Ford F-150..."rubbish?"

As I meander on my regular route to and from the girl's school, from and to my small town's supermarket, and by and by the myriad of other errands my debit card and I share on a daily basis, I couldn't help but notice the growing "used truck lot" that has blossomed in the old WalMart parking acreage.

The once proud collection of bedded and high-cabbed vehicles of choice round these parts are relegated to sit with their headlights and front fascia facing the road, beckoning any passing motorist to stop and give them a looksee.

Since the gas prices climbed above $3 a gallon here, the "lot" has filled with more and more big-motored dino juice guzzlers, seemingly as a reaction by their present owners to thin their own driveway herd.

The majority of the "For Sale" monsters carry the venerable blue oval, including a few of the "best selling vehicle in the world," the Ford F-150 pickup.

Sad to see people parting with their trucks as a reaction to the high gas prices, but not sad enough that I didn't enjoy a recent viewing of my favorite televised reason to both love and hate the Brits, known as Top Gear.

Generally speaking, the blokes on Top Gear don't like any cars "we" Yanks build (even though one of them owns a classic Mustang), and this clip from a recent episode wherein they review a 2nd Gen, 380 hp Ford F-150 Lightning Edition is a great example of how a pasty Brit can sling insults on a venerable American institution such as the F-150, but do so in a thoroughly entertaining manner.

Personally, the knowledge that I could still enjoy their good humored ribbing at my/our expense, signaled that perhaps the same open-mindedness that allows me to love and appreciate cars from not only the Big 3 but from all over the world, will continue to serve me and my sanity well, here in the small Oklahoma town that I lovingly call home.