Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Seven – Thursday, November 30th.

Welcome back to Part Seven and the last day of NOVEMBER!. One more after this and then we return to the normal Nightly Reflections. I am anxious to share with you the writing process that’s been happening with my new story. I told my sister all about it this morning and she is the ONLY person who knows the title, mostly because I am still not 100% certain the title I have had for weeks will be THE title, but I am pretty sure 🙂 So, you’ll know on December 17th when I make the final commitment to run with whatever it is I choose to run with. I am really excited to talk with you about what’s been happening these past days. On another note, more nice winter weather to usher November out of our lives and tomorrow we welcome December with about the same kind of weather. I sure would like some snow, though. Because the weather was screaming for me to do this, I chose to head to Yang’s in Woodbury for lunch today. And a good decision it was. I wasn’t ready for an afternoon of writing so I thought that would buy me the time to get motivated to sit at my laptop for hours. I pulled into SBX once I returned, laptop and all, and headed in for what may be the greatest challenge in this new story yet. What I write today can be the ball game for my main character and the motivation for this new tale. Writing this afternoon will be difficult if I am going to get it right. Again, I’ll explain Saturday night. Been watching The Santa Clauses on Disney+. It’s the second season and it’s a fun holiday series. Been watching Monarch and Slow Horses on Apple+. Both worthy of my time. Last night, I started Netflix’s Bodies. A good friend told me he and his wife had watched the first two episodes and were sold on the premise. I had it on my “To Watch” list but I just began it a little early last night. I, too, am hooked already after one episode. Four different years, 1890, 1941, 2023, 2053, and a murder occurs in each year. A detective in each year discovers the exact same body in Whitechapel, east London each time. An intriguing concept. It’s a one and done series, so after right episodes, the mystery will be revealed and viewers won’t have to wait for a season two for years. That may be the nicest part of this show. I already am recommending it 🙂 And now, I shall bow out quietly and leave you to Part Eight of The Town Without A Christmas Tree. Oh…forgot. Today my sister and her hubby brought out the tree and such to put up. I have SOOOOO been looking forward to this since it’s her first year doing the job with a kitty which I am certain will give her absolute fits! And that pleases me. Check out tonight’s pic and look closely at the bag’s opening as it rests on her floor. No surprise for us cat owners of many years, eh? lol I should probably warn you that tomorrow night’s final installment of the story is the longest. About three times longer than the other parts. You’ve been warned 🙂

The
Town
Without
A Christmas
Tree

(part seven of eight)

Christmas Eve day arrived, and Rose woke before anybody else in the house. She was excited for the day ahead. She was greeted by Stella when she came downstairs and, putting on her jacket and mittens, the two of them went outside for Stella’s morning ritual. The sun was shining brightly, the wind was putting on a show, and the temperature dictated the need for a nice heavy coat and gloves. Rose was ten years old today, and she was more excited on this day than she had been since Halloween ended. As soon as the pumpkins were extinguished each year on October 31^st, Rose began focusing on Christmas. She was in love with Christmas and all it brought to the table. But this Christmas, she was now certain, was going to be the best Christmas Beamount had ever experienced.

Rose went running with Stella into the big areas of snow. She fell backward and began making an angel. Stella was enjoying the snow as well; she’d rub her nose into the white stuff and then rolled back and forth on her back, as though the snow was somehow treating a terrible itch of Stella’s. Rose watched Stella and giggled.

Mary Ann woke shortly after her two girls went running outside. She could see them through the kitchen window as she was running water at the kitchen sink. She smiled as she watched Stella and Rose romping in the snow. How fortunate she felt this morning. She and Bob had two wonderful children growing up in a loving community. Becker was growing up into quite a fine young man who cared a whole lot about his little sister. Mary Ann worried about Rose and how much of her heart she wore on her sleeve. She knew how difficult life could be in those early years, and she worried about how many times Rose might know the pain and sadness life tends to dish out all too often, especially to those with a good and vulnerable heart.

But it was a big day for her today. No room for worries about the future. By the time this day was done, her little girl would be double digits in the age category. She found it difficult to grasp. She remembered all too well the night Rose was born. Where did those ten years go?

When Rose crawled out of her fifth snow angel she had created, she saw her mom at the window and waved with the energy of a child who hadn’t seen her mother for three months. And Mary Ann was nearly as exuberant with her return wave. Mary Ann thought, with her husband and son still in bed, this might be the only time to be alone with her daughter on this tenth birthday. So, she went to the hall closet and put on her jacket and mittens. And she went outside to meet Rose.

“Hi Mom!” yelled Rose with her little but wildly energetic voice.

“Happy Birthday, honey. How’s my big girl doing on her birthday? As if that question was even necessary.

“I’m good. I’m so excited for my party tonight. Are you?” Rose asked.

“Of course I am. Honey, I have been wondering. Where did you come up with the idea for everyone to bring their presents so they could all have their Christmases with the entire town?”

Mary Ann did not see the answer coming. “My guardian angel told me.”

And Rose said it like she’d say, “Pass the milk, please.” It couldn’t have been more matter-of-fact. Yet, Mary Ann needed clarification.

“Your what?”

“My guardian angel.”

Mary Ann wasn’t exactly sure where to go with that answer. Yet, she tried.

“Oh, really? When did you talk to her? Or is it a him?”

Rose giggled. “It’s a lady, Mom.” She said it almost as if she expected her mother to realize that.

Mary Ann needed more. “And when did you talk to your guardian angel, Rose?”

“When I’m sleeping.” Rose was still busy playing with the snow and Stella.

“Oh. You mean she’s in your dreams?”

“Yup!” The innocence of a child has no comparison to anything else. Those things adults see as impossible and troubling, children don’t even question. They simply accept it at face value and live their lives.

Mary Ann thought she’d leave it at that for now. Except Rose decided to throw in yet another quizzical comment.

“Mom, we have a surprise for everyone tonight.” Rose was now working on her ninth snow angel.

Mary Ann had to pursue this further. “We? Who is ‘We’ Rose?”

Rose, at this point, sounded as though she was losing patience with her mother. “My guardian angel and me, Mom!”

Mary Ann assumed as much, but needed to make sure. “And what might this surprise be, Rose?”

“It’s a secret, Mom. You told me I should never tell another person’s secret.”

Mary Ann remembered telling her that little piece of advice a few months earlier as it concerned a friend of Rose’s at school. However, she was just a little concerned as to what was coming at the Karl family that night. Yet, she decided that a little ten-year old girl can’t be capable of too much in the ‘surprise’ department, so she let it go for now. She would, however, mention it to Bob.

“Are you hungry for a birthday breakfast?”

Rose quickly asked, ”Chocolate chip pancakes?”

Mary Ann quickly returned with “For starters.”

As if an intense ping-pong game was getting going, Rose returned the next hit. “Bacon?”

“I guess you’ll just have to come in when I call to see what exactly is in a birthday breakfast. If you don’t eat it, I bet Becker will.” She knew that would raise Rose’s eyebrows.

Mary Ann turned around and went in to begin making her breakfast. Rose stayed outside, wanting to check out the area where she assumed the people would be that evening. “Everything had to be just right.” Her guardian angel said so.

-to be concluded tomorrow night-

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Six – Wednesday, November 29th, 2023

Well, only three parts remain. Friday night, this comes to a close and my normal dribble returns Saturday night. I have to tell you, though, that it was a good idea on my part. I am making progress on the new story and it’s a good thing. As I told a friend this morning, I am in “Forge Forward” mode right now. I’ve made it to the middle of my story and I am just going to keep pushing on to the end. Then, once I’ve concluded the tale, then the work really begins. I will go back and begin to hack away at the crap and add some shape and form I didn’t bother with in getting the story told. When that is done, it’s all about the polishing but as I sit here today, I should be good to share this with everyone beginning on Sunday night, the 17th. I also have talked about a title that I’ve had in mind and how I wasn’t sure it was going to be the best title for what the story would turn out to be, but as of this moment, I am thinking I’ll be able to keep the title because I think it will be perfect for the story. So, yea…a good thing I replaced my stuff with the 4-year old story for eight nights. This was the push I needed. Happy Wednesday. I stopped at school today to get my notecards/script for Sunday’s Christmas concert. I am prepared for that one well in advance. On top of my game, folks. ON top of my game 🙂 A beautiful sunny day and it looks like November will go out like a lamb. For that matter, it looks like December will come in like a lamb as well. But Novak Weather continues to be watching a storm system for late in the weekend. We shall see. I’m at SBX again, all ready to dive into the story where I left off yesterday. I had thoughts about where I will go today as I was in bed last night. I’m anxious to get going. In a couple of hours, the writing group and I will be meeting at My Wish in Rosemount. Not a coffee shop, but more of a fruit tea place. A friend told me about it so I told the writers about it and suggested we meet there after I went and gave it a look. And it seems like a great spot for us and we’ll be supporting a Rosemount business. Win-Win. Nothing else too exciting happening so I guess, without any further adieu, Part Six 🙂

The
Town
Without
A Christmas
Tree

(part six of eight)

Mary Ann smothered her daughter in all the love and comfort her arms could muster. “Rose, Santa will know. He’ll find a different place this year for everyone’s presents. It will be all right. Trust me. Remember, Santa sees everything. I’m sure he was busy already last night speaking with Mrs. Claus as to what would need to be done to make this right for the people of Beamount.”

Rose considered this, but it just wasn’t enough for her. The Christmas tree was most sacred to Rose. She believed everyone needed one in their home. This year, however, that wasn’t going to happen. As a matter of fact, she was the only person in Beamount who had anything remotely close to a Christmas tree.

“You sleep now and maybe you can join us tonight when everyone arrives. I’ll be back later to take your temperature, and if you are hungry, I’ll make you some soup. How does that sound?”

