The End is Near

The End is Near 

 By BR Chitwood

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With some shame and omissions, I can honestly say that the mind is a most perplexing combination of stupidity and bright ideas!

“Huh?”

Okay, instead of saying ‘my mind’, I said, ‘the mind’. MY MIND is the perplexing combination of which I write. There are times when I hatch an idea on this laptop and it flows very well for a while until…until the mind is sidetracked with too many different themes coming into play, and they are darn good themes, just mildly disconnected from what I intended for this post.

“So!”

 So, I look back over my over 500 post writings and find posts quite similar to the one I’m writing.

“Disconcerting?”

Indeed, because I want to be ‘fresh with what I write.

So, after reading over my 300 or 400 words, I wipe them off, clean and clear of my other posts…but I pushed the wrong button and ended up not only wiping out the post I was writing but the post in front of the one I was writing… Yes, I know, I used ‘I was writing’ twice in a sentence – a mistake because the ’wipe out’ was from exasperation and I went too far back and wiped out two posts… please don’t ask me why and how I could make such a mistake. Suffice it to write, for an ‘old coot’ like myself, I embarrass myself and my wife who reads all my posts and comments, generally always positively to them like a good wife (and writer, herself) should. When she begins her comments negatively, she acts like she’s embarrassed herself.

It’s enough to take an author to ‘drink’!

So, we doubled up that night – meaning we got half-soused on those two ‘hyped-up’ cocktails.

In this post, I wanted to be honest with my readers and let them know it hurts to make this admission…

So, with this post I apologize to readers of my words and their generally wonderful comments. It appears the ‘Writing Gods’ are reminding me of age factors…don’t get me wrong, I can get around rather handily, and it appears that I’m being reminded by some good and wholesome author friends that I should not cease my writing – you know, ‘good for the mind’, ‘good to be active in what you are good at’, and I know they are being kind and generous…some of them have written great reviews of my books – twenty books, in all! Many of my mysteries are fiction taken from actual crime cases.

Now, it would be nice if the readers of this post will join my writer friends and check out my books on my Word Press web site… https://www.brchitwood.com – Just saying!

Some say I should have been a comedian instead of an author.

Maybe! In the next life!

– BR Chitwood –

August 22, 2022

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https://www.brchitwood.com

(Go to my Word Press web site for all my writing – 20 novels, shore stories, flash fiction, poetry, over 500 blog posts…)

https://www.brchitwood.com)

Chance to Win Big!

Chance to Win Big

By BR Chitwood

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The sweat literally poured from his brow and onto the green felt of the crap table like a leaking kitchen faucet… Brad Caron’s comeback after losing twenty grand in just two hours had the record for ‘longest run’ and, so far, the highest money winner in Arizona Casino and Gaming’s history, and the only casino where dinners for four weeks were free for winners of big sums their four guests, no matter the time of day, the logic of which was no secret for any gambler – the casino had back-up history showing many big winners would gamble away their large winnings within a period of six months, if not the same night…varying by a small degree.

That sweat did not pour in Caron’s right hand. The Crap Table was surrounded by a small village of other casino Winners and Losers who went crazy after each winning Toss.  Caron’s right hand was the only dry spot on his body, visible in an almost eerie way in the midst of people, card players and/or non-players – an almost silent drone of conversation like a soft whir of motors ready to explode. Brad chose his bet preference When Caron tossed the romanced die, his lady’s bright red kiss planted on his right cheek, the ‘eight’ was his number the two white square cubes displayed on the green felt.

More side bets by the gamblers around the table, the die kissed again by brad’s lovely lady of the evening, he flung the die back-handed against the end of the long table and the number nine came up…Brad Caron’s side bet earned him a quick ten grand. The whoops and yells from the people were cacophonous, and the sweat flowed and sprayed the people nearby with a good dousing.

Brad conferred with the Croupier, asking for his highest bet of the long day – one and one-half million dollars… After a short conferring pause, the bet was approved by the Croupier and upper management. A soft-seeming electric buzz filled the darkened casino as the die was returned to Brad Caron.

A casino employee presented a towel to the gambler but he refused the offer…he wanted nothing to change in his long run… The loud speaker in the casino had already announced that no changes would interrupt the table play.

Brad Caron’s right hand was still the only part of his body still dry after all his tosses, and he saw it as a positive omen not to be trifled with.

“Players, place your side bets totaling $50,000 as he placed on the ‘4’ spot in the side box in front of the Croupier.

