Thank God it's back!

I really and truly missed it!

It was part of me all my 70 plus years!

Actually, I took it for granted, but I shouldn't have. It is such a vague thing that we are never quite sure it is an integral part of us.

Of course, I am talking about my appetite.

During my strange illness and my recent hospitalization, it deserted me. I could only look at food and could not even think of ingesting or swallowing what was lying there on the plate before me. It returned to me as quickly as it had disappeared.

I wish to thank my readers for their well-wishes and comments during my illness. I never realized I was entering so many lives and homes in the Syosset-Jericho-Plainview-Old Bethpage-Hicksville area.

Being hungry is a wonderful attribute. It allows you to sit down to eat and drink with other people in an aura of good friendship and camaraderie. I missed it terribly when all I could do was peer at the nourishment on the dish placed before me.

It did not return with a rush or one fell swoop. My appetite returned slowly when one afternoon I had a terrible craving for franks and beans with mustard and sauerkraut on the side. It was awesome! The old riddle comes to mind.

Q: What do we lose, when we stand up?

A: Our laps, of course.

I did not realize that my appetite for food was always with me. I took it for granted. I will never, never do that again.

My father always took a shot of Canadian Club before supper. As he tossed it back with one swallow, he said, Zum Appetit! (for my appetite).

I also wish to thank my kind and benevolent editor, Denise Nash. She is a superior person with a kind heart. A toast to my readers, Zum Appetit!