Author: doesbuck Page 1 of 2

Dogs I Have Loved Part I

On August 11, 2021

As far back as I remember, I have always been a dog person. I like cats just fine and we have owned several, though I am allergic to them, I prefer dogs. The first dog in my life was Princess. Before we moved into town, we lived North of the city in a place we called the Colonels. It was between Colorado Springs and Monument and West of the highway. Since I was young, I don’t remember a lot of details about the place except that it had an irrigation ditch running on one side and near to the house was an apple orchard. It was a good place for small kids to play outside with no traffic to worry about. However, we had rattlesnakes. One day, my brother and I were playing outside, and Princess started barking and raising a ruckus. When my mother came out to see what the fuss was about and got to Princess, she saw the rattlesnake coiled close to where we were playing. She killed the snake, and I am sure was grateful to Princess for alerting her of the danger.

Princess with my brother and me — Princess with me and my brother 1958

Another hazard of living in the country was porcupines. I don’t know what it is about porcupines and skunks, but dogs just can’t seem to leave them alone. I am not clear about all the details, but one evening Princess came in with a face full of porcupine quills. My dad got the pliers and, leading Princess to a doorway, had my mother hold the door closed on Princess’s neck. He then pulled the quills out of her face and mouth while the dog and both of us kids cried.

Princess and my dad — Princess with my dad 1955

After we moved into town, I remember watching Princess have puppies in the basement of the house we were living in on the Westside of Colorado Springs. She was a wonderful dog, and we had her from the time I was one or two years old until after I entered Junior High School (Middle School now). After Princess, we didn’t get another dog, but we had a cat.

I didn’t get another dog until after I married. My wife and infant son lived in a small, rented house in Colorado Springs when we got Bathsheba. She was a black German Shepherd puppy full of energy. Though not purebred, she looked like it. Unfortunately, she either jumped the fence or someone took her from our front yard, and we never saw her again after having her for only a short time.

Not long after we lost Bathsheba, we got our next dog, Fidora. She was a Saint Bernard Mix. A large, very furry dog that we did not allow in the house. I have a lot of regrets about Fidora. She was a good dog but had to stay chained outside since we did not have an adequate fence even after we moved into our current home. When I think about it now, I feel like we really deprived not only her but also ourselves of the companionship she would have offered. Occasionally she would get loose. This was only a problem when the neighbor a few houses up the street would go by and she would act aggressively toward him for some unknown reason. He thought it was because they had several cats, but I’m not sure that was it. I think dogs are like people and just don’t get along with some people or some other dogs. When we put Fidora down because she had cancer, it caused a lot of sadness in the house with the kids crying and mourning her passing.

Fidora as a puppy with my son — Fidora with my son on a camping trip in the early 1970s

We have since had four more dogs, including our current dog, Bailey. I will spend a little time on each of them in the upcoming blogs. But we did allow each of them into our home as a part of our family, which is what I remember my family doing with Princess. Dogs have so much love and companionship to offer it is wrong to not allow them into your life if you are going to own one.

Please subscribe to receive updates on the latest blog posts.

A Few Writing Tools I Use As A Beginning Writer

By doesbuck

On August 4, 2021

In Uncategorized

Late last week I finished the main story arc of my novel. I am now going back and rewriting and editing what I have written. I will also complete some sub-arcs for minor but important characters intending to lead into a second novel. I have learned through participation in the local writing group, (ACFW Colorado Springs (acfwcosprings.com)), and reading various books on the subject (How to Make a Living with Your Writing, Bestselling Books By Joanna Penn and J.F.Penn | The Creative Penn ), is that to be successful as an author you need multiple books. If you write a successful book, readers will naturally look for more of your books to read. If they don’t find one, they will move on to another author. No pressure there!

It has only taken me four and a half years to get to this point of my first book, so I need to pick up the pace if I want to complete a second in time to keep the reader’s interest. This is a daunting task since I am just learning to write. I discovered there is a big difference between telling a story and turning it into a written work. In one of my earlier posts, I included a short story I wrote in high school, The Very Old and Toothless Dragon. Reading it now, I told the story, but I didn’t write a story. I did a lot of telling and not much showing which draws the reader into the story allowing them to take part in the action. Maybe someday I will rewrite it.

