Lesson 821: (Un)Invited Guests

 How was your Thanksgiving, Readers?
Ours, 

here at the Lamp Post,

was deemed a nice holiday.

We had a decent day weather-wise,

even though the few days prior left us wondering.

We had a little rain,

which most think of as an uninvited guest.

We still need to make up from a very dry summer,

so rain is welcome any time.

We had  some high winds off of the lake, too.

It's now cold enough

and dark enough

to bust out my reflective walking coats.

We had a few blue skied days this week.

Just the right amount of sun and wind

to pop open the milkweed

and send their seeds a-flying.

The Master Gardeners talked about how

much of an uninvited guest the milkweed becomes

when it takes root where you don't want it to.

We had such a beautiful day 

I tried to snap the Christmas card photo.

Rarely can I ever get a shot of all three of my kids

that looks good.

I started with Ellen--always a win.

Not so much luck with the other two.

Natalie shuts her eyes nine times out of ten.

When you finally lose patience 

and tell her to open her eyes,

this is what she does:

The big guy has light blue eyes that 

are very sun-sensitive,

so this is what I got:

I should have uninvited him to Thanksgiving dinner

for ruining the perfect shot!

Can anyone else spot those perfectly crunchy brown leaves,

and the perfectly rounded orange pumpkin

in the background?

One invited guest was Ellen's new friend

from Saskatchewan, Canada.

Elizabeth spent her first Thanksgiving with us

at the Lamp Post!

She came Wednesday evening to assist with the dinner prep.

Sam and Sweetheart made the finest, 

lattice top

apple pie.

It didn't even make it to the Thursday dinner table.

It was almost gone that morning.

Ellen spent her time on turning these cinnamon rolls

into mini pumpkins.

Thanksgiving morning there as been a football game

played in the fields next to the Lamp Post

for a long, long time--

for as long as I could remember.

Sam and his friend went to check it out this year,

and wound up being the fifth round draft picks

for Random Family's Thanksgiving Day football game.

The uninvited guests had a memorable Thanksgiving morning.

My house isn't all put back together from the Christmas 

decorating.

Natalie was super helpful decorating 

the tree,

placing all the ornaments in the same spot.

Tees are coming.

I couldn't connect with the tee shirt guy

to get a look at the gold.

Check our facebook accounts 

on Small Business Saturday for details how to order.

And for the Uninvited Guests of the Week:

Poorly mannered dogs

do not get invited to the

Anything But a Book Club Book Club meeting.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eloise

Lesson 820: The Honorable

Hello, Readers.

Happy weekend.

We are enjoying a rainy fall evening 

at the Lamp Post.

It's a rare night when we are home this evening,

honoring the time for a little rest.

We've had a beautiful week,

but with today's wind and rain,

you can feel the turn coming.

We are coving the insects chapter in my

Master Gardener class tomorrow.

Maybe there will be some clue

to the winter

with this guy's colors.

The Honorable A Team,

my weekend morning companions,

enjoyed what was probably the last of the really nice weather.

Greenfield Park is always one of our favorite stops.

They head immediately to the playground

to give honor to their childhood favorites:

Natalie the swings,

and Erik the sandbox.

We walk the paved loop,

and always sit on the big, green swing at the end.

Pssssst.

Most Honorable Harborcreek Community Parks People.

I want one of those swings around our pond.

How can I help us get one?

Just trying to be useful.

This gal would probably argue

with Emerson.

Life IS about being happy,

says Natalie.

Natalie's Happy People shirts are now for sale.

We are taking orders this weekend.

The color for the season is gold with black printing.

She has to make the final tweaks of the design

when her Most Honorable Sister

stops at home to help her this weekend.

She and her friends from Canada and Colorado

are pushing through the last weeks

of their first semester of Grad School.

This is a photo of them last weekend,

after I insisted that some

homemade spaghetti sauce

and some red wine

is just what they needed to recharge.

Natalie is selling tees for $20

and crewneck sweatshirts for $30.

Message one of us to reserve yours.

Call.

Text.

Post.

Come to the Lamp Post on horseback.

Just let us know your size

and if you want a tee or a crew.

Delivery will be in early December.

Watch our facebook accounts for the actual design

and shade of gold.

Let's take a moment to honor this unique snapshot 

I captured yesterday at school.

The red,

orange,

and gold of the school van

look stunning 

against the blue sky.

Let's also honor this shot 

of my nephew Dan fishing

in the wilds of the Allegheny National Forest.

The Most Honorable Samuel the Southpaw

signed the book for the

National Honor Society this week.

Well done, Son!

If any of my relatives on my mother's side of the family

are reading this blog,

note the striking resemblance Sam suddenly bears

to our kinfolk.

His height has grown from our sturdy,

German roots.

When I think of roots,

I think of trees.

The dogs and I came across this

hole

in

the 

trunk

the other night

while looping the high school.

A hole in a tree trunk

just makes me wonder

what magic could lie within.

I love how Momma Bear

is reading to her children.

It is the single, best thing 

you can do for a child's early education.

Read.

READ.

READ!!!

Speaking of reading,

the next meeting of my

Anything But A Book Club Book Club

is Sunday, November 19th,

2:00-4:00 at the Lamp Post.

Anyone is welcome,

and one of my favorite things 

is seeing who shows up.

The format is more like an elementary school 

Show and Tell.

But it's about books,

so it's a Read and Tell.

If you are looking for some good,

cozy,

holiday reads to balance out the craziness,

come and find out what's good!

I love the outdoors and typically host them outside.

But it is 43 degrees and raining,

so I'll let you in.

Eloise