Lesson 698: Breath of Fresh Air

Happy weekend, Readers.

Looks like we are all about to breathe a bit of fresh air.

This is what my unmasked face looks like

in case you've forgotten.

I won't miss the masks

but you all must promise me to keep washing your hands!

Eloise LOVES hand soap!

I'll be hitting my 700th blog post on Memorial Day weekend.
Memorable for sure.

I'll have to think of something good to write about.

I love these Forget Me Nots!

I've been getting questions from my Team Adrenaline friends 

as to my return to 

my favorite outdoor workout group.

The answer is most likely not,

but I promise my old friends I won't forget the fun we had!

I found out that Team Adrenaline is free throughout the month of May.
There's still two weeks left if you want to check it out.

It's so fun!

Adaptation is the key to survival

and as life circumstances change, 

people move onto other things.

Graduation is part of human evolution.

For now, I enjoy the pool classes at the YMCA--

they are a great workout and easy on my joints

as well as my demanding evening schedule.

I'm checking off PA hiking trails one by one

and I'm getting wicked good with jump rope footwork.

Jack learned this lesson as he graduated from Duquesne last weekend.

I told him I was there...

but I couldn't fool the graduate.

We were really in my parents' kitchen

having a drink in his honor!

I will be soooo glad when extended family

can enjoy milestones again.

We're moving around a little more now

that the last of us has some protection against COVID.

We celebrated his needle bravery with a drink 

from the State Street Starbucks.

It did knock him down with a fever just two hours afterwards--

the fastest immune response out of any of us.

After he woke up,

the fever broke,

and as promised,

we planned our summer vacation spot.

They insisted on being part of the planning process.

Last weekend we ventured into Wooster, Ohio,

known for good baseball and state champion speech and debate teams.

Sambassador was at work. trying to distract his competitors.

This young lady has been my co-pilot.

We jam to music and she sings every word off key.

I even taught her to use my camera

and take pictures of pretty things while I'm driving

Speaking of pretty things,

Sam learned to sew Family and Consumer Science.

I don't know if he'll be MAKING clothes for Ellen's new adventure,

Mountain Laurel Apparel.

Maybe we'll put him in charge of packaging and door delivery.

We set up his spike ball tonight.

The makers must know that men generally set this up.

Sam and his buddies played for a whole 15 minutes

before SOMEONE ate the spikeball 

and got yelled at and had to go inside.

Not to be outdone by her fur sister,

Penny ate this.

Sigh.

Second sigh for Ellen,

founder of Mountain Laurel Apparel,

trying to find a t-shirt supplier.

She wants the soft kind in the pretty colors.
I told her not to settle--

she'll find what will keep us stylish and comfortable very soon.

This is the brand she's searching for.

Have a great weekend!

Eloise

Lesson 697: Problem Solver

Happy Friday, Readers.

My nephew Jack graduated from Duquesne today.

It took me 4 years to get the spelling right.

Pandemic or not,

I told him I wouldn't miss it for the world.

See?

I hope the male photographer Cousin Bonnie

pasted my head to

sees this........

Jack joins the world tonight with a piece of paper in hand

to prove he was a learner.

Now for the most important part:
transition the learners

into Problem Solvers.

Nature showed its brilliance this week.

Sometimes the setting sun around 7:30

makes a brilliant display on the trees 

to the east of the Lamp Post.

Especially on a partly sunny evening.

Eloise had to be a Problem Solver tonight.

My camera card malfunctioned---

every amateur's nightmare.

The photos are there,

but I can't get them off of the card.

I could have pouted tonight

or problem solved

so I chose the latter.

Look at this beauty over the vineyard.

This one is a winner, too!

Look how neat the layers appear

when they are in black and white.

The skies have been truly something this week.

Readers, 

do you think the sky is any less brilliant

know that you know the shot was taken

over the Walmart parking lot?

Technology was an unexpected problem tonight.

Never let a hiccup 

turn into a hurdle.

Teacher Appreciation Week was this week!

It was quite a year, for sure.

Every year I work on becoming a better teacher.

I'm always taking classes,

and pestering the younger teachers to show me 

new techniques.

One of the best ways to become a better teacher,

is to become a student.

EVERYONE should be a student.

You don't need to pay for high priced classes, either.

Here is your homework for the weekend,

and for the next 30 days if you are advanced

or 30 weeks if you want to take the slower route.

Enroll in the Earth School!

30 Quests designed to teach you about the earth.

Eloise likes Quests!

It's simple.
And free.

Plus, you know I'm going to ask you if you signed up.

Will you be able to look me in the eye and

fess up that you haven't?

Go to:

ed.ted.com

And be prepared to Stay Curious!

Click on Discover.

Choose Earth School.

Eloise recommends signing up as a teacher.

We all are teachers in some respect,

aren't we?

Watch the introductory video,

then scroll down below it to find

30 videos,

all between 5-8 minutes in length.

Here's some tips 

if you are a box checker

and like a certificate of completion at the end.

They are narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

You'll know his voice as soon as you click!

This was the first one I watched.
Yes, I started with the 12th because I thought it was the most interesting.

I'll get them all in,

in my roundabout way.

I'm looking forward to this one

to see if the Great Lakes are mentioned.

This was excellent.

Skipping ahead is not cheating!

It's being eager!

Because in education,

we Think With The End in Mind,

I'm posting the link to the final video in the series

at the end of this blog.

It's important to show the students the end product

before you show them all the steps to get there.

Ellen Louise,

CEO of Mountain Laurel Apparel

needs to watch this one.

Tees are still hard to come by,

so the girls are adding Happy Hour cups

to their collection!

The first one is already in circulation.

Natalie's boss at Penn State got one today.
Thank you, Lacey

and all of the Dobbins Staff 

who make Natalie's work life so pleasant!.

News will be shared soon

for the Etsy Shop's Grand Opening.

In between graduations and celebrations and t-shirt creations,

I'll be reading this!

When you ask me what my favorite kind of book to read is--

it's this!

Steven King thinks so, too!

Best of luck, Jack

and all the 2021 graduates.

I hope you find the words of John Grisham to be true--

Hope is powerful 

and there are more good people than bad.

Let me know what video you picked to watch first.
I already have a hunch which of you 

will start at #1 and work their way to #30,

and who will skip around.
Prove me right or wrong,

but either way,

you'll become an Earth Problem Solver.

CLICK HERE for MANDATORY weekend homework

Eloise