A wee bit of Soap Boxing

***oldgreymare design and organizing services will be on sale for the month of March. All work must begin, but not necessarily be completed, in the month of March. Please call or email. Great time for Spring Cleaning and cheap! cheap! OK- HORRIBLE pun!
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Now:
Something disturbing has occurred twice in the past two days and I am driven to discuss it regardless of opinion.

Yesterday I was warned by another blogger that I should not discuss the health care issue on my blog or "you could get trashed on here. Just wanted you to be careful." I addressed privately back to this blogger and it shall remain private. Because we both participate in a blog party, I suppose she believed that determined what the content of my blog should be, though I am confidant our host holds no such criteria.

Then, this morning I read on Tongue in Cheek, that Corey has been told to "lighten up" and not talk about depressing things on her blog. Her friend, who was very recently widowed, is visiting, and of course sadness and sorrow are surrounding them.

A reader chooses to visit a blog and can just as easily choose not to visit.

A blog, at it's very core, is personal. Although out there in the public, it is not a giant billboard unable to avoid. We all hold fast to our own beliefs and core values and shouldn't we as travelers down this super highway, have the decency to respect that? We have the right to comment or not, hopefully in a respectful manner, but no one should EVER feel they have the right to dictate to someone else what content they should have on their blog. Your only right is to click delete and visit no more!

I have tremendous faith in the women that I share blog parties with and whose blogs I visit. I believe we came together with a shared love of design, gardens, food and family. I do not believe we are simple window dressings who have limits to the extent our minds and hearts can expand; or that we are not intelligent enough to consider the ramifications of politics, religious issues, racism, bigotry, and our environment, to name but a few.

You may be a great gardener and also an animal rights activist. You may be a beader and a militant liberal. MY point is SO WHAT?

I refuse to be placed into a virtual blog box that dictates what format I may use, and I am confidant that most of the really bright, intelligent women I have had the occasion to meet here in blogdom agree with me. They may choose to limit their content, but that is exactly my point, and let me drive it on home.
It is p e r s o n a l and their choice.

I am not one of these gals whose goal it is to get as many followers as possible. I have real connections with most of my followers outside blogdom. Real friendships made right here, real connections to the most wonderful women. I care about them, and they have shown such love and kindness to me. That is the goodness and the miracle of blogs between women.

I will not apologize for this detour from my routine posts, it is far too important to me. I hope you all agree. If not, exercise your right.

Now, I am heading out to the garage to paint a lovely chest white, because .....
I choose to!

See you tomorrow for WW, well, if I get it finished :-)

Suzan