Last month, I took part in a Zoom meeting discussing the ‘craft’ of writing. During the meeting, the moderator asked me, as a new writer, what I found most helpful. My answer was the critique group. Where I submit a portion of my story to the group, one or more members of the group will read it and offer suggestions they think will improve it. I will also receive sections of other people’s work to read and critique. Since many involved in the group have multiple books published, I get some very helpful suggestions especially concerning the show and don’t tell aspect of writing. Though occasionally I will get conflicting suggestions. Having to critique another writer’s work I find difficult because I lack confidence in my ability as a writer. Both exercises have helped me, and I would suggest any aspiring writer get involved in a critique group.

A couple of tools I used to help me through times when I got stuck during the writing process are the W chart in the three-act structure, Author’s Bucket List: Plot Structure | Jordan Dane, and The Hero’s Journey: Step-By-Step Guide with Examples (prowritingaid.com). I am a pantser, which means I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t outline the story before I start, (a plotter). But occasionally I need to stop and see where I am and where the story needs to go, and these two tools help me make that decision.

My goal is still to have my first book completed late this year. (Written and ready for submission or self-publishing.) Continue to follow my blog for additional updates. Please subscribe using the pop-up box and if you have any comments or questions, use the Contact tab.

If It Looks Too Good To Be True It Is Probably A Scam

By doesbuck

On July 28, 2021

In Uncategorized

For those of you who do not know, I am a retired engineer. For the last twenty-plus years, I worked as the Engineering Manager or Research and Development Engineer for a plastics company that mainly does rotational molding. This should show that I am computer literate and intelligent. I have training in recognition of spam and phishing schemes in emails to prevent the spread of various types of malware. All of this leads me to the focus of today’s blog. I fell for a scam!

I decided recently that I would like to try kayak fishing on some of the local lakes. I started looking into different kayaks and thought I could get one for a low price, particularly if I could get a used one from Facebook Marketplace or Craig’s List. The friend I have who does kayak fishing enjoys it a lot and even offered to let me borrow his kayak. However, I thought if I got my own, it would be more fun to go with him and he could show me how he does it. He got his Lifetime kayak at Walmart for around $200.00 a few years ago. I checked around and found that I could get a similar kayak for less than $300.00 today, but I still watched the listings on Facebook Marketplace every day looking for a deal. It wasn’t long before I came across a glossy advertisement selling Pelican kayaks on inventory clearance for $99.99. This was a lower price than the Lifetime kayaks at Walmart. I thought, wow, what a deal even with shipping I would get a better kayak for about the same money. I pulled out my credit card and ordered one. I received an email order confirmation stating I would receive a notification when the item shipped. The purchase price shipping also included shipping with delivery in 3 to 5 days. Sounds too good to be true, and it was.

Facebook ad for place that selling kayaks at unbelievably low prices. Probably a scam — Facebook Ad that is probably a scam

Three days later when I did not receive any further information or any notification that the kayak shipped. This puzzled me since the ad stated there were only five left in stock. I started looking more closely at the ad and the company. The ad from the company no longer appeared on Facebook, but similar ads from different companies did. I also could not find the company website. While looking at the original ad I viewed various products and all were legitimate, but all came directly from the actual Pelican Sports website. Further investigation into the company suggested it was a scam and the product would not arrive. The email address on the order confirmation was an individual’s name with a gmail.com address and not a company address. These clues led me to believe they scammed me. I immediately called my credit card company and reported the fraudulent charge. They issued a provisional credit to my account and later sent me a questionnaire regarding the transaction. It’s been over two weeks since I ordered the kayak, and I still haven’t received the kayak or any communications even though I didn’t cancel the order.

Order confirmation for the kayak I ordered that is probably a scam — Probable scam porder confirmation

When I decided it was a scam, I immediately contacted my credit card company. They provided me with a provisional credit for the charge against the card and sent me a questionnaire regarding the transaction. I also canceled the card and had them issue me a new card with a different number to prevent further use of the original card. Now I must update all my automatic payments, but at least my card number is not floating around out there. The moral of the story is: If it looks too good to be true, it is not true.

I am still looking at fishing kayaks but have found the low-priced kayaks probably are not a good fit for me since I weigh in at 210 lbs. With gear and everything else, the 275 lb. weight limit is too low. To get a kayak with a 350 lb. limit just costs more and I am not sure, at my age, I want to spend that much. Of course, my wife says the kayak would be like soccer. I watch it and think I can still play, but if I run and try to play, my knees hurt, and my hips hurt. I am just too old.

