On 20 Mar 2006 21:23:05 -0600, Dave wrote:

Hmm. I'm figuring that if I've got a marginal situation, I'd rather not use
the starting battery's juice to charge the house battery before I use it to
start the engine.

I agree. Start the engine first and get it warmed up for a few
minutes. Better safe than sorry if you really need to get started.