Coopernundrums

     Ah, the humble Tannenbaum.  I love trees.  They are both symbols of longevity and stoicism. No tree captures the hearts of man, at this festive time of the year, more so than the evergreen.  The custom of decorating the evergreen tree originated in Germany in the 16th century.  It was common for the Germanic people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper.

     It is believed that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter’s night near Christmas, he was struck with the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was not widely used in Britain until the 19th century and is primarily attributed to be a fad adopted by the royals of the time period.   Once the royals made it “acceptable” practice for the common man its use and acceptance spread. 

     It was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans in the 1820’s.

In northern Europe most commonly used are:

Silver Fir Abies alba (the original species)
Nordmann Fir Abies nordmanniana
Noble Fir Abies procera
Norway Spruce Picea abies (generally the cheapest)
Serbian Spruce Picea omorika
Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)
Swiss Pine Pinus cembra

In North America, Central America and South America most commonly used are:

Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
Balsam Fir Abies balsamea
Fraser Fir Abies fraseri
Grand Fir Abies grandis
Guatemalan Fir Abies guatemalensis
Noble Fir Abies procera
Red Fir Abies magnifica
White Fir Abies concolor
Colorado Pine Pinus edulis
Jeffrey Pine Pinus jeffreyi
Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)
Norfolk Island pine Araucaria heterophylla

    The term Tannenbaum is actually a German word meaning Fir and is the subject of a very old song called Oh Tennenbaum.

    O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, Your branches green delight us.
They’re green when summer days are bright;— They’re green when winter snow is white.
O, Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, Your branches green delight us!

   So I do phone support for a living.  Its not hard and the pay is good.  I like the work.  the stress level is very high at times but the holiday season is usually not that time.  Things slow way down this time of year for me.  Its after xmas that I get pretty busy as everyone opens their new toys etc.  With that in mind I wrote a modified 12 days of christmas I thought you might enjoy.  I wont right the whole thing out just the changed verses.Cheers!

On the first day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. A computer problem solved

On the second day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Two RMAs

On the third day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Three power cycles

On the fourth day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Four install fails

On the fifth day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Fiiiiiive hold requests

On the sixth day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Six bad excuses

On the seventh day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me….Seven error pop-ups

On the eighth day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Eight computer restarts

On the ninth day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Nine file replacements

On the tenth day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Ten license changes

On the eleventh day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me….Eleven settings updates

On the twelfth day of Christmas Tech Support Gave to me…. Twelve account questions

Ever wonder what the seasons are like in the grand ole state of Tennessee? 

     Tennessee’s climate varies from east to west, but it is generally considered to be moderate with four distinct seasons. The budding of wildflowers and dogwoods occurs in spring and honeysuckles welcome summer. Fall foliage and crisp air make Tennessee autumns memorable and the wintry weather brings mild flurries of snowfall.

     The driest time of the year is the fall and most precipitation occurs in winter and early spring. Northeastern Tennessee tends to experience more snowfall in the winter, due to its lower temperatures and mountain terrain. Winters are mild with the average temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The summer months are a prime time for outdoor recreation, with an average temperature of 83 degrees Fahrenheit.

     I lifted most of that text straight off the Tennessee Tourisms website. Being a native Tennessean, I agree with most of it. Since the gist is to entice you to live here in the state they leave out most of what I am about to tell you.

     The winters in Tennessee are GREY, DREARY and WET! Most of the average 50 inches of precipitation occurs from the beginning of winter to the early spring. Christmas here is usually wet and mushy. NOAA the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a federal agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere. According to them we get, on average, 10 inches of snowfall per year. I can tell you it’s RARELY that much and we are super lucky if we get more than 2 or 3 inches of snow in a winter.

     Don’t get me wrong I love Living in TN it’s a marvelous state with a lot to offer in terms of the people and sights but man oh man, if you are easily depressed stay away from here in the winter!