Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! 

My day off yesterday was kept very busy getting started on Christmas decorating. DH got the 4 trees out of storage. I got the bedding on the other guest bedroom and our bed. Then I got all pillows, bed and throw pillows (couch, loveseats, etc) all covered in Christmas pillow covers. Trying to get pillows stuffed into covers is exhausting, LOL. 

Then I got started fluffing out the branches on the first layer of the 12' tree. Last year we had an issue with some of the lights being out in the 2nd layer, but managed to just put that area in back. DH put the second layer on (it lights up when you connect the poles) and now a bunch more lights were out all random branches here and there. We worked on it for over an hour. DH had some replacement bulbs and some little gun type tool dd had given him a few years ago, that tests bulbs and also does something when you insert it onto the bulb holder part and squeeze the trigger. We ran out of replacement bulbs but managed to get most all of that layer working again (looked better than last year). Then he added the 3rd layer (which was never a problem) and now one whole side of that layer was out. By then we were tired and disappointed. It's just too many lights to try to figure out what to replace. It's not like one light goes out (while the others stay on) so you just replace that one. We'd replace one light on a branch and suddenly lights on branches 2 branches away would light back up. 

This 12' tree is hard enough to deal with when everything works - lights no longer working is too much. At this point (this is our 5th Christmas with this tree) we are just going to let it be with the crappy half lit way it will be, and after Christmas after we take it down, dh is going to just cut all the lights out of it and we'll use string lights, I guess. I'm not even sure how hard it will be to get all the lights out of it - I'll have to look closer because I think they are all wrapped around branches and probably not an easy task.

Not sure what to do if trying to get the lights off is too much of a chore. Too damn expensive of a tree to just throw away. Even 12' trees with no lights are very expensive, but I guess that is what we should have bought in the first place. 

It looks like the guy who now owns lot 5 is going to get started right away. Our old "excavator guy" we used for our build, came in yesterday and dropped some excavator of something off next to the lot and it is already been staked out for something to build/dig a foundation. We were told he was building a shop first, so most likely for that. Looks too small of staked out area to be for a house. Still seems strange that this new guy who bought it hasn't even introduced himself to any of us here. Shoot - we knew Mr & Mrs neighbor very well by the time we started building. DH said it's probably because DAN told him we were all a-holes, LOL. Probably. haha.

I never thought to look and see if DAN has purchased some other piece of property in the area, so he can build his 8000 sf warehouse, with 2000' additional covered area extending it. Now that he would have the money from selling these lots, I'm assuming he would find something else to buy. 

Well, time for some breakfast and then get in the shower and dressed, so I can get started on putting the turkey in the oven. I hope all my American readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving.