Hello again to my assemblage of readers. Whoever said life couldn’t be both exciting and extremely trying at the same time was very wrong. At my office, construction is well underway on our expansion, while at the same time, my staff is under construction as well. My coordinator, Shanna, left last week for the rainy skies of Seattle, Washington and our new coordinator, Julie, was welcomed aboard. We all wish Shanna the best for her future. Next week we welcome back my assistant, Dana, who has been off for six weeks welcoming an addition to her own family, a daughter Charlotte. Next week will also mark the return of Betty, our business assistant, who is vacationing in Gatlinburg.

On the personal side, my mother continues to struggle while in the hospital. She cannot swallow correctly at this time so a peg feeding tube was temporarily inserted to allow for nutritional supplement and delivery of medicines. It is still an uphill battle ahead. I thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

Changing directions to the sports front, my bad luck has returned in fantasy football as I was drilled this week and lost a quarterback whom I had just picked up. He is out for at least six weeks with an injury. That is the way it has been this year. I’m still waiting for the Reds to make some player movement. I wonder if they suffer from paralysis by analysis. Remember the Josh Hamilton for Edison Volquez trade? Where would be without that trade? Are they maybe afraid of trading the wrong young talent only to watch them bloom elsewhere?

I noted with interest the article in Monday’s Courier Journal by attorney Bill Bardenwerper concerning the onerous process businesses must go through to get a permit in this town. It was a macrocosm of what I have gone through to be able to expand my building. The planning and zoning committees want to dictate everything except the color of the walls. For those of you who didn’t read the article, he noted at least five major construction projects that were abandoned because the companies were a) not willing to spend years to go through the process, b) didn’t want every little building detail dictated to them, or c) didn’t like the parking arrangements being forced upon them. These are big companies such as Wal-Mart that said never mind. Our town will never flourish as it should as long as we allow a few wealthy people such as the River Fields group and a few environmental crazies to dictate the economy of our city. We must stand up to these people and let them know they don’t own our town.

Until next week, Doc