Alas, the tree is gone, chopped up and put in the very compost bin that once stood as its impromptu tree stand. We thank you for your service, and look forward to another slow death in 2018. Signing off!

Now shit’s getting real. Yes, that is a tree jammed into a compost bin, passed over for a third time by the disposal company. (And yes, this is a different tree further up the street. Tree #2 vanished in the night. This one’s the last holdout.)

How will it end?

Now it gets tense. The tree has officially been passed over for two consecutive garbage day pickups, and now the owner has to make a decision: Hope the garbage company takes it, wait for a good Samaritan to do the job, or actually deal with it. Meanwhile, it’s starting to turn fairly brown. We’ll be…

A whole row of trees (including the one I’d had my eye on) abruptly vanished this afternoon. Good news: A tree around the corner is still lingering, and will become our new specimen. Scraggly on the base but largely intact — and more importantly, taking up a parking space.

The trashcans are gone, but the tree remains. A little worse for wear due to the heavy rain and wind, but still hanging in there.

Neighbors missed the memo that last week was Christmas tree pickup, and the trash company makes zero exceptions. The battle of wills starts today.

I feel like I’ve met a few writers in my time that have pulled the same stunt… Soccer’s Ultimate Con Man Was a Superstar Who Couldn’t Play the Game

Everything you ever wanted to know about RC Cola (and why it never became popular). Still my favorite soda… though I don’t even drink Coke any more…