While all this was taking place, Becker was silently watching from the doorway of Rose’s bedroom. He was quietly concerned for his sister. Becker knew what the Christmas tree and Christmas in general meant to his sister.

He stepped away before his mom turned around to find him standing there. He went downstairs and raced to the car where his dad was waiting to take him to school.

As the day progressed, Rose slept hour after hour, but each time her mother would peek in to feel Rose’s forehead, Rose seemed to be talking in her sleep. Mary Ann couldn’t quite make out what Rose was saying, but Rose was also smiling each visit. Mary Ann woke her at one point, insisting she have some soup before sending her back to her bed until the dinner hour.

“Honey, have you been dreaming?” she asked Rose.

For a moment, Rose acted as though she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Then she responded with, “I think so. I don’t remember.” But she did remember. She remembered quite well.

“Well, I hope they’re good dreams. We don’t have any control over our dreams, you know. They just sort of happen. I’m going to go back downstairs now, honey. There are still a few hours before everyone arrives. Why don’t you try to sleep a little more? Every little bit of sleep will help.” And Rose agreed, all too willingly to return to her dreaming.

By 6:00, Becker and his dad had begun the bonfire and the townspeople were appearing in their cars. As they entered the area where the trees were always displayed, the sound of confused individuals could be heard quite clearly. “Bob, where are you hiding the trees?” asked Mr. Loch, owner of the town pharmacy.

“Ho Ho Ho, Bob! Did Santa find out you were a bad boy this year and not leave you any trees?” was another question coming from the Vogelgesangs. Bob laughed along with the questions but told people to go grab a treat and something warm to drink before returning to the fire.

As the crowd was growing in size, little Rose began to stir. It was apparent She could hear the activity outside her second-floor window, and as she looked out, she saw the bonfire her dad and Becker had created. It was burning bright and the people were circling it as they arrived, unaware what they were going to hear.

Rose knew it was time to get up and go outside, so she went downstairs, put on her coat and headed out the door, letting the screen door slam behind her. She joined her brother, who was standing with Stella and her mother. When Rose’s mother noticed her daughter on the other side of Becker, she immediately asked, “Rose, honey, how do you feel? Are you sure you should be out here?”

“I’m ok. I need to be here with everyone else. Has Daddy told them yet?”

“No, dear. He’s waiting until he believes everyone is here. In the meantime, we are encouraging people to head into the house for some treats.” Then Mary Ann caught up with Rose’s initial statement. “Rose, why did you say you ‘need’ to be here?”

This time Rose had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “I meant I just wanted to be here, Mom.” And with that, Mary Ann was satisfied.

Mary Ann was listening, however, to the chatter that was going on around her. People were terribly confused by seeing no trees; it was not this way every year on this night. People also were speculating that perhaps Bob had a surprise that was more wonderful than just the trees themselves. She feared the news would be even more disappointing for those expecting something special and unusual.

The time came for Mr. Karl to approach the little stage he had created for himself out of wooden crates. He had a bell he also used to get the attention of everyone so he could make his declaration.

“If I could have everyone’s attention.” With the ringing of the bell, people were quick to go silent as they’d soon learn what the news was going to be.

“First let me say it’s great to see you all here again on this night, December 16^th, a night we all have long celebrated over the years. Tonight, as you know, has always been about community. We all have our own families, but we also have our community family. We know one another well. We have laughed together, celebrated special events together, and we’ve cried together while being there for each other as a means of additional support.” The tone Bob was creating had people second-guessing what the end of this announcement would bring.

“We knew of no other way this year to communicate with you some news you’d need to hear than to simply keep our tradition of the fireworks one night and the gathering the next.” The tough stuff was coming for Bob. “We received a call yesterday from the trucking company that sends us our trees each year. The call was unexpected. The news was that the semi bringing our trees this year had an accident on the hilly roads it was traveling and because of the poor winter conditions, it ended up at the bottom of a ravine, in flames.” People reacted audibly in shock. “Not one tree was salvaged from the tragedy, but the good news was the three men bringing our trees managed to escape before it went down the side of the hill.”

This news brought an audible sound of disappointment and sadness from the people of Beamount, and Rose was witness to it all. Her heart was breaking for everyone in attendance. Her dad continued to speak.

“I know everyone is disappointed. I know your children are disappointed. I know my family feels the same way you all do. You all know Rose and how she loves her Christmas trees. I wish I had better news for you but this year, we will have to make do minus one of our favorite symbols of Christmas we all love so well. Please feel free to stay and eat, have another cup of hot chocolate or cider, and my family wishes all of you the best Christmas yet!”

No one moved from their positions right away; instead, they talked with one another about the news they had just received while remaining in place. As Rose stood there watching it all unfold, she knew it was time. She looked up at her mother and asked her, “Can I have a birthday party this year?” Mary Ann was frankly taken back by this unusual question as such a time. She was simply unprepared. Yet, considering her daughter’s disappointment in the last 24 hours, Mary Ann was also vulnerable to the question. She replied, “Of course you can,” thinking it was an innocent request to have her friends join her on her special day. Frankly, her mother was relieved to know Rose was maybe already adjusting to the situation. Rose quickly bolted from her brother and mother’s side before either of them could ask where she was going and ran to her father. Getting her dad to bend over so he could hear her whisper to him, she said “Daddy…can we invite everyone to come back on Christmas Eve for my birthday party? Mom said it was ok. Please!” Bob hadn’t seen this one coming. He certainly wasn’t prepared to answer this question without assistance, so he looked to his wife, raising his hands and shoulders in a sign of what do I do. He definitely needed her permission. When he glanced at his wife, she was fully prepared for his SOS. She nodded her head indicating a party was fine with her, unaware the specifics of her daughter’s idea. Bob thought Well, if she’s ok with this, who am I to question the two women in my life! He once again rang the bell.

“Could I have everyone’s attention again? As you all will remember ten years ago, our little Rose was born right inside that house on Christmas Eve, one minute before the clock struck midnight. This year, she will turn ten. To mark that monumental moment in a little girl’s life, she is inviting you all to return here for her Birthday party.”

Mary Ann’s mouth dropped open. This was not the party she had in mind. The mood of the group shifted upward. Everyone in town knew Rose and everyone knew what losing the trees would mean to her. They understood they needed to help her in this moment by agreeing that a party invite was just the way to deal with unfortunate news.

Rose was indicating to her father she wanted to speak to the people. He had no time to refer to his wife on this one. People were going to be departing soon. So, he got their attention one last time for the evening. “I am hoping you can all make the party. I know it’s Christmas Eve but maybe for a while, you could stop by long enough for some cake and ice cream. Rose has asked if she could talk to you for a moment. Here’s the soon-to-be birthday girl.” And with that introduction, the people of Beamount cheered. No child in Beamount was more loved than Rose.

“Hi everybody. I’m sorry you won’t have a Christmas tree this year. But I’d like you all to come back on my birthday. And I’d like to ask for one present. Will you all come out here with your Christmas presents? We can all open our presents together as one big family even if we don’t have our trees to sit around. And Santa can all come to your houses while you’re here! It will be magical!” Bob was helpless to stop this once it began and he looked to his wife who was as surprised as he was. However, the reaction of the people told the two of them they were totally on board with Rose and the idea she communicated to them. Who were they to break this moment’s feeling? Christmas Eve was going to be magical for all the people of Beamount!

And in the days that followed, Mary Ann and Bob made preparations for Rose’s birthday party marking her tenth year of life. They assumed everyone would make an appearance at some point. They were mostly grateful Rose seemed to have moved past the fact the trees simply would not be a part of their Christmas this year. In the days leading up to her birthday, Rose had never been happier. Her parents said she just seemed so excited to have everyone returning to celebrate her birthday with her.

But Rose was excited for another reason.

It began the day when the town arrived to receive the bad news. Rose had been sleeping most of that day in response to the news of the semi-truck. Her slumber wasn’t without dreams, however. The lady from her previous dream in front of the Beamount Floral shop had returned. Only this time, it was Rose who found the lady sitting outside the shop. Only the lady wasn’t crying as Rose had been in the previous dream.

“Hello there, Rose,” said the elderly woman. “Do you remember me, honey?”

Rose was quick to respond, “Yes.”

“Are you still sad about the loss of the Christmas trees, Rose?”

Rose replied, “Yes, ma’am.” And with that the battle began once again to keep the dams of the tear ducts from breaking.

“Here, here now. I won’t have any of that, young lady. Don’t you remember what I told you last time?”

Rose was at a loss. “I forgot.”

“Well, that’s ok. It was a lot for a little girl to remember. Would you like us to go over it again?”

“Yes, please,” Rose responded. She was already pushing back the tears.

“Ok. You have a lovely tree all your own in your bedroom, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you received it just before you turned one year old, isn’t that correct?”

“That’s what Mommy and Daddy said, yes. But I don’t remember who gave it to me.”

“Well, that’s not important, Rose. What IS important is that you remember you were born on the holiest and most magical night of the year. Anything can happen on that night, wouldn’t you say?”

Rose gave it some thought and agreeing with the lady just felt right to her. “Yes, I think so.”

“That’s good. Rose, did you know your tree was magical?”

Rose’s eyes widened three times their normal size. “It is?”

“Oh yes. Very magical. And that’s why it was given to you. What do you think of that?”

Rose was at a loss for an answer. “I happen to know the person who gave it to you, and she knew, someday, you’d need it. Now, are you ready to learn how to use it?”

And the lady sat Rose down next to her and explained everything she’d need to do on Christmas Eve, but first, Rose’s work would begin on the evening of the 16^th when the town would come to the farm.

