This Day

Freedom isn’t free. And today, we are mindful of that fact. Today, we remember the many thousands who have lost their lives defending and protecting our right in America to exist as a free country. We all owe those selfless individuals much more than we could ever pay. And even if we could find some way to repay them, that wouldn’t bring them back.

Our fallen soldiers died because they believed in something bigger, something more than their own life. That is: the idea and concept of a free society; a free people living in a free nation. They believed that their families, their friends, and citizens in general, deserved freedom. Believed it so strong they gave their life for it.

It seems so small and insignificant to merely have a day to memorialize them, just another summertime holiday—especially when many people have no idea what we’re celebrating or, remembering in this case. A lot of Americans know only that they get the day off (or earn overtime pay if they work) for a three-day weekend. They go camping, have a picnic, or hold a cookout in the back yard. In short, they are busy living their lives—and enjoying it.

I can’t really fault them for any of that. Because, ironically, that is one of the basic tenets of freedom. It’s for what so many gave their lives—so others could enjoy days like today. Memorial Day.

Still, it might be nice to at least think about those who made this day possible—and all the other days in this country. Perhaps show a little gratitude, some appreciation. Okay, that’s all. Enjoy whatever you do for the kick-off to summer! ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Snakes!

Saw my first rattlesnake of the season the other day. At last! Spring is here!

Okay, I admit, I really don’t like snakes. I much prefer other indicators of spring like: robins, budding trees, and warmer temperatures but after an unusual long and drawn out winter, a rattlesnake was a welcomed sight. Snakes are far better than the icy roads and the bitter cold. I do reserve the right to change my mind on this later in the year—when the whole snake population of the countryside comes out to play!

Not that I’ll be ready for winter again but I’m thinking the excitement of seeing a snake will likely taper off. Did I mention I don’t really like snakes? In fact, I usually kill every snake I run across. But oddly, the one I saw the other day is still slithering around somewhere—at least it was when I last saw it. Either I’m getting lazy or I’m really happy that summer is on its way. Both maybe.

Still, the fact that I didn’t kill this snake is somewhat strange. I know, some people get all uptight when I mentioned killing something, even snakes. They’re usually the ones who say something like, “But snakes help control the mice population.”

And they are correct. Snakes do help get rid of mice. But might I suggest a purchase of Decon? Just a thought.

One person I said that to spluttered back, “Well, snakes are God’s creatures too!” As if that means I have to let them live. But aren’t mice God’s creatures as well? Yet, the guy seemed okay with the mice dying.

“That may be,” I told him, “but uh, I really don’t like snakes.” Unless of course, they are the first sign of spring—apparently. ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

Better Left Unopened

So, I think I’ve opened up a can of worms! No, not literally. I’m not going fishing! The can of worms, I’m referring to is the home maintenance one of repair and beautification, something I’ve neglected in recent years.

If you read last week's post, you may remember that I spent the previous week, my vacation, painting my house. That has resulted in the realization that I really needed to catch up on some other long overdue projects. And these projects are all related, entangled together with each one leading to two or three more. Thus, my analogy of the can of worms. I start one project and soon have a list of others.

I’ve replaced the back door; installed one with a window so we can see out onto the deck, which needs a few minor repairs and treated, along with the cedar fence. I’ve repaired the door on one of my sheds, so it actually closes properly! I’ve replaced the front entryway carpet, which was completely worn out. There was only a thin piece of carpet to cut out around the edge before the new carpet could be cut and installed. I’ve sealed up cracks in the driveway. I cut some new trim boards, and attached them, painted the front door, repaired the gate, and... well, I think you get the picture. Can you see all the worms?

The good news is, only so many worms will fit in a can. Problem is, I’m not sure what size can I’m dealing with. I should know since I’m the one who opened it! But no.

What I do know is I’ve now spent more than two weeks working on my house and not getting much else done. (Maybe I should have left the can closed). But the house is looking nice so at least I have something to show for my effort. And, I think I’m almost done! Thinking can sometimes lead to trouble though! Could be opening a whole new can of worms! ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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The Vacation Cover Up

After sixteen years, I decided it was time to paint my house. Way past time. Paint isn’t really supposed to last that long. The house didn’t actually look that bad—until you actually looked at it!

