THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Going out to buy the Christmas tree when I was a young boy was always a treat. We never put the Christmas tree up in our house until Christmas Eve. It was a tradition in our family to always decorate it on the day before Christmas.

However, before we ever got to that point we had to go get the Christmas tree and it was never bought at a store. We always went to a tree farm and spent a long time getting just the right tree. Do you have any idea how a family can disagree on choosing just the right tree? That stuck with me from when I was a little boy in the 1950s in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania until I had children of my own and was doing the same thing at a tree farm in the Pocono’s near the end of the century. The last time we bought a tree at a tree farm was in the year 2003, the Christmas before we moved permanently to North Carolina.

There had been many tree farms in the Pocono’s as long as I can remember. I was probably no more than five years old the first time I went. The price of a tree in 1953 was $2.00. Can you imagine that? As I remember the last Christmas tree we bought was $25.00, and that was a lot cheaper than at many places.

Today you see so many people buying their Christmas trees at home improvement stores and department stores. People say they don’t have the time to go out and cut down their own Christmas tree. But going out to a Christmas tree farm with the kids in tow, spending a long time picking out just the right tree, and cutting it down is one of the most joyous events I can remember about Christmas. Many people go for the artificial trees, which I admit, have some advantages. But even the smell of a real tree is a pleasure that can stay with you for years. Many artificial trees now appear to be very real, but if you were born in the country and raised there, they are no substitute for the real thing.

No, you can’t save it from one year to the next like an artificial one. Artificial trees always look the same from year to year. When you go out and get a real tree it seems like you always say, “I think it’s prettier than the one we had last year.” As though anyone is going to remember how every tree looked through the years of buying real ones.

One year I remember, we had a very deep snow storm right before Christmas and we couldn’t get out too choose a tree. Snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas day is always something that people from the country cherish forever. Since we couldn’t get a tree on this particular year, my brother Jim went into the forest near our house and cut down our Christmas tree. He came home with a white pine, which has very long needles. After it was decorated, it turned out to be one of the most beautiful trees we ever had. I think that is because we just couldn’t buy our tree. We were snow bound on Christmas but my brother got us a nice tree. Those occasional years that we were snowed in when I was growing up turned out to be some of the most memorable ones.

I’ll take searching for and cutting down that real tree at Christmas in a heartbeat before I’ll settle for, buying an artificial tree. Whether at Christmas or any time of the year, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.

Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

FROM FIRST THOUGHT TO FINAL REALITY

It was at the beginning of 2012 that a thought for a novel came into my mind. I had just finished my first novel, Golden Haze, had it published and I thought it was time to expand my writing capabilities. I thought what is it like when a spouse dies? I have been married well over 40 years and I know if something happened to Lina I would be devastated.

That was my first thought of the novel. I was making it of a man from South Carolina and his wife would be killed in a car accident. He couldn't move on in his life and finally after three years he is visited by God. God knew that he had much life to live yet, so he sends Shane on a walking journey across America. Where was
he going? What would he find when he got there? How would his life change? Would he be safe on his journey? I had many things to consider as I wrote this novel.

In the summer of 2012 I became very ill and had to have an operation. It caused me to take about a three month absence from writing the novel. After feeling much better I got back to it. I wrote word after word,
paragraph after paragraph, and finally chapter after chapter. It was an image running through my brain. I could see what was happening as he walked on his journey. I could see what he found when he got to where he was going. I could see another tragedy in his life. It was running through my mind plain as day. It was unfolding into a story.

I wrote a couple of chapters that I didn't like so I deleted them and went on another idea of how I wanted the story of Shane Donaldson's life to continue. Finally the story of his life was finished in my mind. It was sent off to my proofreader who made corrections and changes to make my story better. That proof reader is my daughter. She is very good at what she does. I made all of those changes and, Walk to Love, was finally finished the way I wanted it to be.

I spent the next year contacting literary agents and kept getting some good feedback, but the rejections kept piling up. They got frustrating and heartbreaking. I didn't want to give up. The idea of traditional publishing was a dream. To much of a dream I guess so after a year and 83 rejections I came to reality and decided to self-publish again.

I did many searches on the Internet and checked out many self publishers. I didn't want to go with the one that I used for, Golden Haze, because I felt I was over charged. Finally I found a publisher that gave me a very good price. I went with e-booktime.com. It has been a couple of months dealing with them and as of last week, Walk to Love, is a reality. The cover was designed by my daughter. She is a graphic designer.

In a little less than three years it has taken me from my first thought to having the novel in print. It is a writer's dream to see their work in print. Nothing is like the thrill for a struggling writer than to hold a copy of the book in their hand. I haven't received that first copy yet because the novel was finalized only a few days ago.

Almost three years from start to finish. Many idea changes, many corrections, but the best things in life take time. I hope that everyone that reads, Walk to Love, enjoys it as much as I did writing it.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

CHRISTMAS PAST AND PRESENT

As I sit here at my computer I think of the differences of Christmas in the 1950s and 2014. They are as different as night and day. How can Christmas change so much in nearly 60 years? It brings sadness to me when I see that the true tradition of Christmas has left us forever.

It was in the 1950s as a young boy that I would sit at home and look through the Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogs. Those catalogs were a big part of our Christmas shopping in those days. It was so much fun to see what was in those catalogs and many of my Christmas presents in those
early years were purchased from those catalogs.

In those early years our main town to shop in was Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. We would go there and walk up and down main street. Two of the main stores were J.J. Newberry store. Stroudsburg was the birthplace of the nationwide chain of J.J. Newberry stores. The other store was Wycoff's Department store. Both were located a short distance apart on main street. At that time the Sears store was located in the basement of the Wycoff's Department store. It was a peaceful and easy paced time of shopping. It was enjoyable and we would have lunch either at the lunch counter in the J.J. Newberry store or the one in Woolworth's drug store.

Yes, I think back to those lunch counters where people would sit, have something to eat, and chat with people that they didn't know like they were best friends. I think now that not only Christmas has changed, but people have also. The fast food places drove those lunch counters out of business.

Now I am in 2014 and have been doing my Christmas shopping in an entirely different way than I did in the 1950s. There is no more Sears & Roebuck or Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogs. Now I have the Internet where I do about 90% of my Christmas shopping. It is easy, but there is not the same feeling as leafing through those catalogs. We no longer have the pleasure of shopping in a little town. Now we have large shopping malls, with hundreds of stores under one roof. Now we have, Black Friday, something that was not even thought of in the 1950s.

Now stores are packed on Black Friday to get those deals. There are fights in many stores, over a toy or an appliance. Is that the was, Jesus, would want it to be? I surely think not. In the 1950s nothing was put out in the stores until after the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a tradition that I loved and it made Christmas seem more like Christmas was special. Now I see Christmas things in stores even in early October. It is wrong and ruins the spirit of Christmas. Christmas is no longer the holiday it used to be. Now it is greed by the large corporations that think of nothing of their employees and the true meaning of a very important holiday.

Greed has destroyed the pleasure and the true meaning of Christmas past. I often think of those walks down main street in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania a few days before Christmas with a light snow falling. People were so easy going then and not in a hurry. What has happened to people anymore? They don't shop like they are enjoying themselves they rush like it is a matter of life and death to beat someone else to get a toy. I don't understand it, I just don't.

Greed has taken over Christmas, but it can't take away my memories of my childhood Christmas times.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

THANKSGIVING

As another Thanksgiving Day is almost here, it makes me look back over my life. What do I have to be thankful for? I grew up a country boy in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Those early years were tough but they have some of my fondest memories. I walked many miles in the forest around me. It was so peaceful. I would often sit on a rock and watch a herd of deer or smile as some squirrels were playing nearby. I remember my dad's horse named, Sugar. I remember having a pet squirrel, a pet raccoon and a pet deer. Many people have no idea what it like to have those things.

