Tis the week before Thanksgiving
and all through the house
its all about Christmas
according to my spouse
With Prime packages here
and UPS and FedX there
you'd think there'd be no worry
or nary a care
Old St. Nick
and his crew of eight
had better get crackin'
or they're going to be late
Black Friday is nigh upon us
though if the ads are true
Black Friday was last Monday through Thursday
and this past weekend too
So cook that turkey
if so inclined you must
but stay out of our way
as we shop 'til we bust
So, Thanksgiving is late this year, leaving a week less until the much anticipated visit from the jolly old elf. Around our neighborhood Christmas trees are popping up in front windows, holiday lights are being strung, and those big blow-up characters, which seem to get bigger with each passing year, are, as the old pop standard goes, "Blowin' in the Wind". I'm always curious this time each year to see what's new for the Holiday Season. This year the answer seems to be "not much". If you've identified a new trend for this year's festivities please let me know and I'll pass on the word to Mr. Claus who I think is kinda just scratching those old white hairs trying to figure it out himself.
My better half and I were out a couple of days ago raking leaves for the umpteemph time this Fall. The trees, at least in my back yard, are not cooperating as there are still plenty of leaves up on the branches mocking us. At least the wind helps out. As soon as we raked up a pile of leaves the wind deposits an equal if not greater number in their place. That will get you into the holiday spirit real quick. Ho! Ho! #@%$!Our local Hobby Lobby is absolutely packed to the rafters with an infinite assortment of bits and bobs designed to get you into the annual ritual of spend, spend, spend. Drop the first two letters and wonder when will it end, end, end? Supposedly we all voted with our pocketbooks back on the 5th and if that is true I have no idea who is going to buy all this stuff. I mean, like, there was an entire aisle dedicated to all things Grinch and I'm thinking who needs all that lime green at least until St. Patty's day?
We ventured to Lowes and Home Depot to see if they had anything exciting and new but sad to say it looked suspiciously like last year's leftovers. Or maybe it was stuff they ordered from China that hadn't made it over in time thanks to shipping delays, dock strikes and the like. I can hardly wait to pay twice as much next year (what with the promised tariffs) for the same stuff as is in the store right now. Thank goodness, for all the parents out there, there's no talk, at least not yet, of taxing a certain fat old man dressed up in red as he crosses (is Santa an illegal Immigrant?!) the border on the 24th. I guess he's ok (he must have an exemption CLAUSe) as long as he doesn't overstay his welcome.
Here in Colorado we've had our first real snows (the kind you have to shovel) and the ski areas are off to what appears to be a good start. Speaking of pocketbooks and Holiday shopping sprees there's actually a ski area on the market if you have a cool $100-200 million lying around looking for something to do. Eldora has changed hands several times in the last couple of years which seems undeserved as it is a wonderful little ski area. I used to particularly enjoy the night skiing there and if Mr. Nick has any spare time (perhaps after the Holidays and if he can get a Tourist Visa?) I'd encourage him to bring the Missus and the elves down for a couple of champagne Colorado powder turns. Me, the older I get the less I like the cold that accompanies the aforementioned curves in the snow. But what's a person to do? Can't even move to Arizona anymore due to the oven-like temps from March through October. But maybe our neighbors down south will at least finalize their vote count by the time Santa slides down the air conditioner vent come December.
Speaking of Arizona my wife and I took an early Fall trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons (I know, I know, its a non sequitur) which are among our very favorite places to go. I have yet to tire of finding new ways to explore these special places. This year we got treated (an early Christmas present?) to seeing lots of wildlife including grizzlies and that most elusive of all, unless you chance to run one over on I-70, wolves. You might have heard of the hydrothermal explosion that occurred back in July at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone. It destroyed some of the infrastructure (think boardwalks) forcing the National Park Service to close the area to human activity. The good news is that a pack of wolves moved into the area soon after which could occasionally be seen from the nearby roadway munching on the local fauna. We were lucky to spend several hours watching a downed elk carcass disappear under the careful scrutiny of 5 or six hungry canines. I have yet to see a Colorado wolf with my own eyes so its still a very special treat to see one in the wild. Here's a quick video of some of what we saw as we explored these special places:
So here's wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, late though it may be
and don't trip over the turkey
in your rush to put up the Christmas tree...