coon continuation...

 The traps have been set for several days now.  I fully intended to capture a coon or two by now, but those overgrown rats are on to us.  They've changed up their route...AROUND the traps...not inside of them. 

 I officially hate them.

Alex is headed back to college tonight...we haven't seen much of him this weekend, so he has yet to fully experience the racoon-ness of our house.  

Until tonight...

We heard them scratching around the eaves of the house....

Coon hunter

And THEN...

we heard them in the attic...

 so Emma wanted in on the action...

THEN we heard them back in the walls of Nick's room...

 so they followed them in there...

"OPERATION KILL THE COONS"

SCORE:

Raccoons 3

Hersheys 0

{fyi..those are BB guns up there, no worries}

THIS came home with us today from the great tree farm called "Costco"

I wish I could say my kids have grown up with great memories of

 wielding a hatchet to cut down our Christmas tree every year.  

We HAVE done that....

but we've also hand picked ones from the grocery store parking lot, Lowe's, and now Costco.  

Last year we seriously considered a fake wannabe from Target, but it came down to budget.

And I'm too cheap to shell it out on a tree.

And right now, I'm glad.  

I'm sitting next to the tree enjoying the smell of Fraser Fir.  Her branches are still pointing North from being wrapped up for a few days at Costco.  By tomorrow I figure she'll be ready to be dressed.  No one really cares to help with the lights and ornaments anymore.  I can probably still convince Emma to help me, but sadly, they no longer anticipate opening the box of ornaments and separating them into piles.  

Another reminder that my troops are growing up....

More on the Christmas decorations and tree another day. 

 I may also share a little of our Christmas story this year.  

Things are going to be very different around here...

 "The merry family gatherings-- The old, the very young; 

The strangely lovely way they Harmonize in carols sung. 

For Christmas is tradition time-- 

Traditions that recall The precious memories down the years, The sameness of them all." 

-Helen Lowrie Marshall