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Listen to my The George Wilder Jr. Show'  radio show as your host every weekend, Saturday and Sunday, at 6pm. I will expand the show this coming New Year. This show is where no topic is off limits, however, authors and writers will always have an platform. Basically this an show where anything goes, that is within reason. If you should miss a show, there is always a podcast for download later.  The George Wilder Jr. is your show. 

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Be a Writer

Sharing Writing Narrative

Clear concise narrative builds believable characters. Establish the tone of your narrative and dialogue and stick with it throughout your book. Follow the advice in, Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. Follow the rules of grammar outside of the quotation marks.
Avoid linking verbs. Use action verbs. Action verbs speak directly to the reader. Make your writing live and keep your readers involved. 
Most action verbs are obvious and describe some action taken by characters in your story.
For example: run, walk, punch, and hit. 
Non-action or linking verbs like: to be, is, was, were, could, would; should be used sparingly. 
An example of an action verb sentence is: John ran to the door.
You might say he walked, ambled, sauntered and all would be action verbs.
Some action verbs are harder to discern.
For example grew as an action verb: The farmer grew several prize winning tomatoes.
And grew as a linking verb: The prize winning tomatoes grew in the farmer’s garden.
Test for action or linking verbs by replacing the verb with the appropriate “to be” verb.
The first sentence becomes: The farmer is several prize winning tomatoes. It makes no sense, proving that grew is an action verb.
The second sentence becomes: The prize winning tomatoes were in the farmers garden. This version makes sense, so in this sentence grew is a linking verb.
There is no rule of grammar stating that you should never use the passive voice in your writing. However, clear and concise work better in most instances. If the occasion occurs, where you would like to emphasize the object of your verbs direct action, then by all means use the passive voice. You might use the passive voice when your sentence structures become too repetitive. Otherwise, use the active voice. 
The passive voice looks like this:
The enemy was defeated by our troops. Or Caesar was stabbed by Brutus.
The active voice would read:
Our troops defeated the enemy. And Brutus stabbed Caesar.
Using active voice makes your narrative powerful, direct, and easy to understand. Try to stay away from passive voice. If compelled to use the passive voice, know why, and do it sparingly.
Tone
Set the tone of your narrative from the start and be consistent throughout your story. 
For Example - Tough ex-cop/private eye:
Way back in the 1990’s when Dave still found his courage in Kentucky bourbon straight up and a beer back, he transferred to Dade County, Florida, were he trained police cadets for Miami PD and did limited time with Miami Homicide. He stayed busy teaching a criminal justice class at the local community college, way up in Hollywood.
"Hard work gives life meaning. Everyone needs to work hard at something to feel good about themselves. Every job can be done well and every day has its satisfactions." Osceola McCarty Laundress and philanthropist
Write some words. Then, push on for a few more words. When the going is hard, hard workers get going.

In Fitz-James O'Brien's classic tale of terror "What Was It?," the narrator finds himself musing on the nature of horror: "There must be some great and ruling embodiment of fear -- a King of Terrors -- to which all others must succumb. What might it be?" As someone who has spent much of my professional life -- in fact, much of my life -- thinking and writing about horror, I get asked a variant of this question all the time: What's the scariest movie ever made? What's the most terrifying book you've ever read? Come clean, Professor -- what really, really scares you?

Well, Halloween is upon us, so here's my utterly subjective guide to what does, and does not, make for successful horror:

Childhood is terrifying
As is adolescence, and most of us devotees of horror begin at a young age. As I type this, my desk is strewn with DVDs of TV programs and films I first saw as I was growing up in the 1970s: "Dead of Night," "Supernatural," "Thriller," "Robin Redbreast," "The Owl Service." On my shelves, I have a complete set of Herbert Van Thal's The Pan Books of Horror Stories, which I devoured aged about 11, and which were very much my way into the adult world. On Saturday nights across the 70s, the BBC would show a Horror Double Bill, generally a Universal classic starring Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff, followed by something newer and racier, like a Hammer film. My parents always went out on a Saturday night, and so I watched all these films. In the early 80s, we got a video recorder, and our local video store seemed to stock nothing but horror movies. I watched them all, even (especially!) the ones subsequently banned under the 1984 Video Recordings Act -- the so-called "video nasties." Any book or film able to tap into this connection between childhood and horror has already gone a long way towards succeeding -- just ask Stephen King.

