Mammoth Trip

As road trips go, for distance and endurance this was pygmy size.
As for destination, it was mammoth - literally (and I don't mean figuratively).

We recently acquired a very low-mileage 2006 Hyundai Azera from a widow neighbor of my parents in Montana.  Dad of course can not resist a deal, so when Jennie approached for advice on how to pare down to a single car and sell the Hyundai, Dad offered a fair price with no hassle.  I flew up north to pick up the new (used) vehicle and drive back to Dallas.

The plan was have A) Sue either keep the Hyundai and upgrade Grant with the 2009 Camry, which Sue was currently driving, or B) give the Hyundai to Grant.  How to decide?  No better way than a road trip! Let's take the Hyundai on the road and see which one you prefer.  Sue drives, I pick the destination.  I choose a 100 mile trip (1-way) to Waco to see the Pleistocene Mammoth Site.

The site has been excavated since 1978 and opened to the public a few years back.  The excavation area is covered by a roof and walls to protect the exposed mammoth bones.  We sign up for the 2 PM tour, and while waiting I get to talking with the young guide who will lead us from the Visitors Center down the trail to the covered excavation.  He tells me that if I went by myself, I probably wouldn't be able to figure out what I was looking at.  I call his bluff and tell him I have a Masters Degree in Paleontology.  It turns out he was a student at Fresno State (as was I), in the geology department (as was I); but he got side tracked by competitive downhill skateboarding (unlike me), and did not finish his degree (unlike me).  We are going on in this vein of coincidence and connections, when a lady butts into our conversation and says, "That's all very nice you two, but [pointing at her watch] it is past 2, time to start the tour."  Agreed.

Mammoth tusk
At Waco Mammoth Site Excavation

What the paleontologist have found so far is nursery herd of 7 cow mammoths and 9 juveniles which perished about 65,000 years ago.  It is now believed a separate event at the same location about 50,000 years ago accounted for 6 additional mammoth skeletons, including a large bull mammoth.  We are told no human connection to the mammoth deaths has been found, and it is postulated that they were either stuck in gumbo mud and died or were drown in a flash flood inside a steep channel of the Bosque River.  I have my doubts about both of these explanations, but that is what I enjoyed about the trip; a presentation of the bones and paleontological evidence (habeous corpus) and then a discussion of the pro and cons to explain the evidence at the site.  
Great scientific fun.  
The official verdict at the Waco Columbian Mammoth Site - "how they died is still a mystery."

Looking down upon in situ bones including finds of
22 mammoths, a camel and a saber tooth tiger tooth

On the way home we stopped off at a Czech bakery in the recently partially destroyed town of West and bought Kolachkes, skunk eggs and pastries for dinner upon our return.

However, after driving 200 miles in the Azera, Sue was still undecided as to what vehicle she will be driving in the future.  She has yet to make that mammoth decision.  What will she do?  It is still a mystery.

Columbian Mammoth painted life size
Wife for scale

We stop along the trail for a Pleistocene PB&J
The rustling in the bushes turns out to be a herd of Armadillos
(not mammoths as we had hoped)

Dream Come True

Sweet Dreams are made of...?
Contented home?
Fulfilling work?
Hard work that pays off just like you planned?
Successfully raised children?
or, in my case, sometimes I just dream of chocolate covered strawberries.

Our eldest left home in 2009.  She said she dreamed of going somewhere where there are real trees and real mountains.  She found her way to Eugene, Oregon and began her studies at the University of Oregon ["Once a Duck, Always a Duck" they say].  Her plan was to pick a place to go live where she would enjoy it for four years and once there, then figure out what she wanted to do.  For Inga, this was a good plan; she has always known decisively what she wants and what she does not want, and most often how to get it.  She makes things happen.  Her dreams come true.

