How to Collect Your Favorite Stories

I thought u got bored. lol SFC (Join to see)

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LANDSCAPING
My father was a great landscape designer. He knew exactly what he wanted to plant, where to put the plants, and how to take care of them. We had a long, tall, white wall he covered with many bougainvillea plants which gave us a sea of bright pink flowers against the backdrop of the white wall. The irony of bougainvillea plants is they show a profusion of bright neon like colors, but they have huge thorns which discouraged anyone from climbing over the white wall. Outside the wall he planted many marigold plants with yellow blooms. One morning before school, I picked a handful of marigold flowers for Ms. Miles. She was really pleased with my gift and smelled them. I did not realize that marigold flowers really stink.

The yard was vibrant with different colors. He found a special grass that was extremely thick like carpet and did not grow tall. The challenge to planting a specific type of grass is foreign grass will attempt to take root as well. Consequently, I was forced to go into the yard with a screwdriver and a pail to pull out the intruding grass. For a 7 or 8-year-old that was a miserable ordeal. I cursed my father for treating me like a slave when my friends were playing. Who the hell wants to kneel for an hour in the hot sun digging the “bad” grass with a screwdriver? He really did not care. He just wanted me to fill buckets with the bad grass. Over the course of two months the lawn became perfect. He was a perfectionist.

Coconut trees grew in the back of the large yard. I get sentimental when I see coconut trees. They are pretty cool as their plumes of arching fronds wave gently in the wind and they provide drink, food, and coconut wine. They really invoke the tropical look and feeling. The yard was a hybrid of a mini plantation and an aesthetically pleasing garden. The plants and flowerbeds had a mixture of straight and curvilinear lines.

He planted calamansi, avocado, guava, passion fruit, and cashew trees. Did you know the cashew nut grows on the outside of the fruit? Those fruit trees flourished all year round due to the lack of winter. The flowerbeds displayed a bevy of various colors and plant types. The flowerbeds were curvilinear, and the assortment of plants were randomly placed like what you would find in the jungle. However, the rule of thumb was the larger plants were placed in the back and how much sun water is required for the plants. Large elephant plants grew near the faucet outside because they thrived with lots of water. That is where I washed my feet and flip flops before dinner. Sometimes tree frogs would dart and jump from the elephant ear plants which scared the hell out of me.

MAJ Ken Landgren - No sir, not bored yet. My wife is recovering from some serious injuries from an operation and I have a lot to take care of around our home so sometimes I can log on, sometimes I can't. Hopefully in another month or two things will be back to normal. It will probably be later this evening before I have enough time to read this latest story.

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Here is some fiction:

7000 BC

That is the same sunset we watched together. I miss you dear. It was immeasurably difficult to say goodbye to you. Now I sit contemplating my existence and the totality of my life while I sit at our favorite meeting place; the beach where we watched sunsets together. I am an old man now. I am also alone now. My skin is tan and leathery. I have wrinkles like small dry river creeks. I see the multiple flickers of small campfires and hear dogs barking in the distance. Occasionally a baby cries in the village, cradled in the arms of mothers or the ancient arms of grandmothers. The wind is cool and intimate’s autumn will end soon, the creeping winter will slowly be ushered in. The birds flap their wings and fly south in their usual V formations. I rue winter will chill my bones and the cold weather will make me somber.

We were young when we started to trek to the beach together, it was our secret place. I miss our tender nightly rituals as they delighted my soul and elated me. I think of you when my dreamy mind wanders into fond memories and reverie. You were the sweetest person I ever knew, and I incessantly craved your affections as we grew older together. Our lives started with youthful innocence. Life was pure and simple. We were captivated by the here and the now, and to each other; but we did not have the wisdom to understand the greatness and wonderment that would grace us in the future. The air may have been crisp and clear, but much of the world was still cloaked in mystery due to our youth.

There were innumerable times we watched as the great and bright sun god turn orange as it dipped below the horizon. We spent many nights gazing at the black sky filled with the shimmering brilliance of infinite stars above, and the moon replaced the sun. The universe is enigmatic and splendid. The flora and the sea wafted a subtle earthy and sweet perfume; it was a constant as it permeated its presence around us in the air. Clouds drifted lazily to unknown destinations above. The cool wind gently blew your hair and gave your cheeks a slight reddish hue. I marveled at seeing your silhouette when you stood near the fire. Your body curvilinear against the flames. Your face glowed with radiance as we sat near the fire. Occasionally a fine mist of water covered you, and the wind blew your hair. You were perfect in my eyes. Just perfect.

My love for you was so immense and wide it defined who I was. You had a habit of putting firewood in the hearth to keep our abode warm. I watched the warm glow of the fire and the randomness of the flames as they leapt upwards. I took pleasure in the deep aroma of the smoke. You did so much for me that I could not thank you enough. I did not have the wherewithal to understand all that you did for me and the family. For that I regret. You corrected everything amiss in my life. You fixed what was broken. I am remiss for being unenlightened to all you did. I do apologize if I was too blind to know if I hurt you. I wish I could go back in time to undo all the wrongs and take away the hurt, and I would wipe away all your tears from your cheeks, if only if I could.

You are not here now. I ponder my life now and lament I really miss you very much. I have changed since you left me. I can no longer run, everything seems heavier, and my body perpetually aches. However, my mind is still sharp. That is the only part of me that is not broken. I can see the past with crystal clarity. The memories are composed of opposing swirling feelings of joy and sadness. Mostly joy, but it is still a bittersweet. When it was finally time to bid a final farewell to each other; you still looked beautiful through my old lover's eyes as we said or final goodbye. It was so excruciatingly painful to let you go, but I had no choice. What should I do now that you are gone?

Did I say I miss you? I am just biding my time now. Nothing burns in me except in my heart. I cannot reunite with you fast enough. The brilliant memories of you almost sustain me in my times of loneliness and cold. You are a beautiful song that graced my ears, but that song is not complete. I want to hear the rest of the song. I want to explore the universe with you unfettered by any limitations wild and free in each other’s love. Until that time comes, I cannot feel happy. Before I close my eyes for the final time will I see the sun or the stars? When wanting to die, every minute is an eternity. We promised each other that we would never be alone, but we always had the notion that we would live for eternity. Now I am alone, but I will see you soon my love. We will explore the universe unfettered by any limitations. Wild and free baby. Just you and me baby.