This is what happens when you wait too long to take out the Christmas Tree...
It dies. And it sheds buckets of needles every time you even hint at touching it.
I did not know the extent of this widely known fact, until I myself encountered it. The de-decorating process began this morning about 10:00, and it began meticulously as not to disturb the brittle needles. But by the time I got the first few decorations off, I could see there was no longer any point in being careful. So I just held my breath and stripped the rest off (kind of like a band-aid.) The lights were the final blow, and the branches were practically bare. So I grabbed the trunk and toted those scraggly branches up the stairs and out the door --- discovering that there were more needles left than I would have imagined. There was quite a pokey green trail behind me.
As you can see this is no small cleaning job, and definitely not a job for a normal vacuum. Pine needles, layered nearly an inch thick in some places, would not go quietly. This meant that I had to pull out our dreaded shop-vac. I have nothing against these enormously powerful vacuums in general you see - I am overjoyed that we had one to use at all - But ours... oh ours has a unique trait we like to call stench of a thousand dump trucks! We salvaged it from a buddy of ours who works in house-restoration and remodeling. I guess this was one of his older vacuums that was previously used as a wet-vac. I'm pretty sure that means "vacuum for leaky sewage" because that is the vile smell that radiates from it. Either that or rotting fish- Jake and I debate about the exact odor contents.
A housewife has to do, what a housewife has to do..... Went over our entire basement and stairway inch by inch with the hose of stinkiness. (Gag reflex alert - Blech) It looks quite nice actually. And after a bottle of Febreze and a potent candle, I might just call it liveable. Make that two bottles of Febreze.
And if you are wondering if we will ever have a real tree again... OF COURSE we will!!!
1 comment:
Braeden wants to know if you watered it and how often.
Post a Comment