I blogged last summer on her graduation and celebration.  Her roommates, one a brilliant neuroscience researcher received a fellowship for graduate work at Stanford, one an English major actually found a job as an editor as well.  Our one, graduated from the honors college with a degree in Public Policy, Planning and Management (3PM), yet no immediate future career prospects. Her boyfriend's mother, Annie, generously offered to allow Inga to room at her place in Salem, an hour up the road until she found her footing.

Six months in Salem with a cell phone and a laptop she searched for job leads in Portland, made contacts and sent follow up emails looking for something in the field of public health management, her desired career.  

With the help of a contact she had made at the Multanomah County (Portland, OR) Health Department, she was advised to apply for an AmeriCore position.  AmeriCore, is a federally funded program that places college graduates in jobs that meet the needs of impoverished communities.  In this instance, AmeriCore was looking to staff positions with Multanomah County to administer a program that is intended to improve the diets of poor communities within the county.  AmeriCore had about 5 days of phone interviews scheduled for all of the candidates, and Inga was set for one of the very last interviews of a Tuesday.  AmeriCore was going to make the final cut on Thursday of Friday - not much waiting time.

While Sue and I were driving through East Texas to visit friends on a fine February Friday afternoon, Inga had tried calling each of our phones several times, but we did not pick up.  Then Sue checked her phone outside of Athens, Texas and saw several missed calls from our daughter.  Once connected, it was great news.  She was told that she was the most qualified applicant for the position. She was offered a job.  Would she like to wait until next week to confirm AmeriCore's offer? the director asked.  Inga replied, "No, that will not be necessary, I am ready for this!"  Well, then, the paper work will be emailed to you.  Done.  She has a job!

After officially signing on the bottom line, Inga was scheduled to have an orientation conference in Denver in early April (expenses paid), then would report to the Multanomah County Health Department where she would work on several projects, including improving health through diet within the community, working on a process for the County Health Department to be accredited by the Federal Health and Human Services Dept which should then allow them to receive more federal grant money and also help out with a 'smoking cessation' effort, which is her passion and the subject of her honors thesis.

In the meantime, she and Sean rented an apartment in the quirkiest quadrant of Portland, the NE Albert Street area, gathered furniture and prepared to move in.  She absolutely loves the area and ambiance.  On a clear day, she can see from her window two Cascade Range volcanoes, Hood and St. Helens. And on every other day she can see a variety of hipsters, petition purveyors and characters moving on two and four legs.  Somewhere in town is a bagpipe playing man in a Darth Vader mask.  She often takes the bus to work, which allows her to avoid running over the numerous cyclist darting about on the wet streets and to collect daily stories of what types of characters rode with her on a particular day.  One day a gal boarded the bus with a pitbull on a ratty rope.  The bus drives says only service animals can ride, she say, "Yeah, 'Strangler' here is a service animal", and takes her seat.

The AmeriCore position is for only 1 year, but Inga is hoping that with her inside position and display of her enthusiastic energy and multiple talents, that she will be able to slide from her AmeriCore job into any openings that comes available within the Health Department.  

Now, she is so excited about going to fulfilling work every day and so contented to be living where she does.  I have to say, Inga makes things happen her dream has come true.  And that makes us all so proud and pleased, it seems our first was successfully raised and launched and landed safely.

For Inga, life is but a chocolate covered strawberry. Take a big bite!

Day of the Dazzling Daffodil

I heard of a farm in East Texas that was a flowing golden landscape of daffodils.

I checked on the internet - the source of all truth, and verified that Helen Lee's Daffodil Paradise in Gladewater, Texas had millions of daffodils scattered over 28 acres and was open to the public, as long as the roads were not muddy and impassable.

Donna McCord, our dear friend who lives in East Texas says, 'Daffodils are the happiest of flowers'.  
I say, we go visit Donna and Kirby, and take them out to see millions of daffodils.  
Sue says, that's a good idea.
I say, Let's roll!

