THE PERFECT TREE--Opening segment (Scroll down for previous chapters)     

     
     It was three weeks before Christmas.  Our family was on our annual hunt for the “Great Tree,” when I ran into my good friend, Ozzie.  “Still trying to find that perfect tree?” he asked, with a mixture of cynicism and amusement.

     “You know me.  I’m always trying to find that elusive tree.”

     “I once believed it was possible to find one,” Ozzie continued, “but my encounter with that branch this past summer, shattered my belief in perfect trees.”  

       

     Ozzie and his wife were enjoying an outdoor concert when, without warning, a rogue tree flung one of its branches at Ozzie’s wife.  Ozzie managed to intercept the branch.  For his act of heroism, Ozzie won a two week, all expenses paid, roundtrip ticket to a local hospital.  He was thankful the ticket was roundtrip. 

     He now viewed all trees with suspicion.  “You can never trust a tree,” says Ozzie.  “A tree may stand there smiling at you, but beneath those branches may be a tree with a serious behavior disorder.”

     Having been slapped around by a number of trees myself, I could understand Ozzie’s thinking.  Trying to find the perfect tree is never easy.  Christmas trees can be especially belligerent.  You may think you have found the ONE, but start spinning it around for a better look and you’ve got trouble. ”Hey! Stop it! That makes me dizzy; do it once more and you’ll get a face full of needles!” 

     Finding the perfect tree has always been a yearly challenge;   one that usually finds me engaged in that age-old sport of tree wrestling.  

To be continued...check back soon.