I think back to my time in the military. I served in Texas, Florida, and the Philippines. Yes, I was a young man traveling half way around the world. What would it be like I wondered? I remember landing at Clark AFB in the Philippines in the middle of the night. It was so hot and I was taken to a barracks to get some sleep. I woke up and flew out of my bed as I saw I was sharing it with a lizard, hahahaha. It is funny now, but not then. Yes, the Philippines, I was far away from home. It was in the Airmen's Club on base that I met a beautiful young Filipino woman. Her name, Dominga, that I soon started calling her by her nickname. It was a love at first sight. I spent 27 months in the Philippines as a crew chief and a flight mechanic. I got to fly to many primitive places in the Philippines that other people dream about. It was in the country of over 7,000 islands that I married, Lina. In less than a month it will be 44 years we have been together through the good times and the bad times.

I am thankful for our two children, Thomas who was active in the school bands and was on the swimming team. Thomas decided to make the Marine Corps his career. He spent 20 years as a Marine and served 3 tours of duty in Iraq. He has now retired from the Marine Corps and works for the US government, living in Okinawa. Our other child, Leonor was into majorettes and the school band. She was drum major in her senior year. Ever since Leonor could pick up a crayon she knew art was her passion. She graduated from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. She has continued to make art a career as an artist and a graphic designer. Her paintings and sketches are truly fabulous. Two children in my life that my wife and I are very proud of and thankful to have in our lives.

I am thankful for my career working in manufacturing and building maintenance. I have worked on parts that have been for guidance systems of missiles, parts that have gone in the space shuttle, parts for patriot missile launchers, parts for  missile launchers on nuclear submarines. I developed a riveting process for a part that my company tried unsuccessfully to manufacture for 30 years. I am thankful that I developed a process to rivet that part. It made me feel proud to do something that many others failed to do. I also worked in a library as a maintenance supervisor. I always had a love for books, but working in the library was just amazing. It brought the writer out in me. I have been published in Our USA Magazine and I am now having my second novel published.

I am thankful that I am now retired and can take life a little easy. I write when I want, take walks with my dog, I go to bed when I want and get up when I want. Getting old seems bad to many people, but not to me. I love life and as long as I love life I am thankful. I have many friends in my life, I have my facebook friends that I will probably never meet in person, but I am thankful that they are a part of my life.

Memories, friends, a wife of almost 44 years, 2 great children, and 5 grand kids. I am thankful for a lot of things in my life and I will be thinking of all of them as I eat my Thanksgiving dinner.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

DID I MISS MY CALLING

I turned 66 not long ago and I continue to look back over my life. One of the things that I think of often is, did I choose the right career path? I ended up in manufacturing because that is the path that my father and
brother took. Was it the right choice? Now at this age I don't think it was where I wanted to go. I really wanted to be a forest ranger because my heart is and always will be with nature.

I think it was about half way through my life that after reading a book I would often wonder if I had the talent to do such a thing. It kept pressing more and more on my mind. I would write some short stories of my life just for the fun of it. I would read them over and over. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone else would be interested in reading them. In my late 50s I started to submit articles to magazines. When I reached fourteen rejections it hit me that maybe I just didn't have the talent to be a writer. I gave it one more try to a magazine titled, Our USA Magazine. Cher Valentino, the founder and editor of the magazine loved my story and published it in the magazine. I was now on cloud nine, seeing one of my stories in print made me feel like I could make it as a writer. Cher published several more of my stories. She has been an inspiration to me in continuing my writing.

Because of her I wrote my first novel, Golden Haze. In a way it was a tribute to my late dog Izzy that died in 2004. I loved that dog so much and was devastated when she died. When I wrote, Golden Haze, I made Izzy the main character and had a photo of her put on the front cover. In the book she was an angel that helps a family through the struggles of injury, disease, and paranormal activity in their home. In real life Izzy was my little angel.

That fiction novel set a fire under me like I have never felt in my life. I have now written two more novels and one is being published as I write this. Story telling is an art, a passion. I can't stand up in front of a crowd like many people can, but I can write the words. I love writing and I love telling a good story. Life is an adventure, each year is another chapter. I am up there in years now, but my mind and heart are of someone half my age.

Now as I look back over my life I realize it was a good one and I made a decent living. However, I have to wonder what would have happened had I started writing earlier in my life. At this point in my life, I think I did miss my calling. We can't go back in time and we have to be thankful for what we have. However, I really do wish I had started writing earlier in my life. I love it and people should do in their lives what they love.


Larry W. Fish   Copyright   2014

VOTE

It is amazing to me that the United States of America has the lowest percentage of voter turnout of any wealthy country. I hear it almost every day someone saying, "There is no point in voting, my vote doesn't count." In my opinion that is a stupid statement. Just think if one million people had that same feeling. One million votes would surely make a huge difference.

I am down on many democrats and many republicans, however there are good people in both parties. However, they have lost their way and vote party lines no matter what. I have heard people say, "My parents have always voted republican and so will I." Years ago I got tired of democrat and republican candidates and went from a registered democrat to unaffiliated. I don't belong to any party and never
will again. I listen to all candidates and vote for the one that I feel is best.

What bothers me the most though is that 58 countries of the world had a higher percentage of voting age people vote in their last presidential election. Uruguay had 96.1%, Ecuador 90.8%, and Brazil 77.3%. Just imagine if the US had that high of a percentage of people voting. It would change American politics in a way that we have never seen before. I know some countries do have compulsory voting.

In 2008, 57.5% of the eligible age voters voted in the presidential election. In 2010 only 36.9% voted in a mid-term election. In 2012, 53.9% voted in the presidential election. The republican party is now trying to make it harder for people to vote. This is wrong, people should be encouraged to vote. My feeling is, if you don't vote then don't complain. I hear many people tell me what is wrong in the US. When I ask them if they vote, they say no. Well if you don't vote then, don't complain.

We have a mid-term election coming up in less than three weeks. It could change the lives of millions of Americans. This is the time to vote. If you are registered vote. If you aren't registered and still can then register and vote. Voting is a right that every American should take seriously.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

BE THANKFUL

In a few days I will be 66 years old. Yes, another birthday is approaching and it gives me time to look back over my life. Would I have done anything to change it? I think that everyone in their life would make changes if they had it to do over again.

However, I have so many things in my life to be thankful for. I grew up a country boy and had nature all around me. It was a tough childhood, but also in many ways rewarding. I got to spend much time in the forest and learned to love and respect animals and nature at an early age. That feeling has never left me. In my heart I will always be a country boy.

When I got our of high school I went to work in a factory that did much work for the government. It was the time during the Vietnam War. As many of my friends were getting drafted, I felt it was time to enlist in the military. The owner of the factory told me one day that since we did much government work he could get me out of the military. I told him no, it was my duty to serve. I would never be considered a draft dodger. I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and spent time in Texas, Florida, and the Philippines.

Here I sit at the computer now thinking what would have happened if I had listened to my boss. I would have never ended up in the Philippines and I never would have met a beautiful young woman that worked in the Airmen's Club on Clark AFB in the Philippines. I never would have got married and had a son and a daughter by my wife Lina. In December of this year we will celebrate 44 years of marriage.

When I got out of the Air Force I went to work for a short while for Ronson Corporation. My main job was to put flint tubes in cigarette lighters. I only worked for them a couple of months before I got a job working for General Electric. That factory made carbon brushes for motors and generators. It was dirty, extremely dirty but paid well. The downfall was that I worked many holidays including, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. The pay was great, but between the dirt and the hours I left after 4 1/2 years.

Through the following years I worked in other machine shops and and factories. It was often stressful work but paid well. Some of the things I worked on was gold drums that went in guidance systems for missiles, hoists for shrimp boats, parts for the space shuttle, parts for the stealth bomber, parts for missile launchers on nuclear submarines. I was proud of much I accomplished, it made me feel patriotic and proud.

When I first got out of the Air Force I had a chance to get my pilots license at the local airport. I turned it down because I was at that time working about 70 hours a week at GE. The government would have paid 90%. Not becoming a pilot has been the biggest regret of my life.

I look back over my life and I am thankful for what I have, a wife, two children, and five grand kids.
I have a little adopted dog that gives me smiles every day. A roof over my head. Food in my stomach. I have been a published author. Dreams that every day the world will get better.

