Battered and Bruised

I love my car. It’s a 2000 Toyota Solara – convertible – and I would get compliments on it when I drove it around town.

Then somebody hit it (then ran) when it was parked at CV Park last year. I was preparing to have it repaired when a “gypsy” (that’s what these guys are called) approached me in the parking lot of my supermarket and said he could do a repair for less than my deductible. Like a dolt, I said yes. When I came out of the store the car bumper did look better; unfortunately his promises were untrue that certain rubbed-on aspects would be almost unnoticeable once the car was washed.

Sigh.

Then when Steve and I were up in Cambria, I damaged the front end.

Finally, in April a local gal rolled into my car while I was turning into the supermarket. Thankfully neither of us was hurt … but that about did in my Solara.

I was still driving it around until recently when preparing to head back to Cambria. Steve surprised me with a red hardtop convertible Lexus. It’s a 2010 but new to me and I love tooling around town in it.

Of course I’ve had some issues with it; it was the car that a piece of squid was dropped onto by a freewheeling gull, stinking up the car. (I still shudder when thinking of that mess.) But typically speaking I absolutely love the car.

I’m preparing for yet another trip up north to Cambria and look forward to the journey.   

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Have you seen the cockeyed cutting of some of our local trees especially in the Upper Briggs Terrace area? No doubt it’s an embarrassment for our homeowners, many who contacted the CV Weekly complaining about the bizarre cutting schedules. For example, what reason would a tree trimmer be hired to cut a particular tree then asked to come back and cut it again? In previous articles in the CV Weekly we’ve featured the results of these repeated hackings – and it’s not pretty.

That’s why tonight, Sept. 5, the CV Weekly and the CV Town Council are co-hosting a forum with representatives from Southern California Edison, the utility that oversees the trimming. SCE has stated it “is following the protocols notifying residents of upcoming tree trimming and is doing the trimming in accordance to the California ordinance.” But many homeowners (and arborists) disagree. At tonight’s meeting we hope to get to the bottom of the situation and address concerns of those most affected.

The meeting is at 6 p.m. at Sadler Hall on the campus of St. Luke’s of the Mountains, 2563 Foothill Blvd., at the corner of Rosemont Ave., in La Crescenta.