But I was sort of dreading the job. Typically, painting requires much more than simply painting. First, everything needs to be cleared away from the house. In my case, this meant cutting the twenty-two rose bushes, getting rid of the weeds, and cleaning all the junk stored in partially hidden areas. Then, all the dirt has to be cleaned, loose paint scraped off, any minor repairs taken care of, and all the cracks caulked.

Once primer has been applied to the bare wood areas, it should be time to paint. But what color, or colors? Should it be left the same? Modified slightly? Or, should the color scheme be changed entirely? If it’s changed what color should it be? What color for the trim? There are literally thousands of ready-made color sets, as a trip to any paint store will attest. And, if the colors they have aren’t enough, they’ll gladly mix any color you want.

Decisions. Decisions.

Ah, but in my case, this was the easy part, I let my wife decide; with only a couple of conditions—no pink and no green. (I didn’t really have to worry that much, I doubt she would want a pink house and she doesn’t like most greens either). I figured my strategy would give me plenty of time to prep the house and allow me to put off painting for a month or so. But no. Within a week, she had decided. The house would be Commuter Grey, which is actually a dark blue with a slight hint of purple, and the trim would be Fluffy Biscuit, a yellowish creamy color that looks just like the light golden color on the top of a biscuit. Makes me hungry just looking at it.

So, last week, on my stay-at-home vacation, I spent most of my time outside painting. Never realized how big of a house we have. It doesn’t really seem that big from the inside. Of course, that could be due to all of my stuff—or, junk as my wife calls it.

It was a great vacation project. I needed something to do anyway! And the weather was awesome; plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the hundreds, and no rain! Yes, it was a little hot but it is August! Besides, painting in the summer can be cool—if you find the right shade.

I’m happy with the way the it turned out, it looks like a new house. And although painting is a lot of work, I had fun doing it. And now I should be good for another sixteen years, right? Maybe not. But for the moment, the job is finished. Which is good because I have other things to do—like go have a biscuit, a fluffy one. ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Crabgrass

First, the name makes no sense: it’s not a crab and not really grass either. What it is, is annoying for anyone trying to grow a nice lawn. It should be called Annoying Grass.

I’ve lived in my current house for 16 years and up until last summer hadn’t had much of a problem with crabgrass. Then, almost overnight, I noticed my “pristine” lawn was being overrun by the stuff.

I did some studying up on the weed and every place I looked said basically, the same thing: Don’t pull it. Pulling it will only re-seed the “grass” for next year. The best approach, the articles claimed, was to wait for the germination period the following spring and try to kill the crabgrass with an herbicide. If applied at the right time the weed killer/preventer will eliminate some of it but it was not effective once the crabgrass had started to grow. And, it further stated, once the grass reached about thirty percent of the lawn, you might as well take out everything and start over. Well that sounded promising, or not.

Since I’m stubborn, I decided I would pull it despite the warnings. My lawn was at thirty percent or better but I was convinced I could win this so-called unwinnable war. I started pulling. And pulling. By the end of the summer, I had big dirt patches in my lawn. But... No Crabgrass! Well, none that was visible anyway.

This last spring, I went to the store looking for a weed preventer. Something to kill all the little seeds I’d planted by pulling the Crabgrass. Instead, I found a product that claimed it would kill adult Crabgrass—along with preventing new growth. It also said it would eliminate all other types of weeds like; Dandelions and such, all without harming the real grass in the yard. I was a bit skeptical. And at twenty-five dollars, it was a little expensive—about twice what a normal weed and feed product would cost to do my lawn—but, I splurged. And then I started spraying.

I re-sprayed every few days. It took a few weeks to see any results. But as we got further into spring, I noticed there were absolutely no weeds in my lawn. Then, the start of the growing season for Crabgrass came with no sign of the Annoying Weed. I decided the stuff had worked. This is the best my lawn has looked in years!

