little tougher 30 years ago,

and she spent a full hour screaming at me afterwards.

Time has mellowed the old girl out some

as evidenced by this text.

(Well, mellowed a tiny bit, anyway).

The parallel parking was shaky,

but Ellen had real problems reading this one sign.

So, I did what any good teachers do--

remediate when a weakness is found.

I made her a study packet.

I find visuals a very helpful learning tool,

so I placed some around the house for her quick and easy reference

to study for the next week.

To be fair,

I'll post the photo she took of the sign she missed.

Weekend homework:

Analyze these photos and determine if the

No Turn On Red sign

is poorly placed.

See it?

How about here?

Ahhh....there!

Ellen gets to give it another shot next week!

And to prove that it's good to laugh at one's mishaps,

from poor roller skating ability

to failing a driver's exam,

I'll post my own:

Eloise's newest claim to fame:

I drove through a wall!

My foot slipped off of the brake and stomped onto the gas,

and in one second's time,

I put the nose of the van clear through this wall!

Grandpa came over to help with the repair work.

I busted up my neon Rolling Rock sign!

Now I drink ....ing Rock!

There's been quite a local response to the CBS report on manufacturing,

centering on Erie.  Many in my community were disappointed with the coverage

as Erie was shown in a very depressing light.

Lots of #MyErie videos have been circulating facebook--

one great one from a couple of local photographers.

This is something similar I made in 2014,

prior to my 25th year class reunion,

for my classmates to enjoy.

We do have a great hometown.

This is #MyErie

ELOISE