Lesson 727: The Little Blue Cottage

Hello, Readers.

The winds have finally tamed at the Lamp Post,

and we were out at a basketball game tonight.

Like my shirt?

 

We have had warmer than normal temperatures

for December so far.

It was nice for the Barber Ball last weekend--

no coats needed.

When you have two ladies to escort to the dance,

you bring both bouquets of roses!

What a sweetheart!

While my girls danced the night away at the ball,

a wind storm ravaged the Lake Erie shoreline.

The little blue cottage my parents own,

was all patched up and ready for winter.

We hoped she would withstand the storms 

on the lake with very high water levels.

She bravely faced the storm head on,

and held back the battering waves as long as she could.

This blog is dedicated to the Little Blue Cottage

who took another severe beating--

the third year in a row.

We love our Little Blue Cottage.

Someone else has a little blue cottage.

And once again, 

someone stole my story idea.

I'll take you through some of the pages of this story book

that I actually purchased for my parents a couple of months ago

and was going to give them for a Christmas gift.

Surprise!

I thought it would make a nice coffee table book for the cottage.

First, we have to dig out the coffee table.

I'll be taking you through this book,

and the pages of our own picture books 

with my ringless left pointer finger.

My fingers are already splitting and cracking from the dry air,

and the hundred times I wash my hands a day!

One of the cuts must have gotten infected

and my finger swelled like a fat sausage!

I nearly had to cut the ring off my finger to remove it.

A bowl of ice for an hour 

and some Vaseline did the painful trick.--

of course at the telltale hour that all bad things happen--

3:00 am.

The story is about a little blue cottage that sits on a bay.

The cottage was used seasonally,

with most enjoyment in the summer months.

The little girl loved the water 

and would gaze out at it.

It was her favorite place.

Each year the cottage was cleaned and readied for winter.

The cottage would shiver through the 

snow,

ice,

and rain.

Many a time,

storms came fast and fierce.

The cottage fell into disrepair.

The little girl,

who now was a grown girl with a child of her own

repaired the little blue cottage 

for the next generation to enjoy.

Our little blue cottage has an interesting history.

My mother's grandmother,

my Great Grandmother,

owned the cottage next door to it.

It is now the home of the facebook famous Sunset Peggy.

We have an album full of old photos of it

from the late 1940's and early 1950's.

This is a photo from 1949

when it was a white boathouse,

with no windows and a big door to put the boat in.

By 1952 some windows were added.

Notice how much beach is in front of it.

That's my mom as a five year old little girl.

Here she is at age 8.

There were full sized trees in front,

this one with branches that held a swing.

Cars could be driven through 

between the cottage and the lake shore.

When my parents purchased it in 1988,

it looked like this.

There was lots of beach--

enough to have our own boat ramp

and beach the Sun Island.

Note to the young, female readers:

This is me in the blue bikini in the early 1990's,

my college years.

I threw this bathing suit in the garbage 

after I saw this photo because I thought the bathing suit

made me look fat.

Advice from Eloise:

Don't waste a precious minute of your life thinking this way.

By the early 2000's the beach was quickly disappearing.

Gone was the boat ramp

and the high lake levels arrived.

By the 20-teens

with rising lake levels 

and warmer than normal winters 

that kept the lake unfrozen all winter long--

the waves began to crash over.

My parents strengthened the wall several years ago

with a new cement layer a foot higher, hoping to buy us more time.

This is a photo from last year's storm.

The Don't Give Up the Ship flag made it through this year, too.

I don't have a photo of the inside this year,

but the sand is up to my waist in spots.

It is going to take considerable clean up.

Eloise comes from hearty peasant stock,

and we will clean up and move onto Plan B--

whatever that may be.

We aren't ready to give up just yet.

I'm known for being the Idea Gal around the Lamp Post,

and I'd like to see the Little Blue Cottage 

return to her roots.

I think something of this design

may withstand the changing climate.

I'd like to name my movement

Back to the Boathouse.

Anyone else think it's a good idea?

Christmas is coming next week,

reminding us God gave the world a savior.

