The Newbius Meme

 I met Newbius in Charlotte, NC, at the NRA convention, and had the honor of sitting next t him for a good part of the evening. In a room full of well-known names, Newbius took the time to make this  shy new blogger feel welcome. He was gracious and smart, and a wonderful example of how to welcome someone into the fold. In honor of Newbius, and all the wonderful things being said about him, I’d like to start a meme so that fellow-bloggers can hear those compliments first hand. I could go on and on about most of the people on my side-bar, but I’m only going to pick a couple. I’m not tagging anyone. Say something nice about another blogger if you like. Run with it or not.

My blog-father, JayG. He let me hijack his blog when I needed to ask about buying a pistol for a four-year-old. I didn’t know y’all very well yet, and had visions of someone calling the police. Instead I got a lot of advice and even more encouragement from JayG and his readers. JayG encouraged me to start blogging even though I didn’t have a clue as to what I’d write about that anyone would find interesting. He’s unfailingly polite, and generous to a fault. When asked, he’s given useful advice on everything from guns to model cars to kids. When I met him at the 2010 NRA convention, he greeted me like he’d known me half his life and introduced me around when I was feeling shy around all the cool kids. JayG has shown me that it’s okay to come out of my shell and join the party because, well, why not? It’s a party.

Breda. She befriended me at the blogger dinner in Charlotte, and allowed Sweet Daughter to monopolize a good part of her evening. Same thing in Pittsburgh. SD all but surgically attached herself to Breda’s hip for a good part of the afternoon, and  Breda was marvelous about it. She’s one of those rare people whom I won’t be in touch with for weeks, but when we do touch base we pick up right where we left off without any whining as to why I haven’t been in touch - don’t I like her any more?? She is a marvelous role model for SD who adores her, and one of those people I want to be like when I grow up. But taller.

Michael W., whom the reenacting world knows as Dr. Mike. I met Mike in 1994, and was invited to join his reenacting group 10 years ago. To this day, I’m still not sure why as I don’t do, or have any interest in, a medical impression. In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge about 18^th century medicine, dentistry, knotwork, ad infinitum, he’s a man of many talents – Cutler to the Stars®, gunsmith, horner, leather worker, firearms instructor, to name a few. He can also tell me what I may or may not want to hear what without pretense or pulling any punches. He’s not subtle, and occasionally he’s not tactful, but I can count on him to have my back at all times, and to give me the shirt off his if I need it.