Review of the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Illinois

Hello:

Looking for a nature activity to do this weekend? Might I suggest the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Illinois? I took the wife and kids there on a recent weekend and was very impressed. Let me tell you all about in today's featured writing. 

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Have a great weekend! Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

Review of the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Illinois

If you've ever visited one, then you'll certainly agree that a Japanese garden is a wonderful place to visit, offering beauty and tranquility which restores your peace of mind. My wife, kids and I recently visited one located in Rockford, Illinois: the Anderson Japanese Garden. It’s located off Creek Road in Rockford.

Construction of the Anderson Japanese Garden initially began in the late 1970s when Rockford business man, John Anderson, wished to recreate his experience during a visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon. Anderson soon converted his own backyard into a private Japanese garden and employed the expertise of Hoichi Kurisu to do so. The garden was ultimately donated in 1998 to the Rockford Rotary Charitable Association. To this day, people can visit the Alexander Japanese Garden and—according to their website— receive "...a place of peace and tranquility where they will find healing, renewal, inspiration, and a re-energized soul"

Visitors are encouraged to feed the numerous coy fish located in the ponds. The fish excitedly race through the water and eagerly accept food which is sold at the admission counter. And it isn't just the coy fish that swim over for food! There are plenty of mallard ducks who swoop in to try and share a meal with the fish. So much fun!

The entire garden is hand crafted with an exquisite touch of art. Huge stones are stacked and placed about which leaves you feeling like they had always been there. And be sure to check out the beautiful waterfall. How many people have taken photos and used this as a backdrop?

Now there are plenty of ponds and lakes throughout northern Illinois. But it's not every day that the scenery yields something like this. There are all sorts of architectures about the garden such as this beautiful bridge that joins the

surrounding land to a small island.

In many places it is possible to enter these small architectures to sit and meditate for a while, or maybe simply spend time with a special someone. Imagine sitting on one of the numerous natural-appearing benches located throughout the garden and watching a peaceful brook babble on.

But despite all of its beauty, the Anderson Japanese Garden hides a secret. While visiting, we couldn't help but notice the numerous signs and blockades that prevented us from walking any further. And many of these places looked interesting—stairways that led to higher plateaus in the surrounding forest, or boulders that were stacked in such a way to encourage visitors to climb up to a different area. Well we broke the rules that day, disregarded the "private property" signs and entered the forbidden area. Everything was okay at first as we

continued to hike, but then we stumbled upon a building which, from a distance, appeared to house a large group of ninjas inside of it. From a distance we could see that they were practicing their ninjitsu exercises. It must have been a lesson that day.

Then, suddenly, someone spotted us through the window! With that, a dozen or more ninjas flipped out of the building and proceeded to chase after us.

"Oh no!" screamed my wife. "I told you this wasn't a good idea! Why don’t you ever listen to me???

"

We all ran for our lives. There was no telling what would happen to us if the ninjas reached us. And to be honest, I believe that they were simply playing with us as a warning to never return. A ninja would suddenly appear at the side of

the nearby trail (I swear these people had magic abilities) while wielding a Samurai sword and doing jumping summersaults in the air. We had large chains whipped at us which caused the kids to trip onto the ground a couple of times. And then came frightening assault of dozens of throwing stars. It was five minutes of the most awful terror anyone would want to endure. All the while, we wondered if we would make it out of there alive.

We finally made it across the private property boundary and back to the main visitor section of the Japanese garden. I can only conclude that the Anderson Japanese Garden hides a secret cult of ninjas that train in the surrounding off-limits forest.

So if you are looking for a nice afternoon of the beauty and tranquility of a Japanese garden, along with the fun and excitement of being chased by ninja

warriors, be sure to check out the Anderson Japanese Gardens. We give it 5 stars, and will definitely be returning.

The Ghost People

Hello All:

I love turning those strange dreams we have early in the morning (just moments before waking up) into short stories. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. Today's brand, new story is one such example.

The Ghost People

He calls them the "ghost people"; this is what six-year-old Aaron refers to them as. Mother and Father understand these "ghost people" to be little Aaron's imaginary friends. It’s theorized that he invented them as a means to cope with the move into the new home. You see, Father's job transfer required that the family move out of state. And this relocated little Aaron to a new school with new teacher and new kids. Many children invent imaginary friends when coping with stressors in life.