There is a daffodil hotline to check on the progress of the blooms.  I check, and for a couple of weeks through February, I get the recorded message, "Due to the lingering cold weather this winter, that daffodils are late to bloom.  Please call back to check for updates."  It has been a noticeably colder winter 2013-2014.  But you know in Texas, summer is going to jump on top of us before we know it.  These frequent arctic cold fronts that keep crossing the Red River and hitting North Texas with another freezing wallop have got to back off eventually and let the daffodils bloom.  An so it did come to pass; the Helen Lee Daffodil Paradise recorded message was updated, and the bold and frilly yellow blooms where now beginning to show themselves.  Y'all come on out to see fer yourselves.

We booked a room at the McCord's "Blue House" for a Friday, cooked our hosts some dinner and left Saturday mid-morning for Gladewater to a million Daffodils.

We gawked and walked among the daffodils in 72 degree sunshine.  Helen Lee and her husband made a bunch of money in the East Texas oil fields, and so with all of that money, she literally bought a boxcar filled with daffodil bulbs and had them planted on the hillsides of her 436 acre property.  Glad she did.  It was a happy day with 'happiest of flowers'.  Then we had chicken-fried steak and pie in Gladewater.  Now it was a really happy day.

Alas, the next evening yet another arctic blast rushed into Texas with 17 degree temperatures and destroyed acres of happy flowers.  We caught them at their peak, for we must recognize that the grass withers and the flower fades - until next year.  Timing is everything.

Thanks to the Nazi's

We don't really get out all that much.  Just a few movies a year.  But once we did get out to see the flicks, I noticed a theme that has spanned nearly 70 years.  I think Hollywood owes a lot to Adolph Hitler and the Nazi's.  Let me explain:

We joined the throngs at the downtown Plaza Theater for the free screening of Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious, starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant.  The suspenseful plot focused on the infiltration of a remnant Nazi organization relocated to South America trying to build an atomic bomb in 1946.  Miss Bergman's cover is blown and she nearly dies, but the American agent manages to rescue her at the last moment while foiling the Nazi sympathizer's diabolical plot.



The following week we pay real money to go see George Clooney's  The Monuments Men, a Hollywood rendition of a US Army unit composed of art historians, architects and archivists assigned to save the great works of art from theft and destruction by the Nazis in the closing days of World War II - a true story (mostly). 



Notorious was released in 1946, The Monuments Men was released in 2013. As a critic, I'd say Mr. Hitchcock did a better job that Mr. Clooney.  But what I realy find somewhat fascinating is that 69 years after the surrender of Germany, Hollywood is still finding plenty of material from the Nazi's brief reign of terror to make movies (and profits) all thanks to Adolph Hitler.  I got to wondering, and I have really no way of calculating it - but how many movies has Nazi Germany (and the war it started) inspired to be made and released by Hollywood?  Just for starters we have everything from Casa Blanca to The Sound of Music, from The Great Escape to the Guns of Navarone.  Not to mention Saving Private Ryan or Von Ryan's Express.

It just seems kind of amazing to me that so much cinematic drama came from the Nazis.  I think it would be interesting to figure out how much money was made from all of the Nazi-themed films.  I have to believe the Nazi party has done much to tangentially support the American movie industry.  Weird but true. 

The Short & The Sweet

The shortest of days.
The sweetest of nights.
The short and the sweet.

Cousin Craig was getting married to the talented and musically gifted Allison. The celebration was  set for the Winter Solstice and was to be hosted by Aunt Ruth.  The up-coming mid-winter wedding was a topic of conversation while dining with Cousin Karl (now living in Dallas) and Aunt Lois and Uncle Bob visiting from Montana.  I always have a great time when the extended family comes to town, so I purposed to get an invitation to Cousin Craig's wedding in Indiana as it would be a great gathering of all my Suneson aunts and uncles, a renewal of kindred ties that I did not want to miss.

