Los, this will be brief, but will be a response: I grew up in Western Nebraska on a wheat and cattle combination ranch. We were on the edge of the Nebraska Sandhills and had no neighbors to the east and south, only miles of native grass. At first we had no road to rhe ranch, no electricity, no running water, radio only until sundown.
At age 7 we lost our mother to kidney failure, a new wonderful mouthy 18 months later. I am the middle of two brothers,, five years separate the oldest from the youngest. Starting at age 14 I spend many days driving a Model D John Deere tractor plowing, etc the soil which I loved to do. No sun shade, a gallon jug of water morning and afternooon. We milked cows before and after tractor work and did that year around through high school, I graduated from high school in 1956.
I did not like college yet went and became a high school teacher and debate coach. At age 66 I returned to the university and did all reaquired to earn a MA, but did not do the thesis. Those college kids were smart but extremely naive. My debate teams won the state debated tournaments four out of five years, Never done again in that high school. Left education and went into box and machinery sales in the California fruit basket. Married at age 22, have three children one in Indiana, one in Maine, and now one i Virginia, thus our desire to move east to Maine, probably next spring.
My first car i paid $40 for, a 37 Ford two door sedan. I drive it up to 60 mph then discovered it had mechanical. Scared me so much I seldom drove it. My second car a ‘50 Plymouth fast back. Drove it from Western Nebraska to central California and back. Never tuned it, just changed the oil and drove it sensibly. Experienced the great blizzard of ‘49, 50 inches of snow with 70 MPH winds for two days. Didnt leave the ranch for four weeks.
Ive been on a horse from age eight, branded, casterated, fed bucket calves, Had my hand in a cows rear to my elbo to turn around a baby calf and then pull it out to live. When I see the soft lives of todays young people I am not very sympathetic, so of course believe the current government leaders are stark crazy and do not understand what they are destroying.
I am a conservative born again Christian of the Mennonite culture and Lord willing will turn 84 in September. When I bough my truck 14 years ago,, i knew nada about auto mechanics. That has been the most satisfying time and item of my life. That is a very short autobiography and hope it was not boring.
chow, Pau Flaming aka pflaming.