I have noticed a few little sprigs sprouting up here and there. I pull them the moment I see them. Don’t need any more of that stuff. Or any other weeds: Dandelions, Milkweeds, Foxtails, clover, or thistles, which I’ve decided should all be called Crabgrass. They all ruin my grass and make me crabby. ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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The Wind Is Blowing Again

U-haul on the side of the road—on its side, unattached to any other vehicle—the contents scattered all along the shoulder. Smashed boxes, broken lamps and other fixtures, and some very wrinkled clothing, decorated the right of way. Not positive, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how those trailers were designed to be used. At least that’s not the way I’ve done it. Just doesn’t seem that efficient to me.

I considered stopping to offer my enlightening bit of wisdom but I doubt the people standing around with a lost look on their faces were interested in my advice. I guess I could have helped pick things up but with the two officers and wrecker there, they probably had enough hands. So, I kept driving. Besides, it was a bit windy. More than a bit, really.

Welcome to my world—The Columbia River Gorge, Home of the Great Wind. The wrecked U-haul was just the latest casualty. It happens a lot. It’s been known to blow loaded semi’s off the road and loaded boxcars of the tracks. The wind blows almost every day, although some days are worse than others. This day was a particularly strong windy day—even by our standards.

Five hours later, when I came back by, the U-haul was still there. The trailer had been set back on its wheels and reattached to the pickup. The family’s belongings that had been randomly strewn down the side of the highway appeared to have been shoved back into the trailer. The doors were lashed together with a ratcheting strap.

Leaving on my second trip of the night, I again passed the spot where the wreck had happened and this time they were gone. But a few miles down the road, I saw them again. The driver was apparently now a little gun shy. He was driving on the shoulder about 10 mph. At first I thought that might be due to the trailer being damaged but as I approached, the guy pulled off the road into the dirt and stopped. Once I’d gone by, he steered back onto the freeway.

A couple of days later, I talked to one of the officers who had responded to the wreck and found out why the driver was so squeamish when I passed him. Apparently, a passing semi is what caused the U-haul to turn over. He said he’d been fighting a side wind, steering into it hard just to keep going straight. When the semi pulled alongside, there was a sudden stop of the wind. He corrected his steering—just in time for the semi to move on past—and the wind to hit again. He’d been caught steering the same way the wind was blowing. When he tried to correct it again, he went a little too fast and the trailer protested by turning over.

“Technically,” the deputy said, “the accident was due to an inexperienced driver not paying attention.

“Did you give him a ticket?” I asked.

The deputy rolled his eyes. “I’m not that cruel. The poor guy had just had most of his belongings destroyed.”

That made sense. It was good to know the deputy wasn’t completely heartless.

“Besides,” he added. “It was way too windy to stay out there any longer than I had to.” ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Peaches

Down the road a few miles from where I lived as a small boy was a fruit stand. It wasn’t much of a stand really, I don’t recall any buildings, just a few farm trucks backed in among the shade trees at a little clearing near the junction of two highways. Even on a hot and humid summer day, the gentle breeze coming through made it feel nice and cool. I remember the little wooden baskets in the back of the trucks filled with peaches. And we always got to pick out our own peach! They probably had other fruit too, I’m not sure.

My family stopped there a lot. The peaches were delicious—juicy, plump, and sweet—the best I’ve ever tasted. Occasionally, we met my Grandma and Grandpa there and somehow, in my mind, peaches got associated with my Grandma. It probably didn’t help that once when my grandparents picked up my brother and I for an overnight visit we stopped there on the way to their house. I remember my Grandma peeling and cutting up the peaches for us, while my Grandpa frowned and shook his head, muttering that she should just give us the peaches, we’d learn to eat them like everyone else in the world had. (Hmm. Starting to see why everybody says I remind them of my Grandpa). To this day, I think of my Grandma every time I eat a peach.

We moved from the area when I was six and while I have been back there a few times, I’ve never gotten another peach out of one of those baskets. In fact, the last time I was there, the place had changed—and quite drastically. Sadly, there were no shade trees. They had been cut down. Nearby was a convenience store. While I’m sure the store was air-conditioned, I missed the shade trees. And there were no peaches. Well, that’s not true. The sign outside said they sold peaches but that’s just not the same.

