What's making you happy today?

[xoxoxoBruce]

But Choco, do you have an iphone 99, or hot and cold running maids, or other necessities of happiness?

Seriously, good for you. A lot of people would be a lot happier if the realized how good they have it. Your baby has a huge head start.

[Clodfobble]

The Christmas season is making me happy today (and generally speaking, that doesn't happen.)

It started about 9 years ago, by my recollection. There is a Christmas tree sales tent that sets up every year along an empty-ish highway that skirts the west side of the city. It kind of comes up out of nowhere around a bend, so what they would do is decorate a couple of the roadside evergreen trees just before the bend, so they could tell people to slow down and start looking when they saw the decorated trees.

But people thought the idea of decorating still-living trees was awesome. And the tradition has spread each year, so that now the entire 20-mile stretch of highway is full of decorated trees, on both sides of the road. Some have themes, like a local rock-climbing organization that decorates one way up on the cliff face each year that you couldn't get to otherwise.

Anyway, Minifobette's vision therapy is at the far opposite end of this highway from us, so every Thursday I get to drive past all the trees, and it makes me smile. It just keeps going and going, probably close to 500 trees in all. Not the greatest picture of it since I am driving at highway speeds while aiming with the camera, but this gives you an idea:

[ZenGum]

I like the tree decorations, but if they're all along the road, how do people know when to stop for the shop?

[Clodfobble]

Eh, they just see it too late and make a U-turn, like they always did.

[zippyt]

Sound like you got it going on Choco

[BigV]

Originally Posted by orthodoc

Well, he's in intellectual property law, trademarks and patents - working at the PTO for a couple years - so I don't think anyone here has anything to fear. Thanks for all the good wishes, folks!

And the salt - yeah, I got a little carried away with the salt. Not that I bought all that stuff, I'd just never seen so many kinds before.

Lunch sounds like it was awesome, zippyt! What a great thing to happen!

And thanks for the perspective, choco - as always your comments are full of insight.

like what's his name.... Albert somebody....

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

It just keeps going and going, probably close to 500 trees in all.

That's great!

[nowhereman]

That's a great idea - something that makes folk smile instead of being all wired out by the insanity that is the ***mas season. Me, I'm happy because my car AND truck (both of which I was afraid needed major repairs), turn out to be minor and easily fixable.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

It takes a special kind of salt to make a man pass a bar.

If he can swallow it, he can probably pass it.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Christmas cheer, blah blah blah...Not the greatest picture of it since it is DAYTIME but this gives you an idea:

[Clodfobble]

It would take a helluva lot of extension cords for any of them to be lit, although I guess some of the tinsel-ish garlands might reflect oncoming headlights at night...

[footfootfoot]

hmmm. I'll let you off the hook this time.

[BigV]

I'm happy today because my kid didn't get shot at school today, and neither did any of his schoolmates.

[Griff]

A guy who just started bowhunting our place this year heard about Merlin and actually spent a good chunk of today looking for him. Good people are good.

[orthodoc]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

If he can swallow it, he can probably pass it.

And since he passed it, we can deduce that he swallowed it ...

and he's totally worth it.