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N ow that the winter driving season is nearly upon us ( Oops! he said, while shoveling a path to the pole barn in search of starter fluid and tire chains), I have begun assembling my Winter Survival Car Kit, and you should too. Here in the Badger State, the relevant instructions are available online courtesy of the ReadyWisconsin division of the Wisconsin Emergency Management team, which in turn is acting under the auspices of the US Homeland Security Department, so we are not kidding around here.

I have availed myself of the ReadyWisconsin information and recommend you do so as well, especially if your car starts on the third try and only if you really pump it. That said, I am a bit of a detail guy, and as such, felt the need to tailor the government recommendations to better meet the specific needs of just us folks. Thus I present the Official Winter Survival Car Kit, Snow Boots on the Ground Cheesehead Edition:

Shovel. (Also, a teenager to run it.)

Windshield scraper. (Otherwise known as Farm & Fleet credit card.) (In a pinch, half a busted plastic Culver’s custard spoon will do.)