"No memory is ever alone; it's at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each have their own associations." ~ Louis L'Amour

Good morning and welcome. It's another day here in the neighborhood and I bring you greetings on this Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Last Saturday morning I woke up needing one of those old fashioned big breakfasts. I suppose I was feeling all nostalgic or something. Or maybe I was just hungry. How about a combination of all of the above? In an effort to speed things up my wife asked if I wanted some of those artificial biscuits or should we wait on those homemade delights that she makes. She had to be kidding because when I answered she said she knew I was going to say that. I didn't want to mess up my walk down memory lane with some vision of the Pillsbury dough boy traveling alongside. I helped. I did the thick sliced bacon. She made me some grits, hash browns, a fried egg, over easy, sunny side up, if you please. Those biscuits were browned to perfection and once they got all lathered up with cow oleo, I washed it all down with some ice cold milk and steaming hot and strong Community, well, I-HOP on its best day doesn't have a prayer. You can quote me on that one! She also made herself some of that stove top gravy. I'm not a gravy person but she is and our kids are as well. With that big plate of food you will be glad to know I left off the preserves, although I did think seriously about indulging, but as you can see I did at least pay lip service to watching out for my diabetes and all that kind of stuff. Sorry about making you hungry right off the bat this morning, but it had to be said.

I told her it was the best she had ever made and she asked why I say that every time. Because in my way of looking at it, it was. I know. Being excited about a homemade breakfast isn't exactly the most thrilling subject. I forgot to say I had the front door wide open and the cool breeze was swirling around. See? Now you are beginning to understand why it was such a memorable occasion. Not really? That's okay but I will say this about that. It's not all bad to be entertained by the simple things in life. That big breakfast reminded me of my mom's cooking, Granny Mac standing over that stove on a cold morning with the windows all fogged up, and my Granddad hovering over a campfire making biscuits and fried squirrel for breakfast. I was also reminded of my mother in law and how she would put a dozen different things to choose from on the table. Maybe I was feeling a little sentimental that morning and it does seem that a trip to sentimental gets shorter and shorter the longer I hang around here on the planet.

I know there are a lot of war stories out in the public domain regarding the new healthcare law. Some may be exaggerated or even made up to prove the writer's point. But here's a first hand account from a reliable source. My sister JoAnn is dealing with leukemia. She received notice last week that her main cancer doctor is closing his practice because of the new healthcare law. I believe the words were, "You can thank Obama." She told me her doctor doesn't appear to be old enough to retire unless he has put away a lot of money. He may be going into teaching or perhaps some other specialty. All she knows is that she has one more visit, a critical visit, and then she must busy herself in finding a new doctor. One that will take her and her medical coverage. There are experts who are predicting a huge shortage of doctors based on the influx of so many previously uninsured patients, however, one has to wonder how many medical professionals will choose to just walk away. Scary stuff if you ask me. Maybe things can be improved but right now it appears we are living in an unmitigated disaster. Or, based on everything I know, that's the way it looks to me. Pray for our nation and our leaders. Have a great rest of the day Tuesday and Lord willing I will see you next time. Take care and may God bless us all. Amen.   ....More later.