O Treezilla, How Lovely Are Your Branches!

I asked my dad if he knew where a 9 foot tree could easily be found. Last year's adventure we went out on a drizzly day and procured this tree after traipsing over most of eastern Lewis County (which is not pleasant) and I shelled out $40 for the tree because it is Noble fir and those are more expensive.

My dad, being a former employee of Weyerhaeuser (the tree growing company), knows good trees. In fact, during my childhood he always "procured" us a nice tree, usually Noble fir, and so I got hooked on them. Anyhow, he said he knows of a few tree farms near his abode, and he'd go check them out.

He said he found a nice tree, shaped and all, for $20! I said cut one that he thought was nice. He's very fussy about these sorts of things, and I knew he'd find the best of the crop. Now, while I'm not very fond of shaped trees, I can live with it. All I care about is it being 9 feet tall. Why? Well, our ceilings are that height and a 6 foot tree would like too Charlie Brown.

My dad even delivered it for us since we are sans truck, and upon bringing it into the house, the aroma of said Treezilla began to inundate everything! It smells citrus-y to me, not true evergreen scent like gin flavored with juniper berries. What was peculiar was the smell was so strong I could taste it! Seriously, I'd get a taste in my mouth—very sweet and sticky&—if I opened my mouth to let the molecules in. Weird!

Treezilla isn't decorated just yet, we're saving that for Solstice, and also to allow the cats to get used to the tree. So far no one has climbed up the tree. They have only stared at it, nibbled the lower branches, and Theodore Montague has gotten into the water for the tree, but that is what Theodore Montague does. Mr. Doo seems less angry about the tree. He has observed it but now has a "who cares" attitude about it.

Of course once the garland tinsel, lights, and ornaments adorn the Treezilla, there will be issues. I'm thinking we'll not decorate the lower branches just to make sure any inticements are out of reach. Mr. B's tail (being very long and bushy) has a tendency to find delicate things (like ornaments) and I'm sure he may obliviously knock off a ball or two like he did last year.