December 2, 2007
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Cleaned out for Christmas
I cleaned the last of the camping equipment from my car this morning. (Yes, from the trip nearly two months ago.) I thought I had removed all the perishables long ago, so I was surprised-but-not-surprised to find a mold pie on the floor of the passenger seat. (Luckily, it was contained by the plastic packaging labeling it a raspberry pie.) It is nice to drive without a pot in the seat next to me and a tent shifting around in the back seat. It’s probably better for gas mileage, too.
Brandon, I do still have your tent. I hope to be at the Grunerts’ Christmas party, and I will try to bring it along then. I also have a dark drab-green wind breaker jacket of unknown origin if any of you gentle readers are missing one.
Did you know Hot Wheels only cost a buck? I want to buy some for myself now. The Chamber does an annual Christmas Party for the kids in the Salvation Army’s after-school program across the street. Chamber staff and Board members take names and get them gifts. I got my young man, Brandon, a Transformers toy (the Decepticon tank) and four Hot Wheels cars. I know that I would have loved to get those toys when I was his age, and the absense of a generational gap made me feel warm and Christmassy.
On the same shopping excursion, however, I had one of my first old-person moments. A young whipper-snapper was manning the register at K-Mart. I was buying some garland for our trees–basically beads and small pine cones on string. I had been very careful and gentle with them. Then this boy just manhandled them to scan the UPC and shoved them in a bag. They were getting tangled in each other and little bits of pine cone were getting all over the counter. I almost asked him to please be gentle because they are fragile, but that felt too fuddy-duddy; I tried just to go with it. The strands of garland are safely here at home now, and in fine shape.
Shadow is the official household Christmas kitty (not to be confused with wood-burning cats). He is napping on the back of the couch right now after a long afternoon of inspecting all the exciting decorations. Everything meets his approval. I’m sure he will be even more tuckered out after inspecting the Christmas tree, which we will pick up this week. The ornaments are all set to go, and this year we’ll be putting the tree in the living room where we can enjoy it more. I also have to decorate–for the 15th straight year–my miniature artificial tree, which goes on the dresser in the bedroom.
On Friday I found a used RCA surround sound system listed for $50 on Facebook marketplace, by a guy living about 15 minutes from here, west of Millersville. I checked it out Saturday. It was in good shape and I walked away with it for $40. It’s hooked up, and boy is it among the coolest 40 bucks I have ever spent.
Speaking of which, the Rezendeses just came over to watch Ratatouille. So I must go.
