I hope all of you got your gift requests out in time.

Tomorrow, Uncle Sam will be distributing gifts and putting them under the flag poles of all the patriotic boys and girls across the good ol' U S of A.

Unfortunately, I'm still in SCal relearning how to be a trucker so I won't be home to put out the brats and beer Uncle Sam enjoys so much. I know the wife won't do it because she's not as patriotic as the rest of us. She kind of takes everything with a grain of salt. Plus, she totally does not believe in Uncle Sam. She doesn't even believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Great Pumpkin, or, surprisingly, the Thanksgiving Turkey. Talk about a party pooper!

Our next door neighbors, on the other hand, will be celebrating in earnest as he recently returned from Iraq protecting us from the evil scourge bent on destroying our interests on top of the Middle East oil reserves. They always proudly display the Stars and Stripes and I'm certain they'll will gather at dawn to sing numerous patriotic songs in hopes Uncle Sam will shower gifts upon their worthy heads as he flies over in his converted B-52.

Then tomorrow evening the neighborhood will gather at the house across the street for a barbecue and fireworks display once daylight flickers out. I wish I could be there this year, but I think it's highly unlikely I'll be there next year either.

On the writing side, The Incident at Red Bridge came the inevitable END and the last chapter was posted. The first chapter of Josh's Blog has been sent out for proofing and should be available soon. Since I'm not certain of my available computer time after a week from next Thursday, I'm not certain the chapters will be posted on a regular basis. Once I get my own truck, sometime around the end of September or beginning of October, my life should stabilize enough for me to return to posting on a regular basis. On the other hand, my immediate future might not be full of dire prospects and I'll be able to post on a fairly reliable schedule. We'll see.

Keep your wheels on the pavement, the sun out of your eyes, and remember to have fun. A smile goes a long, long way to making everyone happy.