Yeti and Leakey are no longer with us. It was harder to see them go than it is to let go of Facebook. But you know this.

First, I turned off email alerts a few years ago. Then I limited my visits to once a day, then to only a couple times in a week. I tried deactivating my account and found that it spontaneously reactivated because of my use of other websites.

It is time to bite the bullet. With some misgivings, I have deleted my Facebook account. FB gives me two weeks to “change my mind”, and I fear it will reactivate accidentally through my use of Goodreads or some other account linked to FB. If that happens, I will likely delete my Goodreads account too. I am abandoning social media as best I can.

Here’s why: I have better things to do than become upset by FB posts. It causes me stress and fuss and worry. Gary insists: “That’s my job—no, I’m kidding. It’s my job to protect you from the jungle beasts. For you, it [Facebook] seems mostly to be disturbing.” There is already more than enough to disturb me in the world.

I am sorry to lose over 1600 “friends”. You were not all genuine friends, but people I knew or know and value. Even if we never met in life, I am sorry to lose these connections nevertheless. I hope family and friends will send me photos and videos of themselves and our grandchildren—Ruby stomping puddles, Logan trouncing about, EV turning pages of a book. I will miss that. I will miss links to projects and writings. I will miss hearing news of former students and friends from as far back as high school. I will miss the artistic community I joined as admirer and comrade. I will miss the photos of Saluki puppies I wish were mine and the children of former students and the stories on new jobs and campaigns and humor and triumph, the opportunities to commiserate at times of trouble and loss. I am so very sorry to lose all of that.

People, you know where to find me if you need me. I have not moved since 1979. My phone number, a land line, has remained the same and listed throughout all the years since. I have had the same Gmail account for at least ten or fifteen years. My Post Office Box has been 1442 in Cannon Beach since past owners of the deli destroyed the Arch Cape Post Office. My old Blogger blog is linked to this new one with the same name. My information is readily available to a Google search. I am easy to find if you look.

I hope you will.