Hey, Wendy: I'm sorry to hear of the problems Billy Bob is having. If he's having them, you're having you, so I send my best wishes (and a few prayers) to both of you.

I finished the chapter about my swimming pool demolition to a long list of friends (whose e-mail address I have) including Max. I received a warm response from him almost immediately, and I wanted to tell him how much Mudcat and this thread are a part of my life, and therefor of my writing. I told him I'd post it here while I was at it.

Thanks, Max: I don't know if you realize how much Mudcat is a part of my writing. There must have been eight or ten chapters in my first book that started out as stories posted on the kitchen table thread. This one is just another in a long line of stories that grew out of that thread. I've worked harder physically this summer than in many years, and I've been too exhausted at the end of the day to focus on writing. The posts that I make on the Kitchen Table Thread are often the seed for a more developed story. Three or four days ago, I could begin to see the end of hauling sand (I've probably got a week and a half left.) I went through the Kitchen Table posts and copied and pasted them in order into one document. When I was finished, it was like the Frankenstein monster with a few missing organs. It took a massive re-write to make the story flow, and the introduction to the chapter in italics is my scriptural and faith understanding of the meaning behind the story. I also inserted an occasional scripture in the text, along with reflections that I wouldn't post on Mudcat. I try to keep my Mudcat posts as free as I can of expressions of my faith. There are times when I cannot separate my faith from my life when I write. I certainly can't when I am living my days. I try to respect Mudcat as a folk and blues venue, not proselytizing in my posts. But make no mistake. Mudcat, my faith and my writing are all part of a whole to me. I just separate them, depending on my audience.

Hey, maybe I'll post this on the kitchen table thread. That's what it's there for.