Yes, I complain about politics, traffic, pollution, and many things other people complain about, but I am happy in my life and that is what counts. I have many friends in my personal life and on Facebook. In a few days I will be 66, and I look forward to getting up everyday. It is just another chapter in my life and I think I have quite a few chapters left until I reach that final chapter.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

PROOFREADING

You have just finished that novel and you want to get it to a publisher as soon as you can. You have read over your novel and you think everything is perfect and that is the way you want it. You contact a publisher and soon the copy of your book is in your hands. Have you made a wise choice by rushing it to a publisher? My answer to that is yes, you have made a big mistake. The same mistake that I made on my first novel, Golden Haze.

An author needs to have their work proofread by someone other than yourself. Someone else will pick out many mistakes that you do not see yourself. I know to have it professionally proofread is very expensive and many authors are working on a shoestring budget, myself included. When I wrote my second and third novels, I didn't have the funds to get it professionally proofread. My daughter is very good in grammar and punctuation. I was lucky to have her and she was glad to do it for me. My daughter caught many errors that I didn't see myself. I now have two novels that I will be getting self-published in the months to come.

I now feel that I will end up with the best work possible. If you don't have the money to get it professionally proofread, then you may well have a friend who is good at grammar and punctuation. Have them read your manuscript, look for errors, and suggest changes.

When my next novels get in print I want them to be the best they can possibly be. An author puts much time into their work and is doing something they are proud of. I am writing this blog post because I had someone tell me that they read a book that was self-published and they said it was poorly written and confusing. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are so important to a writer.

If you wish to read my first novel. It is, Golden Haze, and is available on amazon.com or can be ordered at any book store in the US. It has received good reviews on amazon. It is the story of a four legged angel that helps a family through the struggles of injury, disease, and paranormal activity in their home. The dog pictured on the front cover was my actual dog, Izzy.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

FRUSTRATION

The life of an unknown author is one of frustration. I have a novel that I worked on for 1 1/2 years. I put my heart and soul into it. I had one novel self-published a few years ago and this time I wanted to go the traditional route in getting published. I sent out query letter after query letter, sample chapters after sample chapters and I got the same replies back from agents.

It was always, "No, I'm going to pass." or "It doesn't fit into what I am looking for." or "I considered it, but then decided I wouldn't go with it." Other agents did not even bother to answer back. They would put on their websites something like, "If you don't hear back from us in three months, then we're not interested."
An unknown author is caught between a rock and a hard place. Most top publishers won't talk with an author directly. They want you to get an agent.

No one wants to give an unknown author a chance in the traditional publishing world. Agents have told me right out that they take on less than 1% of projects. With many agents they want to know if you have been previously published. So you can't get published if you don't have an agent and you can't get an agent if you
haven't been published. For first time authors, it is an uphill battle that never seems to end.

Yesterday I received two rejections from agents. In almost a year of trying to get an agent, that brings my total of rejections to 62. I have kept positive for as long as I can and I now have to face reality. I have had friends ask me when my next novel will be published. Is it fair to them and to myself to keep my novels from them? I don't think it is any longer. I am now searching for a self publisher that doesn't charge an arm and a leg. Many of them want astronomical prices to get published. I have found a few that is within reason, if I wish to go with them.

Then I got to thinking. I read that there are about 750,000 manuscripts submitted each year and less than 3% get published the traditional way. Many of those manuscripts will never get published at all. They will sit in someone's drawer on on their computer forever. I wonder how many of those manuscripts are great stories. I bet many of them are. It is a shame that people that love to read will never get to see them.

I feel that it is not my loss that I can't get published the traditional way. I feel it is the loss of the agents, the publishers, and people who love to read. My readers will get to read my novels. If they like them I hope they tell others. If they don't like them I hope they tell me. I write from the heart and when I tell a story I want the reader to get a smile on their face, a tear in their eye, or a chill down their spine.

I know many other authors who are going through the same thing that I am. I feel their frustration just as I do.
It is a tough business, but I will not give up. I think I am meant to write stories and as long as I have people that want to read them I will keep writing. I now have two completed novels that I want to share.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

A GUT FEELING

I have two completed novels that I am trying to get an agent for to represent me. It is a frustrating process as many authors are aware of. Even great works have been rejected many times. For authors that are trying to break into the business it is an almost impossible task.

At the present time my first novel has been rejected by 43 agents and my second novel has been rejected by 6 agents. Many people would give up at this point and throw in the towel. However, I am not one of those people that gets discouraged easily.

I send out many query letters to different agents and I was thrilled this weekend when I sent a query letter and the first chapter of my last novel to an agent. This agent was listed on the Internet. I received a reply back in a matter of minutes saying that she wanted to read my full manuscript. At that point I was on cloud nine. My dream was becoming a reality. I sent an email back asking if she wanted the novel single spaced or double spaced. She immediately replied back and said it didn't matter, just send it any way that I wanted.

Writers who contact agents know they are very particular and want everything just a certain way. This threw up a red flag to me that something didn't seem right. I did some research on the Internet and found out that this agent was in Boston, moved to Florida, and now is in New Jersey. I got in contact with a woman that researched this agent extensively. She said this agent goes by two different names and she couldn't find out where the agent had made any sales. The agent also wanted my manuscript exclusively and didn't want me to give it to anyone else until she had read it.

Going from a high point to a low point happened in a matter of minutes. Naturally I did not send my full manuscript to this agent. It just didn't seem right and appeared to be a scam. I am frustrated that this deal didn't work out for me, but I am very relieved that I didn't make the mistake of sending my manuscript to an agent that goes by an alias and apparently is unqualified to represent someone.

Now I am back to sending out more query letters to agents that I know are much more qualified. Anyone seeking an agent beware of the unqualified and the ones out to scam someone.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

SICKNESS IN AMERICA

In America we have a disease that is spreading like wildfire. It is sucking the very life out of the nation that we love. It is not a disease that puts us in bed or the hospital. It is a disease of millionaires and the billionaires of this great nation. It is their sickness, but it is affecting the middle class and the poor like it has never done before.

What is this disease you ask? It is GREED!! The millionaires and the billionaires of this country want to make money hand over fist, but they don't want to share it with the people that are making it for them. One of the worst sayings I have ever heard is when I hear that someone is a self made millionaire or billionaire. That is a false statement and it is not a fact. Someone gets to be a millionaire or billionaire because of the hard working employees that they have.

These millionaires and billionaires don't want to share any of that wealth with their employees. Many CEOs and top executives are taking home millions of dollars a year while their employees are struggling. It is a disease that in their minds that they are more valuable then those employees making the money for them. Millionaires and billionaires would rather hide their money in Swiss bank accounts than to share it with employees.

No one needs as much money and needs to live the life style that they are obsessed with. Who needs five or six homes, many expensive cars, the ability to travel the world any time they want. No one does! It is a shame that we have so much homeless in America and one in five children don't know where their next meal is coming from. Massive wealth is a sickness, that I never want to get.

Greed is a terrible thing. If a fraction of this wealth was shared with hard working Americans, they would be able to spend more, increase the economy, drop unemployment, and end hunger. I hate what the super rich is doing to a great nation. When a CEO makes five or six hundred times what the average worker makes, it is a disease that will make a nation fail. America deserves better, much better.

Raise the minimum wage, stop the corporate lobbying in Washington, close the loopholes for the wealthy, vote for people who care for everyone, not just the super rich. Get the corporate money out of politics. VOTE FOR PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR ALL OF AMERICA, NOT THE ONES WHO ONLY SUPPORT CORPORATE AMERICA.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

TWO AND A HALF YEARS

What does a retired man do for the last two and a half years? Many play golf, take long vacations, or do nothing at all. However, that isn't the way I think. Just because I am retired, I think life is far from over. I want to do something that people will remember me for.

Yesterday I completed the final changes on a novel. The second one I have written in the last two and a half years. There have been countless hours of writing, thinking, writing some more, deleting whole chapters because I didn't like where my story was going, finally finishing and sending the story to be proofread. Then I got the novels back from the proofreader and made hundreds of minor changes to make the story better.

