December 8th

This week we went to a tree farm and got a tree.  It was the first time we've done that.  My thinking is the tree will last longer because it wasn't cut weeks ago like it could have been buying it from a vendor.  Learned a little something.  If you see a great tree near the entrance to the rows of trees and the ones behind have already been cut the tree isn't as great as you may have thought. The tree was a bit bent at the base but it was too tall anyway so i cut a good foot off the bottom which seemed to take out the bend.  Well that wasn't the case because as I put the tree in the stand it wouldn't level out.  It got it to stand up but the is a perceptible lean to the tree that just won't go away.  Other than that the tree is beautiful  (in its own off-balance way). Here's a shot of the tree farm; it's very picturesque:   

The Ravens lost to the Redskins. No surprise there.  the redskins have been hot and Ravens have been cold.  A dynamic offense against a suspect defense and the only way the Ravens could keep up was with a offensive performance that hasn't been there.  I will say nthe offense did a bit better than they had been with a 28 point performance, but they go silent for quarters at a time.  I mean its one thing to not score, but to not score and give up the time of possession battle is a shame.  It seemed to me we used to move the ball, keeping the defense off the field.  the issue then was not scoring TDs but settling for field goals.  Again that would be OK because we kept the ball. This week Ray Rice got the ball early and did well when he had it, but again Bernard Pierce was in for entire series (not that he didn't run well).  I can figure it out.  I concede the defense is down this year and with the loss of Webb and Lewis and Suggs out for this game we can't count on them to perform.  That's why the offense has to.  But next week is a new era because Cam Cameron is out as offense coordinator.  I didn't see that coming as I was resigned to the fact the offense would be lackluster.  I assumed my complaints fell on deaf ears.In a million years I thought the Raven's would stick stubbornly to "the system" like they always have (Brian Billick and Boller, hey that's funny: BBB).  Something needed to change was it Cam's offensive calls or John Harbaugh not dictating that something had to change? Here's the dilemma was Cam the problem, is it Joe's capability or is it the offensive personnel?  I guess we will see in these last 3 games.  We will still go 2 and 1 and end up 10-6 just like I predicted before week 1.  I just hope losing 2 more games doesn't break the will of the team.