Please comment using the contact tab and subscribe to get notifications on new posts.

Toby the Wonder Dog II Fishing Dogs

By doesbuck

On July 19, 2021

In Uncategorized

In my last post, I talked about how our dog Toby got to be called the Wonder Dog after surviving a run-in with a train. This week I thought I would spend a little more time talking about Toby. He was a wonderful dog, but we did not take the time to train him, which would have made him an even better dog. As I mentioned, my wife would regularly walk him out on the U.S. Air Force Academy grounds. One area, the Boy Scout area, on the East side of the U.S.A.F.A. went down into the valley where a small creek ran down to join Monument Creek. The creek was small and in the hot summer months would consist mainly of a series of mud puddles. Toby was a Golden Retriever mix, and he loved the water and never missed the opportunity to play in the mud. He would often come back from the walks, wet and covered in mud, which eventually took a toll on the back seat of our Honda Civic, making it unsuitable for anyone else.

Toby with my wife's hand weight — Toby Being Bad

Because Toby liked the water so much, he was a great fishing dog. I could take him with me to the river and he would wade right out into the water with me and stand there, sometimes shivering, while I fished. There are days I call perfect days which often involve fishing or hunting. One of those days was when I walked down the stream below Skagway reservoir to fish. The stream immediately below the dam gets fished heavily and so the fish are mostly small. But, if you go down further, there are deeper holes with larger fish. On this day, the weather was perfect, sunny, but not too hot. Toby and I walked down to where the stream goes down into a canyon with large rocks and deep pools. I caught plenty of fish and had a great time. Toby got to run around and wade in the stream. By the time we walked back up to the reservoir, exhausted, he slept the entire way home. Days like that are not only good because I catch fish and enjoy being in nature, but also because I commune with my heavenly Father. On another trip, I took Toby with me to Platte Springs which requires a short but steep hike down into a canyon where the South Platte River runs. It was a hot day, and when we got to the bottom, I walked to the pool I was going to fish, and Toby went with me and jumped right into the river. The problem was that the rock I was on was about three feet above water level and the rest of the bank surrounding the whole was about the same. Toby could not get out of the water. I had to lie down on the rock and pull him out, which was difficult since he weighed over one hundred pounds. Fortunately, he did not jump off any more rocks into the river that day, and again slept the entire way when we drove home.

When we got Bailey, I wanted to know what kind of fishing companion she would be. The first time we took her to the river, she would not stay with me and was afraid of the water, not wanting to get close to it. I thought since she was by nature a fearful dog, she would not be a fishing dog. However, first impressions are not always indicative of the result. Bailey has turned into a great fishing companion. She does not stand out in the water shivering like Toby, but she stays on the bank close to me. She will wade and even swim, if the water is deeper than expected, to stay with me as I walk up and down the banks. She will also stay with me on the shore of lakes, which I fish more often since I have aged. She finds the fish exciting and tries to catch them when I get them near the shore. She tries to catch my flies when I cast so I must be mindful of where she is. I look forward to having more perfect days of fishing with Bailey.

Toby playing in the yard — Toby Lying in the Grass

Please remember to subscribe or leave a comment if you enjoy reading this blog.

Toby the Wonder Dog – Pets Are Amazing

By doesbuck

On July 12, 2021

In Uncategorized

I write about Bailey regularly in this blog even though it may not seem to fit within the overall theme of this website. The primary reason is, as a writer and aspiring author, I need to write consistently. I write daily during the week with four of the five days devoted to my novel. However, one day each week I use my time to write about something different and that appears in this blog. Today I want to tell you about another of our dogs, Toby the Wonder Dog.

Our dog Toby with our grand daughter — Toby and Juliet

Toby was a Golden Retriever mix and the only male dog we have owned. He was big, weighing over one hundred pounds and his wagging tail would hurt if it hit you. My wife would hike with Toby on the U.S. Air Force Academy grounds, (pre-2001) when access was easier. On one occasion they were walking on the West side of the Academy around sunset and my wife looked up and saw a mountain lion on the hill above watching them. If you live in mountain lion country, you know that is a perilous situation. Toby also saw the lion and took off running up the hill after the big cat. Here in Colorado, mountain lions occasionally kill pets. My wife called and called trying to get Toby to return, but he ran out of sight. She finally started back to the car and Toby eventually joined her. After that, she didn’t walk in that portion of the Academy at sunset again.

