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When we travel, we like to play the license plate game, where we eye the passing cars looking for all fifty states. That is a game that we can play together. Yesterday, I played a different version, by myself. It was time to renew the car’s plates, and I began the scavenger hunt that is that process. It is easier now than it once was. I get a postcard that lists the items that I need to assemble. Number one, as always, is the state inspection. In the past, when we were poorer and our cars were older, we needed to get a safety inspection. Then sometime along the way an emission’s inspection was added. Our present vehicle is relatively new, no longer Uber new, but only recently paid off. This year, I did not need the safety inspection, but I still needed the emissions one. I think that they only check the car’s computer for codes on that one. Anyway, my need to relicense the RAV4 coincided with a call from the dealer on the occasion of the car’s 70K mile checkup. So, I made an appointment. I had paid off its loan, and I want it to last.

It did not begin well. Alex, the clerk that I was assigned could not get his computer to work. He eventually handed me off to another, who got me checked in. On the way up to the waiting room, I walked through the show room and spied a new Toyota Corolla Crossover. Almost as big as the RAV4, but cheaper. The waiting room was packed. It was going to be a while. Fast forward three hours and the room had almost cleared out. It was pretty much empty, except for me and a grandma, who had by then fallen asleep with her knitting. Maybe they had forgotten about me and gone to lunch? Which they had, leaving one lone rather harried clerk. As I was waiting for him to get off the phone a mechanic dropped off my paperwork. I was soon on my way, but when I started the car, the gas engine ran rough and the car shook. It had not been like that. I took it back and the guy who had worked on the car quickly diagnosed the problem and set about remedying it. Part of the 70K checkup included a cleaning of the piston rings and valves. This involves spraying the cleaning fluid into the air intake. Sometimes this liquid pools and that was what was causing the problem. When I left the second time, after 666,ドル everything was running fine. Everything is fine!

But wait there is more. I still needed to get my new license plate tabs, so a trip to the DMV was in order. Here in Misery, that is called the department of revenue, because it is really all about the money. I could have done this online, but it would have been good for one year. Meaning I would have to do this all over again then. An hour’s wait later, I left with my ’27 tabs.

This photo is a drone shot that was gifted me by my neighbor Art. He is an architect and is also our partner on our joint tree trimming project. The history museum has its actual museum in Forest Park, about a mile or more further east. This building functions as the History Society’s main office and library. It is located on Skinker at Wydown and was hit dead on by the tornado. The building was originally a Jewish temple but has been repurposed for as long as I can remember. This is a beautiful capture, with the copper glowing in the sunlight. According to my map of the tornado’s path, it made a direct hit on this building. It might have strengthened to an F2 by then. The Missouri Historical Society has been a major benefactor to Rey’s employer. I hope that they remain so.

“Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard you are wanted in surgery”, tree surgery that is. This is the premise of a 1941 Three Stooges movie, Some More of Samoa, where Moe, Larry, and Curly are hired as Elite Painless Tree Surgeons to find a mate for a rare pucker-less persimmon tree, leading them to the tropical island of Rhum Boogie. It involves comical hijinks with natives and an alligator. Anyway, I was thinking along these lines, when this afternoon, Sirus XM sampled this movie.

Earlier today Davey tree service returned. This was their third visit. They did some emergency cutting on our elm last month. Now that it is cold, they are back. The cold keeps the insects away. who spread Dutch Elm disease. They were here last week, but that crew never even got setup. They threw up their hands and called it quits, before they had even begun. They felt that it was impossible to get their truck in there. Well, today’s crew made it happen. I’d say that they made it look easy, except they worked hard all day.

Pictured is our neighbor’s driveway. Years ago, in our driveway a similar tree cutting expedition met an unfortunate fate. It was muddier then and when they backed up their bucket truck, they made a mess of our driveway. The neighbor pointed out at the time; tree trimmers carry excellent insurance. They ended up replacing 30′ of our driveway’s pavers. Today’s crew seem more competent than that one was, but there is a wrinkle. Today’s truck drove over some of our PVC sewer. Hopefully without crushing it, because that’s what the Stooges would do.

UPDATE: They did not finish today. They will be back tomorrow, minus the cherry-picker. Tomorrow, they play Tarzan.