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Little Full, Lotta Sap

Being home for Thanksgiving also means it is time to pick out the Christmas tree. Last year we ended up paying $70 in Chicago picking it out at a tree lot where they are already, gasp, cut down! I was ready to get back to nature with a $28 tree from the Tree Farm we've been going to for years. Rather than wander around in the cold, my brother in law drove us around through the pathways until we saw a promising area to explore. You could get lost in these fields pretty easily! Sifting through the Balsams, Firs and Blue Spruces it is interesting to consider who is buying all the different types of trees there are. For instance, where would this tree that to me resembles a muppet end up? After my sister found their perfect tree, we were back to looking for mine. We headed back to one we saw at the start of our drive and I knew it was the one! Wait, now let me put the size of this tree into proportion. Oh boy. I guess if I cut it a little higher up it won't end up being so big, right? Ahh well, I knew that this blue spruce was coming home with me. Personal challenge? After seeing my brother in law take down their tree with my dad's chainsaw I decided I wanted to cut my own tree down. This should be interesting. . . After a few attempts to even keep the chainsaw held sideways I finally latched on, shut my eyes tight and powered through the trunk (that chainsaw was heavy! I felt the same level of defeat as when I have attempted to lift weights on a bench but can't even lift the bar.) After the tree fell, I fell over too. Just happy to still have all my limbs. What a face. We threw the tree on the top of the Tahoe to take back up to the office for wrapping. Hmm. . .maybe it is a little wider on the bottom than I thought. We'll take care of that for the road trip home - by twining them up we could fit both trees on the roof. Once we got home, there was still the pesky need to trim more off of the trunk. We have tall ceilings but not quite that tall. I let Bob handle the chainsaw action this time around. Our balcony made do in place of a garage or driveway. Hopefully our downstairs neighbors didn't get too many wood shavings raining down on them. Ahh, all up and decorated. Fits in the corner perfectly. Now we just have to water this guy twice a day because it is soaking it up like nobody's business. Here's a shot of it with the lights on - my sister gave me the tip to put the lights on vertically. Not only did it add a new element to show the lights off, but it also allowed us to not waste any of the lights on the back of the tree hidden against the wall. I am definitely ready for the holidays!