Goodbye, Tree

The Christmas tree was dismantled and dragged to the alley tonight. It was long past due. I miss it, and the boughs and lights that decorate the mantels, but the wreaths are still up. Our many boxes of decorations are back in storage but a few thousand balsam fir needles remain because I'm too tired to vacuum.

Toffee, Harris, and I were playing with Da Bird this morning and Toffee sailed off the back of an armchair right into the middle of the tree. It was so dry that he was stuck there, attached to the branches as if they were Velcro. I had to pull him off and his belly had needles sticking out all over, like a little porcupine.

Toffee can't wait until we bring in the fresh, new tree. Since the tree arrived at the same time he was freed from his isolation room and got the run of the house, he thinks we always have a tree. Toffee has many things to learn.

Toffee enjoys his tree.