Q: What’s the cost of getting old?
A: $30, at least this past weekend
I’ve been visiting Jones Family Farm in Shelton, CT, for
almost ten years now; it’s where I go to cut a Christmas tree. Since we have
high ceilings in the living room I usually get a 12-14 footer. That’s not the
easiest thing to do and, at this particular tree farm, those tall ones tend to
be a steep hike away. But each year I’ve toughed it out and brought home a
dandy tree. When I started they charged $50 for any tree you cut; the price is
now $69. Still a good deal for such a fresh tree.
(We’ll leave aside the issue or murdering a living thing).
This year we got about six inches of snow the morning of the
tree hunt. My tree-killing companions, Vince and Rachel, braved the storm, driving
from New York to Woodbridge in time for pastrami fortification at Katz’s Deli.
Ransom joined us for lunch but opted out of the hunt. The snow was on my mind
as I pictured the hill we had to climb. I knew that the Jones family also sold
already-cut trees and I wondered if this was the year I’d settle for one of
them.
It was. In fact though, “settling” is not accurate. It’s a
beautiful Douglas fir, well-shaped and big enough at maybe 8.5 feet. Rachel is
our Lighting Director and she did a great job stringing multi-colored lights.
Vince added a couple sets of blues; the result is pictured below.
The trip to the farm was even more enjoyable than in past
years. Without the hour spent finding out just what was wrong with each tree we climbed
to, we had time to enjoy a hot cider and peruse the gift shop. Rachel and Vince
bought me the chocolate (colored) moose, also pictured below.
Was it worth thirty extra bucks to have someone else do the
heavy lifting? Absomerrylutely!
It's beginning to look . . .