There were some moans and groans from bystanders who apparently thought his side bet pick was a bad choice.

“Roll the dice, Mr. Caron,” commanded the Croupier.

Ritual the same, the lady with Brad Caron kissed his die and then his wet right cheek. She smiled as she rendered the kiss. The first roll of the dice, Mr. Brad Caron’s two squares yielded him another win – a ‘three’ and a ‘one’ showed brightly on the green felt.

In the history of Casino gambling, Brad Caron broke gambling records all over the country, perhaps even the world…in the millions.

NOTE:

I wrote this fictional post based on a ‘Time’ Magazine article about a New Jersey Grandmother breaking a ‘Craps’ record with 154 rolls of the dice for four hours and eighteen minutes without ‘sevening out’… the odds of doing that are 1 in 1.56 million – a fascinating article by Claire Suddath.

 I found out many years ago that ‘Craps’ and I did not get along very well – thank you very much!

By BR Chitwood – July 16 2022

Please take a look at My 20 books of fiction (many written from romance, memoir, true criminal cases, plus 500 blog posts, short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and songs – all you can find at:

https://www.brchitwood.com

Take a visit to my website above and you will find book cover Pics, synopses of all books, in essence, all of my writing…

Too Many Echoes

By BR Chitwood

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Too many echoes fill the air,

Like a dream with too many players…

A cow moos in the meadow,

Happily chewing its cud and grass…

As tears roll down my cheek,

With memories of Appalachian

Emotions pitching low and high as

I guide old Bessie home for milking…

The grade school’s resident bully stops

Me, taunts, teases, and fills me

With unaccountable fear and pain…

The bully runs toward his home

As his father yells his displeasure

In his call for chores and dinner…

Small, simple these easy words convey

A condition which shall prevail

For the rest of my life…

Old Bessie and I make it to the home

Of my grandparents who caretake me,

Knowing well the ugly memories of the past…

Divorced parents and the awful depression

That ruled so many of our days, and nights,

Nights when sleep was blocked by thoughts…

My beautiful country born and bred

Grandma and Grandpa saw me through

Those long-ago days of struggles…

They will always be in my thoughts and

Prayers, reminding me that a simple country

Life brought me love and humility…

***

BR Chitwood

July 11, 2022

My Web site with twenty books of fiction (some based on true crimes), hundreds of blog posts, poetry, short stories, flash fiction…

Too Many Echoes

By BR Chitwood

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Too many echoes fill the air,

Like a dream with too many players…

A cow moos in the meadow,

Happily chewing its cud and grass…

As tears roll down my cheek,

With memories of Appalachia

Emotions pitch low and high as

I guide old Bessie home for milking…

The school’s resident bully stops

Me, taunts, teases, and fills me

With unaccountable fear and pain…

The bully runs toward his home

As his father yells his displeasure

In his call for chores and dinner…

Small, simple these easy words convey

A condition which shall prevail

For the rest of my life…

Old Bessie and I make it to the home

Of my grandparents who caretake me,

Knowing well the ugly memories of the past…

Divorced parents and the awful depression

That ruled so many of our days, and nights,

Nights when sleep was blocked by thoughts…

My beautiful country born and bred

Grandma and Grandpa saw me through

Those long-ago days of struggles…

They will always be in my thoughts and

Prayers, reminding me that a simple country

Life brought me love and humility…

***

BR Chitwood – Author

July 11, 2022

My Web site with twenty books of fiction (some based on true crimes), hundreds of blog posts, poetry, short stories, flash fiction, and songs:

https://www.brchitwood.com

Under Arizona Skies

Under Arizona Skies

• An Unsolved Murder –

By BR Chitwood

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Kentucky is now part of my living history, back to the desert heat and sunshine one can almost love during any month of the year except the torrid heat-up into the summer months…Ah, hell, I love those months as well as the tourist months of Winter as long as the air-condition unit will stay true to its mission, as long as my views of the mountains north, south, and east can remain a reminder of the colder months to come and the short drive north where another kind of beauty prevails with colder weather, snow capping pristine mountains in their long stretches in any direction.

Now, one could be thinking I’m writing an Arizona essay for the Chamber of Commerce. Not so, but the reader can think of this piece of writing in that way, but, please, do not bum out on me when I continue here with a memory of one actress friend of mine many summers ago during the month of August, 1967. In fact, this adorable lady was responsible for my becoming an actor myself…television commercials, stage plays, film work of one kind or another, and/or ‘still modeling’. In fact, this actress was most responsible in my joining ‘The Bobby Ball Talent Agency’. At that time, the great actor, Nick Nolte, did the photo shoots for my initial

‘Bobby Ball Talent Query’ format. Many folks will remember Nick’s blockbuster Hollywood TV series, “Rich Man, Poor Man” – great actor and friend.”