-to be continued tomorrow night-

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Five – Tuesday, November 28th, 2023

Another day, another Reflection. 🙂 Happy Tuesday! And Part five of the story. I need to make a correction regarding something I wrote last night about the length of this story and the one I am presently engaged in writing. THIS story was far greater in word count than I told you last night. I was looking at the wrong figure and how I didn’t catch it at the time is beyond me, but I guess I was tired from writing all afternoon. The original story was 14,204 words in length. The new story, after today, is at 11,431 words and growing exponentially! I’m thinking when I break it into parts for my Nightly Reflection reading next month, you may have to set aside some extra time each night. lol Kidding. Sorta. Not really. lol Had another eye pressure appointment this morning. I was in and out in five minutes. I said to the receptionist as I walked out, “Our time is just never long enough.” She giggled. Then I ran to Barnes and Noble cuz I really wasn’t ready to start writing, perused the books and one particular book jacket caught my eye. After two decades of not writing anything in the way of a book, Tim O’Brien has written America Fantastica. This author published a book in 1990 that RHS as well as many schools in our country used in the classroom. The Things They Carried. It’s a book that is a “collection of linked short stories by American novelist Tim O’Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers fighting on the ground in the Vietnam War. His third book about the war, it is based upon his experiences as a soldier in the 23rd Infantry Division.” The language in it is raw. This was the prime complaint of parents who tried to ban it from our school’s curriculum. They failed in their attempt. From what we could tell, they hadn’t read the book. They only went hunting for language they didn’t like and forget the motivation behind the author writing such a book. Now he’s written this new one that sounds far less scandalous, but maybe even entertaining. I had to get it. Shocker, eh? And then I ran home because I didn’t have my main money holder with me. It’s why I always carry a small back-up stash for just such an emergency! I got home and there it was, on the floor, with Toby sniffing away at it. I asked him if he took it from my pocket in my jeans, thinking he was going to buy my Christmas present with the money in it. Silly boy. Ok. Enough introductory stuff. Onto Part 5 for you and onto another day of writing for me. It’s not even noon. I’m taking this new short story mission pretty darn seriously. 🙂 Enjoy!

(part five of eight)

The
Town
Without
A Christmas
Tree

With Rose upstairs and Becker outside, Bob and Mary Ann discussed how they’d let the good people of Beamount know there wouldn’t be a Christmas tree for any of them this year. “What do we do, Bob? Everyone is waiting for the sign from us tonight. They must be starting to worry themselves. We need to do something. They’ll be calling soon.”

Bob shook his head, unaware exactly what their next move should be. “It’s a shame on so many levels. No one will have a tree in their home this year. All those presents won’t have a place to reside on Christmas morning. You went to all the trouble to make all that food and drink.” And then they were interrupted by the voice of their favorite lover of Christmas who had quietly come down from her bedroom.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do, Mommy and Daddy?”

“Honestly, we haven’t honey. We were just talking about it, but we’re sort of at our wits’ end as to what to do next.”

“I have an idea,” Rose offered.

As more of a gesture to patronize their daughter in the sweetest fashion, her mother replied, “Really? What is it?”

“Why can’t everyone come out tomorrow night anyhow? Light the fireworks tonight, so they know to come out tomorrow night. Then, we gather around a bonfire Daddy starts and you can tell everyone the bad news. We’ll all be together so maybe it won’t be so bad if everyone is together to hear the news.”

Rose never ceased to amaze her parents with her insights and wisdom for someone so young. Where did this come from? “The food and hot cocoa and apple cider will make people happy, won’t it?”

Mary Ann looked to Bob, and shrugging his shoulders said, “It couldn’t hurt. After all, you DO have all that food. And if people have to hear bad news, maybe having holiday treats will cushion the impact at least a little bit.” Turning to Rose, Bob said, “Young lady. You make us very proud. I think that’s a wonderful idea. The whole town can be out here anyhow, even if there are no trees. We can all be sad together. You know what they say. Misery loves company. I think it’s a wonderful idea, honey.” So they called in Becker and Stella from outside to share the plan. The four of them would go outside, light off the fireworks right away, and then prepare for the arrival of the town in 24 hours. It would be the easiest way to communicate the difficult news.

So, together, they went to the back of one of the barns where the fireworks are stored, they took out the number of rockets they always use, and one by one, they lit them, sending their message into the December sky. Soon enough, the people would arrive. The bad part was realizing in 24 hours they would have to break the hearts of numerous families and individuals. That just wasn’t going to be easy. Beamount was going to be the town without a Christmas tree this year.

That night, Rose went to bed, silently upset. Instead of turning on the bedroom light, she merely went to her porcelain tree and flipped the power switch to “ON.” Her tree came to life, bringing some comfort to her that at least she had this tree to remind her of other Christmases on their property.

And for the remainder of the night, Rose would simply stare at her tree, as if looking for an answer to an unsolvable problem. As if talking to her tree, she said, “I wish there was something I could do.” But she wasn’t even ten yet. And there wasn’t anything this little girl could do. She thought of those trees that were supposed to have arrived, but instead, were now just ashes, floating somewhere through the night air, further and further into the atmosphere. As that image blended with the lights on her tree, Rose slowly surrendered to emotional exhaustion, and her heart aching for all of Beamount.

And then…she dreamed.

In her dream, she was sitting on the front steps leading into Beamount’s only floral shop. She was all alone and crying. From behind her, she heard the bells on the front door signaling a customer entering or exiting the store. Before she could turn around, an elderly woman greeted her by name from behind.

“Hello Rose,” said the stranger.

Rose quickly tried to stop crying long enough to say hi to whoever might be there. Standing up and turning around, she began to say, “Hello…” and then realized she didn’t know this woman.

“Why are you crying, Rose? What’s wrong?”

Wiping her eyes and her nose, Rose explained to the elderly lady about the yearly event at their farm but how it wasn’t going to happen this year.

She went on to say, “All the people are going to be so sad. No one will have a Christmas tree this year. No place for Santa to put all the presents. No tree to look at and love.”

The lady interrupted. “You like Christmas trees, Rose?”

Rose nodded her head, still wiping away the tears and blowing her nose.

“Do you believe in magic, Rose?” the lady whispered,

“Oh yes. My mom says it doesn’t really exist but she’s wrong. My brother is always doing card tricks and calling it magic, but all they are is tricks.”

Do you think Christmas is a magical time of year?

Rose thought about it for a moment, and then answered. “It sometimes feels like it.”

“Do you want to know what I think is the most magical day of the year?” Rose once again nodded, with more enthusiasm now. “It’s Christmas Eve, Rose.”

Rose immediately had to know, “Why?”

“Who comes on Christmas Eve, Rose?”

“Santa.” This was helping to change Rose’s mood.

“And who were the Wisemen traveling to see on Christmas Eve night?”

“Jesus. My teacher told us about that.”

“Exactly. The holiest night of the year, Rose, is also the most magical night of the year. Even though the people in your town don’t have trees in their homes this year, there’s still magic in the air. Do you believe that?”

Rose seriously had to think about this. Rose believed in magic. She saw a lot of it in Walt Disney movies, but did she believe magic existed on Christmas Eve? She knew she was always happy on the 24^th of December, but was that because of magic? Finally, she admitted, “I don’t know.”

The lady smiled, bent over and whispered her final thoughts. “Rose, you are a special young lady. Have you forgotten the fact YOU were born on Christmas Eve too?”

Rose suddenly realized she HAD forgotten that. “Does that make me magical?” The lady’s eyes seemed to hold the answer to that question.

“Don’t cry, Rose. Everything will be all right. Just believe, Rose. Like Roald Dahl once said, ‘If you don’t believe, you’ll never see the magic.’”

“Who are you?”

And just as it seemed the lady was going to answer Rose’s question, Rose’s mother shook her awake to tell her it was time to get ready for school. It took Rose a moment to realize she had been dreaming.

“Mom. You woke me up just before the lady told me!” Rose seemed a bit perturbed.

“Told you what? And what lady?” Mary Ann was stifling her amusement at her daughter’s reaction from having her dream interrupted.

Resigned to surrendering, Rose said “Never mind. It was just a dream.” And Rose, wiping the sleep from her eyes, pulled herself out of bed to begin the day when the town would learn about the loss of the Christmas trees.

When Rose finally reached the kitchen table, her mother thought she looked pale.

“Rose, are you feeling all right? You look white as a ghost.”

“I don’t feel good,” Rose muttered.

“Where don’t you feel good?”

“All over,” Rose responded, lacking any real energy.

Rose’s mom retrieved the thermometer from the medicine cabinet in the first-floor bathroom.

“Here honey, put this under your tongue. We’ll see if you have a temperature.” After sixty seconds, Rose’s mom took the thermometer out of Rose’s mouth. “You have a slight temperature, honey.” She felt Rose’s forehead. “How about we keep you home from school today?”

Staying home from school was not something Rose preferred on any given day, but on this day, what should have been the day of the Christmas Tree Selection Festival, she didn’t seem to care about missing school.

“It’s Friday, and so you’ll have all weekend to get better. How does that sound?” Mary Ann was aware her daughter was still upset over the news from the night before and was trying to be as optimistic for her daughter as she knew how.

“Ok.” And without a fight, Rose returned to her bedroom.

The soon-to-be 10-year old was nearly breaking Mary Ann’s heart. She wanted her daughter’s Christmas joy to return, but she didn’t really know if it was possible this year.

After doing the morning dishes and seeing Becker off to school, Mary Ann climbed the stairs and paid Rose a visit. Rose was lying on her side, staring at her ceramic tree from Josie nine years earlier. She sat down on the bed next to her daughter. “Rose, you realize Christmas will still happen for everyone,right? Just because there won’t be a Christmas tree in anyone’s home this year doesn’t mean the families still won’t have presents to open and joy to experience.”

