Monday, August 21, 2017.
Mary Ann flew to Los Angeles today so early in the morning that I didn't remember hearing her leave. She couldn't be happier about spending a week or more with her precious grandson (and mine).
I compensate for my loneliness with my semi-annual physical checkup. At the end of it, while eating breakfast at the Cracker Barrel (more about that later), I decide that this is the best physician I've ever had. I threw a bunch of miscellaneous issues before him. Without adding another prescription or calling for any surgery, he set my mind at ease in almost every matter that concerns me. The one exception is something so common with men my age that I don't even think of it much anymore.
The doctor's office is near that immense array of shopping centers around the intersection of I-12 and LA 21. Here is found the largest cluster of chain restaurants on the North Shore. Among these is the Cracker Barrel, the mainstay for people traveling cross-country. It's particularly a haven for people looking for breakfast. When the kids were little, we went to the Cracker Barrel a few times, pulled there mostly by the souvenirs and games that fill the place. But early on, we came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to be a favorite. Mary Leigh gave her first restaurant review: She thought Shoney's was better.
However, a few years ago, after seeing the doctor (different guy from now), having a hunger for breakfast and enough time to do so, I ordered up. I did not raise my rating of the place, though, where I found the eggs overcooked and the bacon without flavor. (Too lean, would be my analysis.) Worst of all were the grits, which I believe are the worst I have ever encountered. Icky texture, little flavor of any kind. . . two bites were all I could handle.
The next time I had a doctor appointment, I remembered that meal. Yet I had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel again. I was happy that this time around everything was reasonably decent. They got the eggs right, and the bacon had more to give than before. I didn't try the grits, having decided that they are hopeless.
