December So Far

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Lots of little things going on in December.


Mark's Mouth
The biggest news is probably M's oral surgery yesterday. I don't want to tell his story (because it's his) but it went well and his recovery is coming along just fine.

Family Stuff
We bought and decorated our Christmas tree today. K disagreed with our choice of a corkbark fir like last year's and he was right for a change. We got a frasier fir (no relation to Frasier Crane) and after decking it out with lights and ornaments, it is gracing our dining room in its usual spot.

Science Olympiad
Last week was the official kickoff meeting of Science Olympiad at the elementary school. I'm playing a bigger role this year than I have in past years, and am part of the parent committee to organize all the students, coaches, and practices for the school. Last year there were almost 100 students who participated, so it's not a simple job to manage it. I'm working with three other parents this year, two of whom did all the work themselves last year.

Snow and Trees
We got our first real snow of the year early this week. As the snow came down and the wind blew hard, our phone rang. It was my next-door neighbor letting me know that one of my spruce trees was leaning over his driveway at a 45-degree angle. We pulled it back up with some rope and staked it. I couldn't feel my fingers when it was over. I'm grateful my neighbor is such a good guy - he didn't want the tree to block his driveway, but he didn't have to spend his evening getting wet and slopping through my yard, holding a rope while I tied it to a stake. Thanks, Jim!

The tree is still staked up. I'm not expecting it to stay up for long after it's unstaked. Remember this tree? I have a feeling my staked tree has the same root-poor condition. We'll see.

Go State!
I spent the first quarter of the Big 10 Championship game (MSU vs Wisconsin) on the treadmill. I'm spending the fourth quarter on the computer typing, watching the teams beat the heck out of each other. A great game so far...

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