When I was a sophomore in high school, I learned how to drive a car. After I passed the required driver’s education class that fall semester, I enrolled in the behind-the-wheel part of the training. Learning to drive my dad’s 1973 Pontiac Catalina, with its 400 cubic-inch V-8, was more than a little fun. But learning to drive on the winter roads of Wisconsin was also a valuable experience. “Stay out of the ditch” was one of my dad’s favorite lines. In fact, once I got my license, it was not uncommon for Mom or Dad to say to me as I was leaving for my job at McDonald’s, “Stay out of the ditch.”
I grew up in a subdivision in the country, surrounded by farmer’s fields, a delightful place for five boys and one girl to be raised. But living out in the country had its challenges, too, especially in winter. We were fifteen minutes from the nearest gas station or grocery store, so we had to plan ahead. It also meant that our roads were not the first to be plowed during or after a snowstorm. This made winter driving difficult for mature adults, and quite exciting for
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