The "ghost people" as Aaron describe are quite interesting. With the exception of being nearly transparent, they initially appear to be ordinary people. It's three of them—three men—one wearing a suit, and the other dressed in plain clothes, the sort of clothes that Grandpa wears—button down shirts and dress slacks. Sometimes the one who wears a suit enters the room with a brimmed hat. Aaron understands him to be the boss.

But what makes the "ghost people" so interesting?—you might ask?

They can morph into anything they wish. Often the "ghost people" transform themselves into "cartoon people". They can actually look like the strange creatures that Aaron often sees in today's modern cartoons—nothing adults would ever recognize.

Take for example the night that Aaron sat on his bedroom floor while playing with matchbox cars. Suddenly, the "ghost people" flattened themselves like a pancake and slid under the closed closet door into the main bedroom.

"Hi Aaron!" greeted one of the "ghost people". "What's wrong? Don't recognize us?"

Although what hovered nearby Aaron were colorful blobs with funny faces that would make anyone laugh, Aaron definitely recognized them. And to distinguish himself from the other two, the boss wore the brimmed hat.

"I recognize you guys." answered Aaron. "Want to play matchbox cars with me?" he offered.

One of the "ghost/cartoon people" whistled before exclaiming, "Oh, them are swell! Look at them!" he encouraged the other two "ghost people". "Ain't them nice little cars?"

"Yeah, they sure are." agreed the boss.

"You got a Studebaker?" asked one of the other two.

Aaron shrugged his shoulder. "What's a Studebaker?"

"Uh-oh!" exclaimed the boss. "Here comes the Mrs." With that, the "ghost/cartoon people" whisked away and flattened themselves up to slip behind the pictures on Aaron's wall.

"Who were you talking to?" asked Mother upon entering Aaron's bedroom.

"The ghost people." answered Aaron. "They were going to play Matchbox cars with me. One of them wanted to know if I have a Studebaker."

Mother remained silent. If her son could just make a new friend at school, it would put an end to these imaginary "ghost people".

"Mommy? What's a Studebaker?"

"I don't know Aaron." answered Mother. "It's time for bed. Pick up your toys and put them away."

Mother stepped out of the bedroom for a moment. During this time, Aaron reluctantly did as ordered. Already in his pajamas, he climbed into bed and waited with the lights on to be tucked in.

Moments later Mother entered the room and approached the bed. "Good night, Honey. I love you." She kissed Aaron on the lips.

"I wish that was me she was kissing." remarked one of the “ghost people” from behind the pictures hanging on the wall.

"Watch it!" ordered the boss. "That's the kid's mother. Is nothing sacred with you?"

As Mother stepped out she turned off the lights and closed the door. Almost immediately, the "ghost people" slipped out from behind the pictures and resumed their cartoon appearances.

"Bed time, huh?" asked one of them.

"Yeah..." sadly answered little Aaron.

"You still want to play, huh kid?" asked the boss.

"I guess..." answered Aaron.

"Hey, I got a good idea." began one of the other two "ghost people" with a mischievous smile on his face. "What do you say we play monkey in the middle?"

"No!" cried out little Aaron. Aaron did not like this cruel game of monkey in the middle. Invented by the "ghost people" it had nothing to do with intercepting a ball or playing any form of keep away. Rather it involved the "ghost people" transforming their faces into hideous monsters while chasing frightened little Aaron around the bedroom.

And that's what the "ghost people" suddenly did. They put on frightful faces of sharp teeth and huge horns on their heads. Sometimes they made themselves look like angry animals. They often growled and made loud noises while playing this cruel game. And whenever Aaron tried to get away, the "ghost people" simply stretched themselves out like a blanket to catch little Aaron and fling him back in the center. Hence the meaning of monkey in the middle.

Poor Aaron scurried around the bedroom. "No! No! Not again!"

The "ghost people" swirled and danced around the bedroom while transforming themselves into hideous animals. A couple of times they stretched themselves out like a blanket to catch Aaron and thrown him in the middle.

"Monkey in the middle!" the three of them called out.

Somehow, little Aaron managed to escape. He ran out into the hallway and into the family room where Mother and Father watched TV. "The ghost people aren't being nice to me! They're chasing me around the bedroom and playing monkey in the middle! It scares me!

In the bedroom, the "ghost people" transformed themselves back into their original form; the boss wearing his suit with brimmed hat, and the other two wearing button down shirts with dress slacks.

"Is this all we have to look forward to?" asked the boss. "Playing with toys and chasing a little boy around the bedroom to scare him?" He was more-or-less complaining their existence.

