Pre-Ramble:  Hitch up the Clydesdales … it’s that time of year … it’s time to get the Christmas tree.

At our house, dragging a live tree indoors defines the boundary between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and marks the official start of the holiday season.

While we appreciate the notion of driving up North to some remote, snow-covered tree farm, … or as is tradition at the White House, having a perfect specimen delivered via horse-drawn carriage (shown above … I can hear the jingle bells on those bridles) … we cling to our time-worn tradition of selecting a tree from the pop-up lot at the old A&W a few miles from the house.

The trees at the A&W are always abundant and fresh, random holiday tunes blare in the background, the “tie-it-to-the-top-of-your-car” guys are friendly, and the gal in the warm-up hut always has a bucket of tiny candy canes next to the register.

Every year we amble from tree to tree, lobbying and dickering for our favorites, passing on the “too-short,” “too-tall,” and “just-not-quite-right” until we find one that passes muster with each persnickety member of the judging panel. (It’s a given that we’re going to end up cutting off the top and a couple rows of low-hanging branches no matter which tree we pick.)

The Take-Away:  Like a slowly turning snowball that gets bigger as it rolls down hill, my favorite holiday traditions are the ones that are accumulated gradually, formed and reinforced over the years by our own collection of experiences.

We have never come home from the A&W without a fabulous tree, and every year we somehow find “our best tree ever.”

Pre-Ramble:   As is tradition, Daisy (our culinarily inclined canine) is making the pies while we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; pumpkin spice with nutmeg-walnut crust is her specialty (not it at right).

The Take-Away:  As is also tradition, we want to wish you and yours a very warm and happy Thanksgiving!

Post-Note:  “Warm” is right — could hit 60 degrees here in Minnesota today!

Pre-Ramble:  So, this Seth Godin blog post (11/18/11) was liked on Facebook and retweeted over 1,000 times …

No.

No, we don’t take clients like that.

No, that’s not part of what we offer.

No, that market is too hard for us to service properly.

No, I won’t bend on this principle.

No, I’m sorry, I won’t be able to have lunch with you.

No, that’s not good enough. Will you please do it again?

No, I’m not willing to lose my focus, and no, I’m not willing to compromise.

Since we were toddlers, saying “No!” has held a fascinating form of power that cuts across the vast and murky sea of middling-maybes, or the waffling contortions of “kind-of” or “I don’t know … “ or “well … umm … gee, let’s see … “

“No” is generally regarded as a negative concept … “indicating a negative response, used to refuse, deny, or disagree with something.“ “No, I won’t go out on a date with you” … “No, I won’t give you $10,000” … “No, I won’t go fetch your scepter” ….

Synonyms for “No” are “rejection, refusal, rebuff (hate the rebuff), nix, thumbs down and veto.”

Having “No (fill-in-the-blank)” can mean there is nothing, non, notta, nope, …

When delivered in a sincere, respectful manner, however (not hollered at point blank range or accompanied by a wagging finger), “No” can be a really clean and direct way to communicate your agenda.  What a concept!

In fact, I’ll venture to say that being able to say “No” is imperative to your own well-being. It is the only way, for example, that you can prevent that icky, pit-of-the-stomach feeling that you get when you reluctantly say “Ok … “ when you really want to say “No way!”

YES!  I get it – there is power in setting boundaries, claiming space, and honoring standards around how you conduct yourself and/or your business – well, and simply how you will agree to spend your time.

The Take-Away:  Saying “No” can be a way of putting yourself and your priorities as #1.  The only trouble I see with a liberal use of the power of “No” is if it becomes an uncompromising, knee-jerk reaction that prevents you from deviating from your own possibly misguided/bull-headed path to explore something which has the potential to be quite wonderful. I guess the challenge is to be able to determine when to take that risk, and when to stick to your “No” guns.

Pre-Ramble:  Every K. blog post can’t be as lofty as that last piece on the trebuchet … sometimes they’re just going to be down and dirty …

Well, so, on October 30th, Brian McGuinn accidently threw his wife Anne’s 1.5 carat, custom-designed ring, valued at $10,000, into the trash.  The ring eventually made its way to the landfill and was presumed lost.

