Dec 24 - almost ready

Getting our tree up and decorated is a multi day process.

Day 1 - cut tree, haul to house, drag inside, get standing by loft, start dripping

Day 2 - clean floor, roll up rug, move tree (standing) to window, work rug back into place and under tree, trim tree

Day 3 - decorate tree and room.  In this case decorate will be today, Christmas Day.  That's ok because current plans look like the hordes are arriving on the 27th

It's a bear moving the tree.  I hold it straight while Sandy moves the base a couple of inches at a time.  Somewhere along the way I rotate the tree so that the area that is intended to be the back is actually at the window / sliding doors.  As it gets closer, branches might have to be cut.  I've already, at that point in time, attached the fork-shaped piece of wood to the beam so that once the tree is in its place, Sandy can hold it while I climb the ladder and tie it to the fork.  A tree this big has to be tied.

Yesterday was Sunday, of course, and Christmas Eve.  Apparently it's been 12 years since the last time that Christmas was on a Monday.  Being Sunday and Christmas Eve, that's Mass x 2.  For variety, I went to Britt 10:30 Mass (actually that was the only choice) and then Port Loring 3:30 pm.  We have a new Priest, otherwise there would be no Mass in Port Loring.  He's planning on Mass this coming summer in Port Loring, unlike the last Priest who gave up on us.

The Port Loring church, open for the first time in a year, was nicely decorated with a tree and nativity scene.  The priest came early to do that and had help from Betty Buchanan.  The Britt church, open all year with two Masses most weekends and daily Mass certain days of the week, had neither tree nor nativity scene.  It seems that the parishioners aren't up to it ?  There weren't many people at the Sunday Mass; I presume that more would have attended the 7pm Christmas Eve Mass.

Fascinating.  We had a good crowd in Port Loring.  Some were regular local attendees and there were a handful of Trout Creek people wanting to get a jump on Mass.  That's fairly normal.  It was even busier when Christmas Eve Mass was held at 2 or 2:30.

I was lazy and hadn't moved the ice fishing rigs into the house the night before.  They stayed out two full days without being disturbed.  That was a mistake.  There was about 3" of ice in the holes and I had a tough time getting the rigs out.  I partially broke one and really broke the other.  Stupid.  However, there was a bright side.  One had a pike attached, surprise surprise, so we had fresh fish for dinner.  Yum !

Cassie got some playing on the ice -- chuck-it of course -- and then after I got home and before dinner, I took her for a walk on the ice to the new house on the point.  There's now a dusting of snow on the ice so it's easy walking.

I had called Ernie Bain the day before and left a message that I'd heard about Marion (in hospital).  He called back while I was in Port Loring and talked to Sandy for 1/2 hour.  They've got Marion's name in queue for a few nursing homes but Ernie told Sandy that he wasn't sure that she'd make it that long.  He's been spending a lot of his time in North Bay with her.  They've been married a long time -- 62 ?  67 ? years; Sandy didn't remember exactly. 

Sandy also caught up with Kim and Megan; on the phone for at least 1.5 hours.  I talked to Alex for about 10 minutes.  It was a busy phone day.

Merry Christmas everyone ... onward!