Now there are two novels that I am trying to get published. My first novel is the story of a man that is in deep depression after his wife is killed in a car accident. God visits the man and sends him on a walking journey halfway across America. He had no idea where he was going or what he would find. He meets a woman that God also visited and was sent on the same type of walking journey. They meet on a park bench in Change, Kansas and an incredible love story develops between them. She dies years later of brain cancer but the man continues to think of her as the love of his life. The story continues through his third marriage and ends on his death at an old age.

So far I have received 42 rejections from agents in trying to get one to represent me on this novel. You would think after 42 rejections I would be depressed, but I am not. I look at as their mistake that they are passing up on a good story. I may finally end up self-publishing this story, but will continue to try to get an
agent first.

The second novel, that I just finished yesterday is the story of a man that went to war and was the only one to survive a battle in which eight of his fellow comrades were killed. The experience in the war affected him so badly that he walks away from his parents, society, and walks deep into the wilderness of Minnesota where he lives for years without contact with anyone. Finally two men on horseback see his cabin and become best friends with the man. They talk him into building another cabin and have people fly into the lake to fish. On one of those trips a young city woman spends two weeks in the wilderness with her parents. The man is a wilderness man and she is a city woman. An incredible romance blooms and they reach a compromise and get married. They have two great children through the years and eventually move near their son to enjoy their golden years.

Two entirely different love stories, but ones that I think my readers will enjoy. All I have to do is to get them in print. Why did I spend so much time on these two stories? Because I love to write and to tell stories. The first story is 60,194 words. The second story is 60,296 words. Two and a half years of writing have given me 120,490 words written from the heart.

Someday my friends, I hope you get to read these stories. What will I do in the meantime before they are published? I have another story that is playing in my brain right now. I imagine I will be putting that story into words very soon.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

NINETEEN SIXTY-SIX

Nineteen sixty-six is a year I think back to often. That was the year that I graduated from Pocono Mountain High School in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania. I was a shy kid, didn't apply myself in school as much as I should have. However, I made many good friends there. I think about them so often and wonder if any of them think of me.

A few days ago my granddaughter showed me her yearbook. She just finished sixth grade and her yearbook was in full color. It was beautiful and will give her many memories. She has joined the band and wants to play soccer next year. She also joined the animal science club this past year. She has a goal in her life already and wants to work with animals.

I took my yearbook out of my bookcase this morning and glanced through it. It gave me a little chill as I looked at the photos of the faculty members. Many of them were fairly old in 1966 and are probably deceased now. As with everyone I had teachers that inspired me and other teachers that just didn't give me that inspiration. Teaching is a great profession and I often wonder how many of them realize just how much of an influence they have on a young person.

I looked through that yearbook page by page. My class members brought a smile to my face. Each and every one of them made me wonder where they are today. Many, including myself, have moved away from the Pocono Mountains. Flipping through those pages I came to a friend that died way to young in his life. He was one of those that always had a kind word. Then I wondered how many others have passed away. We aren't old by any means, but many people die young.

A couple of those classmates I am still in touch with today on facebook. I wish I could get in contact with many others. I am going to try. It is easier with the men, but when the women marry their last name changes and it is difficult to locate them. I am sure most of them are now retired like myself. I wonder what their lives have been like and what they are doing in retirement. Personally, I worked 30 years in manufacturing and then 10 years in building maintenance. I have had a good life, a wife of 43 years, two wonderful children that I love so much, and 5 grand kids that make me proud. Now that I am retired I write. I have been published in Our USA Magazine and am now working on my third novel.

In 2016, it will be fifty years since we graduated. I wonder if we will have a class reunion? I would love to see some of the old gang again.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

PARANORMAL

I am one of these people that has to experience something for myself before I am a true believer. I believe in UFOs, have never seen one. So I can't say that I am a true believer. I just can't imagine that in the entire universe, earth is the only place with life. I was kind of on the fence about ghosts until the last place that I worked before I retired, I became a true believer.

I worked for a large church and was the custodian/maintenance co-ordinator. Often times I would be in the church by myself. I had a very flexible schedule and would often go to work in the wee hours of the morning so that I could have most of the afternoon off. The church was one of the best jobs I ever had, not the best paying by far but the best of working conditions.

Yes, I often was in the church by myself early in the morning, late at night, or on weekends, OR WAS I?
My first experience was very early one morning when it was still very dark that I was working in one of the upstairs restrooms that the light went out. Naturally I thought, oh crap the light bulb burned out. I felt around the wall until I came to the door and reached for the light switch. It was turned off. How could that be? I was the only one in the building. It was strange, but not of a major concern.

Sometimes I would hear people talking, singing, or doors slamming. It made me wonder what was going on in this church. I didn't have experiences every day but over the course of time I had many more. I would often set the thermostats up or down after my shift depending on the weather. It was one day when I was setting the thermostat upstairs that it felt like someone poured a bucket of ice water on me and I got the strangest feeling like I wasn't alone. The hair on my arms was standing straight up.

I never felt threatened but curious more than anything. I had a little office upstairs and the room across from my office had a little TV in it. One day I had to walk downstairs to the sanctuary for a couple of minutes. As I got to the bottom of the stairs to go back up to my office I heard this strange noise. What is that? I thought. It sounded like the strangest noise. I climbed the stairs and as I got to the top the noise was louder and louder. I looked in each room as I made my way down the hallway. I looked in the room across from my office and the TV was on to a station with the sound turned all the way up. It was on a station without a signal, just static. That time really sent chills up and down my spine. That happened to me twice while I worked there.

Another time on a Saturday I had just finished cleaning the sanctuary for Sunday services. I sat down in the pastor's chair and looked out over the sanctuary. As I was there the lights in the back of the sanctuary turned on, turned off, turned on, turned off, turned on, turned off. This kept up for a minute or two. All I could think of was, I'm not alone in this sanctuary am I?

My experiences in that church made me a true believer that there was something there paranormal. I never saw the ghost, but one of the women that worked in the office which was located in a building next to the church had to go to the sanctuary for some reason. I was working in a different part of the church. She came back to me and said, "You're not going to believe this, but I just saw a ghost in the sanctuary." I kind of chuckled and thought she was kidding. She told me that a woman was sitting in one of the back pews and looked transparent. She said it looked at her for a little while and then just faded away. She was really freaked out. Some of the girls that worked in the office refused to go to the sanctuary unless I went with them.

I never heard of anything happening during Sunday services or when there was a group of people in the church. I guess our ghost just liked it when only one person was around. I have no doubt that it wasn't evil, but a prankster. Well she pulled many pranks on me.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

I KNOW WHAT DEATH IS LIKE

I read an article the other day by a friend who has insomnia. He said that when he dies he will finally get some sleep. As I read the article I had concern for that man who had to go through sleepless nights. I have those on occasion myself. However, that story gave me a flashback to a bad time in my life.

It was late 1994 while I was at work that I came very close to passing out. I was taken to the emergency room and as often happens nothing was found. For the following three months I had terrible headaches, nose bleeds that didn't want to stop, extreme dizziness, and I couldn't walk more than a few steps without falling down. I went through every medical test under the sun and was always told we can't find anything wrong. During my ordeal I was on thirteen different kinds of medication and nothing helped. I was in bed for months and often as I laid there I could feel my head staying still as my body moved back and forth. It was a strange feeling, something I hope no one has to experience. I laid there in bed afraid to go to sleep because I thought I wouldn't wake up again.

Then one day it happened. I was floating near the ceiling looking down on my body. I was in bed, lifeless. I knew that I had died. It felt so peaceful, like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. After a few minutes I felt a strange feeling as I reentered my body. It wasn't a dream it happened, I was dead. It was a long time before I told anyone because I was sure they would think I was crazy.

Near the end of the third month I was taken to a chiropractor. No medical doctor could do anything for me, so really it was a last resort. After a few days I was feeling better and within two weeks I was much better. I finally returned to work but it took me months to get back to normal. I was scared to go anywhere alone. It will soon be twenty years since that bad time in my life. I was so curious if anyone else had experienced what I had. I read many books and stories and it had happened to other people.