Sorry to digress, but back to the actress mentioned above…

In the record heat month of August, 1967, this delightful actress went ‘missing’ for two weeks. Her body was discovered by a couple of kids rock-hunting in the desert just north of Shea Boulevard. The desert heat had made her easy prey for the desert population of animals, her body unrecognizable. With the news of her homicide, her many friends were devastated.

The miserable bastard who committed this brutal crime has, to my knowledge, never been found. My wife at the time was a room-mate of the lovely lady, and we were all shocked and overwhelmed with the news of her death. If anyone has information about this horrible crime, please contact the Phoenix Police Department’s ‘Cold Case’ Division.

Years later on, with the library microfiche available on the crime, I wrote a book on this good lady’s death… ‘Book One’ of my six-book ‘Bailey Crane Mystery Series’. A few of these books were also written based on unsolved crimes – or, were, at the time I wrote them.

Please, if you have any information that might help solve this long-ago case, the Phoenix Police Department would appreciate hearing from you.

https://www.brchitwood.com

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My 20 books, 500 blog posts, short stories, flash fiction, poems, and songs all appear at the above Web site…

Under Arizona Skies

Can We Hide?

By BR Chitwood

Many of us hide from the World, fearing we might end up as a newspaper ‘Obit’ headline.

Many novelists become wealthy in their efforts to depict the homicides, robberies, and the ugliness found on our streets and in our homes. ‘Jack, the Ripper’, ‘Preyors of the young and vulnerable’, ‘ The Boston Strangler’, ‘Snake River Murders’, ‘Jeffrey Dahmer’, ‘Ted Bundy’ people who live by robbing and killing their victims, all the while smiling and displaying their innocent smiles…

This ‘epidemic’ did not just get this way. Our world history is over-weight with these ‘thrill-kill seekers’.In Capone’s Chicago’s early days, hoods were lined up against a large garage wall and mowed down with machine guns. Al Capone was something like a ‘folk hero’!

Of course, our police departments, our colleges and universities have courses in Criminology. Our laws, our court systems have tried to initiate new ways of controlling the episodic crime events of our history, new laws, ‘sentence guide-lines’, and what we see historically is that there are ‘up-ticks’ and ‘down-ticks’… but make no mistake, Crime is alive and well in the world. Defunding of the police most certainly has invited more crime and brazen disruption of business in many major cities…and, it can certainly be suggested that the state of our political activities that concern our borders (particularly, our southern border) will see more, not, less crime- i.e., https://www.eurotechsecurity.com/how-crime-and-technology-have-evolved-over-the-last-10-years/Aug 06, 2020 · Crimes recorded in the UK in 2010: 4.58 Million. Latest crime rate recorded in the UK: 6.3 Million. So, as you can see there has been a pretty significant uptick in physical and violent crime when it comes to the UK. Seeing a nearly 2 million crime increase in a little under a decade can seem daunting and in some regards it is.

www.foxnews.com › us › police-defunded-citiesPolice defunded: Major cities feeling the loss of police …Apr 01, 2021 · Total violent crime in Minneapolis between July 22, 2020, and March 28 was also up 22% year-over-year – 3,692 this year compared to the 3,025 last year; the violent summer months…

Anyone feeling good about our ‘State of Crime’?

BR Chitwood – July 5, 2022

My 20 books, 500 blog posts, Short Stories, Flash Fiction can be found, with synopses, descriptions, and Poetry can be found at:

https://www.brchitwood.com

Winners and Losers

Winners and Losers

By BR Chitwood

       In each of us are desires,

 For each of us aspires…

  To each of us, confusion,

    For each of us, delusion…

      Dreams come unbidden,

      Some stark and hidden…

      Truth can bring mockery

      To daily-labored drudgery.

      We pray for aid to Deities,

      Or toss the die nervously…

***

–BR Chitwood– 6/29/22

All my books with synopses and posts can be found at: https://www.brchitwood.com

Please, have a look!

Love and Weather

Love and Weather

By BR Chitwood

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 Weather tomorrow: Blue Skies, soft

breezes and Sunshine!

Turn off spigot to troubling thoughts!

Believe in your dreams and attack the day!

