Lesson 844: Spring

Happy Friday, Readers.

What a beautiful spring week we've had.

Moon sent his love to Earth on her Earth Day on Monday!

Now, 

if we humans would just do the same.

I've reflected on how far we've come

in solving some of Earth's problems

as I watched this squirrel 

as we shared our noonday meals.

We still have plenty of work to do.

Keep at it.

We've played a lot of baseball again this week.

Huskies are on a roll!

Oh, how we love to be outdoors!
We even had some fans from Frederick, Maryland tonight!

Baseball is a great sport for me.

Just the right pace for Old Eloise.

If I'm proactive 

and use my morning right,

I manage to get it it all done.

My goal every evening 

after we come rolling in from baseball

is to get set up for the next day

and make a little time for reading.

The busier I get,

the more I flitz around with my books.

I just counted--

I have five going at once.

This book is killing me:

Racial injustice.

Terrible.

Horrible.

No Good.
Very Bad.

Racial injustice.

It's well done, 

but I can only take it in small doses.

When I'm working through something heavy,

I turn to fantasy

to escape into another world.

These Other Worlds 

have plenty of injustices of their own.

Yet, 

the process of World Building

 in the reading of fantasy

is an escape that I need when I feel stress.

Even fictional stress.

So,

I made the leap this week

into The Shires of Middle-Earth,

which is far away from 

Turk in Small Great Things.

 

I'm reading The Hobbit 

for the first time!

I've tried it two other times before,

both while pregnant and resting 

with no luck.

I started it the other night,

and the third time is the charm.

I love it!

Prepare yourself 

for pins like these:

It's the end of Autism Awareness Month

and the annual walk is tomorrow.

It would be terrible of me 

not to make mention of 

a world that we entered against our will 

twenty-five years ago.

Somehow,

through the uncertainty

and heartache

and the downright exhaustion,

we have build a world

in which beauty blooms.

I don't have hard data for you

or stats about increasing numbers.

But what I do have is a story,

which hits home a point 

with far more emphasis than with a list of statistics.

Sam and his friends were hanging at our house tonight, 

celebrating the night's win.

They were heading out to The Double Dipper

for ice cream.

Says Heath,

the high school quarterback

and pitcher with a rocket of an arm:

"Hey, Natalie--you want to come with us?

Pure,

unprompted,

full-inclusion.

It works,

and everyone benefits.

Enjoy your weekend.

If you are looking for me,

I'll be in Middle-Earth.

Eloise

Lesson 843: Alias

 Good evening, Readers.

Eloise welcomes you to the 

eight hundred and forty-third lesson

from The Lamp Post.

Eloise.

A pen name.

A pseudonym, to sound fancy.

An alias?

Not quite.

So what is the difference?

Here is what Mr. Google says:

Is a pseudonym an alias?

Alias derives from the term “alias dictus,” which means “otherwise called.” An alias is a pseudonym, nickname, or alternative name for an individual (alternative to their legal name).While the word 'pseudonym' is a neutral term; 'alias', at times, carries a negative connotation. 

Nothing negative here at the Lamp Post.

I try to keep this a positive blog,

843 weeks and counting.

I got to thinking about the word alias

from this book  

that I snagged from the high school library,

on the way out the door last Friday.

I had a weekend of basement cleaning ahead of me,

and sometimes I'll use a book to keep me moving.

30 minutes of work

equals 10 pages of a book.

I can work at that pace for hours on end.

(It worked!  Basement organized!)

The girl's scarf made of piano keys 

first caught my attention.

Then the subtitle:
A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis.

The story is just incredible.

Two sisters survived the horrors of the Ukraine

during WW2.

The story's beginning,

along with the end notes and photos

make it all the more special.

After you read the story

(or listen to the audio copy that is narrated by the real-life Amy),

check out this YouTube

to meet Journalist Greg Dawson

and listen to him tell his mother's story.

Consider it your long-term homework assignment.

For Book Talk on the story CLICK HERE

If I were assigning a grade to the week,

I'd have to give it a B--

books,

basements,

birds,

and baseball.

The Huskies are on a roll!

4 wins to begin the season.

Extra credit awarded

for giving my student a follow.

He's Harbor Creek's first ever baseball commentator.

Alex is just starting out,

and he did an excellent job.

With four games under our belts

and three of them away games,

Eloise finds herself 

a Tired Typist tonight!

There's an alias for you--

The Tired Typist.

My eyes are crossing--

time for bed.

I'll leave you with this nighty-night thought:

The Tired Typist

Lesson 842: Whiskey and Vegan Pizza

Hello, Readers.

I have an earthy blog for you tonight

given all the attention to the natural world this week.

The full solar eclipse gets top billing.

This was a fairly decent shot,

and the only one I quickly snapped--

aim--turn away--shoot!

I was afraid of wrecking my camera,

which is expensive,

and my eyes,

which are priceless.

Eloise loves celebrations!

We celebrated with Sun and Moon themed drinks and snack--

Blue Moon Beer  and Sun Chips!

So did Six Mile Cellars,

the winery across the street from the Lamp Post,

with wine and eclipse cookies!

It was just as fun to watch everyone looking up!

and of course,

Ellen, out in Edinboro--

looking up in the wrong direction.

                                                These kids are looking in the right direction--

by learning about nature 

at Thank A Farmer Night.

The kids celebrated the bounty of their little corner of the world

by learning about the benefits

of drinking milk

and eating fresh vegetables.

I even shaped my sourdough 

into the shape of the state of Pennsylvania

that evening.

It was fresh, hot sourdough and coffee 

for Eloise most of the week.

April 3rd, 

Dr. Jane Goodall celebrated her 90th birthday.

I watched and read many updates of quiet Jane,

with her simple ponytail 

and gentle ways.

What a life has led!

This is my favorite photo of Jane 

in her younger years.

Here is a video link to the Jane Goodall Institute.

                                                         Jane Goodall Institute CLICK HERE

To learn about Jane's life 

in my favorite way,

click on this link.

Scroll down to find a children's book titled

Me....Jane

by Patrick McDonnell

This is the description:

Dr. Jane reads 'Me...Jane', taking you back to her childhood and her dreams of Africa.

In his characteristic heartwarming style, Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals," until one day she finds that her dream has come true.

The best thing about this link,

is that Jane reads the story!

I will never get over the joy

of someone reading a story to me!

As far as famous people reading me stories go--

Jane, 

Jimmy Carter

and Robin Williams

 would be my top three.

https://storytime.janegoodall.org/

I need to find this book:

My favorite piece on Jane this week

was her Today Show interview.

Take a look and listen on the link below

and you will see her food and drink of choice

for celebrating her birthday.

                                                    Jane Goodall on Today CLICK HERE

Enjoy your weekend 

celebrating the earth--

rains and all.

Eloise