Xmas Time Suckage = TARATS Tardiness

Christmas is sucking up TIME! I mean, it is 11:55 PM Sunday night as I write this, and it is the first opportunity I've had to post something all weekend! I used to dislike Christmas quite a lot. I worked in shopping mall retail for a good stretch many years ago now and I swear it sucked whatever goodwill I had left from my already jaded and cynical heart. Then I had kids and Christmas was reborn as a time of joy and sharing and excitement. Whew. Way to go kids! Still, the running around is beginning to get to me.

Anyway, I must once again apologize for not being around to post the last of the TARATS entries until now. I received these days before Saturday night's entry deadline.
 

First up is Steve A, longtime sufferer of this web space's random whining and opining and stupefying. He already entered one tree from Seattle, but now his Texas (home state) entries are ready too. Email, with tree pics inserted at appropriate moments:

Well, it's time to throw the glove down.

 

 

1

 



 

2

Author's Note: Holy Crap!

 

Picture 1 was my intended Texas entry. This tree is the largest Texas Red Oak in the United States. Unfortunately, it didn't turn color evenly. Picture 2 shows the girth of this tree's trunk. This tree would TRULY be a contender, had it turned color evenly. But it didn't.

Texastree3 was another candidate. It was in a park in Forth Worth, as was Texastree5. Of the two, I think #5 is most worthy of entry,though it is the smaller of the two.

 

 

Texastree3

 

 

 

Texastree5



However, in the final analysis, I think "Texastree6" is the best of the lot. Conveniently, it is also a block from my house, in Colleyville Texas. I'll go with it, over the big Texas "bad boy" and the two "park spectaculars."

 



 

 

Texastree6



 

I hope to find out if either #5 or #6 beat the Seattle tree. Encourage your readers!

-Steve A

 

 

Seattle Tree

I will be happy to encourage my readers, Steve!

Dear Reader,
 

You should know that although it doesn't always feel like it, you are doing great. Remember that Christmas really can be a time to feel blissed out. You just have to dump all that feels like bullshit from your mind and fill it instead with any and all good stuff available to you right now. I bet you'll find it is a fair bit of stuff when you start thinking about it.

Steve, I know that wasn't what you were looking for, but I feel OK about being a smartass, because I've done this:

I present for your votifying amusement The First Ever Steve Needs To Know Seattle vs. Fort Worth vs. Colleyville Tree Smackdown! (FESNTKSVFWVCTS!)

 

 

Which of the above trees Rocks Autumn the Hardest?

A

B

C

or View Results

Create your own poll at Flisti.com

I have entered tree5 (B) and tree6 (C) in the contest. Please note that a vote above has zero impact on the real TARATS contest, for which I have not yet determined my voting methodology. I'm leaning towards last year's method, where the entrants vote for each other. Seems kind of nice to me. Christmas-y almost. Sharing of goodwill and all that.

 

 

I've got one more entry, from JAT, last year's winner! Email:

 

Great entries this year. As far afield as I've been looking for trees - I have a new job with a new commute, and by the time I got around to passing last years winner it was completely bare - then one day in the car on my way for a major grocery buying trip I stumbled across this one two blocks form my house in West Seattle.

JAT in Seattle

 

 

 

 

Thanks JAT, you have ended this year's round of entries with a Bang. I never would have imagined that so many people would send so many trees... it is awesome, thank you all. I'll be back soon with more info on voting and stuff. 

 

R A N T W I C K