Adding to the intrigue of the nuptial occasion was the topic of "The Family Gold" buried in the basement of Aunt Ruth's house.  Aunt Lois told the story of how she and each of the other four Suneson kids received a treasure trove of coins from her father, who had received this treasure from his father Jonas before him.  Now my Great Grandfather Jonas, an immigrant from 19th Century Europe horded gold and silver US coins for the eventuality of turbulent times. The intention was that the Suneson treasure was to be handed down to each generation so they could use their gold to flee to safer lands and preserve their lives and the bloodline if the need arose.  The "Family Gold" was there - just in case.  However, Aunt Ruth's house with the gold still buried in the basement was to be sold in the Spring and no one had yet recovered it to our knowledge.  Lois said we should go get that gold!

With my mind racing with thoughts of a grand celebration, buried treasure and the lure of the mythological Scandinavian humor to be on display, I booked a flight to Indianapolis and confirmed passage on the Lafayette Shuttle.  West Lafayette was my destination, two hours north of Indianapolis.  There awaited adventure: wedding parties, music, dancing, feasting and perhaps a genuine treasure hunt!  Plenty of activity to fill the shortest day of the year.

While waiting on the bench for the Lafayette Shuttle to arrive, a fellow traveler asked if I was waiting on the shuttle to West Lafayette?  I said that I was and we struck up a conversation.  We continue to talk of Indiana and Texas and other common locations as we rode north to West Lafayette.  His speech and mannerisms were those of a girly-man as he described visiting "Hippy Hollow" (legendary nude and free spirit gathering spot outside of Austin, Texas).  
     At one point he asked if I was the one who was traveling with "that purple piece of luggage?"  I replied, "It is actually 'heliotrope' - and yes I am." 
     "Well", he said, "you must be very secure in your in your masculinity."
     "Indeed I am", was my answer. [I'm a wildcatter and a treasure hunter and I'm on my way to a big party with my heliotrope suitcase] 

I got off at my stop at the end of the shuttle line and was greeted by my dad and Allison, Craig's bride, who drove me to the Westminster Senior Living Center, where Aunt Ruth now resides, and where I was to share a guest room with my parents.  After dropping off my notorious heliotrope luggage, we walked across the complex to pay a visit to Aunt Ruth (The elder of the five Suneson siblings).  We walked into Aunt Ruth's new room (she'd just moved) and found her to be looking perturbed.  My mother asked if everything was OK?  We were greeted with the explanation; "Deanna (youngest of the three sisters, and rooming with Ruth for the wedding) and I just had a BIG fight!  She is trying to run my life, and I don't need her to do that!"  Ah, family.  So interesting to have everybody together - if not good.  Just rub a little Scandinavian humor on it and we'll all be fine.  Glad I came. 

Gathering of the Suneson on a Mid-Winter's night:
(L-R) Aunt Lois, Uncle Paul, Aunt Ruth, Al & MaryLu  Suneson, Aunt Deanna

Rugose family relations not withstanding, the idea of digging up the family gold was floated to Aunt Ruth.  She was all in favor it, and she though she had the map with the proverbial "X marks the spot" on it.  We searched a few drawers, but found no map.  Must be somewhere else.

The next feast in the agenda was at a Thai restaurant that Ruth had rented out that night to host both families and friends.  Allison is the violinist in a quartet of musicians known as Simple and Deep who performed as we all dined.  As I took my seat at the Suneson table, I asked Aunt Ruth, "What kind of food do you like?"  "I like plain food" she told me.  I thought to myself, I'll wager Thai cuisine is not considered 'plain food' in Indiana.  Never-the-less, I enjoyed my curried shrimp and pad Thai noodles.

After diner, I was grouped with the my kin and we all head back for an early bedtime at the senior center when the conversation returned to the buried gold.  "Aaaargh maties, maybe we could put together a party of pirate want-a-be's to go excavatin' in the morning when the tide is right I suggested.  I called Craig's number and left a message with the plan.  The answer: The tide is not right I am told, you see while we sensible Nordic types were in our bunks, the wedding party people were having high times into the wee hours at the house, and many were still sleeping well into the morning light.  They should not be disturbed.  There'll be no gold diggers at this wedding.

