Finally have my backyard close to normal – just in time for all the leaves that are falling to need raking. The bitch next door was stupid enough to pay that tree guy the entire amount of his bill before he was done. He must be some kind of con artist. He told her that his big chain saw broke on the job he was doing for her and that the only way he could finish was for her to give him some money for him to go buy a new one. So she gave him the cash and he stayed gone for another week or two.

Yesterday he showed up in his green pickup truck with a helper and the two of them worked in her backyard and my backyard all day. He cut up and pulled the tree out of my yard but left piles sawdust on the ground. And the truck made big ruts in the side yard. When I came outside to talk to him, he immediately apologized for the mess and explained everything. He made his helper come over with a shovel and spread dirt into the ruts, then stomped on them to pack down the dirt and mud. It still looks a little rough because of the bare patches, but I guess in the spring the grass will grow back over the tracks and no one will notice so much.