Dem Bones

Yesterday we took down the Christmas Tree, which is, I suppose, marks the official end of the Holiday season. It was an eye-opening event for me. I know that Thanksgiving is the day we celebrate having food by eating as much of it as possible. I didn't know that Christmas is the day we celebrate having electricity by using as much of it as we can with as many lights on a tree as humanly possible. I've done some math and without actually counting the individual lights, I can only estimate that my wife employed about 1700 lights on our tree this year. I'm not looking forward to the utility bill for that tree.

All things being said (fat people use more soap), we had a good holiday season this year. I do find it ironic that my wife complains about housework and then wants nothing more than a steam-cleaner for Christmas. She gave me an air-compressor and a nail-gun. I think subliminally she is trying to say "finish the base-boards." There were also the usual gifts; books, clothes, a Darth Tater Mr. Potato-Head, games. I think I might regret giving her a wifi card for her laptop because now she surfs the net downstairs while watching TV. Our dogs too, had a good Christmas. The stuffed toys lasted about two hours each before they were unrecognizable. Ultimately, you know its a good holiday when you get a two-foot rawhide chew-bone (Merry Christmas Panzer).

Saturday we journeyed to Lehi to take in the local culture that exists in the Museum of Ancient Life. Marcee had taken her nephew (a 9-year old) there a few weeks ago and wanted to go again so this time she could actually enjoy the exhibits. I would recommend it as a good family outing, especially if you have older children. The "self-guided tour (there is only one real route through the exhibits)" takes your through chronologically; staring with fossils of Trillobites and ending with a look at currently endangered species. They have a Supersaurus skeleton (110 ft. from head to tail); a brontosaurus-type dinosaur. They have a pair of T-Rex skeltons, sure to please the little-boy in all of us. The Woolly Mammoth exhibit is displayed with human skeletons making it appear that the humans are slaying the creature for food. The most fascinating exhibit to me was the Giant Sea Turtle skeleton. Measuring 18 ft. from flipper-tip to flipper-tip it is pretty impressive. We know that dinosaurs were big, so while those skeletons are impressive I think we forget about the sea creatures and that is what makes it that much more enthralling.

Now my work schedule shifts into high-gear for the next six weeks. I leave this week for a week in Anaheim, CA, return for two days at home and then off for 10 days in Scottsdale, AZ. I'll return from there for a few days and then across the country to Orlando, FL for another week. Home a week and then down to Las Vegas, NV for another week. Marcee is not excited about it and I can't say I am all that thrilled either. If any of my friends or family close to those places would like to meet up for dinner let me know, I might be able to arrange something.

Anyway, I hope all my friends and family had great holidays and I wish you all the best for this new year.