THE CHRISTMAS TREE

That's Grandad and Josh Shinn with the heavy end.
Josiah is lost in the top. He actually had to clear blackberry vines before they could even cut the tree down.
We had extra help this year. The other two Shinn children, Brandon and Courtney, decided to get in on the fun this year. Let me tell you, we needed them once we got the tree back to the house. It's a major job to get that 17' tree hoisted up with the help of ropes through the upper windows and a kid on the end of each rope! Thanks guys!!
Bernard, we know you want to help, but...! You know if we could just train him to put the lights on the tree, that would be great, because there are some parts that are inaccessible even from the ladder.
Come on you can do it, Bernard. Going down a ladder is much harder for a cat than going up for some reason, but with some coaxing, he made it.