The day dawned and a few of us played tourist, and went to Delphi, IN, the terminus of the Erie Canal.  We visited the museum and then broke for pie and lunch (in that order) at a former brothel in town.  Returning in the afternoon for an Eggnog reception at Westminster Place.

Mom selects pie in Delphi

Dad & Mark on the Erie Canal, Delphi, Indiana

Allison (right) with good friend and her Mother

Eggnog reception hosted by Aunt Ruth in honor of her son, the groom.  The staff with the key to the liquor closet was not available, so there was no rum in the nog.  Craig and his two sons were smartly dressed in their kilts as they formed a receiving line at the reception along with Allison the bride and her two grown children.

Aunt Ruth, Allison & Craig
Eggnog Reception

Allison, Craig and his youngest son, Ben

It was discovered that Craig actually had the treasure map.  I proposed that after all of this eggnog, if I had a trowel, a tape measure and the map, we might just top the evening off by unearthing a small fortune!  Any objections as to why not dig tonight?  No objections being heard; the word quickly spread among the young and old - a prenuptial treasure hunt!  Who's in?

Uncle Wyman's Treasure Map
"The Family Gold: X-Marks the spot!"

I secured the map, Ruth pointed to the crawl space entry in the basement above the retaining wall.  I was joined by Craig's two sons, Evan and Ben, Allison's nephew and her daughter (a young actress in New York).  We brought in the treble light, ended up needing a carpet knife to cut through two layers of carpet, one layer of insulating cardboard sitting on top of plastic sheeting for good measure.  Once we dug down to the

Ben comes in search of buried treasure

dry powdery dirt, I handed the trowel to Evan and Ben to move the dirt out of the way.  With the resounding thud of a metal blade striking a plastic paint bucket lid, the cheer went up. "We found the treasure!"  Soon the bucket and its contents of gold and silver coins was hoisted up and triumphantly carried into the kitchen where the contents where broken out of their glass jars, displayed and counted to the excited throng.  Allison's daughter, told me, "This has got to be the best wedding ever! Who ever

Mark, Ben and Evan with the Treasure Chest
(actually a plastic paint bucket)

heard a of real treasure hunt as part of a wedding!  It's the best!"

With the family gold seeing daylight for the first time in 43 years; may Craig and Allison sleep soundly in wedded happiness, secure in their lives together and with no thought or need of fleeing their home with Great Grandfather Jonas' horde of gold.  

Aunt Ruth with the cache of coins

The next night was the wedding party [Craig and Allison had already been married at the courthouse the past Tuesday] at the upstairs room at a downtown Spanish tapas restaurant.  Drinks were had, a meal was served, numerous musician played in honor of the couple, "flower children" of all ages were encouraged to toss rose petals before the entrance to Craig and Allison.  A few words were said, a passage from Lemony Snicket was read, and then the band leader introduced Mister and Misses.  Let the rumpus begin!  The DJ music started, Allison tossed away her shoes and the dancing began - except at the Suneson table (but I think in our hearts we were maybe swaying just a little bit).

"Flower Children" scatter rose petals

But as the gala was winding down, me and my Mom (81) snuck onto the dance floor and boogied to Love Shack.  A quick visit to the photo booth and then the night was done.  We piled into a van that skimmed through street lamp illuminated puddles as the winter solstice rain pelted our windshield on our way back to our beds.

With my heliotrope luggage in tow very early the next morning, I flew back to Dallas uneventfully.
My visit was short,
My visit was sweet.

Cheers Craig and Allison!  All the Best! 

Craig & Allison

Evan & Ben dance around their Dad, Craig
as they tap upon his bald head

While others revel - we sit at the Suneson table
Until, the two on the left shut down the dance floor
to the tune of "Love Shack"
Boogie on down Mom!

