Sidetracked Charley

On the brink of climate change migration? Should where you want to move to have the right to say no? Trump would say HE has the right to say no to any people fleeing where they live because it is no longer livable. Taking international borders out of the equation does one state get to say no to people from a drowning coastal area? Or a northern state with cool summers say no to those from Phoenix. Moving requires a commitment to where you are moving. But currently there is a seasonal migration going on. They love Phoenix in the winter but Colorado in the summer. But that means double the houses and double the infrastructure for only one climate migrant. And it reduces the support for the infrastructure in the area vacated by the "Snowbirds" flying south and north. We talk about a housing crisis but some people require twice the housing. Should communities be able to modify zoning laws to say you cannot leave your house empty for 6 months less 1 day? Rates a...

I love old cars and trucks. And not just to photograph. I love them to drive too. I hate all that computer crap new cars have. I like to make my own determination of whether I need to put more air in a tire. And if you live in a rural area as I do the new modern cars require going to the big city dealership to get even a simple oil change. I currently have an old pickup and its backup and even older Corolla. Two vehicles is good with no public transportation around. Sadly the pickup now has a serious transmission issue and I once again face the repair or replace question. There are defenders for both sides. And Google has tons of information. One of the most worrying was the normal mileage for replacement of a transmission. Big Blue is right in the not so sweet spot. Pickups get rode hard and put away wet in my part of the country so it has done better than expected but not as good as I would have wished. I never stop at one Google search so I looked up the expected mileage on ...

I am grateful I have a warm and secure home even when it assailed by violent snow storms. And when I first purchased it more than twenty years ago I was also grateful it had an attached apartment I could rent to those who could not afford a home of their own. My first tenants stayed for nine years when they could at last buy their own home. My most recent tenant moved out a few months ago into her own home. Between those two successful rentals have been a whole list of less than admirable ones including one who was entertaining underage kids in illegal ways. With the exception of my studio addition the majority of my expendable income, which every years seems to be less, has been spent on repairs and improvements on the rental apartment. It is empty at this moment because of work which needs to be done but which I cannot find workers to do. I am doing what I can, as an older woman alone, can do, but some jobs require two or special knowledge beyond YouTube. I even refinanced my hom...