What ever you do

make it a safe and Happy New Year!!!

I'll give ya a hint

where we will be going after the Holiday festivities...................no not just Arizona, something really special and fun............... and this can be another page in my book cause it is something I never ever thought we would do..............HA!!!

Vintage Christmas

While visiting my dear friend Chris' blog and her wonderful posts on vintage Santa's I got to wondering what the History channel might have on Santa. Well my heavens they are just a wealth of information...........I love the internet and all it's many avenues of information. Go visit Chris' blog to see some of here wonderful art work of long ago Santa's and his many modes of transportation...........I'm such a purist I still like the sleigh idea cause that's what I grew up with I guess. While there look at Santa's robes shown in the pictures some are quite elaborate while others are a bit shabby. I also noticed in many of the depictions I have seen Santa carrying a small tree............guess that means there were no tree lots back then!!!

Feeling a bit patriotic this year what with the wonderful outcome of the election so this is my card to y'all............however you celebrate here's hoping it's with family and friends.

Orange............the new color of GREED!!!

This happens to be copied from a recent Mike Lupica column............one of my favorite writers. I wonder how many more bastards like Madoff are out there?

In a city suddenly lousy with grifters like Bernie Madoff and Marc Dreier, who think they can steal as much as they want in this economy, the old man came from Bay Ridge to the midtown streetcorner that is his office six days a week. He set up his vendor's cart to sell scarves and hats on a cold Sunday in New York.

"I'm a little different than those guys in the papers," the old man, named Don, was saying. "I only try to sell you what you can see."

He's an Army veteran from the 1950s and worked with his MBA in various businesses after the service. But when he tried to retire he couldn't. He missed people and having a job to go to, and then his wife passed away 11 years ago and now he is set up by 8:30 most mornings and stays on his corner until 5.

Read the rest of the column here.

The world needs more folks like Don and less of scumbags like Bernie. Share your stories if you know a person like Don.

Winding down...........

Our time here at the Christmas tree lot is winding down. Christmas trees are still finding homes for that special day

Christmas day will be here soon and that means we will be with family in a few days. The gypsy caravan will be packing up and heading to the Desert on Christmas day......have yet to hear but I do believe we'll be celebrating Christmas on the Friday.........that'll keep us out of the malls for those after Christmas bargains, I can tell you honestly I have never done that, nor have I cared to shop the day after Christmas.

Mr Doodles and I would just like to relax, maybe go see a movie of two. Sister and her hunky bunky are spending the weekend, not sure about niece and her sweetums, so we'll have time to tell stories and catch up of all that's been going on in each of our lives since the Pumpkin Patch. We'll be hanging at Grandma M's so I also see some card games on the menu.

Mr Doodles and I wish you the best for the coming year and a very Merry Christmas...........stay tuna'd for what's in the future for the Doodle bunch cause it sure could be FUN and quite different!!!

Like herding cats.............

at the Christmas tree lot we hire "lot boys" to haul trees around, give them a fresh cut put the stand on if necessary, put the tree in the netter to make it more manageable for the customer to take home, then "lot boy" takes the tree to the customers vehicle and ties said tree to the top of or puts inside.

We are in an area that has great two high schools so the abundance of strapping young men are a plenty.

Day after Thanksgiving we hired some twenty of these "lot boys" between the ages of 18 and 23 with a couple of them a bit older, put them all on a limited schedule of four hours for a few days to try them out. I must also say these "lot boys" make pretty good money, hired at minimum wage and get great tips from the customers.

Mr Doodles was in charge or weeding out the good from the not so good which was quite hard because all twenty some were quite capable with a few of them having past experience. Mr D wittled it down to fourteen "lot boys", a few of which know each other and then a few of them were rivals from different schools...........there lies a bit of the problem.

Rival "lot boys", cocky 20 year olds, I'm better than you are, like I said it's like herding cats trying to keep an eye on them I think the boys are just as catty as girls. Had to have a little chat with a few of them last nite when we closed..........."boys we are way too busy to allow any drama to take place, so cut the CR*P"!!!

On a whole they are good boys, would hire nearly anyone of them back next year but boy do they like to push your buttons...........I'd rather herd cats some days...........stay tuna'd............the weekend is here!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Oh my it sure is..........Christmas trees are flying out of our lot in record numbers.........folks are having Christmas at home with family and friends instead of flying off to ski in far away places or swim with the fishes in the warmer climates.

It is good to see the Christmas spirit in spite of the economy. There is always one or two folks that don't want to spend the $$$ on a tree and gripe and grumble but hey they probably would be doing that even if the economy was at it's best.........I just look at them and wish them a Merry Christmas.

Because of the a fore mentioned problem with the Doodle elves being so busy I may not post for a few days.................and we are having a great time doing this job.

stay tuna'd.................and pray I get a minute to get my Christmas shopping done.

Just in time for the gift giving season

I can honestly say that my sweet hunky husband is generous with his gift giving, well with the exception of our first year of marriage.

Here he comes walking in the front door with a rather large box, in that box was a vacuum cleaner. I gasped I can still see myself, I swear to you I gasped so loud he thought I was thrilled. Oh and he put a big red bow on the box.

