I'm hangin' up my spurs.

It's gotten to be a bit much, all the rigmarole that is required of my gratifying and enjoyable snowbird lifestyle.

So, I've decided to rent an apartment in Tucson. In addition, I'm going to sell both my GMC Suburban and my travel trailer.

As much as I love my Colorado mountain home, and as much as I dislike living in a city, health problems and increasing physical limitations suggest the need for an urban setting and the services it can provide. Much to my regret, Colorado's San Luis Valley is way too rural to provide that service base.

Since I need to go urban, I figured I might as well live close to the kids and grandkids. Besides, Tucson's always been on my short list of most tolerable cities—if you have to live in a city. Moreover, after the Rocky Mountains, I like the Sonoran Desert best.

Giving up driving is a choice I never thought I'd make—at least not voluntarily. The notion pretty much took me by surprise. But I don't enjoy driving like I used to, nor do I feel as proficient, and gas prices have really put the kibosh on the trips I had planned to make. Where once I put 20K+ miles a year on a car, nowadays it's under 3K, most of it in snow-birding twixt Tucson and South Fork.

I think I can depend on public transport in Tucson. Granted, I will miss the convenience of my own car, but I'll unload some significant expense items as well as some major headaches. In addition, I look forward to being able to afford to travel by Amtrak.

As the slogan points out, nothing is perfect.

*