Hi Barb----thanks for the e-mail and I'll get back to you, I promise. For now, let me say this to David:

Yes David, in a way your fears may be justified because in many respects Mudcat is a cult. But never in my experience have I been involved with a group of people that are so intelligent, articulate, introspective, compassionate, caring, and forgiving as the ones who inhabit this "village." And many times they're quite humorous too. There is a sarcastic, caustic, and yet self deprecating humor here that can seem offensive, but is truly harmless. One of my kids about your age made a joke about something the other day, but he didn't understand the words he was using. I called him on it and suggested that to be a smartass you have to be smart first. Maybe that was harsh, but here at the 'Cat, you find extrememly erudite and well educated (by whatever means) people. Most of us would tell you that out in the world where we spend our days, we tire of dealing with the lowest common denominator. Personally, around this place, I often think I am the lowest common denominator!

One of our best citizens, Sandy Paton, once said he always wanted to live somewhere like this. THIS may be as close as any of us get to that kind of place. We poke a lot of fun at each other and at ourselves. We do it with a healthy respect for one another. Perhaps that is what this "cult" is really about......respect. Mutual respect. Almost every religion in the world teaches respect, but I've found that many don't practice what they preach. Most times at the 'Cat we do and we often agree to disagree.

So don't worry about your Mom or Duane.......They are integral parts of our village, and your Mom is often a voice of sanity as I (and a few others) seem to go "over the top." Yeah, we're all addicted, but a healthier addiction I cannot imagine.

catspaw