voyager2

"in parts of the world that are getting wetter, for instance, the cactus won’t thrive."

  They certainly thrive in northern Florida.

Encyclopedia put it at your fingertips. Our household had a general Encyclopedia Americana, then specialty encyclopedias for subjects such as science, the occult, and a couple others not coming to mind at the moment. Most kids I knew had at least a basic encyclopedia at home. I mean... how else would you do your homework?

I'm sure I'd have a different answer on a different day, but today the answer is a '68 Ford Taunus. V-4, front wheel drive, 4 on the column. It handled wet cobblestone like you can't imagine, had plenty of power for the autobahn yet spared the gas. Mostly, it was just fun to drive!

Commodore64 used daily from '84 until '92. I actually still have it packed away in a box somewhere. We've moved 40-some times, so certain things just never seem to get unpacked.

Yamaha FG-110. Not the greatest guitar in the world, but my first. (bought in '73) Replaced the frets over the years, and it could use frets again, so other guitars get more use these days.

Several dogs and few cats over the years, but I don't consider family members to be possessions.

I thought this story had just been posted recently, but ls shows Feb 26 2017 House Of The Rising Sun - Josh White and his Guitar.mp3

Another "and his guitar" version, with animals lyrics. http://wizard.dynu.com/house_of_the_rising_sun.ogg

Usenet.