Enjoy your final preparations

and remember the reason for the season.

See you next week 

on Christmas Eve.

Eloise

Lesson 726: Have a Ball!

 

Happy weekend, Readers!

It's mid December and we plan to have a ball

in more ways than one.

The early snowfall has already melted.

This photo snap of the sunrise over the vineyards 

could be mistaken for mountains instead of clouds.

The lake in the distance was the calm before the storm.

Rough weather ahead.

The lakefront friends along the Gay Bay 

are a ball of nerves tonight.

Be strong little blue cottage!

Nothing better to ease a worried tummy'

than some sweet peppermint.

Natalie and I love candy canes

and we both eat them upside down.

We've been having a ball with hoops starting.

Huskies with a big win over Erie tonight.

Sam and his buddy Tucker,

known all of football season as Slam and Truck,

have now strapped on their court shoes.

They are now known as Slam and Dunk--

Tucker has the be Dunk.

If you've seen Sam jump, you just know.

Ellen is home for winter break and doesn't see her 

big little brother as often.

When he walked in the house wearing High School warm-ups,

she said she was taken aback how old he looked.

Maturity-wise, 

she agrees he's still seven.

Natalie sure is happy to have her sister home.

They and cousin Jack are headed to 

Share the Magic at the Barber National Christmas Ball tomorrow!

What's in store for Mother Eloise?

I'll be having a ball getting ready for Christmas,

which is one of my specialties.

Here are some of my picks for 

joys of the seaason:

      These Hallmark wines are really good!

                                         

The Country Holiday candles from Walmart

rival Bath and Body!

They are so affordable and burn forever;

The scenes look so cozy when the candle flame dances within it.

Thoughtful daughter Ellen Louise

thought she had the perfect Christmas gift for her mom.

Little did she know that I, too, found the $5 deal.

This subscription will be cancelled and I'll keep my own,

but I will enjoy the holiday book she picked out for me!

Tonight,

my special reading material is this.

I haven't seen Tim McGraw in concert in three years!

He didn't tour this summer because he was filming the 

prequel to Yellowstone.

I cannot wait to see in on Paramount + 

December 19th!

So many of you have asked about the stray, white kitty.

It's a boy, and we have renamed him Charlie.

He's slowly recovering from his rough time in the wild.

He's gaining some weight and loves to sleep on my mom's shoes.

Have a ball this weekend, Readers!

Eloise

Lesson 725: Early December

Good evening, Readers!

Time to take a picture walk through the past week.

Early December never disappoints those who search for beauty.

The snow fell early this week in large fluffy flakes.

Snow outside made for the right conditions inside

to study for finals.

The snow frolic wore the dogs out,

so we decided that was a fine time to put of the Christmas tree.

When the Christmas tree goes up,

that means it's time for basketball!

With practice after school,

Sam leaves for school in the dark,

and returns home in the dark.

Getting him up and out the door with

six bags and a water container 

is a larger feat than his feet.

The snow melted later in the week

so our students could go outside to try to 

make some radio contacts with the International Space Station.

With Christmas on my mind,

and the winter calendar filling in,

I did what I do best--

stock up on some reading material.

I love reading so much.

It's a great way to accomplish something

a little bit at a time.

There isn't a book you ever read 

that doesn't change you in some way.

This recent read was voted 

Book of the Year by the Book of the Month Club.

I gave it a 3 out of 5.

I learned a lot about the time period,

but I thought it was too long and had a dumb ending.

I picked something a little lighter 

to balance out the Great Depression.

JK Rowling!

This is my kind of page turner.

Very good so far.

Today my Book of the Month pick arrived.

Now I will have 3 books to read this month.

Yes, I'll be reading all three at the same time.

This one was a risk for me.

A haunting fairy tale in December

doesn't seem like a perfect fit,

but I'll give it a try.

Weekend homework:

Look at this website:

The Alternate Limb Project

An artist has taken her talents to medical technology,

blending together art and function 

in the field of prosthetic limbs.

Enjoy your weekend and all the joys of early December.

Eloise