Atmosphere is all-important
This is why ghost stories are inherently more frightening than, say, zombie movies. This is also why horror fiction is uniquely suited to the short form, where old-fashioned unities of time, place, action and reading-experience are paramount. Under the right circumstances, M.R. James is the most terrifying writer in the world -- if you're alone in the house, late at night, preferably in front of an open fire. What's important here is what Freud called the uncanny, the ability to create a mood of uncertainty, in which we can no longer be sure of our own senses and interpretation -- did I just see that, or didn't I? What's that noise? Is someone outside? I could've sworn that door was closed last time I looked. Am I alone in the house?

Shocks are not frightening, and neither is gore
Anyone can sneak up behind you, shout "BOO!" very loudly, and make you drop your ice-cream. I won't deny the effectiveness of the occasional well-timed shock, but these only work in the context of an atmosphere which has already unsettled your audience. They should be used sparingly. Likewise gore. There are two risks here. The first, and most significant, is that you're in danger of making your audience laugh: the line between gore and giggling is a very fine one, which many splatter movies and zombie movies exploit to great effect. But a film like Peter Jackson's Brain Dead is funny because Jackson set out to make it funny; as a film-maker, the last thing you want is an audience tittering at your film's most shocking moments.

The other danger is cheap nihilism -- using gore and nastiness to cover up the fact that you have nothing to say. There's nothing particularly new or clever about nastiness -- as the audiences for Euripides's "The Bacchae" or Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" will testify, it's been part of the writer's arsenal for centuries, if not millennia.

Genre is your friend


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A real case of bullying

Another real case of bullying:

I was near Truman College earlier, and as I walked the campus of the school, I heard lots of yelling, as I turned around there was this very young female student who was being taunted something fiercely, out in the open, by some other woman, whom I did not know if she was a student or not. One thing, she was surely the aggressor. I had actually walked up on and was witnessing bullying going on outside of a pretty decent college and right in front of me. The bully was cussing, threatening, yelling, to do physical harm to this young lady. She just would not leave her alone. The bully even followed the student to the bus stop and taunted her while she waited for the bus. The bully told her that she would kick her ass all up and down the street, and yelled at her many times to fight. I usually don’t get into someone else’s fights, but I did this time. I walked over to the young student, as the bully stood back and looked on, I told her to always let someone know about what is going on, because her life may depend on it. I told her that as soon as she gets home to let her parents know about the incident and also school officials, and always call the police. I told her to reach out for help, it is always there. Other good people started to gather around her, too keep the bully from harming the student. The police had been called. As I left the scene, I heard the bully growl at me.

Please join me every Saturday and Sunday on Blog Talk Radio at 6:00pm Chicago time, for the George Wilder Jr Show. it a show where no topic is off limits, authors and writers are welcomed  to showcase their craft. But remember no topic is off limits that is within reason and within my knowledge. We can learn from each other while creating a great place where talk is king. I'm still the new kid on the block, join me won't you. Lets have some fun. 

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Writing Groups

Writing groups. In my opinion, are a collection of people who want to get better at their craft through critique. You are the teacher, student, and the writer. There is always someone there who runs the writing group, a moderator. My first ever writing group was located on the north side, I will never forget that night. I had been writing for several years and wanted to go to the next phase. I needed feedback, which is a function of a writing group, also support and constructive criticism was something I was seeking. Most people I know are writers but they would only tell me what they knew I wanted to hear. I was looking for more objectivity. A real good friend of mine had hooked me up with this writing group, she felt that there was something we could have in common when it came to creative writing. On the first night, I walked into the moderate sized white room on the second floor of the building, and there was at least six to seven people sitting around a brown oblong oak table chatting with one another. They all looked over 100. They welcomed me. I was told to take a seat. The moderator smiled and welcomed me once more. Suddenly every of one of them appeared totally unprepared, and I felt weird because I was prepared. One guy was passing around writings that he had plagiarized, another guy brought in a piece he claimed that he had written 20 years ago. A woman copied something out of a book and read it aloud. One guy did not have anything at all. Hence, I had written a short piece, made some copies passed it around, a bit later. I was asked to read my story. However, my story once in their hands, some started marking all over it with red ink. The moderator looked like she was homeless. But by the look on the moderator’s face, as she read my story silently to herself, it could have been the best writing she had seen in years. Not that my story was any good, it was just everyone else's work in this writing group, in my opinion, was just that bad. They appeared not to be serious writers and it felt to me, they were just there to waste time and to be anywhere but at home. Some were mean and appeared to be combative. At the end of the group meeting, I was told for the following week to bring food for everybody. They were serious. I left there and never went back again. This one group does not reflect all writer’s groups, because I have been part of some great ones. Just thought I’d share. 

