I know I've been this tired before....

But, I don't remember when...another week of rising at anywhere between two am and four am...driving in torrential downpours, (remember when I used to pray for rain)...working for twelve to fourteen hours...driving home...drinking two glasses of wine,and falling into bed. Getting up the next day, and doing it again....it goes on and on...

The good news is my two "elves" are fantastic...the bad news is the "staffing company"...yes, that's you Nelson staffing, can't get their act together enought to actually pay us.

I have spent hours on the telephone, asking why my "elves" aren't getting their money...I have backup..a husband..they don't have back up...I am angry..tired and angry...nearly told a very badly behaving little boy, who was shaking my ladder and breaking ornaments, that Santa was dead...but, I pulled back at the last moment... That's how bad it is...


I am off for three days...sleeping for two...enjoy.

Ho Ho Hum...so very old and tired!

Well, here I am...back from the front....feeling about a hundred and twelve...
Day one seems like a year ago...rested up a bit the next day - went to the doctor and got a Cortizone shot in my wrist (hurt like hell - they have to give you a numby shot before they give you the big guy) it does help, but the doc says this is the last one...next time, surgery. I told him that as a surgeon, they often feel like they have a hammer, and everything looks like a nail. He didn't laugh.

And off again to San Antonio, North Star....more trees, they just keep on coming...Notice my scathing wit is dulled to a drone? This is what happens when you get up at 4:30 every morning and drive over a hundred miles...climb up-and-down ladders, and make things pretty! When I was thirty,this was a piece of cake...my body keeps reminding me that I am now 61, and what the hell do I think I am doing?

I brought chicken for us to eat, and assured J that I didn't think I could blow a chicken out of my nose...just wanted to reassure him after the unfortunate root beer and cream explosion. J has turned out to be a very good worker, but he's the quietest person on the face of the earth. No complaints here...he's very nice, and is from Vermont - M asked him if everyone in Vermont was this quiet, and he answered "pretty much".
I am not going to show you every single tree we did, as we did 13 at one location and 14 at the other...lot's of repitition...but, will show some of the "varity", along with some of the "stunners", and some of the "not so much".


We spent the night at a LaQuinta (J in his room - I in mine) M lives in San Antonio, so she met us the next morning, to drive the 137 miles to Corpus Christi.
The rooms were booked in advance, but the moron at the desk insisted that I pay for them...I insisted that my employer already did...this battle went on for awhile. Long story short, called the employer, and he was supposed to take care of it.
I went to my room, at my take out mexican food with my fingers (too tired to find utensils)...drank a glass of wine (I brought my own), poured the rest of the bottle out (didn't want an open bottle in the car - what a waste), dragged the refridgerator (in a cabinet) away from the wall and unplugged it - it sounded like there was someone in there with a jack hammer), and fell into a deep coma.

Four-thirty wake up call - go down to check out- have battle with new moron at the desk, who insisted I had to pay for the room...screamed (well, quietly) that this was unacceptible (got the room comped)...he just wanted me to go away.

We got to Corpus Christi, and faced off the fourteen trees....

Now, this first tree is a Martha Stewart tree, called "Lily Pond"...really quite pretty...(of course, this is on an island, so I suppose it counts as a Christmas tree)...I actually love the ornaments.
Click on the photo to see it in more detail.

"Swell Noel" arch from hell....it takes forever, and we worked for hours on it...then, we were finally informed that it can count as two trees ...much happier.

Golden Santa....M did this one...I fell in love with some of the glass ornaments.

A bit of confusion here: is this the "Jeweled Angel" tree angel, or is she the "Russian Angel"? Noone to ask..the stock is put out, and then everyone who works there disappears. They don't want to be around as people come by, and shout at us that "it's September, for God's sake"..this is too soon! Lot's of those comments...but then, some just oooohed and awed....

Russian Tree?????? Looks so much better with lights.

"Deck the Halls"...peace, love, psychidelic, and far out!

"Teen Diva"............nuf said

J did the Ballerina Tree...it's spectacular, but reminds me of a Las Vegas showgirl.....

Closeup of the "Arctic Explorer" tree...I do love this one...polar bears, snowy owls, all those endangered species trees...

I did this "Arctic Explorer" tree....I must say, the cuddly animals were, well, cuddly...and I had fun with this one....

We finished around 6 pm, and headed back to Austin...where J lives, and I had another 45 miles to go after that. J offered to drive, and I was pleased to have a break...however, the rear window on my car decided it didn't want to go back up after J accidentally lowered it...This happened last year to the other window, and it cost $400 to fix...sheesh!