"Well we don't have to hang around this place." cited one of the other two. "There's a whole world out there. How come we never left?"

The boss lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag. Then he exhaled. "You know what gets me with you two? In all the years... In all the bad stuff we did... You never think about what's waiting for us as payback."

"We got our payback!" snapped one of the other two "ghost people". "They finally caught up with us. We got the ultimate punishment. What's worse than dead? What can happen to us now?"

The boss shook his head in disbelief while taking another drag. "See, that's what you don't get. What’s out there waiting for us? What's going to happen to us? Where will we end up for all the bad things we did to people?"

The End

The Last Day of School

Hello All:

My poor aloe plant; I carried it outside to the deck a couple of weeks ago so that it could enjoy plenty of sunlight. It was brought back in the house to prevent rain from drowing it. (Excessive water is not good for aloe plants.) I thought all was fine, but then noticed that some of the leaves turned brown! Come to find out, aloe plants can get sunburn! Who would have known. I hope my plant gets better soon.
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Brand new story for you to enjoy today.
The Last Day of School

It was the last day of school at Birch Elementary School. At the sound of the bell, kids rushed to the main exit door to be the first to kick it open and race out to the bus. Those kids couldn't get to the bus fast enough! You remember how the last day of school was, don't you?

Out in the front parking lot were a dozen or so school buses with drivers who waited for the children to board. One of those drivers was 48 year old Shawna who was excited to follow through with her surprise for the kids on the last day of school. You see, many years ago when Shawna was a little girl, her bus driver treated the kids to a special surprise on their last day of school. The driver actually drove into town and treated the kids to ice cream cones from the Tasty Freeze. It was always a fond memory for Shawna. Somehow the act officially marked the beginning of a wonderful summer break. But each year, thereafter, Shawna anticipated the next bus driver to do the same. But, sadly, this never happened again.

Well Shawna is a bus driver, now. She's thought about repeating the surprise for her kids in recent years. But this is the first year that she decided to follow through with it.

Kids screamed and yelled while boarding the bus. They were a bunch of wild animals who couldn't wait to get home and swim in their pools, or ride their bikes to the park to play ball.

But what was this?

"Okay boys and girls, settle down!" announced Shawna while standing in the main aisle. This was just a minute or so before the buses were given final clearance to leave the school. "Settle down, I have an announcement for you all."

The noisy kids quieted down as ordered.

"Well today's your last day of school, and I hope you all have a nice summer break. You kids certainly deserve it. And I just want to say that it was my pleasure being your school bus driver this year. I want to treat you all to a surprise before going home."

"What is it?" shouted Mike, one of the older boys sitting in back.

"You'll find out." answered Shawna. "Just sit tight."

The dispatcher squawked over the radio which granted the busses clearance to pull out and take the kids home. But not Shawna! She was going to deviate from the usual route, and take the kids to McDonald's for ice cream cones.

As the dozen or so busses took off from the school, the drivers all followed through with a yearly ritual that involved tooting their horns in celebration of summer break beginning.

"Bye Birch Elementary School!" said one of the girls while waving out the window. "I hope summer break is nice and long so I won't have to see you for a long time!"

Jimmy, one of the older kids in the back, extended his middle finger through the window. "You suck Birch Elementary School!"

"Hey!" shouted Shawna. "This is still school property. No swearing and no sticking up your middle finger!"

"Sorry..." apologized Jimmy.

A minute or so later, as Shawna continued to travel down the main road and past the entrance of her first subdivision, a voice called out over the radio."Hey Shawna?" It was a fellow bus driver who was familiar with Shawna's daily route. "Didn't you miss your turn?"

Shawna said nothing, just kept on driving.

There's a new technology on buses in the 21st century that we didn't have a kids. It employees GPS tracking, and enables the dispatch office to track the whereabouts of a bus. Sandy, the dispatcher, noticed that Shawna's bus was deviating from the route quite considerably. "Base to Shawna!" called out Sandy.

Sandy said nothing, just kept on driving.

"Base to Shawna. I notice that you are deviating from your route. Is everything okay?"

"Bah! Turn this thing off!" exclaimed Shawna. "It's the last day of school, and this is my last route for the day." With that, Shawna switched the radio off.

"Where are we going?" shouted Mike from the back.

"It's a surprise!" shouted Shawna in return. “You're going to like it.”

"To be honest..." began Susan, shouting over the noise of the kids. "...I was really looking forward to going home and swimming in the pool for the rest of the day."

