Lesson 691: For Teens

Hello, Readers. 

I'm slowly adding in more of my Friday night normals--

a pre-blog Friday night pony bottle

and a garage mirror shot.

There.

That feels more familiar.

I could snap the garage shot in the shiny mirror

because the hubby summer-ized it

on the nice weather evenings this week.

The warm weather really popped the flowers.

It's so nice to have some color again.

Nature in Erie still looks pretty much like this.

Notice the dry, dusty path?
Strange spring weather 

during these strange times.

It's usually cold and muddy this time of year.

I found this

and have no idea of the artist 

or the title of the work,

but I'll temporarily name it

Eloise and Her Feral Cats 

It was dry enough for Sam's baseball team

to practice

and squeeze in a scrimmage.

I loved the fresh air

and my lens was smiling.

I blew my Not Saying the Words I Hate goal--

I hate white baseball pants.

Sam is prone to nosebleeds in the springtime.

He popped a dripper just as we were walking home.

The above snapshot 

really struck me how much he's changed 

in the last few years.

He turns 14 tomorrow.

Born at 3:27 pm on 3-27!

Here was 12

And here was last year at 13.

Ahhh, such fond memories.

The Pandemic shut down birthday--

a car parade,

toilet paper shortages

and weird humor.

Sam--

our big hearted hero,

whose final art projects will be framed,

because he says he's never taking art again.

He scheduled for high school just a week ago.

I loved this perspective drawing

of a city scene.

It has the Sam touch--

the semi trucks are crashing.

Sigh.

My funny boy 

who was this baby just yesterday.

His birthdays usually draw a crowd,

Sam will be a champion in whatever he chooses in life.

Take some advice from your sisters.

Study hard and do your best

in whatever the circumstances.

Even if you have to take art.

And most importantly,

Live On.

For Sam at fourteen

and

For All Teens.

Eloise

Lesson 690: Lost and Finding

We're midway through March, Readers!

That's a nice feeling.

The vineyards take awhile to wake up 

now that it is darker again in the morning.

I put my healthy green drink in their Old Snapper glass

every morning.

One, because the color matches,

and

Two, because it makes the experience a tad more tolerable.

I quit getting the blender out and mixing it with things 

in an attempt for better taste.

It just adds calories,

makes a huge mess,

and still tastes gross.

Now, I just slug it down.

As the buds emerge,

or world is cautiously moving back to normal.

I've found myself thinking a lot about rediscovering things

I used to do regularly,

but stopped during the pandemic.

I'll intersperse those musing 

with some really pretty spring nature photos 

I captured this week.

#1--I've lost my people pictures!

I miss the expressions of people--

the furrowed brows in deep thought,

the closed eyes in peaceful slumber,

the cheers of jubilation.

The Lamp Post was always crawling with kids.

How I miss that!

Thank goodness for animals.

#2--I stopped wearing jewelry.

My rings are still on--those never come off,

but my extra pieces that go with outfits I just stopped putting on.

I got some new pieces for my birthday

and it was fun finding my old pieces

#3 I stopped drinking alcohol--

Having a weekly drink while I blogged was always standard for Eloise.

As the pandemic dragged on,

I came to realize a beer only tastes good in more celebratory times.

I got my favorite ponies for my birthday,

and I remember the lost fun of a pony or two on a Friday night.

My old habits are finding their way back to me.

I've also discovered some new things I love.

I'm finding I love to walk trails more and more.

I'm always searching for new ones,

and in our area,

there are so many!

I also am finding that I love different foods.

We've been trying to support local businesses every week,

and when we order take out,

I always pick something totally new.

I'm finding that I love different genres of reading.

I've read about every political thriller 

and spy novel there is.

If there is a mystery to figure out, 

I'm attempting a solve.

The books I've chosen in 2021 are so different for me,

and I've loved them all.

Question for my reader Readers:
Has anyone read Song of Achilles?

We lost the NCAA Tourney last year,

but it found its way back this year!

A friend from work suffered a terrible tragedy this past week.

After returning from the funeral home yesterday,

I thought about all the lovely photos on display 

that showed she and her husband together.

I announced to my husband that we needed more photos of us.

I have plenty of him alone,

the kids,

and certainly plenty of the dogs,

but none of the two of us together.

It seems we've lost just how to pose for those kind of shots.

Lost art?

We'll keep trying.

Some fun photos of us 

enjoying good times are just around the corner.

Eloise

Lesson 689: The Damnpemic

 It's been a whole year of the COVID-19 pandemic,

or as I like to call it,

the Damnpemic.

Yes, dear daughter Ellen,

you've been living out your college years

with you parents,

your siblings,

and your pups.

The big fun last weekend was when our friend Nick

brought his new Tesla over for us to check out.

We've been hitting up coffee shops for grab and go's 

as often as we can.

Check out the Tipsy Bean.

This Huskie alum will be happy to serve you.

I hope we are on our way to being the Comeback City again.

I guess we have to be the Comeback Country first.

Life runs in cycles.

Everything comes back.

Sometimes we just have to wait.

I feel like we are rounding the curve

and better days are just ahead.

I didn't have to wait a day for this to arrive.

It showed up in my mailbox the day of my 50th birthday.

Here's some abundant wisdom for you.

Air fryer chicken wings are 12 minutes cook time,

not  25.

Eloise