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September 2014

The George Wilder Jr. Show

I'm the new kid on the block. The show is still under construction.

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Write

If you have the talent to write then you must pursue it. A squandered talent is a terrible thing. You must find out how far you can go. How good are you?
This can only be done through practice, through writing. Having the time is the first task, and the second is actually sitting down and writing. Sometimes this can be hard. The world does not care if you write, so it is all up to you. If you do not feel that you can write--take a walk, get a cup of coffee or glass of water and read for awhile, this always works for me. It is generally what gets me into the mood. Get inspired by other writers. Writing a little beats not writing at all.

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Levi Beck

Levi Beck was just getting back home from his grandmother’s funeral, he ran up to his room and threw himself across the king size bed, still mourning her death. The nineteen year old really loved his grandmother and thought of her as being the best thing that ever  happen to him. Her wonderful memories soon flooded his young  mind and began to overwhelm his grieving soul. 

Levi Beck felt that his grandmother was the only one in his family who actually understood him and what he was trying to accomplish.  She felt his pain in a way no one else could. She was

more than just his grandmother, she was a dear friend. His dad deserted him when he was an infant. His mother was abusive and non-caring. Therefore, his grandmother was his only rock, and now

she was gone. Levi Beck was a good kid, he did not hang out with bad people. He always dreamed of a better life for himself and those around him.  He was in his last year of high school. His grades were pretty good.  However, he knew that it would take more than good grades to help get him out of his slump. Prior to his grandmother’s death he had played the Illinois lottery, and that was only just a few days ago. As he began to remember about

purchasing some lottery tickets, together with some regrets of not being there during her last days, he dared to dream again.  Beck crawled up out of the bed and went over to the nightstand where the tickets were and gathered them up and went over to the laptop

computer to check the online numbers.  Soon he was on the Illinois lottery’s website. Still feeling remorseful over the death of his grandmother, Levi Beck did not have confidence in much of anything, he was just going through the motions. He peered over his lottery numbers and then the numbers on the computer, and then again, and then again, and then again. This can’t be true, he kept on saying. The numbers from the website matched one of his tickets. 

After multiple re-checks and loud swearing, it was true, he had won the lottery. Beck had never won anything in his entire life. It seemed that his grandmother’s death had become old news

very quickly. He jumped up and down with remarkable glee, and Beck wanted and needed to tell the rest of his family and friends that he now had money. He was now rolling around his bedroom floor and shouting. The smile on his face had stretched from one ear to the other.

There was sunshine all in his eyes. Levi Beck glowed with optimism. The first thing he would do with some of the money will be to bury his grandmother with grace and dignity and buy her

a great looking headstone that reads, Rest in Peace, Silvia Cage Steel in big broad letters.

His young face lit up the room, like fireworks light up the sky on the Fourth of July.  Levi Beck’s once morbid face went from sadness and regret to all bright smiles, in a span of one hour. He would gleefully now take over the burial duties and give his grandmother a proper and respectable send-off from this, God’s Earth.

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THE FACE

The Face

Late last night, I walked into my bathroom, like so many times before, but this time I actually really did focus in all the way on that face, and that face belonged to me. I had looked into that mirror many times but never really saw myself and I was a little afraid, not much but a little. My son was still sleeping. Nevertheless, there I was standing in my underwear and staring back at me was a face that looked exactly like mine from the medicine cabinet mirror. This is what I saw. I first saw a guy with no hair on his head, when at one time there was plenty, however, I was not fretting. As I peered closer and even closer at that face, I notice that my eyes were kind of blue. It appeared that I was wearing contacts. 

I never wore contacts in my life. My skin had aged, my jaws had kind of sunken in and that made me look older. My aging forehead still hung over my eyes. The kids at my grammar school, when I attended, use to tease me by saying that I had my own eye shade from the blazing sun. I hardly paid it much attention then and I still do not pay it much attention now. Still looking at my face in the mirror, it occurred to me that face was the face of someone holding in some deep thoughts about almost everything. A face of someone who is friendly, understanding, and super creative. That face is the face of a father, provider, and a leader. As I continued to pour over my one and only face, I saw someone who will always strive to do the best that he can, all the time. I saw someone who is his own man. No one owns me. This face does what it wants. This face is a face of someone who will not be controlled. It is a face of someone who still have dreams. And also, I saw someone who is not so good looking anymore. I saw someone who wants to get married again. I saw someone who will 

try to get along with everyone. I saw someone with a fiery temper, at times. I saw someone who was still trying to look young with very little hope of that. I saw a strong face, a face I’m very proud of and counting. I see the face of a loving individual.

