Tree is Up

We got a start on Christmas over the weekend by putting up the tree. It is actually late this year with the shorter time frame between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is our 2019 tree:

We still have some decorating to do in the house but the main feature is ready to go. This year, we will not have as much in the way of decorations. The outside lights will be omitted except for a couple small items as we were the only folks on the block last year that had a display outside. It seems that most of the people on the block either go away for the holidays or are too old or bothered to install the Christmas decorations. I must admit, it is a hassle to get out the lights and decorations only to put them back in a month. It is the spirit that counts, not the show of decorations - right?

Josie started back at the flower shop yesterday and it was a good day for her. She was welcomed back and was given her schedule for December. She will work 4 days one week and three the next for altrernating weeks. That is just the way she wants it - not full time, but enough days to make some money and stay active in the business. It's good to see her without so much stress for a change.

There were some good football games on TV yesterday. The traditional rivalries were played out yesterday with a couple surprises, but mostly outcomes according to projections. The ASU/AZ game was a good one but ASU won as expected. The pros play today and we are getting closer to playoff time. A lot can happen in the few weeks remaining and it should be interesting to watch....

Lowe's and Home Depot

We have been tossing around different options for decorating our house outside for the Christmas season. The good items usually go fast before the season begins so our strategy was to try and get everything that we might like to use before they get sold out at the stores. Stores like Lowe's and Home Depot always seem to have the best selections with decent prices, so that's where we went yesterday.

I think we are set to go with our outside decorations - except for the clips to hang the lights. It has been many years since I climbed a ladder to do any lights on a house, so I'm still not sure what the best solution is for attaching them to the roof. The hammer and nails route is old, so I will try to figure out how all these different clips work. You wouldn't think that such a simple project would involve so much evaluation but, hey, I'm new at this again.

There weren't too man interesting - to me, anyway - football games on yesterday. I was definitely happy to see the Broncos lose their first game of the year to the Colts. I am not a Peyton Manning fan to begin with, so that was exciting. I was also happy to see the Eagles beat the Cowboys, 33-27. Anytime the Cowboys lose it is a good day, but especially to the Eagles. The second half of the season begins now and it will be much different from the first half. We will see who the elite teams are and see who survives the toughest part of the schedule. I just hope the Cardinals and Seahawks stay healthy and make it to the end of their schedules as two of those elite teams...