Rose’s voice lacked its refreshing energy when she responded. “What will the kids have to look at when the sun goes down? The Christmas tree is always so beautiful, Mommy. I wish I could do something, so everyone would have a tree this year. If I had one, I’d give it to someone.” This struck a blow to Mary Ann’s heart. Her daughter was once again carrying the pain of others as she had done so much of her young life. Her own happiness was always second to everyone else’s. Rose continued. “And what will Santa Claus do when he goes to everybody’s house and there is no tree? Where will he put everybody’s presents? Will he think everyone doesn’t even want a Christmas?” Speaking these words aloud made it all the more real for Rose and soon the tears began to fall. “Why did this have to happen, Mommy?”

-to be continued tomorrow night

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Four – Monday, November 27th, 2023

In tonight’s lone non-story paragraph, let me bring you up to date on where things are with the new story. I was afraid to look but I knew I had to. I turned another corner and I am heading in a bit of a different direction than I expected to with my new story. However, that could change again if it doesn’t continue to work as well as it’s working right now. But, the part that is scary, especially for you if you plan to read this, is it’s… well, let me say it like this. The story you read or are reading again was 3339 words in length. Twenty-seven pages of story. Now, mind you, this is before I revise the one I’m working on, but at the moment, my new story is on page 28 and I have 8565 words. Dear God. If I try to divide it over eight nights in December, the 17th through the 24th. You could be in store for some nights of reading! Just forewarning you now. lol I have now hit a spot in my process where I don’t want to stop writing. The story is just coming out of my head via my hands onto the keyboard. It’s an exciting phase I’m in right now. Still unsure of the title or how this thing is going to end, but no need to worry about either right now. And one day, when this is done, I’ll tell you what writing this story is doing to me personally. It’s all good. But it’s interesting as heck. So, that’s it. Not much more to report right now. It was a cold day and a sunny one. I’ll take one despite the other. 🙂 Hope you had a good Cyber Monday. We’ll soon be leaving November, so hope you’re ready for the final month of 2023. Just a quick note…this Sunday is the Rosemount Community Band Christmas Concert, something I am very much looking forward to announcing. Script is done, music is chosen and at 4:00, you should plan to be at The Well. I suspect the place will be packed and later this week, I’ll list the music titles the band will be performing. It’s the least I can do 🙂 Ok. Part Four now returns 🙂

(part four of eight)

The
Town
Without
A Christmas
Tree

Rose’s tenth December arrived, and the Karl family was once again making preparations for the people of Beamount to come and pick out their Christmas tree at the annual holiday festivity. Becker was now twelve, and Rose was nearing her tenth birthday on Christmas Eve. Stella, the Golden Retriever, had grown from being an over-zealous pup to a loyal and protective family pet, already eleven years old. Everyone in the Karl household was excited for theearly arrival of the Christmas trees.

It had been a snowy December in Beamount. Both the state and the county were trying to keep roads as drivable as possible for people traveling during this holiday month. It was, without a doubt, going to be a white Christmas.

Mary Ann was busy finishing baking all the cookies and candies she’d need for the townspeople tomorrow night. All she’d have left to do tomorrow was to prepare the hot chocolate and apple cider. Bob was trying to clear away the snow from the barns so there’d be places to display all the trees that would arrive.

It was almost time for dinner and Mary Ann called both Becker and Rose to come downstairs to eat. Becker was reading the latest installment in his new comic book, The Adventures of Superman, in his bedroom while Rose was on her bed, listening to a Christmas album on her record player and watching her Christmas tree that Josie had given her 9 years earlier. Rose grew out of her emotional need for the tree every second of the day, but her love for the tree, especially her own personal tree, had grown as she had matured. It served as a night light, but perhaps more importantly, it was a vault holding many of Rose’s thoughts as she faced the challenges a young lady faces growing up in a public school system. She spent many an hour sitting in front of her tree, confiding her deepest emotions. On some level, one might say it had become her best friend.

Dinnertime came and went, but there was no sign of the semi-truck that always delivered the trees by then. Bob and Mary Ann didn’t know what to make of it. The truck was already two hours late, but they didn’t want to arouse the concerns of Becker and Rose. Those two had been anticipating this day for some time.

“I imagine the roads may be giving the driver reason to drive more slowly,” Bob said. It was obvious, however, to Mary Ann Bob didn’t really believe that. Semis could handle weather of most any kind.

“I’m sure that’s what it is.” Mary Ann tried to sell the idea to the kids.

“What happens if they don’t show up?” asked Rose, growing concerned by now. The idea of no Christmas trees seemed to genuinely trouble her.

“They’ll be here. How could they not! Mom made all that food and hot chocolate and apple cider!” Becker was trying to lighten his sister’s mood. He knew Rose well, despite his only being twelve. He was, however, highly perceptive with people. And despite his concern, he was doing what he always did. Protecting his little sister.

“I’m sure they’ll be here soon. We best clear the table and do the dishes, so we can help when they arrive.”

No sooner did she say that than the phone near the refrigerator rang. Bob, who was standing right by the wall mounted unit, answered.

“Hello and Merry Christmas from the Karls,” he said in a rather jovial tone. And then he went silent as his facial expression changed dramatically.

Finally, he spoke again.

“All of them?” There was no happy spin he could put on the news he was receiving. This deadened the mood in the kitchen quickly. He could only be talking about one thing. “What about the driver and his workers?” The remaining Karls who were standing by the sink knew this was not good news. “Well, thank God for that.”

“No. I understand. I’m sorry. Thank you for your call.” As Bob hung up the phone slowly, his face painted as tragic an expression as one could paint.

Mary Ann was quick to question him. “Bob, what’s wrong?”

The kids were close behind. “What’s wrong, Daddy?” asked Rose. Becker was holding Stella who also seemed to sense something was wrong.

Bob motioned for them all to sit down.

“What is it, Honey?”

Bob let out an initial sigh, as he knew telling his wife and kids this news would be difficult yet there was no way around it. “It’s not good. It seems the man driving the semi this year was a new driver for this company. Consequently, this was his first winter of driving in winter conditions. Apparently, as he was coming down the side of the hill about 60 miles from here, he hit an icy patch and began to lose control of the vehicle. As it started to jackknife, he realized he was no longer in control; he did what he could but there was no salvaging the moment. He veered it off the side of the road while all three men jumped out of the cab into a snowbank. All three men watched as his truck slid down the side of the hill and into the ravine below. It was there they saw it explode into flames. All the trees are gone.” And with one final exasperated effort, he concluded, “We’ll have no Christmas trees this year.”

Becker was stunned and was hugging Stella harder than he was even aware. Rose was trying to keep her tears under control. Mary Ann knew what this would mean for the town of Beamount.

“Bob…the people, our friends. What will they do? Christmas in Beamount without a single Christmas tree…” Mary Ann couldn’t fight back her tears. For the sake of the children, she was trying, but unsuccessfully. Bob went over to comfort her.

“The driver is ok?” Rose asked, always concerned about the other person.

“Yes, dear. All three men are. Their quick reaction to jump out of the truck was all they could do to save themselves. The fate of the semi at that point had already been decided.”

Rose smiled a weak smile to hear all were ok, but she was still deeply saddened. “Mother, what will everyone in town do?” The tears welled up in Rose’s eyes, prompting her mother to reach forward and grab hold of her hands.

“Don’t cry, dear. Let your father and I talk about what we’re going to do next while the two of you go upstairs for a while, ok? Can you both do that for us?”

Becker took the lead, as he was used to doing with Rose. He was, of course, the big brother. He knew the most important job of the big brother was to look out for the little sister, even though she was only two years younger.

Rose knew with ten days remaining before Christmas and the trees in the other small towns likely all sold, no one in Beamount was having a tree this year. And that thought just about broke Rose’s heart. She knew it would make everyone so very sad. It was typical Rose to worry about others before even considering the fact her own living room would be without a tree this year.

After Becker made sure his sister was in her bedroom, he returned to the kitchen. “Is it ok if I take Stella outside for a while, Mom?” Becker asked. He thought it would be less sad if he was outside with his dog, walking around the barns.

“Sure. Does your sister want to go out with you?”

“She seemed like she just wanted to listen to her Christmas music and look at her tree.”

Ok, honey. Becker, bundle up dear. It’s really nasty outside again.

So Becker took Stella out with him while Rose rested on her bed, listening to the music while once again confiding in her tree.

“Even your lights can’t make me happy right now. Our truck full of trees went off the road and burned up, so we won’t have Christmas trees for everyone in Beamount. And that makes me so sad.” And she let her tears fall. She tried to not cry loudly because she didn’t want to upset her parents any more than they already were. She reached out and gently touched one light, and then another, and yet another; she also stroked the smooth ceramic green glass that made up each “branch” of the tree. “I feel so bad for everyone,” Rose said to her tree. She confided in her tree a lot over the last few years. Some kids have a teddy bear or other stuffed animal. With Rose, it was her tree. Twelve months a year. Three hundred and sixty-five days in all. She spoke to it as if it was her best friend.

Rose was listening to her favorite Christmas album from the tire station in town, continuing to focus on her tree until she fell asleep. It was sometimes as if her tree took the burden of Rose’s sadness, so Rose wouldn’t have to handle it all.

