Pickle 2007

Christmas has come and gone, but I must say that it was a good Christmas. After what would end up being the longest search for Christmas Tree preserved cucumber in Johnson family history, I ended up being the pickle victor this year.

With two new additions to the family stepping up to compete, the odds were tougher. Minute after minute went by with no success. Overcome by hunger, Kathy was forced to withdraw from the search, but her husband and the other four pushed on. Dan's massive non-Johnson physique and ridiculous desire to reach for false fruit provided a distraction while his wife's keen eye darted here and there, seeking to once again be crowned champion. Adam, after recently recovering from sinus surgery, hoped to obtain what he claimed to be his first pickle victory. Now, the record books do not show whether or not Adam truly has never found this elusive pickle, but none of us felt the need to argue with this statement. Austin, who has been successful in the past, was not so this year. With the fear of breaking the glass ornaments on his mind, perhaps he was more tentative than usual, but it can not be certain what was going through the mind of the young monk that day. For it is never certain what is going through the mind of that young monk on any day. Alex, the youngest yet just as experienced as the others, never gave up. Listening to every word Moms said, trying to decode the simple sentences into what they truly could mean he began to search more quickly. Knowing that it is often a similar colored ornament that the pickle is hid near, Alex looked behind everything that could possibly contain that strange combination of green and gray. After Papa was berated several times for getting in the way and Dan almost broke at least two ornaments, Alex looked behind a grayish green butterfly to discover the hidden treasure. Moms verified that it was indeed the true pickle and the match was over. Alex "Deuce Magoose" Johnson took home the $26 prize and the title of Pickle Champion 2007.