Keep the smile in place – someone is nearby…

Love taps tenderly on your shoulder, and kisses your cheek…

A song plays loudly on a passing auto:

More dreams pass with a zephyr.

The Western sky spreads its beautiful

Panorama of colors…

There is no place on Earth that you would rather be.

Car horns honk blessings to the couple on a tree-lined mall

As they continue their lovers’ walk to their brighter future!

Hearts and Souls unite for this special day of Happiness!

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BR Chitwood – June 15 2020

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My 20 books in most genres with synopses, book cover pics, over 500 blog posts, Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Poetry are on my WordPress Website…

My WordPress Website: https://www.billyraychitwood.com

Love and Weather

By BR Chitwood

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 Weather tomorrow: Blue Skies, soft

breezes and Sunshine!

Turn off spigot to troubling thoughts!

Believe in your dreams and attack the day!

Keep the smile in place – someone is nearby…

Love taps tenderly on your shoulder, and kisses your cheek…

A song plays loudly on a passing auto:

More dreams pass with a zephyr.

The Western sky spreads its beautiful

Panorama of colors…

There is no place on Earth that you would rather be.

Car horns honk blessings to the couple on a tree-lined mall

As they continue their lovers’ walk to their brighter future!

Hearts and Souls unite for this special day of Happiness!

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BR Chitwood – June 15 2020

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My 20 books in most genres with synopses, book cover pics, over 500 blog posts, Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Poetry are on my WordPress Website…

My WordPress Website: https://www.billyraychitwood.com

Or: https://www.brchitwood.com

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What to Do!

What to Do!

BR Chitwood

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With aging comes the discoloring and blurry marks of a young man with an early validity of truth and dishonor, mixed with raw eruptions of anger by parents decimated by a busted economy and harsh living standards. It is often that I cowardly sneak a peek back on those early days when families were wandering in a ‘mine field’ of bigotry, corruption, wars, and hatred…all bets were off when the Japanese bombed our airfields in Honolulu on most beautiful spots on earth.

My Uncle Charles Chitwood was stationed at Hickam Field on the big island Oahu, a ‘belly gunner’, and he survived the attack – but the scars never went away. In many ways, his life and his world changed on that fateful day…the ‘chip’ never left his shoulder, and he had several negative contacts with law enforcement.

Today, Oahu has back its charm, its sun, and its beaches, and the many sailors who went down with the ‘Arizona’…how sad it is to re-open that painful phase of our history. As a kid I sat on a window seat in the boarding house living room where my mother was the cook and friend of the owner. I remember the sad and troubled faces who sat and listened to FDR’s depiction of the carnage in Honolulu and how the Japanese ‘would pay a huge price for this terrible act of aggression.

I’ve been to Hawaii a number of times since that fateful day of December 7, 1941, still serene, still one of the most beautiful set of islands in the world.

‘Sneaky’, ‘aggressive’, unspeakably scheduled for the early morning rise of our military personnel on that fateful Sunday morning, There is no reason for anyone to forget ,this ‘Sunday Slaughter’, and there is still in our day the minds and hearts of people who remember a somewhat somber recollection of that terrible event on God’s Holy Day. In the minds of many, there is still a narrow degree of hatred for the Japanese, softened by time.

Of course, there have been evil-minded leaders of the past who have a penchant for hatred – even, if it is based on color-shades, slanted eyes…hatred, in fact, comes too easily for some. If you read your newspapers and watch your evening news, you know this to be the truth.

Why do I write this particular post? Mainly, because I felt the need, my mind going through a patchwork set  of thinking…wondering why we are made the way we are, with mixtures of pious hope, pity, anger, IQs that cannot compete in the world of commerce, ideas, and the miracles that good people can do.

Let others build the fox-holes and the hatred. Let us stand firm on some basic and simple truths: ‘Love thy neighbor’ (at least, try to ‘like them’), give Faith, Hope, and Charity a chance.

Difficult in our world?

No doubt about it!

Walk away from trouble! don’t invite it!

Honest Politicians! I have to believe we have a few of those… Maybe (forget ‘the pig’s eye’!) we can still find those honest politicians who stand for Freedom, Liberty, and our forefathers’ labor to create a nation that allows entry to our country of those who share our beliefs.

There is no charge for ‘Hope’, ‘Charity’, and ‘Common Sense’!

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BR Chitwood

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My 20 books in many genres, my 500+ blog posts, my Short Stories, my Flash Fiction pieces, and my Poetry are on my Web site:

https://www.billyraychitwood.com

or

https://www.brchitwood.com