We take off, and the window is driving us crazy...it's hot...and the noise! So, we pull into a service station, and J tries to fix it...Then, I remember that Aunt Lily (this was her Buick, which she so kindly gave to us when she couldn't drive anymore - poor Lily has Alzhiemer's)...anyway, Aunt Lily ran four corporations in NYC in the fifties, and was always ready for anything...which is why there was a box in the truck with: A can opener, flares, a hammer, water, first aid kit, and YES, duct tape....so, we taped that baby closed and continued home.

Thinking we were seconds away from a clean get away by the time we reached Austin...not so...road construction...traffic jam...nothing to eat, screaming headache, feeling rotten..sat for hours.

Finally, dropped J at his house, and limped on home...ate a piece of cheese, drank a glass of wine, and fell into bed...a 22 hour day...just horrible.

So glad I scheduled in three-day weekends..that's about how long it's going to take for me to recover - for Monday, and the next salvo...

I so love everyone's comments and encouragement.

I do want to go to the other blogs I follow, but first, I suppose I should get out of my robe, take a shower, go to the grocery store, and then,...maybe a nap?

Day One, The Adventure Begins

And so, it begins...
Twas the night before the Christmas tree gig, and all through the house, not a creature was sleeping...especially, not Jess (okay, the cats were asleep).
It's 10:30 p.m, and she must arise at 4 am, but suddenly, all heck breaks lose, as emails are flying in, with all kinds of attachments, bearing photos of prototype Christmas trees...and they just keep on coming.

It's a time zone thing...the photos are coming from California, and Jess is in Texas..and she's getting tired of opening files, and printing, and printing, and printing...

There's every kind of "theme tree" imagined by "three angry, middle aged women" (that was my answer, when I asked who designed these trees. Okay, some were Martha Stewart trees, but I don't think Martha actually designed them..well, maybe.

I will "unveil" the different themes, as they are decorated...I didn't use a flash, because they are really ugly that way, but perhaps I should...hey, I'm the one who loves candlelight, remember (it does so much for aging complexions).

So, got to bed at midnight, and couldn't sleep (my cat, my nerves, my insomnia)...got up at 4 am, and packed everything into the car...drove 45 miles to pick up my first elf (did I mention I have two "elves", thank God)...you didn't think I was going to do 114 Christmas trees alone, did you...even Santa had elves...(I do have the tiny reindeer, though)
Picked up "J", and we drove to San Antonio, stopped for coffee, and bought the new, rereleased "Abby Road" cd...thank God, "Elf J" has a GPS system, or I would still be driving around San Antonio...(did you know it's the 4th largest city in the country?)...

Arrived at Macy's River Center (drove by the Alamo - remember?), and we met elf number 2 - "M" (I wouldn't use their names without their permission)...after running around, trying to get in, we went to work....

Here is the first tree, Which I did..."Western Tree" Second Tree - "Swell Noel" (hey, I don't name them) which J and I did...he did most of it...I think it should count as two trees, as we get paid by the tree...don't you?

J did "Santa's Picks", which is more like a merchandising rack, but a pretty one....

This is a close up of the "Cherub" tree, which is more like "The Christmas Tree From Hell", as the branches are very weak, and the ornaments are beautiful, but very heavy, so they either fell off, or dragged the branchs down to the ground..a little breakage here....

We finished River Center in great time, and headed for South Park, where we ate our lunch at the Food Court...I had my most embarrasing moment of my life (well, in many years)...I am on Atkins, and I love to put a bit of cream in Diet A&W Rootbeer..yum..anyway, I usually use a glass, but brought the bottles instead..Poor J was sitting there, and I was bragging on my "invention"...I poured the cream into the plastic bottle, and it ERUPTED...I thought, okay, it's just going to run over a bit, so I put my mouth over it....creamy rootbeer spurting everywhere; out of my mouth, my nose, (if it could have, it would have come out my ears)..all over the table, the floor, J, me...sheesh...I don't think J thinks I am very cool...oh well...moving on. One has to learn to laugh at oneself...doesn't one?

This is the Cherub Tree in South Park...a bit more heavily laden....

This is the Cherub Tree in River Center...very pretty, but we had a rack from which to display overstock..the other place didn't..people will buy off the tree...I don't even want to think about what it will look like as the stock goes down.

Here is my beautiful elf, M, showing off her Western Tree at South Park...she's adorible.

Here is my handsome elf, J, also adorable...(and thinks I'm a moron).

Dropped J off at his house in Austin, drove the extra 45 miles, at a bowl of stew, took a bath, and fell into bed..slept 12 hours...

Day off today...then, another, similar push..except this time: San Antonio again (it's 240 miles round trip from my house, and didn't make sense to turn around and drive home, when we have to be in Corpus Christi at 7 am the next day, so we have rooms - M lives in San Antonio, and J and I have rooms (separate, of course)...the thing is - 13 trees in one day in San Antonio, and 15 in Corpus...should be interesting....

Ho, Ho, Sheesh