Having grown up on a farm in Wisconsin during the 1940s and 1950s with his six siblings in a two-story farmhouse, the author gained a certain kind of wisdom that you can't learn in school-or anywhere else, for that matter. Kolb's unique take on life and his ability to see the humor in every situation are not so common. Through fifty-odd years, he gathered material, experience, and yet more folksy wisdom for his stories. The title of the collection is drawn from a story humorously titled "The Olde Woode Box," in which the "wood box theory" says that it takes more effort to make the box appear full than it would have taken to actually fill it. "But it just wouldn't have been the same. A lot of politicians must have had wood boxes," explains Kolb, warning it can be a real adventure to borrow a machine or vehicle from someone who uses this patch-it theory. The list of basic checks that should be made before trusting such a machine begins with making sure at least half the lug nuts are there. The moral of the story is: "The next time you put off the inevitable, think of the wood box. Remember, the impossible takes a little longer." Words of wisdom scattered throughout the stories range from the droll ("When you don't swim, its foolhardy to wander into deep water.") to the learned ("Never take advice from an unscarred man ") sprinkled in.