A Simple Story of a "Not-So-Simple" Universe

At the time of my retirement on March 31, 2006, I challenged myself with a handful of goals. With this publication, all have now been accomplished. Initially, I did not plan to publish. I did plan to write a manuscript or a story . . . or just write something about the universe. I felt compelled to give my fascination with the universe some sort of order, something that would punctuate my life. Upon completion, I wondered if it might have some merit to others and scoped out the thought of publication. I found the manuscript very readable and relatively elementary. It should prove interesting to science students of all levels as well as all people interested in the universe.