Many people are afraid of dying. I have never been afraid because it happens to everyone. I'm just a little different because I have already died once.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

MEMORIAL DAY

As this Memorial Day weekend has come once again I think of how much this weekend means to me. So many of our military has lost their lives in war. It is a time when many people are more interested in BBQ's and festivals than they are in the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Last night I looked at the National Memorial Day Concert from the west lawn of the US Capitol. It was an amazing hour and a half co-hosted by Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise. To hear the stories told by loved loves of their sons and husbands killed in war it brought tears to my eyes. To see men who served in World War II on D-day was a moment I will never forget.

Whether a loved one has been wounded, killed, or is just away from their families for long periods of time protecting the freedom that we have come to know, we should hold everyone of them in our hearts and our prayers. In between all of that celebrating and a day off from work people should think of the real reason for Memorial Day.

On Facebook this morning I read an article written by my friend, Dennis Page, and what flying the American flag means to him. He loves this country as do I. We both know there are sacrifices that our military makes every day being away from their loved ones. Many in times of war make the ultimate sacrifice. Don't ever make those loved ones feel like their husbands, wives, sons, or daughters gave their lives and you don't care. Don't ever do that.

God Bless America!!!!


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

I DON'T UNDERSTAND

I grew up rather poor and never had the chance to go to college. It is something that I never regretted and I did study years later through a correspondence course for an Associates Degree. College also isn't for everyone. Many successful people have done amazing things without a college degree. However, in today's world it seems that a college degree is much more important than it was when I was a young man.

It was this morning that I saw something on Facebook that just amazed me. It seemed so wrong that I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs that our government is so wrong. Our government wastes money on so many things and our representatives and senators get so many perks and benefits that they do not deserve.

On Facebook I read that our government could make college tuition at American public universities free for 62.6 billion dollars. At the bottom of the photo I read that we will spend 85.4 billion dollars in Afghanistan in fiscal year 2015.

It seems so wrong to me that our government feels a war in a far off land in a country that doesn't care about the USA is more important than the education of our young people. The people going to college today will be our future leaders, opening new businesses, and running the country. There is no doubt in my mind that America has it's priorities wrong, very very wrong.

There is little that we can do except to vote for people who feel education is more important than war.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

THE OUTLOOK CHANGES

I am now in my mid sixties and as I look back on my life, I see the many changes that have taken place. The advancements in technology have been fascinating. The pride and patriotism of American business has felt us for the desire of greed by big business. The middle class is dwindling as the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Our government that one worked for the benefit of the American people is now working for the benefit of special interests.

There have also been many changes in my personal life as I used to look at life through the eyes of a little boy. Now I look at life through the eyes of an older man. I have to smile at some of the things that come to my mind as I write this.

I used to look at my dad shaving and I thought to myself, I can't wait until I shave. Now I am sixty five and every time I pick up that razor I think to myself, gee I wish I didn't have to shave all the time. Funny how things can change from the way a little boy sees it and the way an older man looks at  it.

I remember sitting in class at school and thinking that I can't wait until the day I got out of school and could start working. It didn't take long in my adult life as I was often working two jobs to make ends meet, that I realized school wasn't so bad after all.

I remember as a young man I often said things or did things to people that I am now ashamed of. It took time in my life to mature and realize that everyone wants the same things in life. Everyone deserves kindness and respect. I now look at everyone I see as a potential friend. Friends are an important part of life and a true friend is someone you can tell secrets to and know they will just remain between the two of you.

The little boy I was wanted to be a forest ranger. That never materialized as this little boy went to work in a factory where his father and brother worked. It wasn't my first choice and was the start of thirty years of working in manufacturing. It was often stressful, but paid well. Now as I am retired I look back on that time and think, did I ever regret not becoming a forest ranger? Yes, at times I did regret that decision.

I have had other regrets in life. There was a time after I got out of the military that I had a chance to learn how to fly. I visited a local airport, took a ride in a small aircraft, and was told that the government would pay for 90%. I was at that time working in a factory, had a wife and a small child. It was my decision to turn down the offer to learn how to fly because I was working about seventy hours a week.

I now look back and wonder what could have been. However, I also look back and feel proud of what I have done in my life. I now have a wife of 43 years, 2 wonderful children, and 5 grand kids that I adore.

One other change I can think of. When I was in school I had no desire to be a writer. It was the last thing that I thought I would ever want to do. Now here I am in my golden years writing a blog, have had stories published in Our USA Magazine, had a novel published and am in the process of getting more published.

I love life and enjoy getting up every day, petting my adopted dog, and knowing that my wife and I will still have many more years together. God bless life and God bless America, the land that I love.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

THE DAY THAT CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER

Last night I was chatting online with a friend and a topic came up that haunts me. Some things just need to be told no matter how painful they may be. I was lying in bed early this morning, about 3:30 am and tears were running down my cheeks like they have so many times through the years.

The day that changed my life forever takes me back in time to almost fifty nine years ago. I was a little boy of seven years old. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. A sunny day that started out so well. I had no idea how that day would change and haunt me for the rest of my life. I don't know how many times through the years it has made me cry. Sad tears that started in a little boy of seven years old and continues to this day as I approach sixty six.

My brother and I walked to our uncle's house as we often did. I can remember looking out over the corn fields on his forty acre farm. My uncle was an amazing farmer and could grow crops that would make any man proud. On this particular day as we approached him we could see that he was drunk as a skunk. This was  frequent with my uncle as he was the town drunk. However, I think I didn't realize how he could be until that day.

We walked up to him and he was weaving back and forth, swearing a blue streak. His little dog, a beagle, had given birth to several puppies just several days before. As my brother and I stood there he reached back underneath his porch and pulled those puppies out one by one. I can remember them looking so cute in my eyes and thinking how they would make someone so happy. Then the horror came. My uncle threw each one of them on the ground and stomped them to death. He was in a drunken rage. I turned my head away but I can still hear the sound to this day of his boot coming down and crushing those little puppies to death.

I had just witnessed something that no child should have to see. I remember running home crying and crying. Those puppies just didn't die that day, so did any respect and love I had for my uncle. It was over, I hated him then and I hate him now. There is no way I could ever forgive him for doing such a horrid act. I talked to him rarely after that and never attended his funeral when he died. That little seven year old boy and this man who is almost sixty six will never forgive him. My uncle was an alcoholic. In the few times I saw him sober he was a kind man. The alcohol changed him into a monster. Even to this day if I see a drunk on TV, like Otis Campbell on the Andy Griffith Show my mind will flash back to that day.

That day haunts me something fierce. It will haunt me until the day I die. I guess if anything good came out of that day it is my love for animals. I was lying in bed this morning with tears in my eyes and rolled over to look at my dog Cookie sleeping in her bed. I did get a smile as I thought to myself, don't worry honey. No one is every going to hurt you again. I won't let them.


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

WHAT A PAIN IN THE ***

I grew up in the world before so much technology. We had the party line phone, a TV that only got 5 channels, and I listened to Elvis, The Detroit Wheels, and Herman and the Hermits. I played that music on the old vinyl records. That seems so long ago and I guess it was.

I remember buying my first digital watch in the 1960s. It had red numbers and when I got out in the sunlight I couldn't read what time it was. As they say, "Those were the days my friends, I thought they would never end."

Well they did end and as my years on earth advanced so did my knowledge of technology. I got that first video game Pong. How many remember that game? If that couldn't bore you to death then nothing could. Finally I got the Atari and it was a lot more fun. As advanced as those games were for the time, they are nothing compared to what we have today.

Then the personal computer came along and life became more of a challenge. Wow, the Internet, I could communicate with people around the world. It is amazing now to be able to see a photo of my son and his family living in Okinawa in the blink of an eye. I now have friends that I will never meet but I know them from different states in the US, friends from the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and Russia to name a few countries. It is so nice to see that people living in other countries want the same things in life that I do.

That PC and the Internet has allowed me to write stories that have been published in Our USA Magazine. It has allowed me to get my first novel published. It is now allowing me to contact literary agents in hopes of getting representation to get more novels published.

