Frazz by Jef Mallett for December 04, 2024

Nice to see you back, Miss Plainwell. Great analysis!

Plainwell’s point is… plain. I recently bought a lemony sort of small pickup that’s causing enough trouble that I cannot trust it to take me to someplace I cannot be rescued from. But at least I did pay cash. Ford promises to have a software fix for the problem in the first 3 months of 2025. I almost believe them.

C’mon, Frazz. You know that’s not true. Every few years, we have a snowfall here where you could wear snowshoes for a couple days at least. It’s all cyclical. :) Just like the minute you sell that truck, you need to haul something.

I have running snow shoes! I live in mid-Michigan, but last year only got to use them once. This year should be different..

Where I live, everyone but me (it seems) owns a pick-up truck. When I need to carry something my Camry can’t handle I borrow my neighbour’s Ram and put some gas in the tank. Worse case scenario, I rent Home Depot’s cargo van… No way I’m paying $60K for a gas guzzler I need once, maybe twice a year.

I thought he lived in Michigan.

My understanding is that pickup ownership in suburbia is a form of Live Action Role Play. My last few cars were front wheel drive box cars and the only times I needed to rent a truck was when I moved.

I am a huge Frazz fan. Even more when the comiks are outside. And this is just one more example. Thanks again Jef

I had a scheduled 10 day trip to Florida and left on November 30. I live in NE Ohio. The day after I left for my trip, it snowed…and snowed…and…well, I’m not sure if the lake effect snow is done yet. At this moment the town is shut down, there is a snow emergency and the interstate is closed, and I’m enjoying 60-70 degree weather here in Orlando. My neighbor sent me a text (and a picture) saying 56" of snow has fallen. He offered to have my driveway plowed while I was gone. Thank goodness for kind neighbors.

Oh by the way, Frazz, I’ll buy your snow shoes!

I wouldn’t say never, but only 2-3 times a year

Yeah, could be worse. I bought a second-hand Malibu for so much money I now still owe about three times what it’s worth. Never go to buy a car when you’re suffering from depression and don’t know it. Oh, yeah, the tricky part is realizing you’re in no mood to be looking for a car.

No payload, no pay. Except for the payment.

Tried to used snow shoes for the first time in waist deep snow.

I’d still sink down 2 or more feet and the snow would back fill on top of the shoe making it impossible to lift my foot up or forward.

I’ll stick to sleds

If the ride makes you happy & you can afford it, go for it! This is your life to live.

Well, all the off-putting comments aside, my ‘03 Dakota v8 has hauled all kinds of loads from 6’x8’x4’ loads of leaves to tree limbs, top soil, grass seed, fertilizer, yard trash, furniture, discards, lumber, and also trailer loads of same. I have never bought a vehicle for ‘pretty.’ Same now that we live in suburb as when we lived on rural holding.

Began that way with station wagons in the 50’s-60’s, then the pickups. Each had to meet a set of purposes or it didn’t make the driveway. Anything else was a waste of money.

We call those street queens. City dwellers with jacked up 4×4′s with oversized tires and no mud flaps, super bight LED light strips every where. Closest it ever comes to off road is the parking lot.

I drove a Tacoma PreRunner for 17 years and traded it in when it had 305,000 miles for my current car. I never needed to get a full size truck since most beds on trucks are 6 feet long. Mine had the V6 engine and pulled the 8 foot U Haul trailers with no problems even on big hills.

Snowshoe weather for you, stay-inside weather for me. One of the greatest accomplishments of my ancestors was inventing houses, and I honor their achievements by taking full advantage of them.

So, said boyfriend never knew anybody who knew somebody that needed help moving or replacing an appliance?

I suppose it COULD happen if you’re enough of an introvert or hermit……

I have a busted vertebrae in my lower back and a number of other injuries.

One side effect of how torn up I am is that it’s getting very difficult for me to get in and out of low-riding vehicles as I basically have to brace off of the roof to raise and lower myself as appropriate. It’s also getting difficult for me to actually get underneath these vehicles in order to do my own maintenance work.

As a consequence, once my current ride is beyond economic repair I’m going to see about getting at least a mid-sized pickup truck. It’ll be easier for me to ingress / egress as well as get underneath.