Who among us doesn't love to receive a compliment? - Thanks DPG Chairman Bobby Kahn.

I began this blog last fall at the urging of a couple of e-mail friends. Knowing that blog was short for Web log was the extent of my knowledge of blogs at the time.

After watching Susan Hoffman in the "Georgia Week in Review" studio at Georgia Public Broadcasting one Friday night and knowing there were a couple of things I just had to share with "somebody," I got on the computer the following Sunday afternoon and after several hours of trial and error, Cracker Squire was born.

My first post entitled "Living-room ambience maybe; or was it the charming and disarming Susan Hoffman?" was posted shortly before midnight on August 1. It took me that long to figure out how to do what.

I found the many welcomings to blogsphere and compliments both overwhelming and humbling. All were most appreciated. They ran the gamut from "Great blog," "Fabulous blog," "The blog title is fabulous," to a rather recent "You're the Voice of the Democratic Party of Georgia."

Of all the comments, still my favorite came early and from a great friend who no doubt had no idea how her comment pleased me so, "You're so southern Sid -- It kills me."

Also deeply appreciated have been all the compliments and remarks so many of you have made in person and in private e-mails. To all of you, thanks seven times seventy, and the pleasure of this joint effort with you on behalf of our party and our upcoming day is all mine I assure you. Is this a great country or what?

This past Tuesday night was the second time since the blog's August 1 launching that the blog's name was the subject of a bit of verbal and written publicity in Atlanta.

The first mention of Cracker Squire's existence would come about three weeks and 100 or so posts after the first post on August 1, 2004.

The mention would come in the 8-19-04 Political Insider under the following Baxter & Galloway piece:

"If you can't win, blog

In yet another sign that it's a brand new world out there, South Georgia attorney Sid Cottingham, who styled himself an old-timey conservative and got 3 percent in the Democratic Senate primary, has launched a blog: crackersquire.blogspot.com."

How does that adage in politics go -- the only bad publicity is no publicity.

The second mention came this past Tuesday in Atlanta at the inaugural meeting of county-based State Committee Members of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

The mention was by none other than the Chairman of Democratic Party of Georgia, Bobby Kahn, who noted:

"In December, the Executive committee met in a day-long session. You may have read about that meeting at a wonderful blog site -- Cracker Squire -- authored by one our new committee members, Sid Cottingham."

And then as if that wasn't enough, our Chairman also recognized me as well. A most sincere word of thanks Bobby from the bottom of my heart for such kindness. One can never be too full o' the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way when conveying such appreciated words and thoughts.

Again, a sincere word of thanks so much to all of you. Please know I appreciate your kindness and comments, and enough of such. On to the task at hand.