I saw a track where many of my tears had fallen. This face once again told me that I needed a shave. After flushing the toilet again, I was on my way back to bed to try and forget about what I just seen, however, it was all good and very interesting. This face will be back again.

George Wilder Jr. 

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Reading Under Siege!

Polls keep showing that more and more people in today's world read less and less. Some recent polls estimated that about 25% of United States families did not read a book in the last year. I have even seen some studies put the number as high as 80%. 

Many factors contribute to the lowering reading rates. I will list some of the most major ones. 

Television - Though television may seem simple in comparison to more elaborate technology, it did not even become commercially available until the 1930s. Nowadays, you can find televisions all over the place. Almost every householdin the developed world has one or more. Families eat dinner in front of them instead of at a table. Time put towards television has replaced time put towards sports, family games, study, and of course reading. The addictive television appeals to our laziness, sloth, and short-sightedness. Instead of stimulating our mind with books, we choose to rot our minds in front of a television. Ironically, in the long-term, the reader often feels more fulfilled and happy than the TV addict. 

Faster-Paced Lifestyle - Our culture now centers around a constantly faster-paced lifestyle. People work longer hours and then rush through their stressful lives, with credit cards, fast-food, and speeding cars. When we do take a break for fun, we look for the impulsive thrills of drugs, alcohol or TV, rather than calmer, longer-running pleasures like reading. 

Misplaced Values - We do not value education and intellectuality much anymore. Instead, we value entertainment and athletics. Perhaps it is because technology and development have eliminated a great deal of our need for intelligence. Perhaps we feel secure that our needs have been met and feel that we no longer need to work as a society towards major goals. As a result, we just want to lay back and gossip about Paris Hilton and cheer for our favorite sports team. 

Whatever the reasons, most people in our society have given up on reading for the most part. If you don't already, I encourage you to consider reading more. Also, consider slowing your life down, giving up television, and reassessing your values. Consider giving up unhealthy and short-term pleasures like television for long-term pleasures like reading. In 5 years, will you wish you watched more television, or will you wish you read more? 

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun! 

NO SECRET

For me, nothing secret, I keep my future writings right up here inside my  head, there is no other better place to keep and track of what I write, a place where i can always find what I need, if and when I need too. I love them all, finding the time to work on everything can be a little tricky.A writer is what I am. I would like that placed on my tombstone.

What!!

If the Rev. Johnny Banks Sr. had his way, parents would be financially responsible for the misdeeds of their children.

The minister said he plans to lobby state lawmakers to create legislation that would make parents financially responsible for their children under age 18. Such a law, he said, would help reduce crime and truancy.

"I cannot understand why society does not hold parents responsible for the actions of their children," said Banks, a father of six and executive director of the nonprofit A Knock At Midnight.

Imagine how the number of shootings in Chicago could drop "if parents [of the shooter] had to pay the medical expenses for the victim and reimburse the city for police man hours," he said.

Parents attending a Monday workshop at the organization's headquarters, 400 W. 76th St., had mixed reactions about Banks' idea.

"I really believe that that would be a good thing because parenting should come from the home and not the streets. I think if parents were held accountable all this crime out here would stop," said Lisa Wilson, a 51-year-old Englewood resident and mother of three adult children.

She added that such legislation would also push parents to make sure their teenage children go to school.

But James Johnson, a 45-year-old Auburn Gresham resident and father of five, said Banks' suggestion is "ridiculous."

"You cannot control some teenagers. You can only teach your children so much and go so far with them," Johnson said. He added that parents may not have the means to pay for their children's mistakes.

Banks had an answer for that, saying that if parents did not have the means, their wages should be garnisheed, a lien placed against any property they own or their tax refunds intercepted.

"This debt should be treated like any other debt owed. I guarantee you parents would police their children more if they were the ones paying for their mishaps," Banks said. "And that old argument that parents are too poor to pay is not true. There's a difference between being poor and broke."

Banks said any parents needing fresh ideas on how to better monitor their children should attend his organization's free parenting classes from 6:30-8 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Most of the parents who attend the classes are young mothers, although Banks said about 20 percent are men. Among the things taught at the classes are the difference between "modern" and traditional parenting,conflict resolution, time management, relationship-building between both parents and anger management.

