On The Road Again

The Blob is hitting the road early tomorrow morning as I head west to spend a traditional homestyle prairie Christmas with GF Phyllis and her family. Posting from remote Priddis, Alberta will prove a challenge as I'll be in a dial-up type situation but with a bit of perseverance things should work out just fine.

As a card carrying member of "the chosen people" (I'd like to ask God exactly what it was that we were chosen for again) I don't celebrate the birth of Christ unless invited to do so by some of my Christian brethren and/or sistren. With a sudden and unexpected drop in airfare and a partial travel grant from The Inter-Denominational Council of Christians and Jews this trip became possible so off I'll go!

Some time tomorrow the entire Jensen clan will troop off onto the back 40 to search for the perfect tree. Soren, the youngest, gets to have the last word on tree choice (as per tradition) and the trimming and bedecking starts as soon as they all get home and set their boots to dry by the ol' forced air heat ducts.

Phyllis will certainly break out the holiday dinnerware and serve up her famous country-roasted muskrat. "The secret is to cook it with the skin and fur intact because it insulates the meat and helps seal in the juices. Just before serving I like to have one of my girls comb out the fur but that's just for presentation....we're having so many folks over this year that I may have to go out and shoot me another one!" laughed the gleeful carnivore.

The Jensens are of nordic heritage and as such prone to depression. This, to me, is the only explanation for the ceremonial unravelling of the scarf which every year seems to put a bit of a damper on the festivities. This tradition involves an intricately woven scarf, preferably hand-made by an elderly aunt or grandmother, that is passed from person to person and gradually unravelled until it resembles a tangled skein of wool. I'm told that it symbolizes alienation and the disintegration of the family. After this doleful interlude its time for dessert, presents, and party games.

Best Christmas wishes to you all. As always keep those comments and queries coming and feel free to help yourself to my stuff. To be fair let's keep it to only one armload per person so we don't have a repeat of last year's "Dave and the U-Haul" incident.