The Hunt for Green December

The Sun's rays creep through December's afternoon sky at low low angles as if to pry under the the few drifting clouds and lift them off the Earth and rightfully back into the heavens.  The day's given light is diffuse and brief. The season and tradition bids the Suneson family to heed these heavenly signs and plan an hour's journey to Kadee Tree Farm to select, cut and place an evergreen within the walls of our winter home in celebration of life and the

Ducks fly south.
Sunesons drive east to cut a tree.
All heeding the signs of the season

spirit of Christmas Joy.  We have made this trip most Decembers for the past 23 years.  It is a good and favored tradition.

The date for this year's trip to Kadee Farms was moved perilously close to Christmas due to Inga and Grant both arriving back home on the 15th from places half-a-continent away just a week before the 25th.  Of course Sue's job at church gets real busy this time of year with big program events falling on the 16th and 17th, while Mark had plans to fly to his cousin's wedding in Indiana on the 19th - leaving the 18th as the only possible day to 'hunt for green December' as a family unit before Kadee Farms closed its gate for the year.  The complications piled up when Sue and her car were involved in a collision an hour before our scheduled departure [see previous blog, No Good Deed...].

Putting the wreck in the garage (to be dealt with later) and the setting sun in our rearview mirror, we sped east to the verge of Texas' "Piney Woods" territory to find this year's Christmas Tree.

A severe drought two years back had killed a lot of Mr. Kadee's trees, and in addition the usual annual harvesting attrition left but some slim pickin's for our seasonal tradition.  We tromped across barren plots of pine stumps looking for an agreeable tree; one without a forked top, symmetrically filled out branches, needles that did not look too wan and it must have a straight trunk and reach a height of 6 to 8 feet.  By unanimous vote, we began cutting a tallish tree that had its lower bough already trimmed away, so as to show off its shapely conical form starting above the 5-foot trunk.  With a few stokes of the bow saw, she toppled to the ground just in time as the Kadee tractor and trailer came by to haul us and the 9-foot Virginia Pine back to the processing hut.

A Long, Tall Texan
(Virginia Pine)
Gets unanimous family vote for
Suneson Christmas Tree 2013

Everybody gets a turn  as a lumberjill or lumberjack.

Advice is freely given by Brother Grant
as Inga saws the trunk 5 feet off the ground

We imported this Lumberjill all the way  from Oregon
The Great Northwest Woods

Back at the processing hut, the specimen is measured as we sip hot spiced apple cider.  

This year's 9-footer will require the purchase of a new tree stand to set up our Christmas Tree next to the staircase - but I think 2013 is a year we had the best looking tree yet.  And after all, I think it is fitting considering the timing and "tragedy" that preceded its selection.

Merry Christmas.  

Now; lets go get some smoked brisket at Big Daddy's Barbecue Smokehouse to make the day complete!

No Good Deed...

The bustling Christmas Season has arrived.  
While columnist and pundits every year at this time choose to write and yammer about the "stress of Christmas" and the over-taxed mentality we "all" have fallen prey to; here abouts, we simple folks certainly have our obligations and deadlines, but there is also a comfortable routine to Advent and the celebration of Emmanuel, God with us and Peace on Earth.

I used some bonus airline miles to buy an eleventh hour ticket to fly Inga out of Oregon and back to Texas on Sunday (December 15) and after some surface travel delays due to frozen weather, Grant departed Missouri and walked in the front door about a half-hour after we had returned with Inga from DFW Airport.  After a long absence away from home, when the kids return, Strider the dog provides either a source of gratification or sour feelings upon their entry; depending upon whether Strider, one of the land's least demonstrative dogs, will provide a "squeak" of cheer along with a wag of the tail when recognizing the return of a lost pack member.  For the record: Inga is feeling sour, while Grant is gratified.  But the entire pack is gathered for the holidays and all rejoice!

