elvin and louise put up the christmas lights.

yep, it happened. elvin even come out the door and held stuff and even put down his coffee cup one time, just so's he could steady the ladder. (in federal employee parlance, that would mean he should get time and a half for usin both hands.) mostly, he stood in the doorway with the door open, cuz it was cold, and of course louise's inner mother is screaming, don't leave that door open, we are not heatin the whole outside this winter!! but she kept her tongue. Fortunately, with so much help for once, the hammer DID not fall on her head as it did twice last year (you would THINK once would be enough but in the midst of doin it yourself you don't always think right)...so this year's decoratin was accomplished with a minimum of pain and also with great hope that the rotten parts of the wood out there will actually hold those nails that hold those wires, at least until January. If teh wind don't blow too hard and we don't get too much rain, it should stay up there and look nice, at least in the dark. in the daytime, not so much.

So now the official holiday for rednecks decorations are put up as much as they are gonna get put. the elegant part is that with one plug in, the tree lights from last year, along with the whole front of the house and part of the tree on the other side will be lit up. Kind of an encirclin of light. it woulda been nice for us to get the lights that were white wires which woulda matched the trim on the house, but louise was so excited by the dollar niety eight price tag that she did not contemplate this detail. As it stands, along with the wreath that come courtesy of the salvation army thrift shop (and a bow that come courtesy of some wealthier kin some years back and folded up small so as to not let it loose and get it tangled...), it's kind of a look that hangs together. like a couple of horse thieves.
Happy holidays. Merry Christmas to all.