Deirdre's post a couple of days ago got me thinking about how and when this thread got started. I had to go back a check the date. Atr the time I started the thread I was getting pretty fed up with Mudcat. There had been a few poisonous threads that were just too ugly for my taste (and many other's as well.) One of the greatest things that I've valued about the folk community all of my life is the warm welcome and respect that people show for each other. I always thought of the folk community as one of the most inclusive I'd ever had the pleasure to be a part of. Mudcat was mired in aggressive attacks and unpleasantries best forgotten. When I started this thread I didn't know if it would ever hit ten, let alone go over 2,000 posts. This thread and all who gather around exemplify all that is commendable about the folk community.

Here's a line from the first post when I started the thread:

I'm starting this thread with no idea whether people can relax from all the combativeness I see in here, and just join me in a cup of cofffee or tea, a beer or just a cold bottle of water. The kettle is on and I hear the whistle going off. Why not sit for a minute, tell me what's going on in your mind, or what's happening in your life... how are your wife and kids? anything happen today that you want to talk about?

The invitation still holds.

Sometimes we get it right.

Jerry