AN OLD FORD TRUCK

Here is my truck- a Ford F100. 1962...

I've been wondering lately, just why I enjoy driving it so much. Just what is so great about driving an old truck around? Some people "get it", and think it is so cool... others think it makes about as much sense as heating your house with charcoal.

An old vehicle is kind of like a theme park ride.

That's the answer. Every time I get into that old truck, it's like I'm at Walt Disney World, on the Amazing 1962 Truck Ride.

Really. I climb up (you have to hoist yourself into these old trucks!), slam the (all steel) door shut, pull the choke (you have to know exactly how much, according to current weather conditions), and then...turn the key.

It's never a given that it will start... it'll turn over, but:

Did I choke it right?
Did I push the choke in, just after it caught??
Is it my lucky day, punk?

You get the picture: it's not just a drive to work- it's an adventure!

And the ride to work, in this case on a sunny, chilly November morning in Wisconsin, was wonderful. Each of the four gear shifts, as I accelerated, was a joy. The view out the windshield, which wraps around like a 3D movie from the 60's, was spectacular of the bluffs and coulees hereabouts, and the radio (which only took about 2 minutes to "warm up" and play) made me, from anticipation, appreciate all the more the "Buy and Trade" show that eventually came on.

In the back of my mind, all day, I "kind of " thought of the ride home. I mean, if I was going to ride home in a 2007 Toyota, to think of my ride would have been like thinking about my refrigerator...they are both just appliances.

My truck is my "Steed"; not merely a conveyance, but much more- almost a time machine...

When I drove home, I played songs through a small portable speaker I keep in the truck. Sam Cooke... pre-1965 music. "You Send Me", "Chain Gang"...and Elvis.

In the darkness, the other vehicle's headlights could have been from Thunderbirds and Cheyenne pickups... at least, that's how I imagined it. And those old country roads haven't changed a bit.

See what I mean? A theme park ride.

I know what you're thinking...

"How about GAS MILEAGE???"

And you're right...

But, that's why I also have the 1971 Theme Park Ride,featuring my CJ5 JEEP!

OUR FUTURE IS IN OUR PAST

I live a vintage life. From the 100 year old farm house my wife and I live in, to my 45 year old Ford F100 green pick-up truck, the past is my day to day reality. Even the dog, Charlie, at fourteen and a half years, is nearly an antique! (Please note I spared my wife a similar comparison.) Seriously though, there's a lot of work and maintenance that goes into the upkeep of our farmhouse and various vehicles, including a JeepCJ5 and an old John Deere tractor. But it's satisfying work and it recaptures an era that should never have ended in the first place! Here in our valley in Wisconsin, we manage to hang on to that time when the pace was slower and life was simpler. At 55, I'm only a week away from my official retirement date as a mailman, but I plan to keep working for a few more years. Hey, I want my daughter to get the best education she can at the best college I can afford!

In a sense, I think of myself as already retired... but working! Let me explain:
No longer a union officer, no longer actively engaged in constructive change... I carry my route, greeting all my patrons who have become my friends as I've been on the same route for over 16 years. I'm also able to enjoy listening to my many podcasts as I walk my appointed rounds.

So now I find myself on the threshold of baby-boomer morphing into Senior citizen. It's inevitable: but not only am I ready for this change, I'm thankful for it as well. My plan and goal is to live a long, healthy, fulfilling and self-actualized life. To live up to my God given potential. Who wouldn't agree with that? But how to accomplish it is another matter!

I've got more than a few passions where health and fitness are concerned. I started out in my teens with long distance running- Ken Cooper's Aerobics book was a big influence for lots of us. Unfortunately, instead of preserving the nation's hearts and fitness, it mainly achieved the destruction of the nation's joints...

Anyway, I've progressed, never losing sight of my fitness goals over the long years. I've tried LOTS of things, and I plan to tell you what I've learned within my future blogs. I also plan to insert other things of interest I have gathered up over the years; things that hopefully will help you as well. My daily life, and that of those around me will also be a part of what you see here, and I'm sure my wife's photos will help brighten these pages.

I think you'll enjoy my "vintage lifestyle", and what I've learned along the way. This is my own humble answer to Whole Health. As is the case in most of life:

Our future is in our past!