PLEASE, do NOT reply to this post.  I just want to remind folks of
something rather basic without any fighting coming of it: that we all
have lives outside the ferret lists.
 
Today I received a nasty note from someone who apparently wrote to me
months ago wanting to chit-chat.  Now, I honestly don't know if his note
got lost in the ether or lost in the confusion of my life the last four
or five months.  It's no secret to the community that the last couple of
years have been hectic and sad here, and that the last few months have
been hard, what with Uncle Bill dying, Steve's dad and Aunt Carol being
critically ill (Both recovered.), another aunt and uncle -- Fran and
Lou -- (married with each other and without offspring becoming senile but
not having given anyone any Power of Attorney -- and if anyone thinks
that is an easy, low work-level, inexpensive situation to coordinate with
whichever family members are willing to try to help and tackle and with
the various professionals: doctors, lawyers, care facility experts,
aides, case workers, etc. then think again, carefully this time), the
tail end of Chiclet's terminal illness during which we were sleep
deprived and doing that in shifts, Sherman's surgery, Ashling's near
death, and some temporary project work we both were happy to get.  Steve
and I have barely had time to talk with our local friends.  Heck, during
much of it we've barely had time to sleep.  Okay, I am complaining and
this is just life so we all have times that are rough and there are
always those who have it a lot worse (including folks here on the FML),
but to get a very unpleasant note that I did not chit chat with a list
member was really annoying and demeaning to the value of the rest of my
life.
 
All of us: non-vets, vets, other specialists and experts have full lives
outside the lists.  At any time a person might have mail lost, have
family ill, have deaths in the family, have huge work demands, be ill,
have computer troubles, or be dealing with any of a huge possible list
of other things which simply have to be done.  People can not always
reply on demand.
 
I just wanted to remind people to not automatically think the worst or
expect the most.  Other folks simply do have lives and the demands those
lives place upon them, and life's demands sure apply to each and every
one of us.
 
Okay, griping done.  Thanks for the broad shoulders.  I needed that.
[Posted in FML issue 4303]