Good Terms

Admire the large farm; cultivate the small. -- Virgil

For such an earnest, out-of-the-way blog, in the past few months this has become a laborious and fretful avocation. After I created and posted an email address on the main page, days later I received an outrageous and mean-spirited email with threats of a defamation suit. Then I put up ads to monetize the site and make the content fuller and more various. Two months later, almost at my payment threshold, my account was suspended. I never received a precise description of what occurred, but allegations seemed to point toward improper "third-party clicking." Where, when, how, I don't know and won't, according to the ad provider's prerogative. My appeal has yet to be answered. I doubt it will. For the time being at least, it seems this blog will remain devoutly non-profit.

After such frustrations, I felt it was time for a wholesale change. I needed something fresh, and the old-two column format was clumsy, stale, and inefficient. It was due time for revision months ago. Spring and a plate full of new ambitions were my excuse to reach for the knife.

I half-worry that now, for some undefined cause, my blog account will be summarily suspended as well--such has been my recent luck. Until then, I'd like to thank Falcon Hive and the designers named at the bottom of the page for a beautifully ordered template. Any offense to sight or sense of harmony are solely my own, as I have made adjustments to fit my needs. For example, the designers put together a nifty Twitter feature located above the search box on the right, which having no Twitter account, I removed. This is my second experience with Falcon Hive, and I've been inordinately pleased both times. Hopefully, the minor alterations that remain--such as social bookmarking, font sizes, and certain background colors--will be entirely unobtrusive. If you're using Internet Explorer, God help you. I'll get the header straightened out in the next few days.*

As you can see, I've still to fill out my navigation bars. At the top of the page, eventually there will be links to other interests: a transitional organic farm, a site on book reviews, among additional things. The second navigation bar below the title currently holds a PDF link to the Pew Trust's report on antibiotic use in the nation's meat supply, a must-read for all those interested in public health. Soon I plan to make it a more accessible and permanent menu, with briefer informational links, including one to blogs of note. For my blogging friends, please don't feel slighted if you see yourself removed from the sidebar; you're still linked and publicized here, hopefully in a more optimal way.

To everyone who stops by, I want to say thanks, thanks for your patience and your care, thanks for being thoughtful, inquisitive, and so damn smart. Physically, we may be far away, but I continue to feel enriched by your fellowship.

Cheers.

*Thanks to Jake for lending his vast knowledge of code and style. He could fix and spruce this site up in five minutes. I also must put in a good word for photobucket, which has been a huge help in placing dynamic photos on this site. And how could I forget emily b. photographie, who took the picture in this post and the one in the header? I highly recommend her services.