While exploring the Net, I seem to do things in the wrong order, meaning that I had someone snap at me my first night here, nearly sending me scampering away. I do apologize for any newbie mistakes I might make, but I don't quite get the Net yet. Add to that my clueless approach to this laptop...

The site stood out for me because of the catfish, which was always a favorite in my family and remains one of my mom's favorite goodies. We didn't have the farm-raised variety, instead having channel cats from the nearby rivers and creeks (or "cricks" as some in the family choose to say) of South-Central Illinois--the fierce ol' critters from the Wabash and Little Wabash.

Speaking of... This is Burl Ives country. We're not far from where he was born, and I attended the Charleston, Ill., college that he had attended though it had changed its name since his time. Traditional music has been part of this region for generations back. Illinois was settled south to north, so we have a lot of influences. The Southern Illinois Brogue, as linguists dubbed it, is quite distinctive.

I hope to be able to visit and study every day if possible.

Having just landed eight books at ebay for a stunningly low price, I'm ready to help contribute songbook contents, including those from the collection I've been compiling since the early Sixties. Now, I need to find out which contents go where, so I'll likely ask before I place.

Today, I'm following provided "beginner links" that I should have looked for when I arrived. I didn't quite understand the setup, and the links are a teensy point size, meaning I can barely read some of them due to scarily poor vision; I am extremely nearsighted, and now my near vision is going. *SIGH* Forgive me if I miss a link because I really do have trouble reading them.

Don't tell me... I probably entered this in the wrong place. I started out about the catfish and ended up far from there.