-to be continued tomorrow night

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Three – Sunday, November 26th, 2023

It is 2:20 in the afternoon and I can be found at The Bucks. It’s been a busy day already and the real work is about to begin. However, before Part Three comes your way, two things I thought I’d share. One, tonight’s pic comes courtesy of my sister. You might remember me telling you now for years about Swan Park in Beaver Dam, a park just around the corner from where my sister lives and a park that was as much a part of our childhood as anything was has been on the rejuvenation train for years now. And each Christmas season, the park is lit up with numerous lights and decorations. It’s awesome to behold and as always, on the Friday after Turkey Day, they flipped the switch and revealed a bunch of new stuff as well as their standard stock. My sister says it’s more impressive than ever. This pic came with the caption, “A teaser.” She knows I’ll see it when I go home for Christmas so that’s all I get for now. So, guess what? It’s all you get for now. I’ll send you more when I’m there. The second item is about the new story. You know I’ve been taking off my Reflections for eight days so I can focus on writing the new story. And that’s what I’ll be doing once I finish this paragraph. However, I lost yesterday. My laughing buddy decided he’d make a surprise visit with two of his homemade cinnamon rolls. After which, we headed out for coffee at the shop in Eagan where the writing group just was. From there, I asked if we could go to Sketchers at the Outlet Mall and so we did, but once we got there, the number of cars with crazy drivers was just too much. And, the parking lot was jammed. We left. I said I’d return during the week. I’ve been wanting to check out a pair of those “Slip-Ins” that are advertised morning, noon and night. Well, from there, we returned to the Eagan shopping area where the HyVee is and I won’t go into it, but we were all over the place. Then we went to have lunch at an unusual place only to continue the unexpected adventure in Apple Valley. Finally, a little after 6:00, he drove us back to my house, and soon after, headed back to his place in St. Paul and I posted Part Two and bonded with Toby. But it was a great day I had. And I ended up with a pair of those shoes from DSW, mind you! So, I am going to work extra hard now with the six days I have remaining before I return to my normal Nightly Reflections. Hope all is well with you all. See you Monday night. Have a good return to work tomorrow!

(part three of eight)

The
Town
Without
A Christmas
Tree

“What is it, Becker?” Mary Ann yelled back. “That’s Becker. You met him when you came in.”

“I need you!” Asking Josie if she could watch Rose for a moment and that she’d be back down in a minute, Mary Ann made a trip upstairs.

Josie moved closer to Rose, gently placing Josie’s left hand under Rose’s head and her right hand under Josie’s backside and lifted Rose out of her crib. “Sweet, sweet Rose.” Rose responded to this stranger almost as enthusiastically as she responded to the Christmas tree. “Your parents don’t know, do they sweetheart? They just don’t know but that’s ok, Rose. They don’t understand what happened when you were born. You’re a product of Christmas magic. And one day, you’ll learn that yourself.” It was as if Rose was taking in every word of Josie’s. Rose smiled, with eyes twinkling, as her eyes never strayed from those of Josie’s. Josie approached the tree, holding Rose, while both admired the beauty of the lights and the ornaments all working together in a concert of colors and emotions. “Isn’t the Christmas tree a beautiful part of the season, Rose?” It was as if Josie assumed Rose could understand and reply. Josie heard Mary Ann coming down the creaking steps of the old farm house, so she placed Rose back into the crib and picked up her tea.

“I hope Rose wasn’t any trouble,” she said to Josie.

“Oh no. As a matter of fact, we shared a secret together. Someday she’ll maybe tell you, won’t you Rose.” Josie delivered this in such a tongue-in-cheek manner that Mary Ann didn’t really pursue it, but thought it was rather a sweet comment coming from this seemingly eccentric elderly lady.

Bob could be heard entering the house from the kitchen as he stomped the loose snow from his boots. After taking them off, he entered the living room and said once again as a knight might speak to royalty, “M’Lady, your carriage awaits.”

Lady Josie, giggling, asked “Do you believe in guardian angels? Because you, Bob and Mary Ann, have been my guardian angels today. There’s no telling how long I might have been sitting there before someone came to help me. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Oh, there’s no need to do more thanking than you’ve already done, Josie. After all, isn’t that why we’re all here? To help one another? And it is, as I said, the Christmas season! I am just happy I was able to help you!”

Bob then remembered the box he brought in from Josie’s car. “Oh, let me get you your box.” And he retrieved the box from the kitchen. Handing it to Josie, “Here you go.”

Josie put it down on the coffee table, and pulled out crumpled up newspaper that acted as a buffer to whatever was inside. Josie carefully pulled from the box a ceramic green Christmas tree that stood about a foot high. On each branch jutting from the tree was a colored bulb fitted into holes throughout the tree. There must have been over 50 bulbs. And atop the tree was a beautiful golden star. The Karls had never seen anything quite like it. Then, Josie turned the tree on its side and flipped a switch on the base of the tree and suddenly, all the little bulbs came to life! An effect that wasn’t lost on Rose in her crib.

“Thank you to you both, and if you won’t accept it for my gratitude, then accept it as Rose’s early birthday present for her first birthday!”

Neither Bob nor Mary Ann knew exactly what to say, though they both tried to say it at the same time. Bob beat Mary Ann to the first word. “What a beautiful tree, Josie. You shouldn’t give up something so beautiful just because I changed a tire for you…”

“Don’t argue with your Queen, Sir Bob.” Bob had no choice but to smile at that retort. “Like I said, let’s consider it Rose’s first birthday present this year. Look at her. She seems to like it.” That was an understatement. Her eyes were embracing it.

“Mary Ann, you know what I’m wondering?” And Mary Ann was steps ahead of her husband. Mary Ann bent down, held her breath, and pulled out the plug that lit the tree.

Nothing. Absolute silence. No fits. No screaming. No unhappiness. Rose hadn’t even noticed. Rose was still focused on the ceramic tree.

“Look at that! Who would have guessed her first birthday present could be our answer to our dilemma. Josie, I think you’re OUR guardian angel now!” And all three adults laughed.

Mary Ann and Bob exchanged looks of disbelief. They had no explanation for any of this, but they were thrilled to discover a substitute for the live Christmas tree.

“Bob, I think we can finally take her upstairs into her nursery, and we’ll use this tree as both a night light and a pacifier to help her fall asleep while greeting her when she wakes each morning.”

Bob responded. “It definitely looks like it’s solved our problem.” And then, looking at Josie, he said, “Now it’s us who owe you a great big ‘Thank You!’ We were in sort of a situation, and we weren’t sure how we were going to solve it.”

Josie smiled. “Then everything is just as it should be,” Josie declared. And with a smile, she turned toward the kitchen and ultimately the outdoors.

“Well, I should be going. I am sure they’ll wonder where I am by now.” Bob escorted her to the door, so he could drive her down the snow-filled driveway and out to her car. It wasn’t safe to make the trip by foot at her age.

“How much further do you have to go, Josie Berg?”

“I live with my son and his family just down the road in Rosdam. So, not far at all.”

“Could we have your address so we can send you a Christmas card, Josie?” We’d like to stay connected if that’s ok with you,” Mary Ann asked her.

Josie was quick to respond. “Well, I’d love that. Mail is not one of Rosdam’s strong suits, but let’s give them a chance to prove themselves, shall we?” And she gave them the information.

“Merry Christmas to you and your family, Josie. It was such a pleasure meeting you. I hope you make it back safe and sound now. If I may?” Mary Ann needed to give their morning visitor a Mary Ann hug. The very best kind.

“I am sure I will. It was so nice to meet you and thank you for the tea. I guess Bob is going to drive me to my car, so I will say goodbye to you now.” And with a little more energy, she called to the living room, “Goodbye Rose. Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to you too, dear. Don’t forget our secret!” And she left the house.

Mary Ann was still a little bewildered by the “secret” comment, but again, she figured it was just a little old lady in her own little world, sharing a private bond with a little infant girl. She was more amused by it than curious.

After Bob returned Josie to her car and saw her drive away, Bob made it back to the house, and with Mary Ann, they took Rose up the steps and into the nursery. The trip up was loud, as they expected, but once they arrived in the nursery, and placed her inside her crib, they placed the tree on the table next to it and flipped the switch. As soon as Rose saw the lights come to life, she stopped fussing, and within moments, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The next day Mary Ann made it a priority to send Josie both a Christmas card and a Thank You card for the tree. She wrote her a nice note and placed it in the afternoon mail.

Three days later, when Bob brought in the mail, Mary Ann flipped through all the envelopes she assumed to be Christmas cards from friends; she stopped thumbing when she came across the two cards she had sent to Josie. On the front of the envelope, there was an official Post Office stamp that read, “Address Unknown.” Had Mary Ann heard Josie wrong or did she write it down incorrectly? She went to the phone book to look up Josie’s last name…Berg. What she discovered totally confused her. There wasn’t one Berg listed in Rosdam. Mary Ann had no idea what to think. But there was nothing she could do, so she put the card in the desk drawer for now. Maybe an explanation would come to her eventually.

And each day for the next nine years, Rose woke to her lit tree and fell asleep to it as it rested by her crib and eventually, a full-sized bed. The tree and the girl seemed inseparable.

-to be continued tomorrow night

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without a Christmas Tree” – Part Two – Saturday, November 25th, 2023

Howdy doody all. Might as well as get this out of the way one last time this year…one month from today is CHRISTMAS! 🙂 We’ll kick in the reminders on January 25th again 🙂 Well, I’m back with the second segment of the story tonight. Yesterday, it helped NOT to write my normal Reflection because I added to my new story’s progress which I plan to do again today. At one point yesterday, I had one of those “a-ha!” moments a writer has as the creation process is happening. Didn’t see a couple things coming in the plot’s progression, but all of a sudden, there it was and it made sense to me and it helped steer me down the road of the new story. I’m anxious to return to it today. I am writing this at 11 in the morning since this merely serves as an introduction to tonight’s second installment. Nothing new to report here except…friends of mine who I’ve known for about as long as anyone I’ve known here in Rosemount surprised me with a Christmas present. They know of my love for Christmas and somehow, they knew (or I think they knew) of one of my items I got years back for brightening up my living room had died. They gave me a new one and it’s in the picture tonight. I wish I could do a video here but it’s constant movement of the “snow” in the scene. And it sparkles like crazy! It works on batteries or a USB cord. It’s cool and once Christmas ends, it will remain in the living room since it’s mostly speaking to winter, unless you look closely and see the sign that advertises “Tree lot.” lol Ok. I’ll shut-up and bring on Part Two of the story. Hope you’re enjoying rereading it or reading it for the first time. I’ll be working hard again today to gain more ground on my story. I’m anxious to see what happens today as I write. It’s truly an adventure of a hobby. 🙂 Have a good evening and Sunday! I’ll be back with Part Three tomorrow night.

