You know, there's a Mudcat story behind Lilac Acres! I had developed the melody with idea of capturing one of the Civil War letters home, and there were several I knew and had in mind ... I had started work on the lyrics and liked where it was going, but right about then I came across Mudcatter Kim C's song called Last Letter Home. Well it was a beautiful song and she had aced it. She had captured very much what I ahd wanted to say, and I loved the song. So I started sining hers instead - and put this one on ice. I even developed an alternative melody and another song ... but then when the World Trade Towers were hit and I heard a young woman tell a TV camera she's just discovered her husband was alive and OK, after spending the morning convinced he was killed - she expressed feelings I'd read in some of the CW letters; that is she felt absolutely and clearly blessed by his survival even in the sorrow and pain of loss to others. It was beautifully and neatly expressed by this young woman, and I decided I had a new tack for the song. I placed her sentiments in CW backdop, and used some of my own family's story to tell the tale.