I still haven’t tasted a peach like the ones I got back then. I’ve tried to find one and while some are good they just don’t compare. Maybe it’s because my grandma didn’t peel it and cut it up.

~ ~ ~

HBB!

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Six More Weeks Of... Summer?

So did the Easter Bunny see his shadow, or not? I missed that yesterday.

What’s that? I’m confused? No, I don’t think so. It makes as much sense as a groundhog predicting the weather, which, by the way, it’s been far longer than six weeks since February 2 – and winter has still not disappeared.

On the bright side, we did have some sunshine today! And, I have mowed the lawn a couple of times. That is, a couple of times this year. I think there would be no point in mowing it twice today! Although, I did have a neighbor once who mowed his lawn every single day of the summer. No, I’m not kidding.

Not only did he mow every day, he trimmed and weeded too. And raked. And swept off the sidewalk. Obviously, he had more time in his day than I. With all that lawn care, you’d think he would have had the best-looking grass in the neighborhood, but no. His lawn was about average – like everyone else’s.

I didn’t talk to him much ‘cause I figured he was a little crazy – and his mower was always running. But one spring day he stopped mowing long enough to tell me that we were going to have a long summer that year. Then, he said something about an Easter Bunny. I’m not exactly sure what the Easter Bunny had to do with the longevity of summer but he seemed convinced they were related.

Thing is, he was right! We did have a long summer. Although, I’m pretty sure that was due to the weather staying warmer longer and had nothing at all to do with a fictitious rabbit – whether said rabbit saw his shadow or not!

To be fair, the guy didn’t mention anything about shadows, that was just my conjecture. I still have no idea what he was talking about. But at least now, you know the reason behind my opening question. See? I’m not really confused after all! Or, am I?

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Connor

by Dormaine G

SPOTLIGHT Author

Janice G. Ross

Jumping Ship

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on Apple®, Amazon®, Barnes & Noble, Kobo®, Diesel Books®, and Smashwords®, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS Bruce A. Borders also serves as the Vice President of Rave Reviews Book Club http://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com

Heated Debate

I like summer. Hot weather, bright sunshine, no clouds; that’s perfect for me. Did I mention I like it hot? My wife, on the other hand, is not a fan of summer. She’d rather it be snowy and cold, with emphasis on the cold. It’s an on-going disagreement around our house. I like it hot, she likes it cold.

So, when the air conditioning went out this past week, it didn’t bother me nearly as much as it did her - for a while anyway. But after a few days, with the house slowly heating up from the near triple-digit temperatures outside, I started to reconsider my position.

To avoid making it hotter in the house we left the lights off and tried not to use any electrical appliances. That of course meant not using the stove - but then, we really had no need for a stove. As hot as it was, all we had to do was take the food out of the refrigerator, lay it on the counter, and wait. In about a half an hour, we had a nice hot meal!

And, that’s not all. The sheets on the bed felt like they came straight from the dryer and a simple chore like opening the door left us wondering if our fingers would blister. The house was so hot that the decorative candles on our wall are now just blobs of melted wax. A shower consisted of turning on the cold water and hoping it would cool down before reaching our body!

Okay, I admit it, I’ve been known to exaggerate slightly on occasion. So, you may want to disregard some of the examples above. Actually, you should probably discount all of them. But, the house has been a little hot.

The weather has cooled down considerably in the last couple of days, so things are looking better. In a week or so we should have the air conditioning fixed - just in time for winter. That seems like an ironic statement at first, but if you knew my wife you’d know that we actually use the air conditioner in the winter - and we don’t live in the south! It’s true! More than once, I’ve driven home through snow only to come inside to a “nice” air conditioned house! But hey, at least I already had my coat on.

See why I like summer?

