Lesson 940: Dreaming

 Hello, Readers!

We have ourselves some warmer temps

in Erie, PA today.

The ice is melting off!

It's got me Dreaming of Spring.

Whitford is dreaming, too--

although he has not known Spring,

as we found him last Summer.

I know we'll be burning fires in the woodstove

for a month or more yet,

but official spring is just three weeks away.

Eloise is ready.

The sap is starting to run.

The winter sown seeds are getting some much needed sunshine!

The seeds were about as happy as we were

after a USA Men's Hockey Gold Medal win on Sunday!

Also as happy as Ellen and Charlie

getting their first sourdough loaf to work.

Dreaming of Spring during the 

goodbye,

see-ya-later days of Winter,

makes for some very muddy dreams!

Look at this cool shoe bag from my friends

at Two Crafty Girls!

Perfect for muddy days

or frequent trips to bowling alleys

where wet shoes are a no-no.

CLICK HERE for Two Crafty Girls

(psssst!  Here's the secret---one of the crafty girls

is a student at Clark Elementary!)

What I've really been Dreaming of lately

are all of my garden projects!

There are so many things I want to build--

or in truth,

want Mr. Lamp Post to build for me.

I let the universe decide the first project.

I did the Winter Solstice practice

of writing down 12 things on pieces of paper

(my things were projects but they could be wishes, goals, destinations, etc).

You burn one each evening without opening it.

On New Year's Eve the final two are left.

One is burned 

and the last one left is opened.

Mine was.....

Build a bean teepee!

I saw one when we went to the Erie County Fair 

in Buffalo, NY,

and instantly fell in love.

Here are a few others I'm sketching out

in my 

Plant Lady notebook:

A sunflower room!

I'll put some Bee Boats inside, for sure!

I'd really love this herb spiral.

I'm a potato gal,

so this could be neat:

I just realized I have a lot of stuff to start collecting.

That's what Dreaming gets you, I guess.

The absurdness of this nation's leadership,

has me discussing 

(the polite term, used it a very loose way)

current policies,

past histories,

and the foreboding link between the two.

I've learned that flies can't be reasoned with.

I'll be making my sweetness this weekend--

maple syrup, though,

not honey.

Flies,

you can fly right on by.

I don't have energy to waste on you.

Eloise

Lesson 939: Golden Girls

 

Hello, Readers.

Eloise, here,

sending love from the golden sands of Presque Isle.

Or not.

These are photos of Valentine's Day weekend

and our time on Presque Isle,

the Bay,

and Findley Lake.

Walking on the frozen bay was really something.

Here is some golden sand from the tip of the peninsula.

Golden is clearly a term for blog-flow purpose--

the sand is actually brownish,

but very pretty when visually layered against the bright white ice dunes

and clear  blue sky.

There were flashing signs on the peninsula,

warning folks to stay off of the ice dunes.

They are dangerous because they are hollow

and one call fall through into the icy lake,

making rescue difficult and risky for others.

So glad that everyone obeyed.

We explored some steep hills that were safe for humans.

Peek-n-Peak is magical this time of year.

Watching Ellen slide down the bunny hill

was not quite as thrilling as the Olympics,

but there was joy in just being outside

watching her have some fun.

Speaking of joy and the Olympics.....

meet our new Golden Girl!

Alyssa Liu not only won the gold medal,

but she won the hearts of the world.

Her joy jump on the podium 

spread infectious warmth 

through the cold Winter Games.

I hope athletes of the world

listen when she speaks of sports burnout

and the freedom one can find when finding balance.

We got to give standing applause to these golden girls as well.

Yay for USA!

I get to watch live hockey on Sunday

when the men play Canada for the gold.

I had to receive hockey updates today via my mother 

because I was in school.

I was hoping for a virus to blow by

so I could take a sick day to watch it live,

but I woke up healthy as a horse...

for a few minutes anyway,

(read a little bit more...).

Grandma says she's tired out from playing hockey,

skiing,

and doing her quads in ice skating.

LOL.

I'm tired, too!

I've been really dialed into the ice skating

and the Quad God Ilya's jumps.

So intrigued, in fact,

that I wondered what it must feel like 

to jump up and spin around four times before landing.

I decided I'd try it.

This morning.

In my kitchen.

At 5am.

While the coffee was perking.

I'll try to jump and spin around

just once....

just to see.

Well....

I landed on a cat toy and twisted my knee.

My pride was hurt that I only spun a 180

and landed with a thud on the kitchen floor,

squishing the fuzzy cat taco toy.

Not quite hurt enough for a sick day though.

Drat!

Thanks for the play by play commentary, Grandma!

We can cheer together live on Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

Eloise

Lesson 938: Heart

Happy Valentine's Day, Readers!

We  are in the Heart of winter

and love the fact that temperatures are climbing.

23 degrees feels warm,

compared to what they have been!

Right on target,

our Valentine card arrived from my mother--

It had a ride in the mail truck from 5796

to Pittsburgh,

then back to 5768.

The US Postal Service is something she will continue to support!

In the heart of the cold, cold winter,

we got a blue skied day!

It called for a ride to Presque Isle to see the ice dunes

and the frozen lake!

My students are celebrating athletes with heart!

If you look closely at this stoat,

a weasel-like creature native to the Italian alps,

Milo represents the Para Olympic Games.

He is using his tail to balance his snowboard

as he was born without a leg!

The high schoolers thought this would be a perfect hill

for our own Giant Slalom!

It's just the dirty plowed-up stuff from the parking lot.

Mr. Lamp Post made a trip to Marienville

to see the big snow in the Allegheny National Forest.

He is standing in the middle of Spring Creek.

I showed that photo to Gus and Whitford.

It was just to much for them.

They had to jump in their fluffy beds

on the hearth to recover from the chilling photo.

Meanwhile, 

the dogs have had a change of heart.

Hazel and Penny are so tired of being cooped up

they are warming to the snow,

especially when I'm out in my snowshoes.

We are a bit heartsick over my favorite ice dancers.

Yes, a silver medal is something to be proud of,

but phooey on the French judge.

I had a heart attack watching his two falls!

It was a good reminder the fragility of a champion

and that he, too,

is human.

Our hearts go out to the Gutherie family

again this week.

Continued prayers for strength 

from our hearts

straight to Tuscon.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day weekend

doing what you love

with someone you love.

Eloise