I have read with interest the opinions of all of you, and noted some of them from `Catters I have great regard for. One of those, Sandy Paton asked us to take have patience with a newcomer like himself. That is the absolute beauty of this place. You have a man who has been helping to keep the traditional forms of music alive for more years than he cares to remember;a man who has forgotten more about the music of the folks than most of us will ever learn; a man, with his wife, who has provided a venue for folk musicians to pass on their music; and he asks us to be patient with him. In my short time on the `Cat I have seen many pop in and disappear, and Joe Offer and others have taught us to be patient with them and assist if we can. And every so often, another good one joins us and becomes a part of our permanent community. I think the future lies in perpetuating that type of civility and love for our art form. It lies in us continuing to share our various talents in a caring way. I don`t know if it will become unmanageable for Max or not. I hope not. I would hate to see us split the `Cat into categories. My musical horizons have been broadened by the fact that I happened to scan through the threads and something that caught my eye. My intellectual horizons have been broadened by the discourse and humor of my friends here. I don`t believe it will ever become impersonal, as people who are not genuinely interested just won`t stay long. It knocks me out how I can hop on this computer, and in minutes I can get the advice of Sandy Paton, Art Thieme, Dan Milner, Barry Finn just for the asking. I wouldn`t change a thing. I believe its future lies in finding ways to keep it just like it is. Freewheeling, informative, inclusive, friendly and (for the most part) civil.

Mick Lane