Inga shows affection to Strider,
even though his welcoming her home
was less than enthusiatstic

In the spirit of the Season and out of innate kindness and good will, Sue volunteers to cook a dinner for a friend and her husband and two boys while she recovers from painful back surgery.  The transformed Ebeneezer Scrooge could do no better than this.  What day would Elizabeth like to have our pot roast dinner delivered to her family?  
Wednesday would be fine is the reply.

For a wrap on the Season of Advent, Sue has two large children and family events at church on Monday and Tuesday nights for which she is in charge.  Nothing extra is to be scheduled for those two days, Period. Early on Thursday Mark flies to Indianapolis for his cousin Craig's wedding, returning on the 22nd. That leaves Wednesday as the only day that will work for all of us to go out and cut our traditional Christmas tree in East Texas and eat barbecue.   So what about delivering a warm dinner all the way across town to the starving family of the invalid mother and church member during Christmas?  Modified Plan: Mark will get up early in the morning on Wednesday to cook a pot roast for three hours, Sue will prepare side dishes and then deliver them around noon.  Sue will return and the whole family will then drive 60 miles out to Kadee Tree Farm and select this year's live tree and then we'll drive back to Garland with a tree tied to the top of the car and stop at Big Daddy's Barbecue for the traditional Christmas Tree Cutting BBQ Dinner.

Sue departs with bubbling hot pot roast and other sides to deliver dinner around 12:45.  The hour passes and she is still out.  The tree farm opens at 1:00 and closes at sunset, so we have a window of about 4 hours to get our Christmas tree, including travel time out.  I figure Sue and Elizabeth are chatting about all sorts of things while we're burning daylight.  Finally I hear the garage door open and she busts into the house with the statement,  "Come look at the front of my car!!"  Not words I like to hear.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.  While making delivery of this hearty hot meal to an poor churchwoman laid up in bed after surgery to feed her hungry family at Christmas time [this is so sad], a man dashes out in front of her to make a left turn as she is passing through an intersection (with a green light).  His BMW scrapes across her grill as she brakes hard.  His rear tire is half folded under his chassis while her car is flooded with the rich juice and aroma of a fresh out-of-the-oven roast, veggies, bread, fruit and dessert.  Mr. Balkan-sir-name Beamer Driver jumps out to point his finger at Sue and tell her "you are a woman and besides you were going too fast through my intersection."   

No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded.  Sue's response is interrupted by the blaring sounds of a siren as a cop pulls up to mess.  The officer [now really - how often does this happen?] exits his car and says, "I was sitting right over there", as he motions with his thumb over his shoulder, "and I saw the whole thing.  I am writing you sir a citation for failure to yield the right of way."  

All parties were instructed to clear out of the intersection and pull into a nearby parking lot.  The officer took a lot of time to fill out the accident report, but made it abundantly clear who was at fault.  Sue inspected the damage to the exterior and interior of the car. It was driveable, but the passenger floor boards were soaked in gooey tomatoey goodness infused with herbs and onions.  The meat stayed in its container, so Elizabeth's family did not have to eat anything that tasted like it came from the floor of a bus.  The meal was finally delivered after the officer finished his report; it was less succulent than intended, but we think it was appreciated in its re-pieced together presentation.  Sue made no mention of the accident to Elizabeth, just dropped it off and excused herself.

Later that afternoon we cut a good looking tree in the fading daylight.  Followed that up with a righteous meal of barbecued brisket and ribs.  We counted our blessings this Christmas Season and found them to be numerous.

Suneson arrive at consensus
We select and cut a Christmas Tree
as daylight fades at
Kadee Christmas Tree Farm 

No Good Deed...
Were we punished?
Or were we Rewarded?

The restored Camry is back in the garage a week later, looking like a shiny and new gift from under the tree.  Insurance claim for $1,477.  Check cashed.

God bless us everyone!  And on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.
Glory to God and Merry Christmas.