Now I know his intentions were good, I accepted the gift lovingly with smiles galore. But much later on this wife informed her sweet hunky husband that gifts like that IMHO are not appropriate, specially when the dang thing wasn't on my wish list.

So the next year shortly after Thanksgiving Mr D and I were discussing holiday plans with family and friends..............first thing that came out of the dear sweet mans mouth was "I know, NO appliances", if nothing else the boy listens.

Stay tuna'd............gift giving season is approaching, maybe show your partner this video to give them a genlte hint

I am quite happy

to report.............Mr Doodles QUIT SMOKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cold turkey but with the patch and gum.

He mentioned it a few weeks ago when we were at the Dr's. I didn't bug him about it as I knew that would get me NOWHERE!!! The man has never ever entertained even the idea of quitting so this my friends is a very big step.

Since we are managing this Christmas tree lot being quite busy and with the opportunity of smoking is limited this might just help him kick the habit for good. Healthy for us all and think of the $$$ he'll save.........oooohhhh I see opportunity for more shoes.

So stay tuna'd..............

Dave Barry

I look forward to receiving emails from this crazy guy all the time.............he just makes me laugh.

Originally posted in the Miami Herald November 24, 2008

DAVE BARRY

Why do we give gifts during the holiday season?

We do it for a reason that is as timeless as humanity itself: women. Women have an overpowering biological need to mark pretty much every occasion, including sunset, by wrapping a gift and giving it to somebody, along with a card.

Why do women do this? We put that question to some leading psychologists, who responded: "We think maybe they're insane.''

We would not go as far as leading psychologists. But it is a fact that as the holiday season approaches, women are overpowered by the biological urge to buy bulk quantities of gifts, often without any clear idea whom a specific gift is for.

Men do not do this. A man buys a gift only when he sees a clear and present need, such as he remembers that his wedding anniversary was last week. Otherwise, when a man is in a store, he is looking for practical items. If he happens to pass by, say, a little ceramic statuette of two little smiley-face turtles with ''BEST'' painted on one shell and ''FRIENDS'' painted on the other, he is not going to give it a second glance, because he can't imagine anybody having any use for such a thing except as an emergency substitute for a clay pigeon.

No, a man is going to keep right on walking past the friendship turtles. If he buys something for somebody -- his wife, for example -- it is going to be something he believes she actually needs, such as an extension cord. Maybe, if he is feeling especially romantic, he will get her the 20-footer.

Whereas many women (you know who you are) will buy the turtles, not because they know of anybody who needs friendship turtles, but because the turtles are, quote, ''cute.'' Then the woman will start shopping for a cute card to go with the turtles, or maybe several cards, since she's not sure which specific one of her numerous best friends will be getting them. While she's at it she might buy some cute little scented candles that would go with the turtles, and maybe a few other cute things. By the time she leaves the store, she will have as many as eight gifts for people who have yet to be identified. She may have totally forgotten why she went into the store in the first place (to get an extension cord).

Women start behaving this way early in the holiday season, by which I mean July. So when the actual holidays roll around, they have a massive stockpile of gifts to give out. Pretty much every random individual they come into contact with, including toll-booth attendants, gets one. Their immediate family will be inundated with gifts.

This means their husbands have absolutely no chance of keeping up. Their husbands, who are busy during the holiday season with other responsibilities such as watching the playoffs, have managed to get their wives an average total of one gift, which they wrapped hastily at the last minute, which is why they did not notice that the wrapping paper says ''Happy Birthday!'' Sometimes a husband, trying to make his gift output look larger, will wrap the batteries separately (I have done this).

But his effort will still look pathetic next to the gift avalanche produced by his wife. He will feel like a big holiday dope.

If you're a male, at this point you're nodding like a bobblehead on a jackhammer and saying to yourself, "Is there a solution to this problem?''

There is, and it's right here in your hands: the annual Holiday Gift Guide. This is a list of items that are so unusual that if you give one to your wife, her reaction will be: ''Thank God he did not get me any more.'' And this effect is not limited to your wife: whomever you give a Holiday Gift Guide item to, that person will never want to exchange gifts with you again.

All of the items in the Gift Guide are real products that are being sold in exchange for actual money. We know this because we have purchased all of these items with what little money the newspaper industry has left. Then we subjected the items to our rigorous Quality Assurance Testing Laboratory Procedure, which consists of taking photographs of them without getting too close. This is why we are able to offer you this:

UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME WARRANTY: If you purchase any of these gift items, and at any time during your lifetime you experience any kind of problem whatsoever with the item, simply place it in its original container and place it in a dumpster. We will take it from there.

But enough with the technicalities. Let’s move on to the 2008 Holiday Gift Guide:

DAVE BARRY'S ANNUAL GIFT GUIDE

Lottery Mate Multi-Purpose Scratch-Off Apparatus

Head Spa Massager

Talking Fly Swatter

Razorba 'War Hammer' Back Razor

Disaster Preparedness Activity Books

Gun-Shaped Egg Fryer

Pet Highchair

Zombie Yard Sculpture

'Firm Grip' Brand Butt Glue

Restroom Baby-hanger

Hug Me Pillow

Wearable Sleeping Bag

The Uroclub

Gassy Gus Flatulence Game