How many times had she rescued it? She'd lost count. It seemed that every year since she'd gotten it, it had dwindled down to nothing and she'd had to give it a serious haircut to get it going again. It would, almost overnight, grow lush and full only to start dwindling and drooping again with no warning. How often she had looked at it, remembering, or drawing comfort from its upright eager vines that never seemed to quit. Poor Charlie, she thought. How many more times can I hack away at you like this and expect you to live? Other people will try to bully, or force, you into taking the deal they're offering you. Stand firm and don't give into their pressured tactics either.

I would like to speak directly to you, the reader. Learning to walk again can be used as a reference point at any time in your life when you feel overwhelmed with the sting of your environment, beaten down with the storms of life or simply afraid to journey into brand new areas. you could try this out Of course, a little known fact about comedian Jay Leno is that he has made NBC nearly one billion dollars richer since he took over Johnny Carson's chair. As my eyeballs came back into focus, I watched him unfold the same pocket knife and as he bent to retrieve another chile from the plant, I prayed it wasn't for me. Realizing it wasn't I thanked the great capsicum god in the Hatch volcano and considered crying. I had just started on another beer when someone dropped a few coins in the juke box. The music was bad country. To my utter disgust the first song that played was that "I want to stick a boot up your butt" super-patriotic, ultra-jingoist thing by the guy in the buy truck freightliner commercials. The people around me began to sing along loudly. Well, since that was the only plan the three of us were able to come up with that whole evening, I figured it was destiny. There really wasn't anything else going on in my life so as dawn arrived we headed for the Army recruiting office. There were, of course, some tests for me to take. I resumed my mission and approached the Shadow Bar. Shadow Bar is an unusual name that had nothing to do with the building itself. The walls were bright, white stucco with the front of the one-story building evenly divided by a massive black door with a small glass window centered about five feet up from the sidewalk. The few windows in the building were covered with shades and draperies that allowed no glimpse of what was happening inside. The situation might sound like a win-win but some people say "Cash for Clunkers" is a speed bump, slowing customers who might want a used car. Used car dealers at Naff Auto Sales told WSLS the program could force people into buying a new car. Another possible problem, Clunkers traded in with the program have to be destroyed, meaning they won't end up for sale on a used car lot. Better for the environment, bad for used car business. But many say it's a trade we need to make. Many don't want to put the brakes on the program. In an interview with WSLS, the president of Berglund Automotive said close to 40 people have taken advantage of the government program so far. They say "Cash for Clunkers" is giving customers the kick they need to get a new car.