Labor Day around here was pretty lazy ... kind of a giant nap after Jake's and Samantha's wedding weekend. Helen organized the household while Jonas and I played with battery operated flying machines. We went for a ride in the convertible, enjoyed fireworks left over from the rained-out 4th of July and slept. Oh yes ... we also adopted a homeless Snowman that was left on our front porch Labor Day morning. While I'm not exactly sure where he came from, I do have a hunch.
For months I have been enduring the ridicule of our neighbor, Tom. Yep, he seems to think that our classic (and elegant) Christmas decorations are way, waaaaaay too simple. I've explained to him that it sometimes takes me minutes to hang the 2 wreaths and even more time to plant the spot lights on them. (One year it was extra complicated as the extension cord was tangled.) Here is the result:
Tom has no sympathy and declares that that his 1,000 lights (professionally installed over a period of days) somehow trumps our wreaths.
This has instilled such wrath in Tom that he has publicly attacked me over the Potwin Listserve. In fact, his ire has inspired numerous emails to the entire neighborhood lambasting me for being such a slacker. Some Potwinites have defended me while others have sided with Tom. So, when the Mayor announced that Potwin would be the benefactor of numerous donated Christmas decorations, I feared the worst. Wisely, I avoided the Labor Day Christmas Decoration Give-Away by staying away. Well, as luck would have it, this guy (carrying wreaths) showed up on our front porch.
To make matters worse, Helen has now fallen in love with the little guy and wants to keep him. Geesh ... one more thing to plug in. I'm naming him Tommy.
6 comments:
Ha! Oh he *is* cute isn't he! :)
That snowman is the happiest little guy. Who could resist him??
But, it turns out that he's not from Tom. He's from another neighbor who is aware of the Christmas Decorating Conflict, a neighbor who is enjoying making a little trouble with Dan and Tom. :) The blog post got a lot of attention from a lot of neighbors. And, Tom says that with the blog post the bar has been raised, the gauntlet thrown down, the battle is to rage on.
Tom's wrath is not to be taken lightly. We all remember the 70 pound concrete pig that he used to plague a neighbor who showed too much pride in his pristine landscaping.
After I sent the link to Dan's post to the Potwin Listserve, Tom responded via email to me and to all of Potwin:
Thomas Woltkamp ✆ to Helen, Potwin
show details 4:48 PM
I would like to make it perfectly clear and PUBLIC that I had no knowledge or involvement with "Tommy" coming to visit the Crow household. I am flattered and yet saddened by Dan's choice of names. I suspicion that the wayward snowman's protuberant shape may have had something to do with Mr. Crow's label.
I too was visited by the Christmas elves on Labor Day, receiving a more diminutive snowman and Santa. However, mine do have an internal light source and appropriate cord. Perhaps "Tommy" can be set on the picnic table of the Crow's south veranda and bask in the glow of his very own spotlight.
On a more personal note to Dan, which Helen will have to forward since Dan doesn't have time to read the Potwin emails himself, I was content to keep our little banter within our ten square block area, but you have now gone global. This could mean war. You must have forgotten about the "David Schauner Memorial Traveling Holiday Pig".
Tom
You would fit right into our neighborhood. He is cute, Tommy.
I love Tommy too!
He is cute.
Tommy saves the crow's nest this winter!
Yeah!
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