The Dumpster Books

Rori and Gracie have dumpster books. Yup – snatched right out of the hands of the local sanitation engineers and thrust into the sweet hands of my daughters. Grandpa Barry brought them out. Told the girls “look what I pulled out of the dumpster for you.” – and handed over some kids books. And they read them. They know and remember that they came from the dumpster. In fact they call them “The books that grandpa gave us from the dumpster”.


Nate says he remembers his grandpa doing the same thing. Bringing home stuff and giving it out that was thrown in the dumpster, and he just happened to find. Like boxes of candy bars. These Pilcher boys are pretty scrappy. I guess when I find Nate with his posterior hanging out of a dumpster I won’t be surprised. Sounds like it runs in the family.

Nativity Brawl

We never planned on collecting nativity sets – but it is neat to have a lot of them all set up together. We arranged them on the top of our computer hutch this year, and after placing them we lifted Gracie up to see them. She carefully looked them over, then looked back at us and said:

“Wow- that looks like a fight!”



So much for peace on earth and good will toward men.

It does look like some kind of yuletide mosh pit.

Makes me wonder who would really win the First Noel Smackdown. I think I would probably place my bets on the shepherds. They’re used to hard physical labor, and they have those wicked looking shepherd crooks –like a pastoral bo staff.

The Three Kings though – it sounds like some kind of tag wrestling team.

“LADIES and GENTS we welcome you to our seasonal Christmas Cage Fight! Do we have a show for you tonight!”

“In this corner, having just cameled in from the far east, THE THREEEEE KINGS!”

“And in this corner, abiding right here in the fields of the City of David, your very own bucolic brawlers, – the BETHLEHEM BAAAAASHERS! They’re not looking sore afraid tonight - if you know what I mean.”

Yeah- my money is still on the shepherds.

What are the wise men going to do anyway? Sprinkle you with frankincense?