Huge bummer.

Mr. McGuinn, however, was determined to find the “irreplaceable” memento and donned a haz-mat suit to wade through an estimated nine tons of seriously disgusting garbage to find it.

Astoundingly, 90 minutes later, he surfaced with the sludge-covered treasure and rushed it over to a nearby jeweler to be cleaned. (Heck yeah!?!)

“Once I found it, I actually let out a manly scream!,” says McGuinn, who describes the moment of finding his wife’s bling amongst the garbage as winning the lottery.

The Take-Away:  Wow.

Post-Note:  If you’re calling it “a manly scream,” that automatically means it isn’t.

In an oddly related story, the rings shown below are made by the up-cycle artists at Metal And Thread out of “actual trash picked up off the ground.” A description of the rings …

“A sustainable and artistic approach was used to make these pop art jewelry pieces. The lighters were found on the street and were carved, sanded, shaped and finally filled at the top with acrylic to finish the look. Colors vary depending on what Nate happens to find in the street.”

… a real find at $17.50 each.

Pre-Ramble: Well, another Halloween has come and gone, and Rats — another year, caught with no trebuchet.

Last year, I promised myself that I would stay on top of things and be more proactive about pumpkin management preparedness.

Somehow, the whole thing got away from me.

If you weren’t an avid reader in 2009, you may have missed my post “Let it fly” (10/29/09) which discusses the “trebuchet” (example shown right) in the context of increasingly popular “punkin’ chuckin’“ events. You may know these Medieval machines as “catapults,” … either way, they are ridiculous looking contraptions that,

“… use the mechanical advantage principle of leverage to release a sling and arm mechanism to propel a stone or other projectile towards a target with great force.”

Well, so, in lieu of purchasing your own backyard trebuchet — which can involve a number of potentially problematic issues including general bulkiness and high costs of transport and materials, not to mention local zoning regulations — you will be relieved to know that there are rental opportunities:

Craigslist:  Surprisingly, no trebuchets listed here.

eBay:  77 results, mostly small wooden models (assembly required) … like the Tabletop Trebuchet  … Perfect for home or office. A steal at $24.99.

Independent company:  A Google search came back with Yankee Siege Rental located in “picturesque” Greenfield, New Hampshire. Yankee Siege rents a contraption that can throw a maximum 300 pound object close to 1000 ft. (?).  (The falling pumpkin effect on their home page is truly inspired.)

“ … We are now available to help “catapult” your business or product! … You bring the object, we’ll find a way to throw it! … Free consultation!”

Good news … On-site rental of the unit, including a 4-member crew, rigging, castle, etc., runs just $3000 per day.

The better news …  For an additional mileage and set-up cost, Yankee Siege can also travel to your site!  No fuss no muss; use it just when you need it.

And, more good news … Yankee Siege also has a giant 14 foot diameter Mace Ball weighing 10,000 pounds … “This ball can be lifted with our crane and dropped on the object of your choice.”

And, as if that weren’t enough, the fine folks at Yankee Siege go the distance, promoting their website as a public forum for information about all things trebuchet.

“I hope that there can be an open discussion of problems, solutions and new ideas.”

The Trebuchet Take-Away:  Ok, that’s a noble goal … I can certainly see where a discussion around problems that result in the world of the trebuchet are warranted.  But, really, the giant, crudely built implement has been around since Medieval times … are we actually going to see any meaningful innovation happening here?  … Go for it.

Best trebuchet-related quote: “Catapults are similar to boats, in that you always want one that is just a few feet bigger.”  So true.

Best related item found:  A t-shirt featuring illustrated depictions of your most celebrated “Medieval Headwounds” … as inflicted by Axe, Cannon, Crossbow, Sword, Trebuchet, etc. Great holiday gift for the trebuchet enthusiast in your family. Black, 100% cotton, Beefy-T; $24.99 … free shipping. (You know you hope it comes flinging out of the FedEx truck into the side of your house.)