Wow.  I am nearly speechless, which you know is a rare occurrence for me. When I wrote the post last week about what I thought was my love for home renovation shows – especially one based in Laurel, Mississippi – I had no idea what havoc it would wreak.

Let me be crystal clear up front: I am not moving anywhere, and certainly not to a Southern state I’ve never visited; one laden with bugs, poisonous snakes, and humidity. I apologize to my family, my friends, my job, and apparently an absolute legion of faithful readers, who have inundated me with panicked phone calls, emails and texts, for fearing otherwise.

It would seem, as my friend Sandra said, that I needed more tongue in my cheek when I wrote my post.  I was not, as may have been suspected, high on catnip or deep in the Chardonnay when typing it.  I just thought I was being funny.

The incredible lesson I’m taking from this experience is, to misquote Sally Field’s infamous Oscar acceptance speech, you like me!  You really like me!  At the very least, you read me.  There is no greater compliment than to feel relevant and worth your time.  I am touched beyond words that so many of you would miss me were I to hit the road.

Thank you for caring, for inquiring, for freaking out, for wanting me around.  It’s a privilege and a gift to live here among you and I never take it for granted. Truly.  Good luck getting rid of me.