ode to a tree sorta...& and a lens

So, it's cold.  It's winter.  It's Christmas-time.

Time for baked goods.  Time for A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Time to spend money on something stupid and irresponsible...but justifying that, "Hey, it's Christmas!"  

Ahhh, Christmas.

First thing on the list was getting a tree.

A real one.

I'm not a die hard have-to-have-a-real-tree person.  And I'm not a fake-trees-are better person.  I like what's easier.  And this year, what's easier is only spending $10 on a tree.  (Maybe when the smoke clears and stuff goes on clearance, we'll get a nice fake one for those years I'm feeling lazy.)

We went up this way to get it...

Pretty, right?  There's my town.  We Rooseveltites...(...Rooseveltonians?  ...Roosevelters?  Still not clear on that...)...really are lucky to live in a this close to the mountains.

And this, this is just a picture of Lily.  We were waiting for something...so I pulled out the camera.

I am inlove with this lens.  Truly in-love...as inlove with an inanimate object as a person could be.  (It's a 50mm.  In case you were wondering.  Frackin' awesome blurage.) 

Mostly, this was a very non-interactive Christmas tree excursion.  Lily, me, and some of her cousins hung out on the road, while Steve and his bro went hunting for the tree on a snowmobile way back there. 

I was content with the situation.

"Oh, Mommy...I have a snowball for you..."

"Lily...you do it...you die."

She did not choose...poorly.

We did lots of waiting around on this day...deep snow, trucks stuck, traffic on the road (many other tree-getters about that day), etc.  

Lily's arm.  Her cousin's head.
  

All in all, a good time.  A mellow time.  If I hadn't had to pee for 2 hours, it would have been even better.  I coulda gotten a nice mountain nap or somethin'.

Notice, I don't have a picture of the tree.  That's cuz Steve stuck it in the back of the truck really quick and after that, I lost interest.

Besides, you all know what a pine tree looks like.  It's green.  It has needles.  It's in my living room.  (For a while there, it was almost invisible next to my green walls.  We since put lights and ornaments on it, so now it's much more noticeable.)  

But, I did take a few pictures of a couple ornaments, not because I want to show you what's on my tree...but because, yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen...I wanna marry this lens.  And since my time with it is limited, (borrowing it), I'm going to be just that obnoxious.

Speaking of pictures, I made some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.  They were really good.  Better than pcc cookies or ppc bread.  I have finally found my favorite.  Pumpkins and chocolate chip are best when enjoyed in muffin form.  And here's the recipe which I'm giving 5 gold stars.

They're so good, they're like after-dinner mints.  Only not chalky.  Or gross.  You'll want to pop one in right after dinner.  And breakfast.  And lunch.  And I have.  Because I am a baked-goods pig.

...the muffins were nestled all snug in their beds...

Dan, my brotha-from-the-same-motha, I thought of you whilst I was eating them.  Don't know why.  Just thought it was a moment you should have been sharing with me.

And that's my December thus far.  There is a whole day's worth of pictures from a local-ish "fair" type thing...but that's for another day, another post, another hour needing killed.

Hope everyone has a happy season and I will give you my wish list upon request.