Everything seemed fine until three days ago. That was when I couldn't send an email, I kept getting server error. I looked at my security program and saw that my computer was at risk. There was no way for me to get rid of the risk message. I contacted the computer security provider and I was connected to an online IT technician.

He deleted many temporary and corrupt files, but couldn't get rid of the risk message on the security program. He couldn't get my email to work so I could send messages. Finally he uninstalled my security program and installed a more updated version. Finally it showed my computer was not at risk and I could finally send emails. Ten hours over two days my IT technician worked on my computer. I was stressed and I'm sure he was stressed. Aren't computers the greatest? That is until your computer gets corrupted and then the headaches begin.

I look back to the 1950s this morning and remember my only concern was what record to play or what station to listen to on my new transistor radio. What station should I look at on TV in black and white? Yes, "Those were the days my friends."


Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

IF I WAS A POLITICIAN

I guess everyone at one time or another has been fed up with American politics. I for one know that many times I thought how did these people ever get elected. It really does amaze me. I noticed that American politics changed a lot quite a few years ago. I was registered as a Democrat. However, I saw some good Republicans. It was at that time I became registered as an Unaffiliated voter.

In the world of today there is no compromise in American politics. Democrats hate everything the Republicans stand for. Republicans hate everything the Democrats stand for. Years ago Democrats and Republicans would disagree, but they would finally come to a compromise. A compromise is something that has left Washington. The worst thing to happen in American politics in years is the Tea Party. They are a bunch of extremists that only follow the money trail of the millionaires and billionaires of America.

If I was a politician I would not take millions of dollars and put out ads attacking my opponent. I would much rather tell the truth about myself, than to spread lies and hate. America wasn't founded on hate. When elected I would not be wined and dined by lobbyists of big business in America. I would tell it like it is. I would say, "I was voted in by the people, the people I represent. I don't vote for you. Big business is not people." In public opinion polls lobbyists rank below lawyers and used car salesman.

I would not send our young men and women of the armed forces to fight in some far off land. I would not vote for them to spill their blood so some big business can get rich. There should be a limit as to how much money a business can make during war time. I would support a bill making sure every member of Congress serves in the military before they can be elected to Congress. I would also support a bill that the President and Vice President and the Secretary of Defense serve in the military before they could take office. The Secretary of Defense is not a place for a five time draft dodger.

I would use our military to clean up the drug mess in America. I would demand a drug test on anyone collecting welfare, food stamps, or any other government run program. I would not support money for foreign aid while our children in America go hungry. I would fight to see that our teachers are well paid and given the respect that they deserve. I would make it that anyone who kills someone because of their skin color or religion is given the maximum penalty, death!!

I would fight for gun control. Not taking away from hunters, people buying a gun for protection, people shooting target practice or competition. I would make it that anyone killing someone with a gun gets the death penalty no exceptions.

I would fight for America. America is in real trouble now because our politicians are bought by the highest bidder. Every citizen of the United States should have the right to vote and I encourage everyone to vote whether they agree with me or not.

If I was a politician, I would fight for America. I would tell the special interests to go to hell. I would not allow rich people to put their money in Swiss banks or the Cayman Islands to avoid paying taxes. They would sure as hell pay their fair share.

'Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

HATE AND VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

I grew up in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. My childhood years during the 1950s showed me a peaceful and simple life. I never heard of people being murdered. It was something that I never thought of. People were supposed to get along with everyone. I didn't care if someone was white, black, asian, or what their religion was.

I liked everyone and I still do. Somewhere along the line times have changed for the worst in the United States of America. My entire family were hunters, including my mother. I grew up with guns and learned at an early age how to handle them safely. The most important fact that my parents taught me was you never point a gun at anyone, NEVER.

Then the 1960s came, my teenage years. First I saw where JFK our president was shot and killed. It was a terrible day, one I will never forget no matter how long I live. I was in tenth grade typing class when I got the news. Later in that decade, RFK was shot and killed. Even later Martin Luther King was shot and killed. I was taught never to point a gun at anyone. I was seeing some of the most powerful men in America being killed. Something was very wrong and I didn't understand.

As my life went on I saw that racism was getting better in America. Black people were being treated more fairly and I was sure that someday it would make a difference to no one what color a person's skin was. Black people were playing all the major sports, in great TV shows, and more and more were becoming doctors and lawyers. People were being equal, or so I thought.

Years later I see that hate in America is once again rising it's ugly head. I was sure that when Barrack Obama became president people would come together like never before. I was wrong, so many people refuse to believe that the Civil War is over. They want to put race in everything. A Republican House of Representatives refuses to pass any bills that will make the president look good. They refuse to support a black man. I am ashamed of the Congress of the USA.

When the Constitution was written it gave people the right to bear arms. That sounded good when everyone had single shot muskets. Now America is flooded with high capacity rifles and many people own more guns than they will ever need. I had a friend on a social networking site that told me he has more guns than most police departments. I felt it was an ignorant thing to say. He is no longer a friend of mine. It is time to change the Constitution to the modern era.

Mass shootings in America and Congress does nothing. They don't care about the American people. 90% of American citizens want to expand background checks and Congress does nothing. It has been almost a year and a half since the terrible shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and Congress has done nothing. I don't believe guns should be taken away from hunters, people who shoot target practice or in competitions. I do believe something should be done. Every day when I turn on the news I hear of a shooting. This shouldn't be happening in America.

Many shootings happen because of racism, different religions, different social status. America is full of hate and it is time to vote in people that care about America. To many of our politicians only care about the rich. They don't want to loose their campaign supporters. They would rather turn their heads and pretend they don't see the violence and hatred in America.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

A MOVIE IN MY MIND

I had someone ask me the other day an interesting question about writing. They wanted to know if I see a vision of what I am writing as I do it. Actually as I wrote the novel I am thinking of it was like a movie in my brain. As I see this movie my fingers are on the keyboard typing what I see. It may seem unusual to some people, but I feel like I am in a theater watching a film. Of course it is not a full length film in one sitting but each time the film is playing in my head.

I can actually see this man talking to God or walking across America. I can see him in my mind. To me it is as plain as day. Do all other writers, write the same way as I do? I have my doubts, but that is what works for me.

Let me show you what would be a scene in a movie. As that movie played in my head, this is what I wrote when Shane went to the bathroom to shave and saw his dead wife in the mirror:

It was a week or so later on a Saturday morning that Shane woke up and went into the bathroom. He ran his hand over his face and realized it was time for him to shave. He ran hot water into the sink and lathered his face. He remembered that Becky always liked it when he finished shaving. “You feel so smooth. I love a clean shaven face,” she would say. It brought a faint smile to his face as he started to shave. Removing the stubble from his face, he washed off his face before applying some after shave. He moved his hands over his face and realized that Becky was always right; it did feel better.

As Shane ran some more hot water into the sink, the mirror fogged up from the steam. He took a little towel and started to clean the mirror off. As soon as he rubbed a little spot on the mirror, he saw Becky’s face staring back at him. He jumped back startled and took another look in the mirror. Becky was smiling at him. She said, “I miss you, Shane. I love you so much. I’m at peace now and I want you to move on in your life.”

Tears were running down Shane’s face. He said, “I’ll never love anyone but you, Becky.”

Becky shook her head and said, “No Shane, it is time for you to move on. You need to be happy. You need to love again.”

Shane felt that if he ever loved another woman it would mean that he didn’t love Becky anymore. Becky told him that their love would always be in their hearts. She made him promise her that it was time for him to move on. Shane moved his lips close to the mirror and they gave a final kiss. As he moved away, he saw tears running down Becky’s face. Becky’s face faded away in the mirror. Shane just stared at it for a few minutes wondering if he was going crazy. He didn’t think it was possible that he could actually see Becky’s spirit in the mirror but he knew he had.

It is so easy for me to see that in my mind. Words come easy to me most of the time. However, there is those times when I get writer's block. I guess there must be a bad spot in the film at that time hahahaha!! Sometimes writers just need a break, take a step back, do something they enjoy, and before they know it the words will flow again like water in a cool mountain stream.

