Just the other day I joined a “jumper cable” party that had been underway for some time before I arrived on the scene. Two little cars were parked with the front fenders almost touching, and both hoods were open. Jumper cables ran from one car to the other.

I fear that some of the freedoms we enjoy in America are all too often taken for granted. Unless we spend more than the required time in school reviewing our country’s history, we may not have a good handle on the cost that was paid to ensure that we and our children and grandchildren continue to have these freedoms.

Survival skills can be just so much bluster and bluff. Survival history is a completely different beast – heavy on the “beast.”

Truck operating procedures can be straightforward – or not. Radiator shutters were once part of the temperature control system for the engines on heavy trucks. They seemed to work well when new.

Life is interesting. It’s been almost 34 years since my dad passed away, and I can remember things he said many years before while I’m forgetting what I went into the next room for five minutes ago. Someone told me that passing through a doorway causes the short-term memory to reset. I hope that’s my only problem.

On the off-chance you have a power failure or internet outage at Thanksgiving, try this: Gather the group and play Thanksgiving ABCs.

I sometimes get accused of unduly embellishing a story. When writing a history about my father, an older cousin told me I didn’t have my facts straight. I told her to give me a break; I was only 4 years old when the event in question happened.

I’ll hit the big 70 come August, and my body remains afflicted with eyes that see the world as though I was still 35. I still cuss the Ford Mustang for being too small in the driver compartment so I never even got to drive one.