My apologies, Gentle Reader.

"Silly." What an incredibly poor choice of words! Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

I have to learn that this blog thing is different than sitting on the three-legged stool in the studio mumbling to myself - I always know what I mean, but here I have to be more clear, explain myself, even to myself, more carefully, more precisely. ( Thus, I suspect, my dear friend's comment that, " it really is a nice clarifier for me and I get great input from others." I need all the clarification I can get. I suppose the input-from-others part largely remains to be seen, but we're off to a good start.)

I probably should have said something more along the lines of "dangerous", "reckless", "frightening"; tossing one's innermost thoughts, fears and plans out there for the entire cyber-world to see and conceivably criticize, virtually (hah!) begging for blows. Private, shy, even cowardly is normally my first response, so this is a completely new venture for me. Yes, I've written lots of stuff that's gotten more air time than I'm sure it deserves, but this is different. I've always held either the instructor's or the critic's pen, but not this time.

I've said that I wanted to be a "real" writer, to learn to put myself out there. I wanted, I said, to learn. So it seems I've had my first lesson.

My New Year only started yesterday - I had no idea we'd be off and running so soon!

Now if it would Just. Stop. Snowing.