Christmas Tree

We made the annual trip to the mountain to harvest a Christmas Tree. I had signed the two-page contract the the Bureaucrats of Land Management requires one to execute before purchasing a tree permit, that among other things sets out up to a $100,000 fine for infractions (I'm not exagerating). We were the only ones there. I wonder why. We got a lot of exercise hiking back and forth searching for the greenest, fullest, and perfectly sized one. After setting it up in the living room, however, I seemed to have picked a flat-sided, crooked-trunked, undersized orphan. If the cat likes it, maybe we'll decorate it but so far she has shown no interest.