The
Town
Without
A Christmas
Tree

(part two of eight)

Bob and Mary Ann concluded that somehow, some way, on the night Rose was born one year earlier in that very living room, with their Christmas tree lit as beautifully as any they’d ever seen, that at the moment she entered their world, Rose somehow made some type of a connection with that tree; a connection, frankly, they couldn’t explain. As long as leaving the tree plugged in made her happy tonight, it was a small price to pay for a night of sleep. They left the tree lights plugged in, and they also had no choice but to leave Rose in the crib in the living room that night. They tried to take her upstairs but when the tree fell from her line of sight, her screaming returned. They surrendered to their only option. Come the next day, they would have to figure out a better solution. What happens when the tree needs to come down? They decided to fight that fight another time. For this particular night, however, Mary Ann would sleep in the living room with Rose, while Bob would sleep upstairs with Becker. Stella had her choice of where she’d rest her furry body.

***

The next morning, as Rose woke, she continued to delight in the magic of the Christmas tree from the comfort of her bassinette; Mary Ann asked Bob to run into town to pick up a few grocery items for breakfast.

Bob threw on his coat as it was another cold December morning. Bob was leaving his own driveway when he noticed a car, only a few feet from the entrance to his farm, with a flat tire on the side of the country road. He saw someone behind the wheel of the car, so he parked in front of it and walked to the driver’s door. The window was rather frosted, so he knocked on the window. When the window rolled down, he found an elderly woman behind the wheel, simply trying to stay warm hoping a good Samaritan might come along. However, now both cars were on the shoulder of this narrow country gravel road; it wasn’t the safest place to leave two cars, especially in the winter.

“Ma’am, are you ok?”

Bob guessed the driver was probably in her late 70s if not a smidge older. “I am so cold, but my tire went flat and I can’t change it myself.”

Bob’s heart instantly wrapped itself around this frail woman. “Let me drive you up to my house where you can get warm; I’ll come back and change your tire for you. This is our farm right here,” and he pointed in a direction behind the figure shivering behind the wheel. “My wife will take good care of you while I change that tire.” Bob was always the first to help a stranger in need, especially if the stranger was an elderly woman. Bob had a soft spot for that population.

“I hate to be a bother, but I don’t know what else I can do,” she said, teeth chattering and obviously needing to warm up.

“Don’t give it a second thought, ma’am. I’m happy to help. After all, it is the season for goodwill, isn’t it?” Bob chuckled to help ease the lady’s situation. She didn’t appear to be a lady of means. He was frankly surprised her car was still operable. “My name is Bob Karl,” and he reached out his hand to shake her mittened hand. She responded in measure.

“My name is Josie Berg,” and she giggled a little giggle. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Karl. I don’t know what I would have done had you not come along.”

“How about you call me Bob and I’ll call you Josie. OK?” Her smile was enough of a response for Bob.

Bob helped her out of her car and into his. He drove her up the driveway to the house, jumped out and ran around the front of the car to open Josie’s door. He then maneuvered her through the snow, onto the porch of their home and in through the door. Once inside, he introduced her to Mary Ann, Becker and Rose, who were all in the living room. Bob explained Josie’s present situation to his wife who was feeding their daughter. He left them both to get acquainted and returned to Josie’s car.

Josie spoke up before Bob escaped. “Bob, can I trouble you for one more favor?”

“Miss Berg, I am here to serve,” he said charmingly, in a grand gesture with a bow.

Josie tittered a bit, and then she asked Bob if he’d bring in the box from her back seat. “Most certainly, m’Lady.” Again, Bob managed to work a little light giggle from Josie B.

“Would you like a cup of tea, Josie?”

“Oh, I don’t want to bother you, Mary Ann. You look busy.”

“It’s no bother at all. I was just about to pour a cup for myself. One more cup isn’t any work. Besides, Rose is done, and now it’s time for her to fall asleep in front of her tree.”

“That’s a beautiful tree. Rose seems to be enjoying it.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it, Josie. We discovered last night Rose loves the Christmas tree. So much so, we can’t seem to move her away from it nor can we turn off the lights. It’s kind of crazy. We have to figure out what we’re going to do.”

As Mary Ann was in the kitchen pouring the hot water for the tea, she said in a louder voice so Josie could hear her, “I apologize for the living room being such a mess, but I had to sleep on the couch last night when we discovered we couldn’t remove Rose from in front of the tree. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Josie whispered to Rose, “I have.” Then she asked Mary Ann, “How old is Rose?”

Well, on Christmas Eve, she will turn one. Actually, she came within several minutes of being a Christmas baby. That was quite a night.”

“Oh really? Why do you say that?” asked Josie.

Mary Ann brought in both cups of tea and placed them on the coffee table. “It was a terrible night. It had been snowing all day with winds blowing the white stuff all over the place. I wasn’t due for another week at least. But there I was. Rose decided she needed to enter our lives on Christmas Eve. Thankfully Bob was here with a little knowledge about delivering a baby. And it all actually played out right here in the living room, in front of the tree.” Mary Ann was slipping back into memories of that night. “That year, we thought that was the most beautiful tree we’d ever seen.”

“It sounds obvious. Rose and your tree became connected through the magic of Christmas Eve.”

Mary Ann’s reaction was tempered with the realization that she was speaking to an elderly woman whose tendency was likely to be a bit eccentric. “Well, we really don’t know what to make of it, Josie. It’s the strangest thing. So, we now have to hope it will pass, and we’ll be able to get her upstairs minus the tree. However, as of right now, she’s not having any of that.”

“It sounds to me like your guardian angels were with you that night, helping Bob give Rose a safe entry into life. I’m sure they haven’t left you stranded yet. You’ll come up with a solution.” And Josie took a sip of her tea to hide her smile.

Right at that moment, a glass-shattering “MOM!” broke the gentle air of conversation taking place in the living room. “Mom!”

-to be continued tomorrow night

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree, Part One – Friday, November 24th, 2023

Good evening. Well, Thanksgiving is behind us and now it’s all eyes ahead on Christmas and everything that goes along with that holiday to make it as successful as you need to make it. As I have been saying, tonight begins the first of eight nights where I will bring back my story I had here in December of 2020. This allows me to continue to gain progress on my new story so I can share that later in December. The formatting of the story, visually, may look a little wonky but it’s how it is transferring it from a Word Doc to this venue. Just bare with. When I did this back in 2020, I divided it where it made sense to me to divide it. For the sake of what I’m doing, I’m going to label these as “Parts” but it’s really just one long short story 🙂 So, I hope you liked it then or like it now and that you tune in each night to follow along. I should reread it for myself but I just don’t want to take the time away from writing my new story. Enjoy and have a good night and a better Saturday 🙂

The
Town
Without
A Christmas
Tree

(part one of eight)

Some said it was “a miracle.” Others said it was “magic.” Many had no explanation for what happened that Christmas Eve in Beamount. However, what is certain is it did happen, and no one in Beamount would ever be the same.

***On a farm, just outside the city limits of Beamount, lived the Karl family. Bob and Mary Ann along with their son Becker and Stella, their golden retriever puppy. Mary Ann was expecting their second child. If it was a boy, they planned to name him Andrew. If it was a girl, they would name her Rose, after Beamount’s oldest living resident. The child was due in early January.

That Christmas Eve, however, the baby decided to make an early grand entrance. Bob, Mary Ann, their two-year old son Becker and Stella were sitting in the living room by the Christmas tree, listening to a radio broadcast of A Christmas Carol when Mary Ann went into labor.

That posed a serious challenge; a blizzard had been raging outside for most of the day and driving anywhere now was too risky. Bob knew he had no choice but to deliver the new addition without any assistance. The new addition had decided to arrive early and there was no other option. He tried to assure his wife everything would be ok as confidently as he could.

The birth occurred in the living room in front of what Bob and Mary Ann had both referred to that year as the most beautiful Christmas tree they had ever seen; moments before the grandfather clock in the living room struck midnight on Christmas Day, Rose Helen Karl entered their family. Though Becker was only two years old, he was mesmerized by the arrival of his healthy new sister.

***

Rose’s first eleven months came and went uneventfully for the Karl family until another December 15^th was surprisingly upon them. As was the custom in Beamount, everyone in town woke that morning to excitement in the air; it was the annual day the Christmas trees for the entire town would arrive to the Karl farm. This was a tradition that had existed for many years with the Karl family. Bob was the youngest to inherit the farm and this community event. A semi-truck carrying the trees would slowly crawl up the long gravel driveway of the farm, and the driver with his two assistants would unload the trees, one by one, placing them throughout the various barns before heading back to where the trees had originated. At dusk, Bob would send a small array of fireworks into the air, high enough for all of Beamount to witness. This signaled to the townspeople the trees had arrived and preparations were underway for the annual celebration 24 hours later, on December 16^th,at Bob and Mary Ann Karl’s farm.

By 6:00 P.M. on December 16^th, the citizens of Beamount began pulling onto the Karl property; they got out of their vehicles and walked through the barns in search of the perfect tree for their homes. Mary Ann had spent all day making holiday treats as well as hot apple cider and hot chocolate. This annual event was as popular with the citizens of Beamount as the Fourth of July might be with other towns.

