To All the Blogs I've Loved Before

Dorene created a great deal of conversation in two day in my home with the comment on the Mud Flats:

“Dude,

It is not mud, it is silt from the glacier.

And I heard the helicopter story as well, and firmly believe that it is true.”

This comment caught me off guard for three reasons:
a) she commented less than an hour after I posted so she was Johnny on the spot
b) it sounded a wee bit nit-pickey but then again I probably was a wee bit defensive
c) she called me ‘dude’

It’s not as if I’ve never been called ‘dude’ before. Fer sure, y’know, like, in the 80’s.

And ‘dude’ is actually an insult of sorts. It refers to an Easterner who vacations in the West: a poseur cowboy. Shiny new hat and aching feet from the new boots included. I’m not cowboy and, though I’m slipping into a crazy Alaskan-Alabamanese accent due to the influence of my wife, ‘dude’ is not something I am usually called. But rock on, sister! Keep it freaky fresh. Or something.

Which is not to say I don’t welcome the informal nature of being addressed as “dude,” it’s just that I didn’t expect it. I don’t even surf.

Which brings me to this comment by Bill German, writer of the great blog Walking on Scorpions. On my last post he asked the following question:

“do you climb the mountains in alaska, mckinley???”

Dude, I’m about two Chips Ahoy away from BEING a mountain in Alaska.

So no, sadly I’m not much of an outdoorsman. I don’t downhill ski, I can’t ice-skate, I don’t hunt, I am too scared of permanent eye injuries to fish. I’m a wilderness wuss living in a city right next to millions of acres of the great outdoors. Silly me.

I received John Cowart’s book The Lazarus Projects in the mail today and I’m diving in. I find it difficult to sit and read for any length of time, so it may take a week or so to finish it, but I’ll give you all a review when I’m done. John’s been so kind to my writing over the last months I felt duty bound to buy one of his books. I was going to buy one about the civil war but rumor has it that it’s riddled with errors. (I joke John!)

I am sometimes amazed about how many folks read my blog and I’m grateful for each and every one of you. For those who don’t have blogs of their own but have ideas, I offer you the opportunity to do a guest-post any time your heart desires. I mention this specifically to Bailey Pasta, Mr. Roof-Roof, J-Bro, and my lovely wife Kelli. Email me something and I’ll make it immortal (or at least I’ll post it).

I know there are blogs with much larger readerships -- some of my favorites: Smussyolay, Jaws, xTx (not for kiddies), Hotpants, the Shrinking Wop, and Lois Lane – but the idea that someone finds my writing worth reading keeps this little project going.

Thank you all!