It’s Beginning to Cost a Lot Like Christmas...

I have decided to combine my Christmas Blog with my timely Christmas Letter.  So here goes.

I usually attempt to make Christmas gift suggestions.  Well, really, they are more like non-suggestions.  Or what not to buy.

In the event you didn’t pay attention in past years here is a refresher:

Husbands...your lovely wife really doesn’t want a state of the art vacuum cleaner.  She is perfectly happy with that old Electrolux.  If you are hell-bent on appliance try one of those new Air-Fryer gadgets.  (They are more like a new toy, than an appliance.)  Keep in mind that gift certificates always fit.  I don’t mean a gift certificate for Nutri-Systems or a Planet Fitness.  I’m talking about one from a store that she actually shops at.  Hint ... Amazon.

Wives...your wonderful husband is probably a tool/gadget nut.  It’s ok to give him the latest turbo-powered drill with high tech capabilities (whatever they are).  You can’t go wrong with guns or ammo, either.  Or how about assorted accessories for the above-mentioned.  And again, gift certificates always fit.  A shopping spree at his favorite sporting goods store would work.

For the kids...Legos.  Whatever they ask for, give them legos and let the little curtain crawler make their own.  Unless they start pitching them at one another they are relatively quiet.  If you really want to punish their parents (and who doesn’t?) give the little darlings the latest train, complete with bells and whistles.  Don’t forget the batteries.

Teenagers....Legos.  They just think they have outgrown them.  And it is likely that you cannot afford whatever they really want.  (Cars, state-of-the-art sound systems for their cars, spendy ski vacations, etc.)

Now for a more personal note....Mr. Lucky and I have made it through the year (one more time) without buying a Buick.  We actually sold one.  Wrap your head around that.  We did breakdown and buy a gorgeous side-by-side UTV.  A pretty red/white number. 

If you are in need of an ugly Christmas sweater just drop into your local Good Will or other thrift shop.  I breezed into a Good Will a few days ago and they had a rack right up front loaded with really double-ugly Christmas sweaters.  Rest assured.  I did not have to have any of them.  I stopped buying ugly stuff years ago.

Mr. Lucky (or anyone else for that matter) if you read this.  You know what I like.  The initials are BSB.

So...Happy Christmas to all and to all a Good Night.

                                       The Magic of Three

Starting with a back story....Mr. Lucky and I have been married for over 50 years. (Sigh).  Part of the reason for that is we try to avoid engaging in the act of towing vehicles together.  It's in the marriage commandments.  Thou shall not enter in vehicle towing as the tower or the towee.  

A few weeks ago Mr. Lucky and I were enjoying a warm, sunny day riding our four-wheelers on some back-country trails.  I use the word "trails" loosely here because in some places there had not been a tire track for probably 2 to 3 years.  No matter, though.  

As we scurried along all of a sudden my four-wheeler decided to quit.  Where I could coast (that would be on a downhill) I did.  Where I couldn't coast, which seemed to be more common,  Mr. Lucky towed me.  Yes.  The T-word.  I only crashed into him once.   We made it back to the pickup pretty much unscathed. The next day my wheeler got a brand new battery.  Problem solved.

The very next day we were out of town when our great and glorious Buick, affectionately known as Mrs. B, decided not to start.  Long story short a really nice mechanic called a really nice tow truck driver to rescue us.  The Buick, Mrs. B was towed.   Mr. Lucky and I were only involved as observers and, of course, check writers.  Paying for the tow was the least of our concerns at that time.  A few hours later the aforementioned mechanic got Mrs. B back on the road again.  Another check writing episode ensued.  Oh, well.

So, I kept wondering when the other shoe would drop.  When will we have the third towing experience?  That mystery was solved a couple of weeks later.  Mr. Lucky came in to report that one of his riding lawn mowers (#6) had a break-down and we were going to have to tow it.  WHAT?  This time I was assigned the position of tower.  With a limited amount of voice-raising and cussing we got-er-done.  

There are two take-aways here.  A marriage can survive towing.  All things happen in threes.