Little Becker, now 3 years old, stuck by his mother’s side as she made sure the treats and beverages didn’t run low. The visiting Beamount citizens always made it a point to stop inside the Karl home first to admire their tree and pick up a cookie or two along with a beverage. This year, however, they also wanted to see little Rose, who would soon celebrate her first birthday on Christmas Eve. It was truly a holiday event for the Karls and Beamount.

After several hours, when everyone had chosen their tree, consumed their hot beverage and eaten their share of Christmas calories while socializing with one another, they thanked Bob and Mary Ann as they headed home, excited to place their own tree in a stand after allowing the branches to fall a bit overnight.

Each year, every single tree would be purchased and only a small amount of the beverages and treats would remain. This year was no different. Bob took Becker to bed as the little tyke had fallen asleep on the couch, next to the crib of his soon-to-be one-year old sister; he had been stationed by the tree while the tree selection was taking place, with Stella asleep in her pen; this made it convenient so anyone wishing to come inside could see both Rose and their beautifully adorned tree in one room. Bob spent all day decorating this year’s tree, as usual, while Mary Ann prepped for the calorie-end of the evening.

It was time for Bob and Mary Ann to take Rose upstairs to her crib in the nursery. As Mary Ann was cleaning up in the kitchen, Bob had decided to pull out the cord that gave life to their tree. Then something unusual happened.

Rose began to wail. Mary Ann rushed in from the kitchen and Bob turned quickly, thinking the crib had fallen over, but there was no visible evidence of any reason why Rose would be making such a terrible noise. Mary Ann picked up her daughter and tried to calm her down while feeling her head for a temperature; she checked her over, but nothing seemed to be wrong. And still Rose cried with both of her lungs.

“What’s wrong?” Bob asked Mary Ann with a great amount of confusion and concern.

“I have no idea, but she’s scaring me, Bob” Mary Ann replied.

“She was fine, and then suddenly, she’s doing this,” Bob helplessly stated.

He felt around in the crib to see if perhaps something had bitten Rose. After all, they lived in the country, and it wasn’t unusual for a stray bug or insect to make its way into their home.

“There’s nothing in her crib,” he said. Mary Ann had already checked to see if Rose needed changing but that wasn’t the issue either.

Bob said, “One minute she seemed just fine and as I turned my back to her so I could unplug the tree, she started crying her little heart out.”

What her husband’s statement made Mary Ann think was something that also made her shake her head. Yet, she asked “Bob, plug the tree back in, please.” Bob looked at Mary Ann with a confused expression, but, for lack of another idea, he bent over and returned the plug into the wall. The tree instantly performed its colorful concert of lights and ornaments once again.

And Rose stopped crying.

Not only had she stopped, but she was downright happy. Mary Ann and Bob looked at each other in disbelief.

“That’s crazy, Mary Ann,” Bob said with a tone of disbelief.

“Now unplug it again, please. But be ready to plug it back in just in case.”

And as the tree went dark, it once again triggered a loud fit of unhappiness from their Christmas Eve little girl. Bob wasted no time plugging it in, and Rose transitioned from painful dissatisfaction to sheer delight in the blink of an eye.

Bob and Mary Ann just looked at Rose and then at each other, unsure what was happening.

“Bob, it’s the tree!” said an astonished Mary Ann.

“Mary Ann! How can it be the tree? She’s not even a year old,” Bob rebutted.

“Try it one more time, please,” Mary Ann requested.

Bob responded and Mary Ann’s theory was proven once again.

Mary Ann confirmed it. “Bob. That’s it. IT’S THE TREE!”

-to be continued tomorrow night

G’Night!

Thanksgiving Reflections – Thanksgiving, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! A beautiful day here with sunshine and cool temps, for sure. Watching the parades to start my day and can’t believe how often they break away for commercials. Kinda ridiculous, but when they do, I switch to the other channel airing the parade, so easy enough to escape the ads 🙂 Hoping your day started well and by now, in terms of football, you’ve been able to see one game and are almost through the second. You’re likely full of food and ready for a nap before the third and final game of the day. And so, as promised, I’m merely sharing with you my list of “Thankful For”s.

To begin with, I’m thankful for being able to be doing what I’m doing right now. Being vertical is far more appealing right now than the horizontal approach to life. 🙂

I’m thankful for the knowledge that all five of my siblings are still with me and having their own Thanksgiving celebrations on this day. May we all be around for a long time.

I’m thankful for Toby. I’m thankful to have had Willy in my world for about ten years, and now, I’m thankful to have this little guy around to help each day seem a little more fun.

I’m thankful to have had a wonderful career in a fine community and to have been able to experience nine years of retirement already.

I’m thankful for my Granite City Gang peeps. They were my mainstay for years and we continue to make sure we stay in touch as close friends should.

I’m thankful to that internal child I write about so often and who appears more regularly this time of year than ever. I like to think he’s got a lot of Mom in him. Maybe even a little Dad 🙂

I’m thankful for a community who has always supported me and great friends who have risen from those years here.

I’m thankful for my writing partner who brought me into a project I would never have imagined being a part of and producing with me a screenplay we are both proud of.

I am thankful for both a pension and social security that makes living easier than if I didn’t have it.

I am thankful for my love of life’s simple joys. Getting thrills from what others see as insignificant is how I’ve viewed life for as long as I can remember.

I am thankful for having grown up in a small town and at a time when life was simpler and so much more appealing.

I am thankful for all the various people who still believe in my abilities to work a crowd and a microphone. The day will come when that part of my life will likely end, but in the meantime, I’ll continue to give it my all because it’s something I truly love.

I am thankful for my love of movies and books. I am rarely bored, even in retirement because I have gobs of both and I can usually find something to fill the hours in a day when they need filling 🙂

I am thankful for my love for creativity, both in appreciation of it in anything I see or for exercising mine. It has come in handy so many times and it certainly has added to a richer life for me.

I am thankful for a life that has what I think are minor health issues. At nearly 68, one can’t expect to be 100% healthy any longer. And still, I am able to do most of what I love; when I see others who cannot, I count my blessings.

I am thankful for former students who have continued to keep me in their lives on some level. They’ll never understand how them in my life years after they’ve graduated is what helps to make my life rich and pleasurable. I think I now know how my choir director must have felt as I continued to keep him in my world. After all, he was the reason I went into teaching.

I am thankful for my friends. What more needs to be said?

I think that does it today. I should add that I am thankful for the Packers winning today when most of their fans didn’t think they would. Not the way the Lions have been playing, but man oh man, did they look awesome! Now they’ve set the bar for next week. And who knows? That New Year’s Eve game against the Vikings could be a bigger game than we thought it would be.

While I watched the parade today in the living room, three movies ran simultaneously in my bedroom…three movies that kept me company each Thanksgiving when I was a little boy and my brothers and dad were in the living room screaming at the television and my mom and grandmother were hard at work prepping for the meal of the day. I do this every year when I’m alone. I’ll walk past my bedroom, glance in to see what’s happening in the movie that’s running, be it Hey There It’s Yogi Bear, The Man Called Flintstone or Gay Purree! If I’m filming that scene of me looking into my bedroom, I have a transparent little boy on the end of my bed, watching the movie intently. I loved that stuff. I still embrace those memories.

Hoping again your day has been relaxing and memorable, filled with people surrounding you. Tomorrow, if you’re off work, enjoy! Tomorrow night, I’ll return with Part One of “The Town Without A Christmas Tree.” I’ll likely add a few sentences about the day itself, but then I’ll post the next part of the story. Wish me well as I continue to work on my story. I would love to tell you the title, but I’m not certain I’m sticking with it and won’t know that until it’s done.

FInish your Thanksgiving on a positive note and then focus on the final holiday of 2023…CHRISTMAS! FINALLY! Hehe.

Gobble Gobble-)

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023

Well, here I am at SBX for the last time before Thanksgiving. I won’t return until Friday, at the earliest 🙂 It’s busy enough now at 1:10, but on Friday, with people running all over the place, I imagine this place will be chaotic as the hallways at school always were! lol But here we are! Thanksgiving Eve!

Happy Wednesday! And now, for many of you, you can relax unless you’re the one who is responsible for the meal tomorrow. Then, maybe not so much. But for most of you, I suspect this was the final work day this week. The kids were always unsettled on this day, as were the adults. Eventually, this day became a non-student contact day. Not sure what’s happening today over there, but because the clientele here is mostly adults, I suspect students are stuck in school for another hour-plus. ‘Tis a pity. 🙂

Ok. Movie Review! The Holdovers last night…was wonderful. My horror movie agrees. Despite it having nothing to do with blood and gore and violence, he really liked it as he commented several times upon leaving the theater. I was pleased. Coast Guard guys do not live by horror alone! 🙂 Paul Giamatti was the recognizable face in the film. There were two other faces I recognized from television shows. But Giamatti, the black cook for the school and the one student who had to stay at school over Christmas carried the show all by themselves. And it was a great script. Each character had their own demons they were battling. And all three trying desperately to bury the demon in over-confidence and aggressive behavior. You felt something for all three. It is set in 1970 and the filming technique helped to create that mood. From the start, the film began with the old rating symbol they used to use, this one being an “R” film. They also used the old MIRAMAX logo. I am assuming they were legit in 1970. Unsure, but I suspect they filmed the movie with a lens filter that shed a light, almost yellowish haze over the movie. It worked for me. I will be shocked if Giamatti doesn’t get a Best Actor nod and the woman a Best Supporting Actress nod at awards time. Her role was wonderful. I liked it and if you like non-mainstream films, this is one you’ll like as well. And, on some levels, it could be construed as a Christmas movie. Can’t go wrong with that, eh?

