The Tale Of The Pale Blue Ball

The Pale Blue Ball.

For several years now, a few weeks before Christmas and a few days after Thanksgiving, several dozen fairly large Christmas ornaments go up in the bare oak tree in the front yard of our house.  Once in the tree most of the balls stay put, swinging in the wind but rarely falling down.  This year it appears to be a bit windier than normal ... or I've been more careless in their hanging.

Every few day I have picked up 2, 3, and even 4, 5, or 6 balls off the yard.  A neighbor even left one at our doorstep.  The ornaments don't go far ... landing a few feet from the bare oak tree.  But on my way to do errands this past Monday, I spotted a pale blue ball at the end of the block, nestled up against a mound of leaves and roadkill piled in the gutter.

It was one of the older of the ornaments.  It's bright pastel blue finish had faded.  The pale blue finish was chipping off in places.  It was a little worse for wear.

I collected the pale blue ball and hung it back in the bare oak tree but the next day, while collected a few more downfallen ornaments, I spotted the pale blue ball hiding in the ornamental grass at the base of the bare oak tree.  It had lost it's hanger so I placed it on the trunk of the car in the garage while I rehung the other ornaments.  While I did, not once but twice I heard the sound of bouncing plastic and, not once but twice, I had to chase after the pale blue ball as it made its way to the neighbor's yard.

I reconnected the hanger to the pale blue ball and, for good measure, added a dollop of glue to secure it in place.  The next day I rehung the pale blue ball ... along with 3 or 4 more balls that had fallen in the night.

The wind died down and I didn't expect to see many ornaments in the yard this morning.  I looked out the window and saw that I was right.  There was only one ... the pale blue ball.  It not only had fallen down but its hanger was broken.

I refashioned a new hanger and I'm waiting for the glue to dry once more.  Tomorrow it will be rehung in the bare oak tree with the other overly large christmas ornaments.

Will it stay put this time spreading Christmas cheer or will it again make a break for it?  We will just have to wait and see.