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books. Over My Dead Body, The Journey, and Miscarriage Of Justice, and other titles, are available as ebooks on Apple I-Pad®, Amazon Kindle®, Barnes & Noble Nook® and Sony Reader®, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords. His books are also available in print at most online retailers or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. The popular Wynn Garrett Series Books are now available on Barnes And Noble® at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?series_id=867526 See Bruce’s Smashwords Profile at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BruceABorders #MiscarriageOfJustice #BruceABorders

Going Barefoot

My apologies to those of you still enjoying winter - but where I live, we had our first 80-degree day this past week. Not a big deal to most people I’m sure, and while to me it’s nice, it’s not nearly as significant as it once would have been.

I’ll explain.

My dad had a rule when I was a kid - okay, he had more than one rule but I had a hard time remembering them all at once, so I learned to concentrate on just one at a time - such as now. This particular rule determined at what point my brother and I could go outside barefoot. As you may have guessed, we had to wait until the first 80-degree day of the year. Of course, we tried every conceivable argument to change his mind: it was 80 degrees somewhere in the world, or in the house, or we’d find ingenious methods of heating up the thermometer. Nothing ever worked. Come to find out, he listened to the weather report on the radio - or used the thermometer at the bank.

I used to wonder what it would take to get the DJ to say it was 81 or 82 degrees. But, figuring it was a lost cause, and since I had no money, I never tried. And the bank - that was an obvious impossibility. There was no way to get that big reader board to read something different than the actual temperature. Or so I thought.

We’d had a couple of weeks with temperatures in the upper 70’s - but not hitting that 80-degree mark. We had been bugging my dad, trying to persuade him to relax his rule, and weren’t getting anywhere. As he so plainly put it, 77, 78, or even 79 degrees, was not 80. Then Saturday came and the weather turned noticeably colder - our home thermometer read in the 50’s. Still, we were persistent in our quest and did convince him to drive downtown past the bank - after he gave us a look that said we just might be crazy.

And then... There it was; the bank - right in front of us with the current temperature prominently displayed in big gold numerals. 100 degrees! Yay!

Our excitement soon faded however, when we were told that despite what the bank’s thermometer said, it was not warm enough to go barefoot. We argued but to no avail. Dad still said no (something about the bank having problems, a broken thermometer, or something). By the time we arrived home it had started to rain, but I ignored that - I was still protesting. The thermometer had said it was 100 degrees and that, I said, is definitely over 80! Finally, much to my surprise, my dad agreed.

“Go ahead,” he said.

Really?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t believe it but I wasn’t about to question anything my father told me (as long as it was something I wanted to hear, of course). In seconds I had my shoes off and was out the door. The first barefoot day of the summer! And -

I think I only spent less than a minute out there. Who knew wet grass at 50 degrees could be so cold? I decided I’d wait a little while longer to go barefoot - maybe until the temperature was say, around 80 degrees!

Bruce A. Borders, author and songwriter, has over 500 songs and more than a dozen books. Over My Dead Body, The Journey, and Miscarriage Of Justice, his latest books, are available on Apple I-Pad®, Amazon Kindle®, Barnes & Noble Nook® and Sony Reader®, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords. Now also available in print at many online retailers or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. The popular Wynn Garrett Series Books are now available on Barnes And Noble® at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?series_id=867526 See Bruce’s Smashwords Profile at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BruceABorders #MiscarriageOfJustice

Pet Peeves

I have a lot of pet peeves – a lot of things bug me. I know, a pet peeve is supposed to be the one that irks you more than any other, but I have a hard time deciding on just one. So instead, I keep a running list. It has grown quite large over the years. The list includes; slow drivers when I can’t pass, people getting my order wrong at a restaurant, anything resembling rock music, waiting in long lines when I’m in a hurry – and of course, I’m always in a hurry. Also on the list: shaving with a dull razor, high prices of practically anything, winter – in its entirety, and running out of ink – even though I have three printers in my office. As you can see, the list covers a broad spectrum of subjects. It’s quite long and there seems to be no common thread other than these things really bug me. I once thought of making one of those tear-away calendars – one with each day of the year. Each sheet would proclaim a different pet peeve for the day. I soon discovered that wouldn’t quite cut it, 365 days just isn’t enough! Perhaps a five-year calendar would work better?