Our dog Toby playing in a pile of leaves with two of our grand children — Toby playing in the leaves with Zoe and Ryan

Another time my wife and Toby were walking on the East side of the Academy down along Monument Creek and the railroad tracks. My wife heard a train coming, so she leashed Toby until the train passed since he liked to chase them. Unfortunately, she let him off the leash too soon, before the last couple of cars completely passed. Toby took off after the train and caught up to the last car going under it between the front and back sets of wheels. The car tumbled Toby underneath it and when it had passed Toby was lying between the rails. He was too big for her to carry, so she went up the hill to a construction site to get help. When she got there, she asked if one of the workers could help her because she thought she had killed the dog. The worker looked at her and asked if it was the one behind her. Toby had followed her up the hill. One of the workers took them back to my wife’s car. She got Toby into the car and went to the vet. Toby only had a couple of broken ribs, some bruising, and a few cuts but was okay. The vet called him Toby the Wonder Dog.

Farside cartoon titled Toby vs Godzilla — Gary Larson Farside Cartoon

We had a good laugh sometime later when the Farside cartoon Toby vs Godzilla was published in our local paper. This was just like our Toby.

If you enjoy reading my posts, please subscribe so you can be updated on future posts. Please comment and like using the contact page.

Update and Bailey’s Reaction to Fireworks

By doesbuck

On July 6, 2021

In Uncategorized

In my blog, I try for a conversational tone to let the readers feel like I am sharing part of my life. I don’t think this is necessarily the ideal way to build readership, but that’s just me. I am happy with the progress that has been made on my novel. When I retired on April 2nd, I had about 40,000 words written though I had been stalled there for several years. I actually started writing in April of 2014. Since April of this year, I have added more than 20,000 words, edited several chapters, and submitted several for critiques. I mentioned in a previous blog, Like an Old Man In a High School English Class, that I am just learning to write, and getting critiques from other writers really helps me see where I need to make improvements. Initially, it was hard because I had so many grammatical errors it was hard to get to the real writing issues. Now that I have software to help me with those it is easier to understand the issues that occur regularly in my writing. The major plotline is nearly complete with the current 60,000 words. I still need to flesh out a couple of sub-plots and rewrite the entire novel based on the input I have received. My goal is to have a submittable first draft completed this year. I also hope to post the prologue on this site once I completed the rewrite to get some feedback from my followers so be sure to subscribe so you can be notified when it is posted.

Bailey anxious about fireworkset — Bailey lying at my feet

Since Bailey is still the most popular topic in my blog, I thought I would let you know how she handles the fourth of July and all of the fireworks. As I mentioned she is a fearful dog. (Bailey Becomes My Dog) She does not like the noise from the fireworks and tries to hide. This year has been especially hard since she reacts the same way to thunder and we are in a typical summer pattern of regular afternoon and evening thunderstorms. We bought a thunder shirt which does help a little but does not keep her calm. When she is home we put the shirt on her and if the thunder or fireworks are not too loud, she will lay at my feet while I sit on the sofa. When the fireworks or thunder is louder she will hide either under the kitchen table or in the back bedroom. Her anxiety causes her to breathe rapidly and stay alert not relaxing. She won’t even go outside to go to the bathroom. If I do get her outside, she is okay until she hears the bang. Then she will turn and go immediately to the door and inside through the dog door if the main door is opened.

Yesterday, we took her to the park during the afternoon, hoping we would avoid the fireworks and she could get some exercise. We made it not quite halfway around the park when someone in the neighborhood sent up a rocket that exploded with a loud bang. I was glad I had left her on the leash because she would have bolted at the noise. As it was, we turned around and headed back to the truck. Her leash manners were not good. She pulled trying to hurry back to a safe place. She spent the entire afternoon either at my feet or under the kitchen table and all evening hiding in the back bedroom where my wife had put the portable kennel we use on vacations. She stayed in there until late last night before coming to her regular kennel where she usually sleeps.

I don’t think people without fearful dogs know the anxiety they cause setting off fireworks, especially in our city where fireworks are illegal within the city limits. I understand the need for the celebration and am participated myself when I was younger. However, I don’t really understand the need for the fireworks to last for the two weeks around the holiday. Maybe I am just old and don’t like seeing Baily stressed. If you have an opinion on this or other of my blogs please fill out the comment form and subscribe to get updates.