The life of a writer is different than so many jobs that people do. So many things in life depend on a writer. That song you hear was written by someone. That movie you you saw last night was brought to life by what someone wrote. That book you curled up with on the sofa last night and read with smiles was because someone knew just what to write. Writing is the most powerful thing known to man. No computer, TV, radio, or any electronic device known to man can beat what is written from someone's heart.

Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

WHY IN AMERICA

A startling fact is that in the US many people are going to bed hungry. We say we are the greatest country in the world and in many ways we are. However, can we say that with a conscience when we know that one in five children in the US don't know where there next meal is coming from.  A terrible statistic and our government has cut cut the Food Stamp Program.

The nation's largest corporations and richest citizens receive more welfare money than our social welfare programs. The United States gives about $100 billion a year in corporate subsidies. The US gives $26 billion a year in foreign aid. Our government can do that but they can't see to it that our children don't go to bed hungry.

A CNN study in 2010 shows that 14.5% of households in the US, about 17.2 million, lacked the resources to provide enough food for everyone. Many of the people struggling with hunger are not homeless and out of work. Shouldn't our government and private corporations be ashamed.

Many large corporations are making billions and billions of dollars a year but keep many of their employees at minimum wage. Minimum wage in the US is not enough to provide for a family. President Obama wants to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, but republicans are totally against it.  Why, don't they have a heart?

CEO's are making millions and millions of dollars a year and that is something I disagree with. The CEO's aren't making it, they are stealing it. It is the little people in a corporation that makes it profitable. They are the ones flipping the burgers, sitting at a computer all day, cleaning those rooms, working in those stores. They deserve more of the profits than corporations are willing to give them. 

When we eat our meals tonight, think of the 1 in 5 children that may not have a dinner. It is sad to know that big business and our government are so greedy that they don't care about America's future.

Copyright   Larry W. Fish   2014

LOOK FOR THE LITTLE THINGS

As I take walks around the apartment complex at various times during the day I see two different classes of people. I wonder if other people see it the same way that I do.

I walk around with my dog, Cookie in the morning and the first thing I notice as we step out of the door is how the birds are tweeting away. We have approximately 440 different species of birds in North Carolina and it seems like they are all in Raleigh at once. I will stand there and look at one of them sitting on a tree branch and I try to imitate it's sound. Sometimes I make them curious and they will look at me, other times they realize I am a fake.

I will continue my walk as Cookie runs around and sniffs the early morning grass. I always wonder what she is thinking. We will hear an airplane taking off from the RDU airport and she always stops and looks in that direction. I will say, "It is just an airplane, honey." She looks at me with that look like, are you sure it is ok.

Later in the day as we are walking around the warmth of the springtime suns feels so warm. Cookie will stop in her tracks and stare at something. Then I see it, a squirrel moving toward a tree, then jumping up onto it. Cookie turns her head and looks at me. Her tail is starting to wag and she lets out a little whine. I say, "I don't think it wants to play with you."

I will see someone that I see often around the apartment complex and we will stop and chat for a few minutes. They are like me in the fact that they love to walk their dogs. We realize that the little things in life are the most important.

Then I see the other side of the coin in people. The little things in life mean nothing to them. I will often see someone take their dog outside and as soon as they do their business they will take it right back inside. A dog need to be walked but apparently these people think their lives are more important than their dog's. I can't help but wonder, what can be more important than showing your dog the love that it deserves.

A couple of other people that I see every day on my walks must have been born with a cell phone attached to their ear. They are in a different world, the little things in life mean nothing to them. I can walk around and see them an hour later and they are still talking on their cell phone. Whether they are pushing a child in a stroller or walking their dog, it makes no difference. I can't help but think to myself, if they put that phone down and looked around them they might see that little squirrel, that beautiful red cardinal on that tree branch, or that bird that just pecked at the ground and came up with a worm in it's mouth.

Those people don't care about the wonders of nature, or enjoying the walk with their child or dog. They are in to much of a rush. The modern world has taken a hold of them. It possesses them, it won't let go.

Yes, there are two classes of people. The ones that will stop and chat with me, pet Cookie, and tell me that it is a beautiful day. Then there are the ones that when I say, "Good morning, how are you?" will just walk right by me without saying a word or nodding their head. The cell phone is more important than maybe making a friend that lives right in their neighborhood.

Don't be to busy to enjoy that walk with your dog or child or the people you are with. Look around you and see those little things that nature has to offer. A little bird or an animal might just make you smile and let you think that you want to see more.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

SIMPLE AND POOR

When I was a little boy my family was poor, but when you are a child you don't realize it. It wasn't until many years later that I realized just how poor we were. However, a family isn't and shouldn't be measured in how much they have but how much they struggle.

One of my first memories was of me going to the outhouse on a cold and snowy night. There must have been trauma because that night has stuck in my mind for sixty years. Yes, we didn't have indoor plumbing then. So besides going to the outhouse we also got our water supply from a nearby sand spring. It was good water coming from the ground from that sand spring, cold and crystal clear. It wasn't until a couple of years later until we had a well drilled and finally indoor plumbing. To a little boy it seemed like heaven on earth.

We didn't go hungry though, so I guess by those standards we weren't that poor. All of our family were hunters, including my mother. We lived on deer meat for much of the year. Also cottontail rabbits, squirrels, grouse, and fish were what consisted of our daily meals. We did raise chickens every year, so we had fresh eggs and I remember picking many a feather from those chickens as we prepared them for the freezer.

My brother and I spent hours outside. Those were long before the days of the computer and video games. Television was in its infancy and we only got about five channels between New York City and Philadelphia. We didn't have a football, so we played football with a milk carton stuffed with leaves. It seems kind of funny when I think of it now.

Other times we spent playing baseball, basketball, and ice skating on my Uncle John's pond. Oh, how I loved to ice skate, I did it for hours and hours. I would go outside in the summer and catch lightning bugs and put them in a jar. At the time I called it a poor man's flashlight. When you are a young boy growing up country in a very rural area of the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania in the 1950s your imagination can really go wild.

We played cowboys and indians for hours with our cap guns. We didn't end up killing anybody. What has happened in today's society? It seems kids can't be kids anymore. In the summer we would have apple fights. We had many apple trees near our home and we would get three or four kids together and have apple fights. I remember going home with a bulge on my face and when mom asked what happened I would make up an idiot excuse. Can you imagine it being fun getting hit in the face with an apple LOL?

I have long since grown up and left the Pocono Mountains. However, I still have that little country boy in me and he will never leave. I may have been poor, but my memories of those times are rich in my heart and always will be.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

THE SUPREME COURT

It is my opinion that members of the Supreme Court should be independent. There are 9 people on the Supreme Court and it is totally politically motivated. Is that the way our fore fathers envisioned it when it was set up? I don't think so.

Yesterday the Supreme Court made in what I feel is one of the worst decisions ever. Their decision allows corporations and wealthy Americans to influence the out come of elections. I don't care what the Supreme Court ruling is, I think it is totally wrong.

At the present time over 90% of the of the people being elected is the one that has spent the most money. This is a terrible way to run a country. The Supreme Court is presently Republican influenced. It is giving the gateway now to move that 90% number closer to 100%.

America deserves better than to have our elected officials bought. I am saddened that our country doesn't believe in a fair election process. I want the best person to be in office, not the one that was bought by wealthy Americans.

The greed of the wealthy in America is a disease that is destroying our country. Several years ago I changed from being registered as a Democrat to Unaffiliated. I believe there are good Democrats and good Republicans. However, the Tea Party has ruined the Republican Party to the extend that it may never be able to recover. The Tea Party Republicans refuse to negotiate in the best interests of America.

I will continue to vote for who I feel is best for the country. As far as I am concerned, the wealthy can take their money and shove it. I will not believe your hateful attack ads. I am smart enough not to believe your vicious attacks.

