"They say the universe is expanding. That should help with the traffic." ~ Steven Wright, Comedian

Happy Monday and welcome back as we count down to turkey day. Today we mark our diary and note that we've made it to November 23, 2015. The sign in the photo has become the current story of my life. This is the most common sign I see no matter where I go. I don't care where I happen to be, from one side of the Houston metro area to the other along with all the suburbs, all the connecting country roads, and even the little Podunk hollows that dot the surrounding landscape. Expect delays. I try not to let it bother me. I'm not into conspiracy theories to any great extent but it would be real easy to climb onto that train. Makes one wonder if we should have bought stock in the sign building companies. Not complaining. Just sharing. While I am at it let me once again lament over something called the toll road system. That's where you pay to use a highway that is designed to improve the flow of traffic. Balderdash! I have figured out what it really is all about. It is designed to be a toll collection system because there is no traffic flow. Just a bunch of fellow lemmings all lined up as far as the eye can see so that we can drive through this little passageway that collects the information required to bill you for parking on their highway. You think I'm exaggerating don't you? I'm not. In closing, even if you happen to gain access to the toll road when there's only a few cars on it, well, you will still see plenty of those signs shutting down lanes and that will help to make your day.

First frost of the season. My oh my. The other day when it was down into the mid forties I saw grown men wearing those wool cold weather caps that pull down over the ears. I could hear my grandfather's voice loud and clear, "Well son, what in the world are you going to do when it really gets cold?" Good question. I suppose when I go out today I will find them wearing arctic gear. No. I am not poking fun at cold-natured people. Maybe they were just making a fashion statement. Some of them had those flaps with the fur looking stuff glued to them. Who knows? They may have been on their way to a ski trip, or something. It's supposedly 34 degrees here this morning. I do have the main prerequisite for this type of cool weather. COMMUNITY coffee. I like mine hot and black. It makes any day better but it is especially good when the weather is cooler. I'm still debating about whether to leave the door open or not. You know what I'm talking about. A little of that really cool air goes a long way. I'm almost certain you knew that already.

I've just finished a three week brief series on the foundation of thankfulness. We know for certain that it is much more than just the polite saying of the words thanks or thank you. You receive a gift of a necktie that you will never ever wear, but, you say thank you very much. True thankfulness in the life of a believer comes from the inside out. Some have connected it to our delight in God and His provision to us. Gaining an appreciation for all He's done on our behalf, well, that gives us reason to be thankful. When people on twitter were asked to describe Thanksgiving in five words, here are some of their responses: ~  How about simply giving thanks? ~ Calm down, have some dip. ~ Piggin', Grateful, Love, Family, Food. ~ American Horror Story for turkeys. ~ No. We're not going shopping. ~ Instead of turkey, pardon Hillary. ~ Today turkey lives don't matter.  ~ THANK YOU to our Military!!! ~ Football, family, friends, food, football. ~  Always room for one more. ~ Everyone pretending everything is normal. ~ America's tribute to obesity epidemic. ~ Hoping tryptophan kicks in soon. ~ Many others were not fit for sharing but I do hope we all have something better than most of these postings. Preferably genuine and from the inside out. Amen.  .....More later.