Friday, December 13, 2024

Lesson 876: I Love Winter

Hello, Readers!

Eloise, here,

wishing you a happy 

almost-winter weekend.


I'm going to lose followers by saying this,
but I really do love winter.


I'm always glad to see her leave when the time comes,
but when she surrounds us,
I enjoy the season.


There is a softness to it--
a calm quiet that you can't find 
in the other three seasons.

Winter dormancy is good for Eloise
as I get to cozy up inside
doing my favorite things.


We took a walk tonight
and it was gorgeous.
I wrecked the natural beauty of the night
with my light up, blinking hat.
Safety first!
We were out on the road
because the trails are covered
in knee deep snow.


I think my love for winter lamp post scenes
was rooted from one of my childhood favorites.
Bonus points if you know which
book I'm referring to.


Look how pretty 
even the worst of days 
can be.


Erie had a bit of every weather this week.

A warm up


which brought on fog.


And then some more snow.
This is what my gingerbread people
thought about that!


One of the coolest things that resulted
from The Great Thanksgiving Snow
was this snow overhang on the barn.


The rest of the week 
has been spent in gyms.

Fairview


Erie High--


were we welcomed Truck back to the court
after a foot-healing hiatus.


It's fun to watch kids having fun.



My middle child should be out having fun
because she took her last final
after five and a half long years studying.


Ellen Louise is done with her graduate school coursework
and will be starting her externship
after the holiday break.
She'll be learning the real world ropes
of Speech Pathology
at Clark and Klein elementary schools
and 
Brevillier Village.


I'm headed back to the gift wrap table
to tie up a few more surprises to set beneath the 
Christmas tree.

Eloise












Friday, December 6, 2024

Lesson 875: Blizzard Wizard

 Hello, Readers!

Eloise, here,

shouting out from the snowbank called

Erie, PA.

It has been one for the memory books, 

for sure.

We went from this: 


to this:


to this:


We settled into this today,
with a warm up on the way.


No major power outages
or stranded vehicles for the Lamp Posters.


We sat home and waited the storm out
for the most part.


Many in our area are now struggling
with the weight of the heavy, wet snow
bearing down on the roof.

We wonder if our back deck trellis
will bear the weight before the melt.


We owe a lot of our success 
to this guy,
Mr. Lamp Post,
aka The Blizzard Wizard.


He always thinks ahead 
and makes preparations early.
Down came the precious flags
for Penn State and the Huskies.

Within twelve hours from the above shot,
we were looking out the window at this,


and the Blizzard Wizard spent most of the day on this.


Because he keeps the snow from swallowing us,
and the house toasty warm with
crackling fires fed from a 
fully stocked woodpile,
I can enjoy the beauty of it all.


Therefore, 
I got to spend time doing what I love best--
take photos,
watch birds,




and reading books.

Man, 
this suggestion 
from the good people at Werner Books,
is keeping my imagination ever busy.


Being shut in as we were,
I had to shake the pandemic-y flashbacks.

This book,
set in Year 20 Post pandemic--
 fictionally the Georgian Flu,
a strengthened version of Swine.

It certainly didn't help,
but it more certainly makes you think.

It is beautifully written 
about the broken world,
evidenced by the number of tabs.


A student asked about the colors 
and if they meant certain annotations--
good thinking Grace L---
but all the colors mean
is that they match the book cover!
Each tab marks writing I loved.
 
If you borrow a book from 
The Library of the Lamp Post,
still under construction,
you will get to see my favorite parts,
and they might be yours, too!

Station Eleven offers some bonus
artwork inside the front cover, too!


What would I miss in a post pandemic world
where very few humans survived?
I'd miss all of you!
No people--no internet--no blog.
Penny and Hazel 
would miss you, too.
Surely these two gritty pitties would survive along side me
 to travel from town to town
in a caravan of musicians and performers.
I'm telling you--
Station Eleven is a great story.


I'd miss basketball!
The season has started.
A very challenging home opener
against Prep in our home gym.


I know it's dark and terrible for picture-taking,
but I just love the Harbor Creek gym!

It is so warm and cozy looking.
I love the warm wood with the color scheme.



Tonight we were in a brighter gym out in Fairview
for the Tip Off Tournament.


Another game tomorrow,
so we are turning in early.
It's been a long week for everyone.

Good night.
Sleep tight.
And wait for the warm up!

Eloise