I inadvertently went to See's Candy last week (I was in the mall looking for phone repair), and as it

turns out, See's Candy now charges a dollar -- a full dollar -- for even the simplest of their wee

confection offerings. I bought two chocolate lollipops and two chocolate-caramel-almond things. The

total cost was four-something. I mean, the candies were tasty and all, but let's be real: A Snickers

bar is fifty cents. After this dollar-per-candy revelation, I may not find myself wandering dreamily

back into a See's Candy any time soon.

The wolves stopped in their tracks, sizing up the mother and her cubs. It had been over a week

since their last meal and they were getting desperate. The cubs would make a good meal, but there

were high risks taking on the mother Grizzly. A decision had to be made and the wrong choice could

signal the end of the pack.

"Explain to me again why I shouldn't cheat?" he asked. "All the others do and nobody ever gets

punished for doing so. I should go about being happy losing to cheaters because I know that I don't?

That's what you're telling me?"

I've rented a car in Las Vegas and have reserved a hotel in Twentynine Palms which is just north of

Joshua Tree. We'll drive from Las Vegas through Mojave National Preserve and possibly do a short

hike on our way down. Then spend all day on Monday at Joshua Tree. We can decide the next

morning if we want to do more in Joshua Tree or Mojave before we head back.

The words hadn't flowed from his fingers for the past few weeks. He never imagined he'd find

himself with writer's block, but here he sat with a blank screen in front of him. That blank screen

taunting him day after day had started to play with his mind. He didn't understand why he couldn't

even type a single word, just one to begin the process and build from there. And yet, he already

knew that the eight hours he was prepared to sit in front of his computer today would end with the

screen remaining blank.

thought, "and that would solve the problem." He tried to move on from the thought but it was

persistent. It didn't want to go away and, if he was honest with himself, he didn't want it to.

Sleeping in his car was never the plan but sometimes things don't work out as planned. This had

been his life for the last three months and he was just beginning to get used to it. He didn't actually

enjoy it, but he had accepted it and come to terms with it. Or at least he thought he had. All that

changed when he put the key into the ignition, turned it and the engine didn't make a sound.

There was no time. He ran out of the door without half the stuff he needed for work, but it didn't

matter. He was late and if he didn't make this meeting on time, someone's life may be in danger.

There were little things that she simply could not stand. The sound of someone tapping their nails on

the table. A person chewing with their mouth open. Another human imposing themselves into her

space. She couldn't stand any of these things, but none of them compared to the number one thing

she couldn't stand which topped all of them combined.

Out of another, I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to the estate. There

is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house. I always fancy I see people walking

in these numerous paths and arbors, but John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the

least. He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making a nervous weakness like

mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies and that I ought to use my will and good sense

to check the tendency. So I try.

Don't forget that gifts often come with costs that go beyond their purchase price. When you

purchase a child the latest smartphone, you're also committing to a monthly phone bill. When you

purchase the latest gaming system, you're likely not going to be satisfied with the games that come
with it for long and want to purchase new titles to play. When you buy gifts it's important to

remember that some come with additional costs down the road that can be much more expensive

than the initial gift itself.

The boy walked down the street in a carefree way, playing without notice of what was about him. He

didn't hear the sound of the car as his ball careened into the road. He took a step toward it, and in

doing so sealed his fate.

It was just a burger. Why couldn't she understand that? She knew he'd completely changed his life

around her eating habits, so why couldn't she give him a break this one time? She wasn't even

supposed to have found out. Yes, he had promised her and yes, he had broken that promise, but

still in his mind, all it had been was just a burger.

It's not his fault. I know you're going to want to, but you can't blame him. He really has no idea how it

happened. I kept trying to come up with excuses I could say to mom that would keep her calm when

she found out what happened, but the more I tried, the more I could see none of them would work.

He was going to get her wrath and there was nothing I could say to prevent it.

He took a sip of the drink. He wasn't sure whether he liked it or not, but at this moment it didn't

matter. She had made it especially for him so he would have forced it down even if he had

absolutely hated it. That's simply the way things worked. She made him a new-fangled drink each

day and he took a sip of it and smiled, saying it was excellent.

Spending time at national parks can be an exciting adventure, but this wasn't the type of excitement

she was hoping to experience. As she contemplated the situation she found herself in, she knew

she'd gotten herself in a little more than she bargained for. It wasn't often that she found herself in a

tree staring down at a pack of wolves that were looking to make her their next meal.
He looked at the sand. Picking up a handful, he wondered how many grains were in his hand.

Hundreds of thousands? "Not enough," the said under his breath. I need more.

I inadvertently went to See's Candy last week (I was in the mall looking for phone repair), and as it

turns out, See's Candy now charges a dollar -- a full dollar -- for even the simplest of their wee

confection offerings. I bought two chocolate lollipops and two chocolate-caramel-almond things. The

total cost was four-something. I mean, the candies were tasty and all, but let's be real: A Snickers

bar is fifty cents. After this dollar-per-candy revelation, I may not find myself wandering dreamily

back into a See's Candy any time soon.

There was a time when he would have embraced the change that was coming. In his youth, he

sought adventure and the unknown, but that had been years ago. He wished he could go back and

learn to find the excitement that came with change but it was useless. That curiosity had long left

him to where he had come to loathe anything that put him out of his comfort zone.

Things aren't going well at all with mom today. She is just a limp noodle and wants to sleep all the

time. I sure hope that things get better soon.