Finding the perfect Christmas tree... in the desert

I've never gone hunting for a Christmas tree, and certainly didn't think the tradition would start here in the desert. But I was wrong! The last few years we've gotten a firewood permit, which allows us to go up into the hills of Nevada and cut down dead trees for firewood. It can be somewhat hard to find enough to fill the truck, but last year we were lucky and found an area hat had burned a couple years before. We were left with the branches others had left behind, but we're still heating our house with it.


Christmas tree shopping in the desert! 


This year we looked into getting a Christmas tree permit, and for $5 we found that you're able to drive up to the federal BLM land and scout out a tree. We were looking for juniper or pinion pine. Driving along the dirt roads it's nothing at all like I'd imagined Christmas tree hunting would be like-- there was no hiking through a snowy forest in search of that perfect tree. In fact, it's 99% rock and sagebrush. But here and there, are scrubby little trees. And our perfect tree. Pinions are not the typical Christmas tree-- they are squatty and round, and the needles are pointy and poke you. They don't grow up tall, but rather in a bush shape. However, they do get somewhat triangle-shaped at a certain stage in their lives, and this also happens to be the Christmas tree stage.

From the truck, these trees seemed to be about 2-feet tall. It wasn't until getting out of the truck and walking around a bit that we realized that most are actually about 4-5 feet. Perfect! 


The perfect tree

We found one that was sort of Christmas-tree shaped, and Brandon was very eager to use his new ax. It took him all of 3 minutes to have it taken down. I did feel kind of bad... it's not like these desert hills above the dump are covered in foliage. I guess they do pose some fire danger and that may be a reason why the BLM allows residents to hack them down.


Family photo with the tree
It was pretty easy to carry that thing back to the truck. The hard part was driving down the steep hills in the loose rocky soil, but the truck really had no problem. When we got it home, putting the ornaments on was also a challenge-- as the trees needles almost requires gloves! 


Fits right in. 


The tree fit perfectly on the coffee table, up and out of reach of the crawling baby. We used just a few ornaments and about three strings of lights. Brandon had the great idea to fill a glass star we had with lights and hang it from the ceiling so it looks like it's on the top of the tree. I think it turned out beautifully! Maybe next year we can have some snow along with it, or go over closer to Tahoe and get a lodgepole or some other more traditional tree. I do have to say though, that our house smelled REALLY strongly of pine for two weeks-- as as of today, the day after Christmas, that thing hasn't lost one needle!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New name?

I realized that I have had a Bloggy Renaissance lately, and I'm not sure why. Maybe I miss writing. Maybe I have stuff to write about these days with this house, rather than just bitching about the daily grind. I like to have a place to put all my pictures and stories too, like a proud mama. Maybe it's because the "transition" is finally coming to a close, and I have a real life back after traveling, living in four different states, school, marriage, house, career, etc. This morning before it warmed up enough to paint, I spent a couple hours going back to 2006 and reading my bloggy. Woah. This blog was very different then, and I kind of liked it. In '06, I was struggling, and searching for something. Mostly money. I did a lot of philosophizing, and ranting. Man, those next couple years were stressful. It's funny though... all the things I wished for have come true, and I have emerged a different person. My blog has changed too. I think is has become kind o...
Read more

Sad little wall.

Image
I thought I was done with interior design for a while. I like how everything looks and feels in the house. Eclectic, collected, sentimental, and MINE. But, recently two people poo-pooed my lion wall. This makes me think they don't know a thing. Or, is my lion wall not as great as I think? The wall in question. This wall is in the living room; a tiny, open, 15x20 room squished next to the kitchen that functions as family room, den, living room, and office. The left (in photo) side is flanked by the bar, with two stools. It has the world's frumpiest couch (but very, very comfy), and two chairs. On the right is a picture window. The couch faces the TV. I have struggled with this wall several times. Should it be an accent wall? House a large piece of art? If so, what? I've tried to make several montages of family photos, found things, and it always comes out mish-mashed. Until I found the lion. She came from an antique store in Reno, and was living on the tallest part of...
Read more

Nursing School

Image
So, screw Portland. I got accepted into a nursing program in Kentucky last week. It's a 12-month Bachelor's program. No muss, no fuss. Just come in May 2008, and start. A year later, I'll have a bachelor's degree in nursing, and be ready to take the test to get my Registered nursing license. What a relief! Kentucky is far away, yes. And I don't know anything about it. And my boyfriend doesn't like the idea of Kentucky either. But, after seeing what goes on with the 800 people who apply to nursing schools here, I am more than happy to move myself for 12 short months. Everyone else can stay here and try for 3 years in a row to get into school. They can have their nerve-wracking admission interviews, they can be placed on extensive alternate lists-- just in case someone drops out-- and live their lives with their fingers crossed that they just might be the lucky #24 out of 800. Then they can have their 2 year programs, and their 4 year programs and their dumb old g...
Read more