Shawna said nothing, just kept driving.

"Hey bus driver!" called out Jimmy from the back. "We actually have a game of baseball at the park. I kind of wanted to get home and have lunch so I could meet everyone in time."

"It won't take long!" reassured Shawna.

"Yeah, I wanted to spend the rest of the day playing my Wii Sims!" shouted another kid. "Can't we just go home?

"Come—on, Kids!" snapped Shawna. "What's wrong with you all? I'm treating you to a surprise on the last day of school!" Through the rearview mirror, Shawna could be seen glaring out at the road with a perturbed look on her face. "Kids are so spoiled and ungrateful these days." she thought to herself. "Well this is actually good for them." she further reasoned. "I'm going to follow through with this and make them enjoy ice cream cones. If more adults did this, the kids of today would be saved."

Shawna kept driving down the rural highway until reaching the main road in town. From there she turned left and traveled about a half mile until reaching McDonald's.

"UGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" exclaimed the kids in a disappointed tone of voice. No, they were not happy. You see, kids today are much different than we were. We actually used to like McDonald's and saw it as a treat. But thanks to a bombardment of social media health propaganda along with extreme education in health class, kids today have a dreadful phobia of McDonald's!

"You're treating us to genetically altered beef organisms and stuff made with dangerous hormones, artificial sweeteners, chemicals and stuff?" asked a smartass kid from the back.

"What are you talking about???" argued Shawna. "This is McDonald's! I'm treating you to ice cream cones."

"Don't you mean fake ice cream cones?" corrected Susan who really wished she could be swimming. McDonald's doesn't even use real dairy. It's some powdered mixture added with water that is frozen. Yuck!"

"No it's not!" snapped Shawna. "The sign on the ice cream cone machine says that it uses real dairy. You think I would give you something bad?"

"But I'm lactose intolerant!" called out one of the kids.

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" answered Shawna. "All you kids today are brainwashed into thinking that you have food allergies, gluten allergies, peanut allergies, and lactose intolerance." You'll see that eating an ice cream cone won't hurt you.

Shawna wouldn't let today's weird generation of kids ruin her surprise. She simply parked the school bus and shut it off. "I'll be right back!" she announced, and then locked the bus—leaving the kids trapped inside of a hot bus on the last day of school while she gets ice cream cones for everyone.

"This sucks!" kids began to shout.

"I hate this bus driver!"

"I'm texting my mother!"

Ten minutes later, Shawna returned with three dozen ice cream cones. She unlocked the bus and climbed on board. "Okay, kids! Here are your ice cream cones."

"It's freakin' hot in here!"

"Take us home!"

"Don't worry, kids." reassured Shawna. "Once I pass these out to everyone, we'll be back on the road to go home."

"Hurry up!" the kids demanded.

"My, you kids are so spoiled today." remarked Shawna.

One—by—one, kids were handed a small, vanilla cone. Surprisingly, most of the kids enjoyed it. After all, McDonald's ice cream isn't so bad.

"But I'm lactose intolerant." argued a little girl when being handed a cone.

"Not on my bus, you aren't!" answered Shawna. She placed the cone towards the little girl's face, "Taste it!" Shawna demanded.

The little girl shook her head, no.

"Taste it!" Shawna ordered a second time. "You will eat this ice cream cone and enjoy it!"

The little girl broke down in tears. "But it will give me diarrhea!"

A nearby girl began to cry along with her. "I want to go home!"

Just then, four police officers stormed onto the bus. "Police! Put your hands up."

Startled, Shawna turned around with the trays of ice cream cones. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked.

"Put the ice cream cones down!" ordered a police officer. "You're under arrest! You have the right to remain silent!"

***

Later that night, the five o'clock news aired the main story for everyone to watch. The reporter stood in the parking lot of McDonald's. "Police are investigating a massive child abduction that took place earlier today. A deranged bus driver abducted an entire bus load of school children from Birch Elementary School. They were taken to McDonald's and forced against their will to eat ice cream cones. And some of those children were lactose intolerant. It was reported that they were locked up in the hot bus while that driver went inside McDonald's to purchase these ice cream cones."

The camera switched over to Sandy, the bus company dispatcher. "I noticed on GPS that she deviated from her route. We lost communication with her. That's when I called police."

The camera switched back to the news reporter. "None of the children were harmed. They've all been reunited with their parents. As for the bus driver, she's been suspended from her job without pay throughout the duration of police investigation."

The End