In March, Banks attended a meeting at William Harper High School for parents whose children were truant and offered every truant student who improved attendance a job.

Only one student took him up on his offer, and that student is working at Harper as an assistant in the athletic department, Banks said.

"I should have made the job offer to the parents instead. I'll bet that would have produced better results," Banks said.

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Again, it is Homelessness

There are more than 1.6 million homeless children living in the United States, says The National Center on Family Homelessness. That's one in every 45 American kids who goes to sleep at night without a bed to call their own. Families with young children now account for about one third of the homeless population. And in case you are wondering why, the recession caused a 50 percent jump in the number of students identified as homeless in school districts throughout the country. Here are seven things about being a homeless kid that you probably didn't know:

1. Making friends is harder when you're homeless.
Carey Fuller, who lives in her car with her 11-year-old daughter Maggie Warner in the Pacific Northwest, said she "cringed" when she recently took Maggie out to play in a park. Things were going fine until "someone asked her where she lived," Fuller explained. It's the death knell question, the one that throws the wet blanket on the playdate and it's usually just a matter of seconds before the other kid takes off in the direction of someone else.

"Maggie smiled and I changed the subject and off they went to play until it was time to go just before sunset," said Fuller. A happy ending, this time. Yes, it has happened more than once. Not to state the obvious, but you can't have kids over to play or have a friend sleep over if your home is the car.

Fuller became homeless after losing her job in the financial services sector in Seattle. Initially, the family downsized to a smaller apartment, but when that still proved too costly, Fuller bought an RV and moved into it with her two daughters. Maggie was a toddler at the time. The family has since downsized to a minivan. Fuller, who takes whatever part-time work she can find, is well-known as an advocate for homeless kids and writes about her life as a homeless mother living in a van.

2. Birthdays can be disappointing for a homeless kid.
Forget having a big party with lots of friends coming over. Sure you can have a party in the park if it's a nice day. But who is going to pay for the pizza and cake and if people give you presents, where will you put them anyway?

This year Birthday Dreams brought over a cake and a gift when Maggie turned 11. For the past five years, Birthday Dreams has been providing birthday parties to homeless children in the Puget Sound area. A lot of homeless kids have never seen their names on a birthday cakes, notes the Birthday Dreams website. And yeah, they get pretty thrilled.

3. Canned food drives don't actually make much sense.
"Where are homeless people supposed to cook all those cans of food you collect?" asks Maggie Warner. Homeless people have no kitchens, she points out.

Gift cards or a credit to the grocery store where they can buy fresh fruit and pre-made meals makes more sense. But some donors are reluctant to do this because they think homeless people will use the money for beer or alcohol.

4. Homeless kids aren't as healthy as kids with homes.
The National Center on Family Homelessness says that homeless kids have four times as many respiratory infections, twice as many ear infections and five times more gastrointestinal problems. They are three times more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than non-homeless children.

Being homeless is stressful and practicing good hygiene is harder when you don't have ready access to bathrooms, sinks and showers. Homeless kids are also exposed to the weather and elements. Homelessness is connected to poverty and when you are poor, you often must rely on free clinics for health care; seeing doctors is not a regular thing.

5. Homeless kids may try hard but are more likely to struggle in school.
Of homeless elementary students, only 21.5 percent are proficient in math and 24.4 percent in reading. It is even worse among high school students, where just 11.4 percent are proficient in math and 14.6 percent in reading.

Try as they might, getting good grades is just harder when you are a homeless kid. For one, your parents -- and statistically speaking, you likely live with just your mom -- are probably busy trying to find food and safe shelter each night. There's no dining room table around which to gather, spread out your books and notes and do homework together. A lot of homeless kids rely on the public library as the safe, warm place to do homework -- you can even use a computer there. But budget cuts have reduced library hours and, by extension, study time. You can't study if there are no lights on in your car. Not having a place to study matters a lot. If the teacher gives the class a project, you and your project partners will need to meet in the library or at their house. Same is true for study groups.

Agnes Stevens, a retired teacher, began tutoring homeless kids in a park in Santa Monica, Calif., encouraging them to stay in school and participate in school activities.In 1993, she founded School on Wheels, a program that tutors homeless kids in six Southern California counties. The organization also provides backpacks, school supplies and school uniforms for homeless kids and helps their parents navigate school resources. The group runs two learning centers too.

