Looks like it will be a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Happy Sunday everyone!

 

Happy Sunday all!

Jim

 

It was just the right temp for me to do hard labor. Trimming trees and breaking them into wood chips. The loquat tree was loaded with huge fruit. It pained me to cut it in half. I left all the branches with fruit that I could reach. Those can mature and ripen in a few months. I must have taken down about 10 feet off the top. There was loquat the size of a lime. Clusters of 6 to 10 fruit. I must have disposed of 200 fruit. But those were on the high branches, which I could not reach. It wasn't like I destroyed fruit that I could have consumed. If I can't reach it with a folding ladder, it's no good. And I am not climbing the ladder to the top where it says "not a step". I don't go up the ladder more than 3 steps. No fruit is worth falling down and getting hurt.

The inexpensive pole saw from Harbor Freight did a great job. For a homeowner, it's good. It didn't bother me that I had to keep an eye on the chain, and tighten it a few times. I didn't mind the extension cord that I had to keep an eye on. If I were tree trimming for a living, I would choose something else. A pro may want something bigger, more powerful, and cordless. I have a Wen wood chipper. For the economy price, it does a good job. Shreds the wood and leaves. Produces mulch that would cost me a fortune if I had to buy it. Very small pieces. I got enough to mulch the entire yard, and 3 buckets leftover. My cousin will take the leftover mulch. She likes to grow some sort of fancy, expensive flower. She is the one who told me about how expensive that stuff is when you buy it. That will save a trip to the dump.

 

Happy Monday Nor Cal.

Jim

 

It's windy outside. I was in front of my house, and I ran into a neighbor. He was wearing just a t-shirt. He was going to his car to get a jacket. His 1 jacket. He only has 1 jacket. The orange reflective jacket which The State probably paid for. He makes a reasonable living working for Cal-Trans. His house was bought by his parents, years before either of us were born, so it mus be paid off by now. But as long as I've known the guy, he only drives used cars, and I've only seen him in work clothes. This guy must have a lot of money saved, or a serious habit like gambling, drugs, and prostitutes.

 

Or an ex-wife you took him for all he had.

Jim

 

Civil law is not just. There is no justice with family law. No matter what the circumstances, whatever the context, the system basically gives the woman everything you have, and most of your future earnings. As if the man is to be punished for the rest of his life.

That's changing. Slowly. There are now men who get awarded custody. Women are ordered to pay child support. Very rare, but a few men do receive alimony.

I don't know. I haven't experienced it firsthand. No divorce in my history. I lost enough in my life without getting married.

Maybe I picked all the wrong girls. Maybe all the wrong girls picked me. I see that some people are happily coupled. I have friends who have been together since high school. It can work. It just hasn't worked for me.

 

You should know that we do not have a justice system. We have a legal system that works well for all those who can afford to pay for it.

 

Never married either. I saw all my family members get married and then divorced. I decided I would not go down that road. And there was another reason. I could barely afford to take care of myself, I couldn't imagine taking care of someone else too. Of course, if that significant other had a job, it would make things easier, until she divorced me and took all my stuff... Or maybe I would have been lucky and found the one true love that some people get and live the rest of their days with. Paul Newman was married to Joanne Woodward for 46 years. Even some celebrities can make it work.

Jim

 

Happy Thursday Nor Cal.

Jim

 

TGIF Nor Cal.
Talked with the owner of the Maverick at church the other day. he has owned it since December of last year. his has the hybrid engine in it. He had put in an order for one, but this one arrived for another customer who didn't pick it up, so they called him to see if he wanted it. He went down to check it out and bought it. It is the base XL with steel wheels, and the tow hitch. $27k after dealer mark up. An extra $4k just because of its popularity. Hopefully, in two years, it will not suffer from so much greedy dealerships. Anyway, he is happy so far especially the great gas mileage it gets.

Jim

 

Good morning Nor Cal.

 

Essentially, you are buying a Ford Escape, with a different body configuration. Similar engines and drivetrain configurations. The "all wheel drive" Ford Escape isn't known as being that great off-road. If I wanted a truck for off-road performance, I would shop other options. Although, the Ford Escape all wheel drive is probably a great car in the city, on pavement, on a rainy day, when you need to go to the mall.

The hybrid configuration on the compact platform has been around now for over 10 years. Ford has been selling them as Ford & Lincoln models long enough that they have most of the kinks worked out. By now, they have the rewrites and updates to the software, and most of the fine tuning is done. It is probably about as reliable as a Prius.

The hybrid would be my choice also.

 

Getting the all-wheel drive version of the Maverick adds $3k to the price, as it requires the turbocharged eco-boost engine. It is not designed for off roading, but for driving in rain or snow. And as little as it rains around here, it would be a waste of money. If I were making numerous trips to the mountains, I could justify it. However, as stated previously, I barely drive the two vehicles I have now. So, a bare bone, no option truck would be fine for me, since it would sit in the carport 90% of the time and collect dust. Sure, I would probably drive it a lot more than usual when I first get it, but after the newness wears off, I will go back to my all-electric scooter for most of my trips. It is going to take a huge effort on my part just to come up with the down payment and financing of the base model. Unless something happens in the next two years that gives me a big financial boost, or if an XLT model happens to be deeply discounted because it is not selling when I finally do get to go to the dealership, I will get a no option XL (if they even exist at a dealer) and then buy whatever upgrades I want from the aftermarket. Besides, I have not even priced full coverage insurance on a brand-new Maverick yet. It may be so high I can't afford it. Then I will just have to enjoy my paid off Ranger until I leave this planet.

Jim

 

Jim, your problems are solved. Grow grapes.You are in the perfect place. Grapes can pay off all of your bills, and buy your new truck. Which you will need, in order to bring those grapes to market.