RaisingDad

   as featured in Desert Exposure Magazine RaisingDad by Jim and Henry Duchene Under The Influence "thinking 'bout this and that"   Enjoy your youth.      Because when you get older it’s gonna hurt.      Case in point, I've just had a full knee replacement. When I first started having knee issues my doctor suggested I should drop a few pounds. I tried to excuse the excess poundage by explaining it runs in my family. He said it was obvious that NOBODY runs in my family.      When I got home from the hospital my granddaughter was so happy to see me that, along with a tender hug, she gave me a pack of gummy bears that she got for Christmas. She missed my tucking her in. It was only for one night, but I missed tucking her in, too.      My father… well, he had his own way of expressing his happiness.      “Since one of your legs is shorter than the other...

  a story by my 9-year-old granddaughter An Afterlife For Me On The Titanic By Addison Olivia Duchene    There I was, screaming, terrified, waiting. Just waiting to drown. My pets and friends… I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye.      I was hanging on to the pole right next to me, trying to hold myself up. My hands were sweaty and I let go. Trying to push myself up, I just drowned in the ocean.       The water was freezing cold and dark. Like a shadow came over me. I couldn’t hold my breath any longer, so I was suffocating. Then I saw a light, And the next thing I knew I died.       Then I was alive, but angry, sad, and confused.       Why was I alive?       I realized I was a ghost and wanted to get revenge on boats. Then I tried to find my body, but it was buried in the ocean floor. Then I realized I was alone.   ...