My readers

Vikki commented on the previous post, asking me if I ever get second thoughts when a reader asks me for my address.  
Any readers who have asked so far have been long-time readers and commenters, and I was very comfortable sharing my address.  Honestly, it isn't all that hard to find somebody's address on the Internet if you know her name, and most people who regularly read my blog know my first and last name.  Zabasearch is the easiest method of finding someone's address, but I removed our names from that years ago.
I've had surprisingly few problems with readers of my blog.  Back in the old chat room days, a mentally troubled woman somehow got my phone number and called to "straighten me out".  She was attempting to straighten several people out at the time, as I recall, and even caused considerable problems in one lady's career.  That's probably the most uncomfortable Internet experience I've had.  
I don't get many negative comments on my blog.  Let's see, one was left by a guy from the old chat room: I had mentioned a gay blogger friend in an entry, and the guy said something like  "You call yourself a Christian" or something on that order.  I guess he thinks Christians aren't supposed to have gay friends.  (By the way fellow, if you are still reading me, I have a couple more gay Internet friends than I did back then.  As far as I can tell, it isn't contagious.)  

Then last winter after one of our heavy snows, I shared a picture of our house, snowy front yard, snow on the roof, and captioned it "my home, in the snow".  Some Kansas City reader who, of course, remained anonymous (coward), commented, "You call that a home?  It's a f***ing double wide!"  
Well, first of all, it isn't a double-wide; we couldn't afford a double-wide.  Second, anybody who thinks "home" has to consist of a fancy dwelling is not worth worrying about.  Remember the corny old poem that begins with the line, "It takes a heap of living in a house to make it home"? 
So, in eight years of blogging, that's about the extent of my negative experiences.  Two of these came from old chat room folks, so I'd blame those incidents on the chat room, not the blogging experience.  Meanwhile, I've "met" some wonderful friends online who enrich my world.  
Blogging is a perfect medium for me.  I don't make friends easily, I'm a loner.  I'm too lazy to put forth the effort it takes to maintain longtime friendships.  I'm not after fame or a huge readership, because again, I'm too lazy to put forth the effort it would take to keep things interesting.  I sit at the keyboard, type as the thoughts come, and usually publish the drivel without proofreading.  I'll read it later, or Cliff will read it, and discover all the errors I've made; then I go back and fix it.  
Because I'm lazy.  
Anyway, Merry Christmas to all my readers.  Thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin, and for not judging me for my weaknesses.