Another Post-Christmas Crime Scene

Christmas 2010

We recently finished the last household holiday ritual – taking down All-Things-Christmas and putting everything away. We’ve been in this house for 26 years and together for over forty. Christmas is our favorite holiday and it’s safe to say we have accumulated a lot of decorative stuff.

We no longer debate getting a fake tree. Not only does a real tree look/smell/feel…how can I put it…REAL, I no longer throw it away at the end of its short, decorative life. There is a portion of our yard, off to one side of the (slice-of) pie-shaped lot, where we store fire wood and the debris that constantly falls from the many trees we have. There the retired tree stays, to provide branches that enhance our indoor and outdoor fires. Fresh sprigs of fir give a fire that sizzling crackling sound, if only briefly.

But I digress...again.

As I was decommissioning the tree, I flashed back to the story that essentially inspired this blog. It appeared after New Year’s in 2012 The story is a fond recollection of personal survival after a near-fatal illness 50 years before. I guess one macabre thing led to another with the sad image of the dead tree lying on the curbside waiting to be hauled away. It seemed ripe for comparisons to a crime scene.

What’s a person to think with this year’s images?

“Investigators were called to the Ringger-Ripley residence after witnesses came upon this scene. There were signs of a struggle with needles and liquid on the pavement.

“Detectives fanned out to look for more evidence and quickly ascertained the victim was dragged away. It was noted that the perp cleverly used the victim’s body to obliterate his/her footprints so the investigators could not obtain more evidence based on the size and make of his/her shoes.

“After a (very) short search, the victim was located, upright and apparently in good condition. He apologized for any inconvenience to the authorities. He also looked forward to continuing service to the household through the outdoor fire season and expressed gratitude for being spared from the county mulching machine.”

Happy New Year.