This is what I was looking for!

Yesterday, with our balmy, non-rainy weather [first time in a week?] DH and I went out exploring the neighborhoods for Christmas lights. All I can say, is that there is no neighborhood that we can get to easily that has gone reindeer-wild on lights. You know what I mean? Those neighborhoods where there are so many lights, the space shuttle could find it. We found the odd house here and there that was decked out like mine, in a mild fashion, but nothing that really says "A really outrageous Christmas decorator lives here."

Until we drove to Algood. Let me say this about Algood, it is so small they share our zip code. As usual, DH made a wrong turn that turned out to be the right turn, because where our little misguided turn ended was at a house that was so fully decked out, it was amazing. And did I have my camera with me? No, I only had the camera phone. Unfortunately, Santa, who was out waving to passers-by did not show up in the pictures.

TIS THE SEASON

It sure seems like weirdos come out by the dozens at this time of year. A few cases highlighted in our local paper recently:

1. A woman sentenced to 8 years in prison for trying to hire a killer to kill her ex-husband. Her family thought she should get probation, because she was a good mother. Hello? The killer she hired was supplied with poison and a gun. Oh and the killer - undercover cop. Sad thing is, she will probably only serve 30% of that sentence.

2. Christmas thieves are out by the droves. A shoplifter who is notorious in the area for filling his cart and walking out of the store was caught finally. But it doesn't stop there - a woman caught breaking open packages of perfume and trying to steal $500 worth of perfume - also wearing a sweater she had stolen.

3. People's homes being broken into. Apparently small electronics and computers are hot items - literally this time of year. One woman interrupted a break-in at her home and retained some of her stolen items. The rest were recovered when police arrested the three thieves.

4. This one is the winner. Two mounted caribou heads were stolen from Tennessee Tech. Caribous - reindeer. No idea who the thief was, but my thought was he was wearing a heavy white beard and red suit.

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall ..

Sometimes driving on the highway gets boring, even if you aren't driving very far. Last summer, while I was driving on I-75 south in southern Kentucky, we passed a guy hauling a small helicopter. No kidding. If I had been the passenger, I'd have gotten a picture.

Last Sunday, DH and I took a drive into Crossville - not to go to the winery - but to get out of the house while the sun was shining. Lately that has been a rare occurrence. On the way, we passed this truck hauling something that looked like a small airplane.

It was a small airplane. If you google N317CH, you can see what it looks like all put together. I don't know about you, but I have never seen a plane without it's wings attached and I have never seen one hauled on a truck.

The SHOCKING Truth

Have I told you I hate going to the stores the last two weeks before Christmas. I do, I really do. DH loves to wait to the last minute to do anything and it really gets on my nerves.

So tonight we schlep off to the local drugstores looking for gift cards for a couple people on our Christmas list. At the first drugstore - nationally identified by its initials - I set off the alarm going into the store. Now that disturbs me. And embarrasses me. Needless to say, I beeped going out of there too.

Second drugstore - different chain - sure enough set off the security system on the way in. DH and I figure it's something in my purse, so I hand that off to him and walk through. Still set off the alarm.

At this point I am expecting lights to start flashing, cops to roll in and a trip to the pokey - they don't mess around down here with shoplifters. But since I set it off on the way in, they figure I am safe and wave me out.

DH things my static charge is setting things off - since every time he kisses me I get a shock.

In all this have not found the cards we are looking for - so we go to the other site of the initialed drugstore and do not set off any alarms. The lady at the cash register laughs and says I should check my jeans when I get home since they are the only thing new I am wearing. I figure if there is a security tag in them it would have washed out when I washed them. Sure enough, I get home and find a security tag still affixed tightly to the left pocket. Thanks Kohl's!

A Bright Ray of Sunshine

I can't believe this year is almost gone. This time last year, DH and I drove by our vacant, yet fully treed lot on a trip up to Michigan to see my mom. There were trucks parked on it and we knew when we came back there would be about half the trees left. All in the name of building our house. Sure enough, on the return trip from snowy Michigan, the next drive by elicited the fact that our lot looked almost bare. Sure most of them were blighted dogwoods, but there were three or four mature oak and maple trees that came down.

So, I sit here on this windy winter's day and decide that It's a good thing we took the trees down in the wake of the snow and wind we've had lately. A few small branches have come down, but one of our neighbors lost a tree. The only thing holding it up is two smaller trees. The gutters have now been cleared of all the leaf fall, but still our two front oak trees are clinging to some of their leaves. I think they're waiting until Christmas to drop them!