Hey friends, just wanted to say, for anyone who's been having a conversation with me, sorry I have been "ignoring" you; I am offline. My rural internet setup is totally kaputt and we have to wait for new supplies, plus for the ground to thaw, to fix it. (In case anyone out there ever wondered about this: yes, fiber-optic cable deteriorates. And quits working. Entirely.) I am currently checking email every three days on dial-up and it goes way too slow for me to do anything non-essential on it; but I did want to get on here one time and just explain why I've been totally silent. And incidentally, it may be a whole month more. So, nice to know you all and hope to talk with you again eventually. Bye!
