Hello Kristin, Not when you’re in the room!

Polaris, Yes, that’s true. And such lovely readers, too.

Dear Danielle, For a long time, I didn’t realize you could moderate comments and delete the ones you thought weren’t likely to go somewhere good. I have learned to trust my instincts on this. There was a time when I refused to do that, thinking that people couldn’t possibly do ill, but after several decades of being consistently proven wrong, I’ve become more atuned to the possibility and more wary of it. PS: I, like you, am a huge LK admirer. The kit can do no wrong, in my book!

W — bite me!?? It’s vigorous, at any rate. There’s so much ranting in the world, and it’s boring and silly, although sometimes amusing to think that anyone could get THAT worked up about the world of words. But they do, and yes, amusement is what’s called for.

Hello dear Patry — It’s wonderful to count you among the people who visit here. I’ve been following your book tour and am thrilled by the great reception your book is getting. (And I’m also looking forward to reading it, having just ordered it from Amazon!)

Dear Emily, A surprising number of people seem to be utterly aware that the ad hominum attack is a sure sign of desperation. I think there should be some sort of society that educates those who are on the receiving end of such an attack to (a) recognize that fact and (b) refuse to respond to it, except to call it out. If I only could think of a suitably punchy name, I’d start yet another blog to promote this idea.

Oh Ann, I hadn’t even thought of that. I’m sure there are a lot of accusations about theft from the fridge, and not keeping the coffee pot properly cleaned up. Also, there is probably a fair amount of failure-to-recycle guilt mongering and all sorts of issues over who gets the largest cubicle. It sounds like maybe you’ve had your share of that kind of thing. I think you’re right that this kind of reaction is quite life-denying in a way. It’s so humorless and rigid and destructive.

Dear Rose, Yes indeed. We are all a little too impatient for what we want!

LK — If you ever need the favor of a good defense returned, please sign me up. I can’t promise to be as punchy and forthright as you, but I’ll do my best. xo

P.S. I love your blog. It’s like a visit to northern Cal.

Glad you laughed, and glad you are so fawned over, bc this blog is worth fawning over, amen.

I got a “Bite me” comment on somebody else’s blog today. And then a long, unseemly rant. I laughed in response as well. Let’s laugh some more, shall we?

But, seriously, I’ve never known you to be the least bit offensive, so I can’t imagine what must go on inside poor Dropdead’s head. As far as I can tell, you’re one of the kindest and most open-minded of people. All I can say is I’m glad I don’t have access to the inside of his/her head. It must not be a very fun place to be. And don’t people know that the minute you personally attack, you lose the debate?

BlogLily rules!

I’m sorry you got such a comment, L. It’s a kind of cyber-bullying. Pfuffle, I say! Or some such germanic oath-like expression.

Imani, We need no special code of conduct to behave well. It’s not like this world is all that different from any other. And yes, for a moment I thought I was on DailyKos (which I loved for a long time, until I noticed how often people went out of their way to be mean to each other.)

OP, Baby. I love you with equal fervor!

Q, That’s very kind. Not fawning. Just plain old kind. xo

Spot On, Ian. Dude.