Lesson 873: Striking

 Greetings from the Lamp Post!

You are getting your fill of photos this week,

last week's blog, Lesson 872:  White,

was absent of them.

The woods gave us plenty of photo opportunities.

So many beautiful things to see

and find.

Did you spot it, too?

Kitty Charlie doesn't walk on a leash 

like his canine friends,

but his striking eyes followed us

along part of the path.

Winter weather is starting to strike!

early in the week-- 

later in the week!

Steelers vs Browns in Cleveland on Thursday night!

It was fun to watch,

but not so much if you are a Steelers fan.

I found this weather lore 

that I thought was interesting.

What was the weather like for you on Thursday?

Thursday was colder,

but no snow accumulation at the Lamp Post.

Wednesday started out beautiful in Cleveland.

I spent the day at the Science Center

with our Advanced Technologies Group.

One of the first stops we made was 

to view the space suit of 
Harbor Creek High School graduate,

Paul Weitz.

And to keep in striking contrast with 

the photo-less blog from last week--White,

I'll show you my favorite exhibit.

I loved these.

The Huskies went to work 

on creating our signature color.

And others.

Mrs. Eloise tried to match the shade

of this Six Mile Cellars wine:

The dog from the Dog Exhibit approves!

As we left Cleveland that afternoon,

a storm rolled in off of the lake.

The sky and water

went from this

to this,

in less than five minutes.

It reminds me a bit of the book we are reading

in Quest class.

If you are are parent of an elementary school student,

even middle or high school,

I highly recommend this thought provoking book!

The crowd at the Firehall celebrating the football season

was heart-warmed

as Big Sis Natalie

accepted her brother's Captain Award.

#51 was unable to attend the full banquet

as he struck a tree,

head on,

on the way home from basketball practice.

The CLASS Act Emerging Leader Nominee

is in charge of the lesson this week.

Teens,

pay attention when driving,

and 

always,

ALL-ways

ALWAYS

wear a seatbelt.

Eloise

and #51

Lesson 872: White

 Good evening, Readers!

A typical greeting

to my typical Friday night blog

during a not-so-typical time.

The pulse of the nation 

still vibrates strong this week,

loud claps of approval

and of thundering opposition

 overpower falling leaves

and pet pics

and book recs

and sports scores

all the typical blog fodder.

Instead I simply write.

Black words

on a white surface

to convey my thoughts.

Not to find favor 

win friends

or influence people 

(thank you, Dale Carnegie, )

A week and then some

 past my disappointment

I know I can do two things:

the first--easy,

Resist.

Ask my family,

it's what I'm best at.

I will resist any policy that

takes away from what I hold dear--

our choices,

our schools,

and our precious planet.

Second,

much harder,

 Readers,

do not to fall prey to color schemes

of the red hats

or the blue bracelets!

Be the white.

The blank spaces

absent of photos tonight

make up our important white stripes,

the space between

the red

and the blue,

the glue 

that holds us all together.

Be the white,

refuse to be labeled by mass media 

as a bold color,

defined by the boundaries 

of your state.

Instead

be the cement,

the caulking,

the mortar between the bricks.

Be the voice of reason

in a reason-less

and renegade world.

There is a common ground,

and it lies in the white.

Stand in the stripes

and be the white

and I'll stand with you.

Eloise

Lesson 871: Sorting

 Hello, Readers!

I hope you got done sorting your candy

and found more treats 

than tricks on Halloween!

What a change in the leaves this week.

The tubes have been removed beneath the Clark School tree.

I named her Wisdom.

She's so pretty.

The landscape is becoming increasingly brown.

Pennsylvania will always be green to me--

not red or blue.

That is one thing I cannot stand in election season--

being labeled a color.

I much prefer a color blend

than hard line black and white.

I love a good fall red--on leaves

NOT on.....

balloons tied to lamp posts!

The prankster still hasn't come forward.

I need some leads, locals!

Help me out

so my houseful of Penn Staters 

can get some revenge!

Let's hope it's on the football field on Saturday!

I have to rest up for the game,

so Eloise is calling and early night-night.

Eloise