My Thoughts on The Chosen TV Series

By doesbuck

On June 28, 2021

In Uncategorized

This week I am taking a side trip with my blog. Instead of focusing on Bailey or my family or my journey to become an author, I want to talk about an amazing television series, The Chosen. ( Click here: The Chosen TV Series (angelstudios.com)) The series created by Dallas Jenkins focuses on the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of those who knew him. It is said to be the largest crowdfunded media project of all time, and currently has two full seasons available for streaming with additional seasons planned.

I am not a film or media critic by any means, nor am I a biblical scholar, but I have been a Christian for most of my life and have read through the Bible several times. My personal belief is the scriptures were written as a tool for each of us to understand God’s will for mankind. This means we don’t have to have a degree in theology or require a professional theologian’s interpretation to understand the Bible. At various times in my life, I have taught Sunday School and led different church ministries. So from this background, I want to offer my endorsement of The Chosen television series.

Several months ago my wife and I watched season one. We typically would watch it on Sunday evening and go through two to four episodes at a time. We were very disappointed when the channel we were using did not have the second season available, though it was complete. We learned from a friend that she was able to watch the second season so I did a search on my Roku device to see if it was available. It was and I added the channel so we could watch season two which we started last night with the first three episodes. I find the program emotionally moving in its representation of Jesus and those around him. It is, of course, a work of fiction providing fictional back stories to the characters from the gospels. What I like most about these back stories it they present the characters in a truly believable and appropriate manner. There is resentment among the disciples especially against Matthew, the tax collector, whom some of the Jewish disciples view as a traitor. Their expectations of the Messiah don’t agree with the truth of His mission and they don’t always understand His willingness to accept and associate with Samaritans or even Pharisees. Even small things, like the women followers having to fix the meals for the rest of the disciples, lend to the believability of the program. It also seems scripturally accurate in the events and words of Jesus, and a familiarity with the gospels will add to the enjoyment of the program. I highly recommend the series to every Christian, especially those who, like me, struggle with much of the mainstream media’s politically correct representation of Christian values. If you click on the link above to find The Chosen, there will be a tab to Pay It Forward, where you can contribute to the crowd funding effort for future seasons.

Please sign up in the pop-up box to receive notifications of new posts and use the comment form to leave comments on this post or the blog in general. I appreciate your time.

Bailey Almost Dies

By doesbuck

On June 14, 2021

In Uncategorized

When Bailey was almost two years old, she got very sick. She was vomiting and not eating or drinking. She became so lethargic we thought she was dying so we took her to an emergency vet clinic since it was Saturday and our regular vet was closed. The vet examined her and could not find any obvious causes either by physically feeling her abdomen or by looking at her x-ray images. They gave her fluids intravenously and sent her home with some probiotics. On the following Monday, we took her to our regular vet because she was getting worse not eating or drinking. The vet again examined her physically and took X-rays without finding any obvious causes. He wanted to keep her for observation with plans to do an exploratory surgery in a couple of days. Early that afternoon, the vet called to get approval for immediate surgery. He had cleared part of his schedule and thought she was sick enough it would be best to operate sooner rather than later. After the surgery, we were told that Bailey had intussusception in her intestine. The condition is when one section of the intestine telescopes into another section of the intestine causing a blockage. He cut out the affected portion of her intestine and reconnected the remaining sections. The bad portion of the intestine already showed signs of dying and the vet believed if he had waited the planned two days, Bailey would have died. (For more information on intussusception in dogs go to Intussusception In Dogs: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatments – DogTime)

Bailey recovered from her surgery and is a happy healthy dog. But it was not that easy for her. For the next eighteen months or so she would get sick and vomit not eating or drinking. Of course, after our experiences, we took her back to the vet right away. We were in the vet’s office about every six weeks initially. They treated her with anti-nausea medication and we watched her closely. The spells lasted a couple of days, then she would recover. The time between bouts gradually increased and it has been over a year since we last took her to see the vet except for regularly scheduled examinations and shots. Having a vet who is familiar with your dog is very important since they get to know the dog and its behaviors as well as the owner’s concerns.

