Winter Solstice 08

Thanks Zeus for your advice while here for a planning meeting with Mary's committee:

I already dug a hole before the frost to accept it, and I have some unfrozen backfill soil ready to go.

I'll also transition it from constant indoor heat to the cool garage, and then into it's permanent location.

Hi Pete & Mary,

We were happy to see your wonderful live Christmas tree. It's a really good size and we're sure you'll have good luck with it...as long as you don't keep it in the house too long.

We had live trees for nearly two dozen years and to Uncle Justin's credit, we lost only one and that was because he'd developed a bad chest cold and couldn't get it planted soon enough. Some of those trees were real Charlie Browners, but have soared to 50-60 feet over the years.

So, we wish you the best of luck with yours. It's so nice to look at them as they grow and remember how they were actually your Christmas tree at one time.

Enjoy a beautiful & blessed Christmas!
Love, Aunt Lorraine

For those of you who missed this last week because I uploaded it later in the week:

'Twas the night before Christmas & out on the ranch

The pond was froze over & so was the branch.

The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.

The kids were all home on vacation from school,

And happier young folks you never did see-

Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.

Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,

There came a surprise that gave them a shock!

The power went off, the TV went dead!

When Grandpa came in from out in the shed

With an armload of wood, the house was all dark.

"Just what I expected," they heard him remark.

"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.

Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago."

"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,

And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right."

The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom..

Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,

Uncased his old fiddle & started to play

That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.

Mom started to sing, & 1st thing they knew

Both Pop & the kids were all singing it, too.

They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,"

Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.

They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,

And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.

They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,

The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;

And when the kids wakened, the power was on.

"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,"

Said Grandpa - & no one suspected his trick.

Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,

He had pulled the main switch - the old Son-of-a-Gun!

-anonymous