At any rate, now that summer is here, and being that I’m a truck driver, you can probably guess what currently tops my list – road construction, miles and miles of road construction. In itself, the construction wouldn’t be so bad – if the road actually needed repairing. The problem is, most of the construction going on is to replace a perfectly good highway. I think they’re just fabricating jobs and wasting money. I’ve driven the same stretch of road for more than fifteen years, this summer marks the fifth time they’ve resurfaced the same portions of that road. Then, to make things worse, the construction brings about another of my pet peeves – slow drivers. I don’t mind that they slow down a little, but when the posted construction zone speed limit is 50 mph, and I routinely follow people through it at 30 mph, or even slower, I get a bit antsy.

To my credit, to date, I have not used the 95,000-pound semi to push anyone out of my way! I’ll admit it sounds tempting and could easily be done - but no, I just take a breath and add the driver to my list. And then add another half an hour or so to my day, arriving home much later than I should have – you guessed it, another pet peeve. Then, that cuts into my time at home – just one more of my pet peeves.

You see my problem? How one thing leads to another? Pretty soon, a cascading of pet peeves is released. As they pile up, my list keeps growing. It’s getting hard to keep track of them all.

I suppose I could just quit my job – and eliminate over half the items on the list in one shot. But, not having any income and eventually, no vehicle and no house (or much of anything else), my list would again balloon, and probably be larger than it is now. I guess the only thing I can do is complain about it.

Perhaps I should revisit the idea of a calendar. Is there such a thing as a ten-year calendar? That might do it. Writing everything down and then tearing off the paper might even prove therapeutic. My wife says far too many things bug me. Maybe so. She’s usually right about that kind of stuff. Hmm. Where is my list?

Bruce A. Borders, author and songwriter has over 500 songs and more than a dozen books. Over My Dead Body, The Journey, and Miscarriage Of Justice, his latest books, are available on Apple I-Pad®, Amazon Kindle®, Barnes & Noble Nook® and Sony Reader®, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords. For more information, visit http://www.bruceaborders.com/. See Bruce’s Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/author/bruceaborders or view his Smashwords Profile at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BruceABorders

Sink Or Swim

Seven years old and I couldn’t swim. Pitiful, I know. My dad must have felt the same way because one hot summer day, a Saturday as I recall, he took me and my brother down to the river. It was time I learned to swim, he said.

I don’t know if he could tell it or not but, I was sort of scared. I wasn’t afraid of water in general, just that particular water. I’d heard all kinds of stories about the river with its raging and churning white water rapids and the deep, powerful undercurrents. The fact that these stories pre-dated the building of the dam, not more than a mile from our swimming hole, was lost on me. Sure, the river looked calm enough but all those horrible stories of people jumping or falling in and then being swept away in the current, never to be seen again were still in my head.

Then, my desire to swim overcame my fear and I waded out into the water. I was ready. My dad held a finger through my belt loop, so I could practice without sinking – or so he claimed. After a few minutes of kicking and splashing, I actually started moving forward. And then – my belt loop broke! At that point, it was literally, sink or swim. Usually, faced with such a situation, most people swim. Not me, I sank.

Of course, my dad fished me out of the water, even before I had time to cough or splutter. But, that was the end of my swimming lesson that day. And I refused to go back to that river.

Later, I did learn to swim but not before a few more episodes of sinking. My brother rescued me – probably against his better judgment considering how annoying I could be.

I’m not quite sure why swimming was such an important thing to learn though; it’s been several years now since I’ve gone. Still, knowing how to swim and not going is much better than going and not knowing how. Not being able to swim is kind of a sinking feeling!

Bruce A. Borders, author and songwriter has over 500 songs and 9 books. Over My Dead Body, and The Journey, his latest books, are available on Apple I-Pad®, Amazon Kindle®, Barnes & Noble Nook® and Sony Reader®, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords. For more information, visit www.bruceaborders.com. See Bruce’s Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/author/bruceaborders or view his Smashwords Profile at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BruceABorders