To all of you good people -- my deepest thanks.

MMario: If I'm two days younger than your brother, by the same calculating process, I'm a month older than George Washington! Some days, by golly, I feel that I am.
    In fact, though, I'm one week younger than the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., would have been, and look at what he was able to accomplish in his tragically brief span, and think how much more he would have done had he not been murdered. So let us all try to carry on his work until we at last reach his goals.
    Hello, Glen! How good it is to have you here in the Mudcat stream. I saw a book recently about steamboats on your Ontario rivers, and thought again of you and of your grandfather. Hope you're still making songs as well as those fine instruments.
    Ah, Mick, m'lad. How we do need to talk with you these days. You're right; it has been much too long. And Kathy: the Calvinists may never forgive us, but their loss has been the FSSGW's gain, which proves that I have actually accomplished something with my life. Thanks for the telephonic birthday song, my dear. See you at NEFFA? Suzanne has asked us to share a workshop with her that conflicts with one that you are doing, so we're trying to adjust the schedule a bit.
    Jerry and Ruth: how sad that we live so close yet see you so rarely! Please help us to arrange to correct that.
    And Art, old friend: Yes, I got the photo and was delighted by it. I can't imagine being unaware of the pre-Brittany charmer in the background who now graces the wall of Big Mick's den. Funny, she really looks familiar to me, and that lean character in the foreground of the shot reminds me of someone I once knew. I'm working on regaining some of that, having successfully "de-gained" the first 32 pounds of the project, courtesy of Dr. Atkins. I've enjoyed and appreciated all of the photos you are circulating by way of your new scanner, and I've meant to write and tell you so, but haven't quite found the time. Almeda, Pete, George with his pipes, Gerry with her smile, and all the rest -- good and frequently very moving memories. Thank you for them all, and keep 'em coming!
    BBC: I'll see you in the coming week, and tell you how grateful I am. Hope you like the Shrimp Pecan they serve at the Golden Wok! I'll bust my diet if you'll let me have just one small bite in trade for a share of my Beef and Steamed Brocolli -- no rice. I'll read my fortune, but you'll have to eat the cookie.
    Sinsull, m'luv, I wish you could be here for our great dinner getaway, too. And you, too, Allison. We're hoping to see you both at NEFFA. Hugs all around!
    Dear Kat'leen: I hope all is well with you and yours. I miss the occasional letters from your adventurous kinsman, and hope he has returned safely from the Middle East. Send me an update! And when are you coming east to visit those handsome grandsons?
    Sorry to have missed out on the big Seattle "gathering to recall the good old days of the early 50s," Bob. Maybe we can get there in a year that makes fewer demands on our time.
    Padre: I'm so pleased that you are staying in touch via the Mudcat. Our regards to you and Gail. Please come by whenever you get up this way. We'll leave a light in the window and a kettle on the stove.
    Too many of you to reply to each in kind, but know this, all of you: I am touched by your messages and very grateful to all of you. Getting old's not much fun, but it does beat the hell out of the alternative.
    Sandy