If you enjoy my blog, please subscribe and comment. Next week I will take a break from Bailey and write something in honor of Father’s Day. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Bailey the Watchdog – German Shepherd/Cattle Dog Mix

By doesbuck

On June 7, 2021

In Uncategorized

I think I have mentioned in previous blogs, that our rescue dog, Bailey, is a German Shepherd – Australian Cattle Dog mix. As a mixed breed, she exhibits characteristics from both, though many of their characteristics are similar. Both breeds tend to be loyal, intelligent, watchful, and territorial to strangers. Bailey exhibits all of these characteristics. Physically she resembles the German Shepherd coloring except for the white blaze down her nose. At 52 pounds she is larger than most cattle dogs and smaller than the GSD. She sheds twice a year, April to October and November to March. (All of the time.) I have never seen a dog shed so much. She also has what I call Teflon fur, it never seems to get dirty or stay dirty unlike some of our previous dogs.

She has a natural herding instinct and will herd smaller dogs, though I have not had a herding instinct test performed. I take her to a local park several times per week, and she has made friends with some of the dogs we have met. Like cattle dogs, she is wary of strangers whether they are dogs or people, especially if they approach too fast. One of her friends is a small mixed breed dog named Millie. Millie looks like she is part Chihuahua and part Dachshund. They have known each other since they were young and will run and play if they are off their leashes. Millie is usually walked by her ‘mother’, but occasionally by her ‘father’. The first time I saw Millie with her ‘father’, they started running and Bailey began herding Millie. Eventually, Millie lay down and submitted. Bailey stood over Millie and put her mouth over Millie’s head. Millie is small enough, her whole head fits in Bailey’s mouth. Millie’s ‘father’ had never met us and I thought, “Oh no! She is going to hurt Millie.” But she did not, she let Millie up and they played some more. Bailey, like cattle dogs who were bred to use their mouths on the wild cattle of Australia, is a mouthy dog, though she has learned excellent bite control.

Bailey watching something out the front window.

Bailey is constantly on the alert. Her two favorite places in the house during the day are on the loveseat looking out the front window, or on the chair in the back room looking out the window for birds and squirrels in the back yard. When she watches out the front window, she will bark at anyone, especially if they have a dog, that walks by the house. I am trying to train her not to bark so much, but it may be a losing battle because of her breeding and her age. Cattle dogs are quick to sound the alarm and can be stubborn, and both cattle dogs and GSDs are protective. In this regard, Bailey is an excellent watchdog. Unfortunately, the postman is a prime target for her barking and protective instincts. I asked the trainer one day about training this out of her and he said it would be difficult. It seems the immediate feedback, of the postman coming to the house and leaving immediately after she barks, reinforces her behavior. She is doing her job by chasing him/her away. Lately, if I am in the room and can talk to her, I can reduce the amount and intensity of her barking whether it is the postman or someone else walking in front of the house, which is progress.

If you enjoy reading about Bailey, please subscribe and comment. I am still trying to figure out how everything works to ensure there are notifications for new posts. My website mentions Christian Science Fiction. I am currently writing my first novel and do not have enough material for writing a blog about that, though I will tell of my writing journey on occasion. Writing the blog is one way to help me improve my writing, and Bailey seems to be the most popular topic. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Memorial Day 2021

By doesbuck

On May 31, 2021

In Uncategorized

Today is Memorial Day, May 31, 2021. It is a day set aside to honor those who gave their lives defending our freedom. I am incredibly grateful to every veteran that served and died as well as all of those who served and survived. I am reminded of the excellent book The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw. Most of my generation can relate to the people in the book because they were our fathers. My father enlisted in the Navy at seventeen. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the war ended before his service began. He was a radar operator on an aircraft carrier, the USS Boxer. He served between WWII and the Korean conflict. He left the Navy to marry my mother before the ship sailed to Korea.

Like many of those profiled in the book, he rarely spoke about his service to his kids. He told of being on a reconnaissance flight in a two-man plane and looking down at the carrier from the plane before landing. He said it was like trying to land on a postage stamp; the carrier was so small in the vast ocean. He also had a tattoo of an eagle on his bicep. This is not unusual for sailors at the time or for anyone today, but my father discouraged his boys from getting any. He said he knew it would be a mistake to go on liberty with one of his shipmates, but he did and ended up with a tattoo.

My father was an honest, hardworking man who did the best he could to support his family financially and emotionally. He coached little league baseball, helped with cub scouts, and took us fishing and camping. Though my dad did not give his life or serve in the military during wartime, his enlistment showed his willingness to die for our freedoms. That is why I think of him on this Memorial Day, and I know there are countless others whose willingness is the key to our freedom, even if they did not serve during wartime.