I once lived in a small village (population 160). You could still see the former school building, the former grocery shop. Both had been closed when everyone got a car. The only infrastructure left was a pub.

Cars killed infrastructure in rural communities. First, it was nice to be able to shop in the cheaper shops in the city by car. Then the local shop closed and the car became a necessity.

There are also medical conditions that happen so slowly, people don’t notice them. Here in Germany, no medical examinations are required for older drivers. You are 80, can’t walk properly anymore? The car lobby will fight for your right to still drive your SUV. Or else we would have to think about rural public transportation.

Before I had a cataract surgery, I thought my vision was not good but acceptable, just need new glasses. Only after the surgery I realized how bad it was (there are some weeks between left and right eye surgery, so one has a side by side comparison). Good thing that I stopped driving cars in 1995.

Have been roasting with hgdb for some years now. My temperature probe needs some replacement; the last few roasts i went from first to 2nd crack far too quickly. All in all i am happy with the results.