UN-DECORATING BEGINS, TOP STORIES AND UNDATED PHOTOS

Another rainy morning, I emptied 1/2" of rain from the gauge after our overnight showers.
After chores and breakfast I finally took our mailman's Christmas gift down and put it in the mailbox for him today. He is a great mailman and brings me packages all the time. I knew he wasn't working last week so that's why his gift is late.
I got laundry started and then started my un-decorating. I really don't mind this job because it gives me time once again to go over all the memories my decorations evoke and I always have more time to get them packed up than I do to get them all out and up.
I took a break and did a walking video on the internet to get some exercising in since the weather outside has been so nasty lately and not fit for outside walking.
I did chores early so I could go out to the high school and watch daughter's varsity girls team playing in a holiday tournament they are sponsoring at 4:00.
G-son was going with me while his mom went shopping but his dad came home just in time so he stayed with him. He isn't much of a sports fan !!
Daughter's team won their game and I came home to finish folding the last load of laundry and continue my un-decorating.

Tonight I also did all the weekly paperwork since the banks and PO will be closed once again on this Thursday, I'll run errands tomorrow.
At the end of each year our local paper publishes the 10 top stories of that year for our area.
In 2014 the #1 story was the court's decision to override the wishes of the voters and let gay couples get married in N.C.
The #2 story was the trial of Travis McGraw who killed his wife Vanessa Mintz back on Feb 19,2011 and kept the trial postponed until this year when the jury found him guilty of first degree murder.
#3 was the call for clean up of the coal ash ponds around the Duke Energy plant at lake Julian.
#4 was Hendersonville high school winning its 3rd state volleyball championship.
#5  an early morning fire in April burned the Ivy Apartments in downtown leaving 10 families without homes but fortunately only minor injuries occured.
#6 was the dismissal of  7 seasoned law enforcement officers with the re-election of the the sheriff.
#7 story was the change in the drug war in Henderson county as prescription drugs and heroin became the top abused substances .
#8 story was the battle of a local family (and cousin of mine) over the foreclosure of their home when the banks shuffled the home from bank to bank, losing the payment records during the shuffle but refusing to talk to the home owners until elected officials got involved.
#9 was the election changes brought in the November local elections.
#10 story was about a young deputy that was charged with misconduct with a female student in the high school he was an officer in.
Yeah, some of these stories are pretty lame but that is a good thing. It means that there were no major stories happening in our sleepy little tourist town this past year and that is something we certainly can be thankful for.
The last of the decade pics for this month are these undated ones. My uncle Homer and his car and girlfriends.

 My aunt Winnie and her class.

 As I listened to the weather tonight looks like we are in for some cooler, dry weather to end this year with.
Grateful for a year filled with many undeserved blessings and the constant love of my Lord.
Good Night and God Bless.