(originally posted Dec. 6, 2020)
Holly jolly deck the halls
Holly jolly deck the halls
Is it just me, or does it seem like more people are eager to decorate outdoors this year? Even Pete & I bought a strand of lights to clumsily wrap around the deck railing. Since all the kids (US-born and Brazilian) moved out, we haven't felt the need to go all festive, so that's significant, I guess?
Now is the time for a story of days gone by
When the kids were little, we always took them to the tree lot to buy a fresh tree. One year, we decided to go even more Norman Rockwell by driving to a tree farm out in the country to chop down our own. We trudged uphill through the woods in the cold, and dragged our selection back so the owner could bundle it up and tie it to the roof of the car. It already felt a little weird that we were basically slaughtering a tree, but then the guy commented, "Look at the rings, that one is 11 years old!"
Rachel was also 11 years old. :/ As the wielder of the axe, Pete was especially disturbed by this revelation, so that was the last time we bought a real tree for a while. I'm pretty sure it was the following year when we decided to get a potted Norfolk pine. The kids named the tree "Dana" (intentionally gender-neutral) and didn't want her (didn't know about the singular they/them yet, though) to be burdened with too many decorations. Eventually we did get a cheap, pre-lit artificial tree, but Dana lived for 5 or 10 years before she died. Which is pretty good considering our track record with plants. A few years ago, Pete & I bought our second Dana, but she didn't last long. I think we overwatered her?
Anyway, I dumped the artificial tree last year because the lights were burning out and were sketchy to begin with. And last week, we spontaneously decided to bring home Dana 3.0. Behold!
Rachel was also 11 years old. :/ As the wielder of the axe, Pete was especially disturbed by this revelation, so that was the last time we bought a real tree for a while. I'm pretty sure it was the following year when we decided to get a potted Norfolk pine. The kids named the tree "Dana" (intentionally gender-neutral) and didn't want her (didn't know about the singular they/them yet, though) to be burdened with too many decorations. Eventually we did get a cheap, pre-lit artificial tree, but Dana lived for 5 or 10 years before she died. Which is pretty good considering our track record with plants. A few years ago, Pete & I bought our second Dana, but she didn't last long. I think we overwatered her?
Anyway, I dumped the artificial tree last year because the lights were burning out and were sketchy to begin with. And last week, we spontaneously decided to bring home Dana 3.0. Behold!
Some things I liked on the internet
- Fans are making their own "Ratatouille" musical and I think I need to rewatch the movie now
- A quarantine version of "For the Longest Time" with some impressive multitasking among several singers
- Breaking out the Charlie Brown dance - this made me smile, y'all
- Seriously cool looking thing that happens with rocks on ice sometimes
Pandemic purchases
This is the part where I tell you about something I've bought in an attempt to make lockdown life more tolerable. Remember back when people were hoarding toilet paper? I started to think about how much less TP I used when some kind of bidet device was available. And it didn't have to be the super fancy Japan-style warm-air-to-dry-your-butt kind. Even the humble spray hose that was standard in Vietnam was so much more efficient than just paper.
So, when we were a few weeks into lockdown, I sprung for a spray hose to the tune of about $50. Of course, we hired a plumber to install it for about 10x that (worth every penny because we are known to be dangerous when attempting home improvement projects).
Simple but effective! A power wash for your hindquarters!
- Áine
Water every other week to avoid root rot
So, when we were a few weeks into lockdown, I sprung for a spray hose to the tune of about $50. Of course, we hired a plumber to install it for about 10x that (worth every penny because we are known to be dangerous when attempting home improvement projects).
Simple but effective! A power wash for your hindquarters!
- Áine
Water every other week to avoid root rot