6. Homeless kids put up with a lot of daily indignities, small things that you probably don't realize.
They appreciate getting your used clothing donations, but once in a while they'd like to wear something without some other kid's name written in it. They also don't feel great sneaking in the school bathroom before class to brush their teeth, but it's often the only place available. Maybe there's a way to issue them a free lunch card that looks like the lunch card everyone else uses? If their family doesn't have a post office box, it's hard to mail home their report card. They don't want everyone to know if the PTA paid for them to go on the class field trip. School projects that involve a trip to the crafts store for supplies pose a special burden on their families who can't afford it. Participating in sports sounds great, but soccer cleats and baseball uniforms aren't exactly in the budget. A lost textbook is a problem for a regular kid; a lost textbook is a catastrophe for a homeless kid.

7. Homeless kids are a pretty resilient lot.
When The Huffington Post asked Maggie what she wanted to say to our readers, this is what she said: "Never give up and never stop hoping things will get better even when you feel like you're at the bottom."www.amazon.com/author/gwilder

It came from his room/excerpt

The house was big and beautiful and nothing like we had ever experienced and lived before. The children emerged from the car and ran towards their new and gorgeous home with glee.  My wife and I railed at their excitement. Actually we were all excited with giggles about our new home. And it was about time, that I finally owned something that no one could take away from me. It was located in South Peterson, Illinois, with a population of only a few thousand. We wanted to get away as far as we could from Chicago. This was a suburb where nothing exciting ever happened and after Chicago, that was the way we wanted it to be. It had everything but the white picket fence out front. We could always erect one later. My wife, Lisa Thurman and I, Mark Thurman had pooled our hard earned resources over number of years along with some long term savings to buy this house that could be best described as being out in the middle of no where, however, we loved it.  It was a wonderful ranch style home, however, without the horses.  This was a single family home of about two thousand and four hundred square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  The exterior included a two car garage and a fantastic driveway. No more of living on top of and right next to rowdy and noisy neighbors. Wooden and pine oaked floors almost in every room of the house.

The interior could only be explained as immaculate. There was central air, a fireplace, glossy hardwood and tiled floors even in the bathroom. We loved it. The furniture had arrived about an hour ago before we had come. As mentioned, our children Amy eleven and Jeffery twelve, quickly darted and ran to claim their rooms which were located on the second floor of our new home. Once inside, I immediately claimed the den. My wife was sold on the spacious bedrooms. I had been recently promoted at the employment agency where I worked now as an assistant district manager. My wife Lisa was a Chicago Public School teacher and she was pulling down the big bucks. So, therefore, we would have no problems paying the monthly high mortgage as long as they did not lay her off as was being talked about. I was the district manager of Shelby’s Park District.  As a family, we were all smiles.

The city life had really taken its toll my wife and I. We wanted a safe place for our children to play and grow up and to have good and solid friends. We all knew that there was no real escape from crime and that it could hit anywhere, anytime, and anyone.  However, we knew that in South Peterson, Illinois deadly crime was not an everyday occurrence. After a few weeks, as the family had become so attached to the house it was so unbelievable. I could not wait to get our children out of public schools, in my view; they have become some of the worse in the nation. With all the noise locally and nationally, I knew that I wanted my kids in a safer neighborhood and a school where they could learn without the media sticking a microphone up in their young faces. I believe we had found that.

My wife and I always enjoyed a clean house, and this house deserved nothing less. She had learned it from her parents, and so did I learn from my own, parents. After a few weeks, Amy’s room could have stood some improving; however, on the other hand, Jeffery’s room was always a colossal mess. His clothes were hanging half way out of his dresser drawers. Half eaten hamburger sandwiches and French fries were located way under his bed now with mold. His rotting manure was slimed upside the walls. Urine covered the beddings. We figured with plenty of input coated with immense threats from the both of us, would do the trick.  We wanted the entire house to be one as it pertains to cleanliness. This was going to be hard work for my little Jeffery.  

This was the life. We had a nice car, a house, lovely children, and we were finally away from Chicago, a beautiful city but just not for my family. On this wonderful Saturday morning I wanted to step out and see the neighborhood and try and meet some of our new neighbors. I’m sure that someone saw us moving into the house. However, they did not bother to come over and introduce themselves. I finally had a real house to call home. It was exciting, my wife and I had worked very hard for this day. As I walked around, Peterson, Illinois, it was a very quiet place not many people were out and...

                                                IT IS HERE

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