Wise men now equipped with camels

Thanks to my resourceful hubby all three wise men now have their own camel to ride. They also have stand-ins in case one or more of them gets tired.

A new shepherd joined the party, and his staff is complete instead of missing the top third like my original one does. Once again, hubby found the perfect gift. 

Way down in Texas my daughter and her hubby also found the perfect gifts for their combined children and maybe for a couple of cousins as well.

They all got  Airsoft guns. If I understand it correctly, these are a step up from Nerf guns.

This is a far cry from when I was a kid. We had cap guns or the usual finger guns. When we all denied being shot, Mom would hand us a pile of corncobs to throw at each other. We still denied being hit, while rubbing the welt that developed when the corncobs made contact.

The Texans all received some form of safety glasses with their weapons just in case a shot went awry. The picture I saw made it look like the Taliban or some other similar group had invaded our daughter’s property. The kids were all dressed in camo, with extra scarves and enough padding to keep from getting hurt. 

The last I heard the “war” was going strong. There were no casualties and fighters from either side would always call a cease fire in order to help one of the smaller kids reload. There are plenty of places to hide or to ambush one of the others. The biggest benefit was that they were all outside running around. Nobody was staring at a screen or complaining about having nothing to do. 

Those of you who have read this column before know that I don’t like real guns. I still don’t. There are far too many accidental shootings to change my mind. However, each and every one of our combatants has had lessons in gun safety since before they could talk. Most, if not all of them, have shot and killed Bambi or one of his kind. Yes, they eat what they kill. While I am a bit squeamish about eating venison, some, if not all, of the kids prefer venison to hamburger. 

Granddaughter Emma opted to stay out of the war zone and practice her new craft on her mom. She had gotten a henna kit for Christmas. Mom was the guinea pig. From what I saw, Emma was doing pretty good. She seems to like the intricate art.  

I haven’t heard if she eventually joined the “war” going on outside or not. She is as adept with weapons as the rest of the gang. I have noticed that she usually hangs back a little before joining in. 

Once she does, she gives it her all.

Of course, there were more presents than the ones I just mentioned. None of our gifts need to be returned. That is a gift unto itself. At home there is much to do before giving in to winter. The decorations need to be put away. The snow shovel needs to be unearthed. The list goes on and on. The wind is blowing cold air this way. 

Part of me hopes it is an unseasonably warm winter. The other part wants snow. I want enough consistent cold to keep the plants from frost heave. I don’t want it to be so cold that the heat bills are sky high. Most of all I don’t want to be shot by the Texas gang. But for now, I have camels and other decorations to put away.