And so it goes at the ranch …

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By Sigrid Settle

Special to the Crier

The smell of the Thanksgiving feast had just started leaving my house when I was reminded it was only the beginning of the holiday season.  The phone rang and my daughter was on the other end of the line telling me she had almost finished all of her Christmas shopping.   Her shopping accomplishment had been obtained through Cyber Monday; you know, the internet event that allows anyone who missed Black Friday to spend any money left over from that shopping frenzy starting midnight Monday morning.   She hadn’t called to let me know what successful purchases she had made or what amount of money she had saved from all the discounted items offered during those sales events, she had merely called to ask me one last question regarding her Christmas shopping list, what gift card would I like to receive from her at Christmas.

This would seem to be a safe question to ask with no reverberations from my answer, that is unless you live on the Ranch.  My mind went rolling through all my favorite gift cards, my brain marching through an array of stores in my mind,  similar to children who have sugar plums dancing through their heads while they await Christmas morning.  And so I arrived at a store that resides exclusively on the internet, but I made one fateful error when I spoke the words Amazon, it was followed by the words that I always buy Rid-X from them.  For those who have never needed Rid-X, it’s a box of bacteria used in your septic system to keep it running smoothly.    I quickly corrected my line of thinking by telling my daughter that I didn’t need for her to buy me boxes of Rid-X, it’s just one of the products I buy from Amazon.

She smiled through the phone lines after I said those words, but I am worried as each year our family vies for the title of buying the “worst” Christmas present ever.  So far I’ve won the title more times than I care to admit, like the time I bought my daughter a sweat shirt that went all the way down to her knees.  It was actually a sweat shirt dress, but that didn’t seem to matter from the look on her face as she held It up and then gave me that “really” look you get sometimes from your children.  My children live in fear of opening any presents I might give them as I have generously passed around the “worst” Christmas present ever to each of them.    They have now requested gift cards from me and perhaps that’s just as well.

Even though her words were reassuring I’m still left with the vision in my mind of being surrounded by Rid-X boxes Christmas morning knowing full well there is such a thing as karma.  I’m now throwing myself on the mercy of the Universe and hoping karma doesn’t return to me in the form of Rid-X boxes.

And so it goes at the Ranch…

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