Things are starting to look up this week, after a particularly trying period in life. Those come about every now and then.

Of course, I always said that it is good to have a variety of life experiences from time to time. If not for sadness, how could we ever experience true joy? If not for sickness and pain, how could we appreciate health? If not for my own continued acts of personal stupidity, how could I have anything to write about?

In other words, sometimes the cares of this world hang about my neck like a boulder, while other times they seem like a gravel in my pocket. I guess everyone is like that.

At any rate, the financial storm clouds have lifted somewhat after a few of my necessary expenses came in under bid for a change. That left me with enough money to pay for some of my other projects and problems. Having at least some of that off my back was a big relief.

Then I heard from the bank people, telling me that all looks well on the loan front. I believe that this refinancing deal on my land will shave off a couple points on the interest and also save me some on monthly payments. I hope to use the money I save to pay off the loan sooner.

I don't like being in debt to anyone for anything. I really would like to be able to just pay cash for everything and be done with it. That way, if I don't have the cash, I obviously don't need whatever it is.

On other worry fronts, I finally got the truck back and it seems to be doing fine, although this last bout with the mechanic has left me realizing that its days are most likely numbered. The oil pressure is dropping and I had to have a new pump installed. Oil pressure is like blood pressure, if it hits zero, you're pushing up daisies — or pushrods, as the case may be.

That is a sad thought, since my truck seems like an old friend by now. Like a lot of my old friends, it isn't as pretty as it once was, but it has a charm of sorts through familiarity. (Right now, several of my friends are wondering who, specifically, I had in mind when I wrote that sentence).

It is a comfort to climb into the familiar seat and hear the engine start, to put my elbow on the tattered arm rest and drive down the road. The steering isn't very tight any more, either. I usually jog it from side to side as I go down the road to try and maintain a straight course.

I know where all the buttons and things are and can find them, even in the dark, without looking. My other vehicle, a newer-model car, isn't so easy to figure out. I have had to pull over to operate the radio or the computerized heater controls. It has all kinds of gadgets on it and it is more comfortable to ride in, but I still prefer my old truck to any vehicle I have ever driven.

I kind of think a vehicle takes on a personality over the years. Mine has been with me since it was nearly new, when I got it from my father. He didn't like it because it was too long and too high off the ground. I like it because it has plenty of room and ground clearance. Go figure. After thinking about the possibility of my truck having a fatal blood-pressure problem, I thought I might have to replace it with a newer model. So, on a whim, I stopped by a dealership — after hours, of course, when the sharks are all home having supper — and snaked a peek at some of those window stickers. Luckily, I carried a cool rag to dab on my head lest I faint from the sheer shock of the experience. A truck similar to the one I own now will cost in excess of $30,000 in today's market. The best I can figure, the payments would be $600 or $700 per month.

That sounds more like a house payment. I can't even imagine paying that much a month for a truck. I suppose other folks can, since car lots sell them every day.

Just considering that payment makes my recent expenditure of $650 in repair bills seem cheap by comparison. Maybe I'll just keep fixing the old one until I have every part new. If I just spent $300 per month on average, that would be $3,600 per year. That's only half the cost of new vehicle payments and I don't need the more expensive insurance. Three grand buys a lot of bolt turning at the junkyard. My mechanic friend told me that I can get a new engine for about $1,500. It's just hard to figure out when you get to the point that the truck is worth less than the repair bill. Given the price of the newer ones, that might not ever happen. Besides, the newer trucks aren't built as well as they used to be. I remember having a 1967 model pickup some years ago that had somewhere around 300,000 miles on it. The doors were falling off, so I usually just entered through the window openings. My uncle gave me the truck to get rid of it. He got tired of trying to wear it out, I suppose. He knew just who to call.

That truck would not die. I put another 30,000 miles on it before I finally traded it off. The body was made out of pretty good metal stock and, despite the cancer around the door hinges, it was in reasonable condition. The two 1959 trucks I recently sold both still had solid bodies. The metal on newer vehicles isn't nearly as heavy and they don't last nearly as long, but the prices have been inflated by incredible margins.

Look at the number of pre-1970 vehicles still on the road. How many 2003s will be around in 40 years?

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