An early start

Having survived Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we as a family decided to get a jump on the Christmas season.

We have tons of decorations, hand made ornaments, kitschy stuff, Kids commemorative bulbs and do-dads.

But we didn't do that this year. The angel doesn't fit on this tree so we put the ribbon and bow up. Festive and classy at the same time. We will add more to it as the days stretch on, but keeping it simple, clean and elegant really appeals to me.

My wife referred to this as the adult tree. I think she was going for the mature non-commercial aspect. Of course we all broke out into laughter. Blue balls on the adult-tree. If the puns start this early, it's going to be a fun Christmas.

There's a lot going on in our house, mostly good. Breaking out the tree was a good reason to clean the garage. I faced some unpleasant situations that needed addressing. There was rat poop involved. It's all better now. My oldest thought it was a good idea to put the sweet potato peels down the garbage disposal. The sink promptly backed up and I've been taking it apart and fixing it several times over several days. My little hand powered snake is not doing as well a job as I hoped. I may have to rent something a little more powerful, we'll see. 

I was hoping to get a few more projects out of the way, but my stomach isn't cooperating. Hopefully I can push through what ever is ailing me.

 

Cooler days

Yesterday on my way to work, I noticed a thin layer of morning mist covering the field near my house. My youngest informed me it would be the last time I would have to ferry her to morning band practice. Of course, we won the game that night. Another team lost in a separate game and according to the statistics our high school football team is now in the finals. Granted, it's the bottom rung of the ladder, but this wouldn't be the first time the underdogs have climbed to the championship. Go Mavericks!
I'll know for sure today if Dad's taxi service is still required. 
Today is clean up day, laundry and fix stuff day all rolled into one. I've about four or five mini projects that need addressing. Find this, clean that. I've started to think about the holidays coming up and what it means for my family.
Next week is the election and my family has already voted. Friends and relatives have informed me through Facebook they've done their patriotic duty, good for them.
Many people have vowed to leave the country if their candidate isn't elected. I find that to be a childish and immature stance to take. If it bothers you all that much, then by all means leave. Good luck where ever you end up. I have friends all over the political spectrum and I won't be breaking off contact with them over stuff like this.
Life will go on. People will dislike you over the course of time. Good thing I'm not holding out for universal popularity. The reason I bring this up is that I'm charting the course for the next five years. Depending on who wins I'll make adjustments. Is a candidate going to abolish Roe vs. Wade and women's rights? Are they going to face the scientific and economic realities we all face as a global community? 
I'm concerned because I'm seeing this as an increasingly global issue. What happens over here affects markets overseas. If we don't do the right thing, countries and economies would collapse. That's never a good thing. 
Look, I get it that people are pissed off and didn't get what they wanted, but that doesn't mean you throw everything away. If I wanted five things to happen in an election year cycle and one or two of them happen, then I would consider that a step in the right direction. You can't always get what you want. Deal with it.