Tree Dead on the Property Line

There was a dead tree in the neighbor's yard. The branches reached over top of our yard. At first a huge branch feel and took out the railings on the ramp to the big shed. Then another big branch took out a section of our fancy fence. I approached our neighbor and said I could pay for half to cut the tree down.

The neighbor researched tree cutting companies. He found a steal of a deal to cut down the tree for $1550. On the day of the scheduled cut, they people did not show up. At lunch I asked the neighbor if we were still on. He said they were delayed one day. I gave him a check for half the cost.

The tree guys came early. They attached ropes to trees around the dead tree. I moved our cars down the street. I set up shop in our back yard. Ate my lunch. Read my Oracle and fiction books. Waited for them to get busy. They took a long lunch break but got to work.

Their technique was one of pulleys with ropes. They used a sling shot to shoot up a weight attached to the end of a rope. Most of the time, the guy up in the tree would lower a rope. The guys on the ground would attach another rope. Then that rope would be tied to the branch that was being cut.

They used a small power shovel to move most downed branches. They threw even large branches in the chipper. They left quite a tall tree to cut in one fell swoop. I spoke with my neighbor as he was watching too. The guys left a lot of branches and bark in my yard. I spent the evening cleaning it up. Not mad because the total bill was just $1550.

Car Acquired

After finding out the Nissan Versa redesign was a fail, Little Kat and I started shopping for cars. A visit to CarMax gave us some ideas of cars that fix Little Kat. We started with the Kia Forte. The local dealer was renovating their showroom. We had to meet the sales guy in a trailer in the back. They did not have the car that was advertised. We drove an orange one that was equivalent. The sales guy was too busy to go with us on a test drive. Little Kat thought it was meh.

Next we checked out a Mitsubishi Mirage. It was a 4-door sedan. We could afford the top level trim. I liked that it was black. We met the sales guy at the Chevy dealership. Then we moved to a broke down Mitsubishi show room. Little Kat drove the car. It had no power. It was a no.

Then we went to Hyundai to check out the Elantra. They also did not have the car that was advertised. I drove a white one that was equivalent. The dealer said they would have to get the car for us somehow. This car had good power. But I don't live making offers on cars that I cannot see.

We went far to the west to see a Buick Encore GX. The car looked good. I thought it was under powered. The dealer tried to charge me twice for freight. The salesman's excuse was that everybody does it. We then looked at one with a bigger engine at a nearby dealer. They were quick at the dealership, but got rejected because they tried to double bill for freight too.

Little Kat and I went North to take a look at a Dodge Charger severely discounted. They said I qualified for all discounts. When we got in and started up the car, Little Kat hated that it looked like tech from long ago. We bolted to the sister Buick dealership. Their car had the bigger engine, all wheel drive, and a 9-speed automatic transmission. They had some troubles giving me a walk out price. Eventually they came up with the amount that is on their web site. I said I was hoping for a better deal. The manager and some other people ended up giving us an extra $275 off. Little Kat drove the car home.

Car Progress

I drove Momoko to Subway because she was hungry. I drove Little Kat's car. The thing did not exhibit the problems I heard and felt before. But there were indeed troubles. They felt like engine or transmission problems. I need to sell this car.

Little Kat and I went to get a quote on selling our car. Due to the scratches on the left hand side, they offered me $12k. It was a good offer. While waiting for the offer, Little Kat sat in many different cars looking for the replacement. The only cars he fit in were a Dodge Charger and a Ford F150 XL.

Today Little Kat and I called up a local Nissan dealer. We asked about a red 2024 model of his Versa. When we dug into the discounts, we did not qualify for a $500 military discount. If Little Kat is on the title, we can get the $500 college grad rebate.

Little Kat and I were disturbed to find that Nissan redesigned the center console, making the car uncomfortable for Konner to sit in. The car color was much darker than the pictures online. They tried to charge and extra $400 in dealer commissions. In the end, they said they would waive the commissions.

We are essentially back to the drawing board on a replacement car.