This is brilliant, Charlie. I wish I’d written it. My husband and I have been living in this Chicago suburb for over twenty years and we have NO friends i our neighborhood. None. As we get older, it’s becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to keep up our home. Yes, we have to drive everywhere, which I hate, gas prices notwithstanding. Your topic has been in my mind for a while now, but I fear we are stuck. Being on a fixed income with a mortgage that is more “manageable” than some rents, it’s hard to know what to do. Thank you for writing this.