A Quiet, Well-Lighted Valley…

About this time last year, I wrote a post about the Valley’s CSQ (“Getting Lit in the Valley,” 12/19). With less than a week to go before all deadlines must be met, the decorating, shopping—all the essential preparations—brought successfully to conclusion, I thought it time to assess the Valley’s CSQ for this season.

My observations? I believe Broers’ Farms lit up first this year: house and barn lined with cheerful lights I can see across the Valley from our place (now that the leaves have left the nursery stock). I shared this information with a couple Valley neighbors, told them the CSQ award goes out to Ed this year. I was soon set straight, however, and informed it was Ed’s son who trimmed the place. Regardless, it was a family effort and that award still belongs to Broers’ Farms.

For sheer bulbage and lumens per square feet, the Beebes win again. The other night I drove past their place and thought for a moment I had stumbled on the movie set for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” the scene where that giant musical spacecraft lights up the entire lid of Devil’s Tower. (Those who go for big light displays often count the numbers of bulbs they string. One display I heard of tallied over one hundred seventy thousand lights and took six weeks to set up. I wonder if Matt knows how many lights he has strung around his place?)

Somehow a lone reindeer became separated from its herd and is now fenced in by candy canes and grazing away on Gramma Frohning’s lawn. I see Kevin Olsen has adorned the eaves of his little house with strands of Christmassy red and green lights, giving me some regrets I didn’t opt for the same instead of my alternating whites and blues.

I mentioned in a previous post that with a little bit of encouragement, Brett and Megan De Vries might be persuaded to light up their little corner of the Valley this season by stringing some lights on the old Streutker residence. Now there’s no need to mention where that encouragement came from, but I saw Brett the other day and stopped by for a chat. Just a few short days later I was gratified to see the old home’s eaves lined with lights, and there was Brett again. When I complimented him on his venture into outdoor illumination, Brett told me some old guy had walked by his place a while back and scolded him for his lack of Christmas spirit. Apparently Megan got wind of the information. The next thing you know their place is lit and in grand style, too—LED lights that twinkle from all four corners of the house. (Brett informed me Jerald only strung lights on the streetside of their place; Megan, however, wouldn’t be satisfied until the eaves were surrounded with twinkle.) Snowflakes drift down the big corner window next to this year’s Christmas tree. I asked Brett how he expected me to watch my favorite Christmas programs with that tree blocking my view of his big, flat screen t.v.

In fact encouragement wandered on down the road to the Tropical Blends espresso stand on the corner. Two days later I noticed strands of festive icicle lights dangling from the eaves. A nice job, I wouldn’t be surprised, that warranted an increase of latte traffic, .

Oh, let’s not forget to mention the Jim Werkhovens have gone au naturel this year. Over the shuffle of the year, something happened to last seasons’ aluminum Christmas tree. Yes, Werkhovens have “gone green” this year. It’s good to see they’ve brought a little of the piney outdoors indoors. That metal tree is flashy and festive, true, but aluminum just doesn’t have that evergreen fragrance does it, Jim?

So The Ripple brings you great tidings! Not only has the The Valley mustered up this year, I believe it has out mustered last year.

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