It'll be a frosty Friday in July when I buy a fully electric car -- they're not practical in this very large province with its cold climate, large expanses of thin population, and terrible public transit. When city people take them to the country, bad things can happen even within spitting distance of our southern border: Electric car owners stranded during Quebec storm power outage

All the commentators snarked that those folks should have known better and planned better -- but shit happens even to those who know better and plan well.

Spring is when I take my car to the vet for its spring check-up, including changing to summer tires and decluttering it of its layer of winter filth. Fresh fluids and filters are also on the menu. When a vehicle is so insanely expensive to buy and run, skimping on maintenance is the stupidest possible form of false economy.