I like my life, my job, my family, my friends, and I’m thankful for all the blessings I receive on a daily basis. Some time ago, however, I decided to beef up my income level by purchasing a Power Ball ticket each week. I even devised a secret plan that is sure to make me a winner. Although I must admit it hasn’t worked yet, certainly it’s just a matter of time. When I do win, I have a plan in place to distribute my winnings to various family members, friends and charitable institutions. I got started on this "exercise in futility" one day at the Korner Shop when the jackpot was $10 million. Distributed over 30 years, I felt I could handle that much money. Of course, I didn’t win the first time out, so I tried again for the $15 million jackpot. Each week I continued to "not win." Apparently no one else was winning either, because the jackpot grew and grew to more than $100 million. I continued in my efforts until one Sunday morning I opened the newspaper to see if I had won the $155 million jackpot. Suddenly I panicked. Do I really want $155 million? My life as I know it would be over. I could afford to hire a gardener and take all the joy out of life. I could afford to go Blue Marlin fishing every weekend and forget how much I love crappie fishing with the loving husband. I was afraid to look. Finally I worked up my courage, assuring myself that I could always buy a professional basketball team if I wanted to get rid of the money. You can probably figure out that I didn’t win, since I’m still writing this column for the library. I continue to buy a ticket each week with my sure-fire winning numbers. I have big plans: Gordon needs a new boat; the loving husband needs a lawn tractor; the library needs new carpet, a new boiler, and new computers. I promised to give Barb and April a few bucks and I’m going on an African Safari. As it is now, I like my life and I am grateful for the many blessings I have. If I never win the Power Ball jackpot, so be it. It’s still fun to contemplate the possibilities. It’s possible that you might want to check out the new book by James Patterson, "London Bridges." Terrorists have seized the world’s largest cities. London, Washington, D.C., New York, and Frankfurt will be destroyed unless their demands are met — and their demands are impossible. After a city in the western United States is firebombed, Alex Cross knows that it is only a matter of time before the bombers’ threats to the other cities are brutally executed. Heading up the investigation by the FBI, CIA and Interpol, Alex Cross is stunned when surveillance photos show Geoffrey Shafer, the Weasel, near one of the bombing sites. He senses the presence of the Wolf as well, the most vicious predator he has ever battled. With millions of lives in the balance, Cross wonders if the most powerful law enforcement agencies in the world can stay ahead of these two cunning men. The library will be closed on Thursday so we can be properly thankful. We will be open Friday and Saturday with regular library hours.