Hodgepodge

So, I finally made you a priority today. Sorry for the impromptu hiatus, but sometimes life gets in the way of blogging. I have had a great couple weeks--Thanksgiving was a blast and we enjoyed having my folks, my sis, and her hubby in town to gorge and play. Annabelle capped off the event by beginning to walk. She has not slowed down since, making it difficult to snap pictures. Wifey outdid herself again with the cooking and decorating--the consummate hostess. Since the Christmas season is rapidly approaching, we decided to venture out to secure our first real Christmas tree. I had heard Wifey talking about a Christmas tree farm in town and wondered what it was all about. Apparently this concept is not as foreign to others as it was to me. Being from the tropics, I have never had the chance to experience this ritual. The farm itself ended up being less then three miles away from our house-a reminder that parts of our town are still stubbornly resisting the prodigious development that has come to characterize west Knoxville. There was some trouble finding it at first, mostly due to inattentive navigation on my behalf. We circled back and, after venturing into a construction area(what else!), we found the little farm tucked into the rolling hills. They had all sizes and types of trees along the half mile driveway that led to the rustic rancher overlooking a greenish-brown pond. The owner walked me through the complicated process of securing a Christmas tree: Take eight foot measuring stick and old bow saw, walk down to trees, pick a tree, cut it down, drag it back, wrap with netting, and tie onto car. He was kind enough to do the netting himself and helped me get it on top of the SUV. It was bitterly cold yesterday and by the end of the exercise my face was stinging, but it was a completely worthwhile adventure. We got a gorgeous, living tree at a fraction of the cost--Grandpa would be proud. We had a lot of fun and discovered a new Christmastime tradition!