BEEN A BUSY week here at Lake Iwanttobethere, matter of fact I have only sat down at the computer a couple of times this last week. Granddaughter number two was here for several days as she is on Christmas vacation and she likes coming here as part of her vacation. The other grand kids all made appearances as their parents went Christmas shopping. I don’t consider the time with the grand kids as baby-sitting but more like free labor. That is what my wife says. While the kids were here they shoveled the deck off of ice and filled the fire wood racks. I got the wood shop swept and even the fire ring cleaned. The china hutch was dusted along with the wife’s collection of bells that cover the little shelf’s over the top of the doorways. I had brought in the small scaffold inside the cabin and it was easy to convince the kids to take turns dusting stuff as they were pushed around on top of the scaffold. Their grandma was not around to see this happen. Also got all the ceiling fan blades clean and the light globes washed..

For some reason they will not do this kind of work at home but here at the cabin it is fun to wipe down my duck collection and look over the old reels that hang on the wall. The den walls are covered in 8x10 fishing pictures and the kids take extra care in cleaning up photos with them in them. One afternoon the granddaughter and I went shopping, mostly because I was trying to find out what she wanted but also I had to buy a few things. The wife and I take turns each Christmas doing the gift buying and this year it is her turn. But I still have to pick up things for a few friends and of course there is always the gift exchange at the Lodge. Speaking of the Lodge the gala Christmas Eve party is tonight and also our gift exchange. I am here at the Lodge right now and the place looks good, it will look even better tonight when we just have the Christmas lights on and a few drinks in me.

OK so back to shopping, the granddaughter and I went out and shopped, I like going out with her because shopping with a nine year old brings a different perspective. Adults tend to buy things practical where as kids tend to buy more fun things. I am of the school that a present should not be something you need but rather something you would never buy for yourself. You won’t see socks and neckties or gift cards from me. With our shopping done we took stuff back to the cabin and I wrapped while she made handmade gift tags. All done we admired our work with some hot cocoa and some cookies she had baked with her grandma. Her parents were going to pick her up in a half hour and she started putting her stuff into her back pack. That is when she told me she "Could really use another tackle box" I told her, "You can never have enough tackle boxes" and in my mind I was already shopping for a new tackle box.

Snowy, rainy weather in the forecast for today, already it is thirty-six out and with the overcast sky it is going to get even messier. What snow we have is piled up alongside the roadways with a dirty layer of dirt on top of it. I was going to stop at the car wash on my way into the Lodge this morning but when I came by there was a line out to Main Street. Seems everyone has the same idea. With the luggage rack on top of the Tahoe the ice/snow is trapped on the roof and with no sunshine it is not going anywhere till Spring at this rate. So I have the laptop open and it is quiet here at the bar. Drapes are pulled open but we have the Christmas lights all on. Vinny and Honey are going around checking lights to make sure everything is working for tonight’s gathering and Elmer is in the kitchen with Gus. They are taste testing a small batch of Eggnog before making the big batch for tonight. Guys have been coming in making quick stops to put presents under the big tree and to go down to the basement lockers to add or subtract presents hidden there. Stormy Clearweather is forecasting it will get cooler and we will get snow. We still have a few days before Christmas here at Lake Iwanttobethere