The Final Strand of Tinsel

The tree was officially completed Wednesday, December 14, just before 10 pm, when I applied the last strand of tinsel. It has some 5000 little white lights, 3000 strands of tinsel (if you can trust the numbers on the boxes) and many hundreds of ornaments (I've never counted them, but there are enough to fill about a dozen large plastic storage containers, plus two more containers of birds and a large stack of paper snowflakes).

Today I cleaned up around it, and moved it into position. I had to tie a few branches up against the wall, and trim a couple of others so I could reach the stairs. I moved a bunch of ornaments around to do this, but I'm done at last.

We had a large snowstorm today--probably eight inches of new snow on the ground. It really looks like a northern white Xmas out there now!

Tree Hunting

We went tree hunting today. It was not auspicious weather--relatively warm, and the forecast called for rain. I met everyone--my brother's family, the Kettners and the Rollingers--at Panera bread (quite busy and overrated). After brunching, we set off for the Gray's tree farm in Dryden, MI.

It's a long ride, and a pretty one, especially with two nieces in the car and Christmas music playing. Bill had gotten them a tree already, up at the Harrison property, when he and Nick went hunting, so they were just along for the ride. Once there, the kids ran around, threw snowballs, and found the carcass of a dead deer. The adults found trees.

I had trouble getting just the right tree--an eight foot spruce with lots of room for ornaments. The best I could do was a really full tree of the right size and shape. Here the kids pose in front of it:

Bill cut the tree down, and we dragged it to the path. Then the nice men at the farm brought it in on their pick-up truck, shook the loose needles out, and strapped it to the top of my Jeep. Just in time, too, as it began to rain a bit.

We had hot chocolate and cookies in the barn to keep warm, and then set off home. I got the tree off of the Jeep myself, but shouldn't quite get it up off the ground. Sonny, my neighbor, helped me lift the tree, prop it up against the garage, and set it in a pan of water, for which I am ever so grateful!