I called AETNA this morning to see what other inhaler they could substitute, hopefully cheaper, to replace the one I use. It was a long time on the phone, which is the reason I didn’t run to make the call after discussing the situation with my doc two weeks ago. Ultimately, we landed on another they do support but it’s still an arm and a leg. I am hoping that changes once I switch over in January to SilverScript Plus. If it can bring the price of Eliquis down then, my inhaler should be safe as well. Speaking of which…I’ll be picking up another month’s supple of Eliquis when I leave here and then, one more month of paying $153 before it all changes for the better in January. Initially, it will be horrible in January because of the deductible but then, it’ll only be $47. Much better.

I have a Baker’s Square Apple Pie in my car right now. Picked it up at Famous Dave’s. It was ordered a couple of days ago. Smelled so blamed good inside that I nearly sat down to have lunch. I’ve been skipping lunch lately only because my timing with writing at The Bucks sorta interferes with lunch. Once I got my pie, I stopped at Von Hansen’s again to pick up a pound of crab salad. Thought maybe that with CLUB crackers and carrots to tide me over before my dinner is ready tomorrow late afternoon would be a good thing. Wherever I went today, there were cars coming in and out. It was definitely a day before a holiday out there on the roads. And THEN, I remembered that Abdallah’s was having a Black Friday WEEK sale! Started on Monday and will end Friday. I can’t even bring myself to tell you how I cashed in on that sale but if you are an Abdallah’s fan, you may want to stop in there Friday. I suspect they’re closed now.

Apple + is now in possession of two, what I suspect will be gems, in its library. A few weeks ago, they added Peter and the Wolf, an unusually different production of it…a hand-drawing and I think it looks awesome. It’s only 30 minutes or so. Then, today, they added The Velveteen Rabbit, a story I bet many of you know. It combines live action with animation. I definitely will be watching both. With no sports tonight, that is likely my menu of television along with various streaming products on other services. FX released the first two episodes of the new edition of Fargo. Those are usually hard-hitting and violent productions, but they are definitely compelling. One of my favorite people from Ted Lasso will be playing the lead female. Not sure if she’ll have her accent or if she’ll be hiding it. But I definitely am excited about it being back.

So, here’s where we are. Tomorrow night, I am thankful. I am going the route I used to go when I was writing a column weekly for the Rosemount Independent. I would have my annual “Thankful” column. Sometimes, however, I asked the kids if they wanted to answer the question on a notecard I’d give them, “What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?” I’ll be answering that question tomorrow night. And then, the next eight nights will find my short story from 2020, “The Town Without A Christmas Tree.” A new part of the story each night, but if you read it four years ago, they you may want to take the next eight nights off from reading. It will be interesting to see what happens to my “Viewer” numbers for eight days. In the meantime, I’ll be writing the new story so I can be ready with it mid-December. I need to time to focus just on that story and not to be distracted by the Reflections for a week plus a day 🙂

OK…I wish you all a peaceful Thanksgiving, whether you’re like me and alone or if you’re with loved ones. Lots to be thankful for, regardless. Never hurts to stop and take stock as to why we should think about what it is we’re thankful for in our lives. As I said, I’ll be sharing mine tomorrow night with you. My day will be wake up, start my nostalgic cartoon movies playing on the bedroom TV while watching the parades in the living room with the Tobemeisters. Then, the Pack will play first, followed by two more games, taking us right to bedtime. I’ll put my Jenni-O turkey breast around 2-ish. And by 5-ish, I’ll be eating a satisfying and decent Thanksgiving meal. I’ve done this a few times 🙂 And Friday night, unless I have breaking news, you’ll hear nothing about my world until December 2nd. And if I end up going to Gustavus that night for the Christmas concert, then it will be a late post as well. So much to remember. hehe…

With that, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and embrace it all!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, November 21st, 2023

Good evening. I thought I’d start this now (1:20) because I AM going to see The Holdovers with my horror movie buddy and I don’t see a need to wait to finish this until that experience is over. I will merely share my reactions to it tomorrow night. Plus, I have plenty to fill tonight’s Reflection right now. So, here I go 🙂

HAPPY TUESDAY! This was a relaxing day until it wasn’t. Suddenly, after showering and heading out of the house, I found myself in somewhat of a whirlwind of movement. I wanted to run and pick up the tickets for us ahead of time so the kid wouldn’t have to deal with spending his money. And we wouldn’t be getting seats that could have been better had I just done what I did, so I did it! THEN, since I was in the area, I thought I’d run into Trader Joe’s. I’ve always been told that they have a line of holiday products and I thought I’d see what they had. Wasn’t the brightest decision I had ever made. Two days before Thanksgiving, even they were nutso. I picked up two fun holiday treats my doctor would shake his head at and then, I saw an Advent Calendar. I grew up loving the Advent Calendar. I try to put one on my phone each year. Not sure what it is, besides that inner child of mine insists on me doing that. Well, this was no ordinary Advent calendar. As you can see in the pic, it is a calendar full of cat treats! What fun! Stupidly expensive, but what the heck. ‘Tis the season, right?!

I left Joe’s, somewhat exhausted from the crowd of shoppers. And I turned my focus to Burnsville. First stop, Barnes and Noble. Enough said. Then, Macy’s. I rarely will be found in Macy’s but I wanted to go test out colognes as a possible new item to put on my Christmas list for my peeps back home. Sadly, I was unsuccessful cuz I really wanted the sales people to assist me but both women were with customers that were taking FOREVER! I finally left, frustrated. Then, Penney’s! I really wanted to find a red shirt and a green tie. I thought it would be fun attire for the Christmas concert I’m announcing in two Sundays. However, that didn’t pan out either. BUT, I DID buy THREE new long-sleeve shirts, two pullover tops and the price was pretty good. The shirts were $60 shirts but were on sale for 60% off. The two tops were $15 each but originally they were $60 tops as well. Then, my bill came to over $100 and I showed the saleslady an email I had received that said something about $20 off $100 or more in sales. But there was no bar code. And she said usually there is one, but I’m just going to give it to you anyhow. SERIOUSLY! How freaking cool was that!? MY total came to $83! I’d say I did well!

Once that was done, I needed to run home and feed the kid (Toby, if you’re confused). The new pattern is I don’t give him a ton for the morning and then I give him his dry food around noon (again, not much) and then dinner around 6. He gets two shipments of wet food. I have never seen him drink from the water dish, yet he has no problem producing clumps in the litter box, so all is well. Can’t wait for December 1st to open a door on the calendar to see what treats he has waiting for him. Once he was face deep into his bowl of dry food, I was on the way out and heading to The Bucks to write this. While here, a stranger sat next to me and he began a conversation as he waited for what I found out eventually was a client. He was a realtor. He is now at a table where he can converse with two other people and I’m able to write. 🙂

Last night, I was pleasantly surprised by another visit from the laughter friend. On Saturday when we were “adventuring,” he mentioned he had made chicken noodle soup and froze a bunch of it. I gave him a hard time for not bringing any for me. Last night, he brought some for me. lol He was at the gym and when he finished, again from St. Paul, he drove down to deliver the goods. I am excited to try it and I think that will happen come Sunday. Once he left, I returned to a pretty good Monday Night Football game.

I didn’t tell you about my pie ordering yesterday. Once Baker’s Square left Apple Valley, I was bumming cuz I used to go to them for my apple pie on Thanksgiving. They have the closest thing to the pie my grandmother would make. And I love apple pie. Well, I learned that Famous Dave’s became the “keeper of the pies” moving forward. If you go to Dave’s, you’ll see the Baker’s Square pies there. In previous years, I was able to walk in and grab one, but this year, it was full of hoops. I called them to be sure I’d get one if I did that approach and apparently, I would have been disappointed. They require a day of notice for a pie. And you have to pay for it before picking it up. Which I’ll do tomorrow. Plus, the individual taking the orders speaks a somewhat broken English and I think she was IN the store because the background noise was not helping my ability to understand her. It was frustrating. But, I did it and tomorrow, I shall bring it home and my dinner will be 24 hours from being a reality 🙂

At some point, when this story comes to an end, I shall share with you one crazy story that’s going on at my sister’s house. Apparently she and her husband have squirrels in the walls. They finally pinpointed where they’re getting in and my sister fears there might be babies in there too right now. The story is insane but I’m not totally surprised. She has her share of “It Can Only Happen To Chuck” stories happening. The difference? They’re happening to HER! lol Stay tuned.

OK. I made it. It’s 2:15 and I now have reading time before my friend finishes teaching and heads my way. We are slated for a “catch-up” session before she meets with another former colleague and I go home to chill before heading out to the movie. I hope your day was good to you and tomorrow…it’s FRIDAY! (sort of) I still find it hard to believe we are hours from Thanksgiving. My favorite time of the year is fleeting. Although, there are seemingly more reasons to be excited about December these days. I need to start thinking about Christmas shopping for my peeps. Though, it will be easy because so many want gift cards. I’ll share my thoughts about gift cards versus actual presents some time this season, but for now…I’m done 😉

G’Night!

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The View From My Room

Musings From A Seasoned and Retired Educator

Monthly Archives: November 2023

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Seven – Thursday, November 30th.

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Six – Wednesday, November 29th, 2023

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Five – Tuesday, November 28th, 2023

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Four – Monday, November 27th, 2023

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree” – Part Three – Sunday, November 26th, 2023

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without a Christmas Tree” – Part Two – Saturday, November 25th, 2023

Nightly Reflections – “The Town Without A Christmas Tree, Part One – Friday, November 24th, 2023

Thanksgiving Reflections – Thanksgiving, 2023

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, November 21st, 2023