Thanks, y'all! I'm so happy to see it in print. Not quite as long as when I started out, but in the words of Saint Kurt Vonnegut, writing is always a process of expansion and contraction, expansion and contraction.

Thank you for all you added. Couldn't have done it without you.

As for me, yes, I've been scarce lately in these parts and I'm sorry about that. I'm busy as hell with work, but also with MUSIC!!! For the first time in my life I'm doing as much music as I want to do, and am enjoying myself so much. The guitar playing isn't great, but I've made peace with my insufficiencies ;-> and just keep plunking away. The voice still works, at least, and for that I'm grateful. I finally recorded a couple of songs last night in a friend's basement (he has a four-track, and a wife upstairs, so "recording" is not a euphemism for what we're actually doing in that basement), and might actually get around to making a CD before I get too creaky. Did a house concert with friends a couple of weeks ago and had a great turnout, have several other gigs lined up in coming weeks, and am jamming regularly with friends in Lawrence and in Kansas City. A pain in the ass to drive so far, but a great time once I get there.

I'll send the editor in chief of Mother Earth News a link to this thread in a while to let her know you all noticed. So say "Hello Cheryl!"

Love and rockets, WW

Hmmm... maybe I want to take the rockets out of my closing now. It used to mean something so much more celebratory ...