The original plan for this week's column was to be as snarky as possible. However, the death of a beloved fur-nephew over the weekend brought me pause (rest in peace, sweet Tomkin).

Tomkin, though, wouldn't want me to dim my light any more than he would want his human parents to dim theirs. In his honor, I'll try to muddle through with some answers to questions from readers. Dear Tom-Tom, may you have all the warm garden spots, chest time and head bumps you want.

Why haven't you printed my letter?

Most likely, there might be problems such as these (most of which are outlined in the policybox that appears every day on the Voices page): You didn't sign your letter or respond to requests for your name and town (no anonymous or pseudonymous letters); you used profanity or obscenity; you're not from Arkansas; you sent something far too long (our northwest edition takes longer letters from northwest Arkansas residents only, but for the statewide edition, try to keep letters to around 300 words, which is about what fits in roughly 7 inches of column space); you sent in something about a personal, legal or business dispute (which is a huge can of worms legally, since we have only your side); you libeled someone or stated something as fact that isn't objectively true (there is........

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