I encourage everyone to vote. The wealthy are even trying to take that right away from many Americans. If we allow it to happen then the voting process is useless. Thank you the Supreme Court for showing us all how little you care about us.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

ENERGY SAVINGS

Modern technology has made a big difference in energy savings. One of those savings is in the modern technology of light bulbs. The incandescent bulbs seems like it has been with us forever. However, they are becoming a dying breed. The light bulb in my opinion is one of the greatest inventions of mankind.

Most people give Thomas Edison credit for inventing the light bulb. That is not so, the first light bulb was invented by Sir Humphry Day in 1802. Others tried perfecting the light bulb through the years however they all failed in getting it to work properly for a long period of time. Thomas Edison developed the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb. He had many failures in what led up to that achievement.

It is a time now when incandescent light bulbs can be replaced by light bulbs that use much less energy. CFL bulbs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) were the first advancement. They take much less energy to use. In the most recent of times there is now the LED (light emitting diode) bulbs.

CFL bulbs will use 75% less power than incandescent bulbs. An LED bulb will use half the energy of a CFL bulb. Incandescent bulbs are by far the cheapest to buy but consider the life span of an incandescent bulb. The average life span of an incandescent bulb is about 1,500 hours of use. A CFL bulb has around 10,000 hours of use and an LED bulb has a life span of up to 50,000 hours.

George W. Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. It calls for a 30% reduction in the power needed to operate light bulbs. For example it called for a 100 watt bulb to use 72 watts by 1/1/2012, a 75 watt bulb to use 53 watts by 1/1/2013, a 60 watt bulb to use 43 watts by 1/1/2014, and a 40 watt bulb to use 29 watts by 1/1/2014.

Lighting is a major use of power in the average home. Changing to CFL or LED lighting will make a reduction in your energy bills. Yesterday I bought my first LED bulb. Yes, it cost much more than the incandescent bulb it was replacing. However, I have replaced that one 60 watt bulb 4 times in the past year. My new LED bulb will use 11 watts instead of 60 and it is rated to last 35,000 hours. The light emitted is great and I am well pleased. I will be changing 6 other bulbs to LED bulbs in the coming months.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

A COUNTRY WITHOUT A GOVERNMENT

I live in the United States of America and I am proud to be an American. Now at age 65 I realize that this is no longer the country I was born and raised in. We are now a country without a government. Sure we have people that sit in Congress, work about a third of the year, and lie out their teeth.

I remember when Congress, Democrats and Republicans would work together in the best interests of the American people. There used to be few lobbyists in Washington. That has changed. Now instead of listening to the American people, members of Congress are wined, dined, and paid to vote in the best interests of large corporations. We are in an era of major environmental disasters because safety regulations are being relaxed or abandoned in the interests of large corporations.

We have basically a two party system. The Democrats that want to give everyone everything. I believe that when people need help they should be given it. I believe in mandatory drug tests for anyone receiving unemployment, welfare, and food stamps. I don't believe in giving something to freeloaders.

Then we have the Republicans. A party that is no longer the Republican party of old. They have been overtaken by the Tea Party. A bunch of radicals, that wants to end Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare. Why doesn't this party want to help the American people? Pure and simple, they want to cater to the millionaires and billionaires of this country. They are now a party of no and hate.

However, I will not blame it all on Republicans or Democrats. I think equal blame can be taken. One of the worst things I have ever seen to destroy America and the middle class was when President Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It was at that time when millions of manufacturing jobs left America for cheap labor countries. Since then other trade agreements have been signed to allow more American jobs to go overseas.

We now live in a country where Republicans are trying to suppress people from voting. What they are really trying to do is limit the poor people from voting. Why, because many of the poorer people vote Democrat. Politicians in America are elected by who spends the most money. The candidate that spends the most money wins the election over 90% of the time. Politicians are bought by millionaires and billionaires who spend millions of dollars to get their candidate elected. What this turns out to be is that Democrats won't work with Republicans and Republicans won't work with Democrats.

That leaves us with what we have in the United States of America today. A COUNTRY WITHOUT A GOVERNMENT!!


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE

I have had many people ask me in the last few months different things about writing. I will try to answer most of those questions as well as I can. It is my desire to help anyone that wants to write. I have had very young people and very old people ask me questions.

WHY DIDN'T I WRITE AT AN EARLIER AGE:

Funny as it may seem I have often asked myself that same question. However, when I was young I was married and had two small children. I often worked two jobs and put in as many as seventy hours a week. To put it bluntly, I was often dead tired. Also for some reason at that time writing didn't seem as the most important thing in my life, my family was the most important.

WHAT WOULD I SAY TO A YOUNG PERSON WANTING TO WRITE:

I would say put your heart and soul into it. If you want to write go for it. Don't worry about what other people think. It is your life and if writing makes you happy then shoot for the stars. There will be rejections along the way. When I first started to write I submitted to magazines. I was rejected fourteen times before Our USA Magazine accepted one of my stories. I have now had numerous short stories published in that magazine. I am now trying to get an agent to represent me to publishers for a novel I have written. I have received so many rejections, but I continue to keep searching. Many writers were rejected many times before being published. Stephen King was rejected thirty times before, Carrie was published. The most important thing is to stay positive.

I WAS TOLD I CAN WRITE A SHORT STORY BUT NOT A NOVEL:

I had the same feeling when I first started to write. I thought I couldn't do anything else. Cher Valentino, the founder and editor of Our USA Magazine gave me so much encouragement. She gave me the inspiration to expand my horizons. I wrote a novel, Golden Haze, and had it self published. There is nothing like the feeling to a writer when they first hold that book in their hand. When someone says they can write a short story but not a novel I will tell them this. A novel is just a collection of short stories. Think of each chapter as a short story and continue the next chapter as a continuation of that story. Soon you will see that you have ten, twenty, thirty, or more short stories put together to make your novel.

SHOULD I SELF PUBLISH OR GO THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE:

I self published my first novel and it has received good reviews. The problem is that you have to promote that novel yourself which can be time consuming and expensive. The advantage is that it will be published the way you want it and you retain the rights to the novel. For my second novel I am going the traditional route and am searching for an agent to represent me to publishers. Trying to get an agent is harder than writing the book. It is frustrating when you receive rejection after rejection. However, never give up. I have read stories of people taking years before they got published. I read that there are about 750,000 manuscripts submitted each year and less than 3% get published. I know that is a frustrating number. So it is a tossup between self publishing or going the traditional route. You as a writer have to make that decision.

HOW CAN I GET BETTER AS A WRITER:

Another question that is often asked of me. What I did was start on a writing website to get my stories out there to see what other people thought. I wrote on Triond for quite a long time. I saw what people thought of my stories and I met many amazing fellow writers that gave me encouragement. Many of those writers I am still in contact with and consider them my friends.

WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE SUBMITTING A STORY OR NOVEL:

I learned this after I had my first novel published. Always use spell check. You are going to make mistakes in spelling but at least spell check will limit those mistakes. Another thing is have someone else read your work to proofread it before you submit. They will find mistakes and point out errors you have made in grammar and punctuation. An agent or editor wants to see the best work possible. If they see many errors you surely will be rejected. Do your best work and submit something that you will be proud of.

I hope I have been able to answer some questions that have been asked of me and I hope anyone reading this will continue to write and do their best work. Thanks to everyone that has given me encouragement and advice through the years. It has been greatly appreciated.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

GOLDEN HAZE

Golden Haze is the story of a four legged angel that helps a family through the struggles of injury, disease, and paranormal activity in their home.

The dog pictured on the front cover was my actual dog, Izzy, that passed away many years ago. In a way, this book although fiction, is a tribute to her.

Golden Haze can be ordered from amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and many independent bookstores across the USA.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014

FOLLOW ME

I have created this blog so that people can follow my thoughts, my writing, and comment on what write.

I know that many people will have different opinions on what my thoughts are and I would like to hear them. However, do it in a respectful manner.

Writing is a passion with me, from writing magazine articles to writing novels that I will talk about more later.

I like to write about times when I was a little boy growing up in the country up until my present time in my golden years. Getting old is nothing to worry about, it is just a different chapter in people's lives. I didn't start to write until I was almost 60. Remember that life doesn't stop when you retire.


Copyright  Larry W. Fish  2014