Too Much Change

Clint · Post by **Clint** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:03 am

I’ve stated here before that I think the ForumGarden is like a bowl of soup. Each new ingredient changes the flavor of the soup. Over time the FG flavor has changed a lot. Not only have new ingredients been added but old ones have been removed.

When I look at all the kinds of soup lined up on the market shelf, some call to me with their flavor and others don’t. Some contain ingredients that would be good for me and others I could consume all day long and they would still leave me hungry.

When I first arrived here the flavor and nutritional value were top shelf and my first choice. Now days when I come here I usually go away hungry. I see others loving the flavor and thriving on the ingredients and that’s wonderful.

The past two years have been the toughest years of my life. I’ve changed a lot. It could be the ForumGarden hasn’t changed as much as I think it has. The difficulties in my life have caused me to be absent here for some fairly long stretches and that could be part of it too. The reasons don’t really matter.

Some of the people here have been wonderful to me during the difficult times. The advice I’ve solicited from them and they have offered has been heart felt and useful. If they are still here, they know who they are and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

I’ve tried to be more involved here lately but it hasn't worked. I’m not going to leave and never come back but I am going to leave only to visit from time to time in the future.

Shalom and God bless each one of you.:-6

Clint

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:08 am

Well I do hope you stop back in again and catch up with us. You'll be missed. :-6

Yea I think we are a little "ABC 123" soup right now. :p

WonderWendy3 · Post by **WonderWendy3** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:08 am

Very well written and I understand completely. Take care and God Bless you:-4

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:11 am

I'm sorry to hear this Clint, but I understand. :-6

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:45 am

:-1 My Coastie guy...................

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:04 pm

Take care Clint.

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:09 pm

Yes, good analogy, it is like a bowl of soup, but lately its like a mental fusion stew with about 23 new ingredients, that are all very spicy so its hard to keep up, but thats what life is like init. In terms of my own position in the soup, I would probably be the garlic, yes, thats where I would be. Well, do come back from time to time, I know how you feel, I feel a bit like that myself lately, but I won't leave or anything, just not as tuned into the garden as I used to be, and a lot of old friends are gone, a pity.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:10 pm

I have actually been thinking the same thing. I stayed for what the garden was...not sure I like what it is now. I do not mean the controversy or drama...I rather liked it. I am just not getting into the newer crop of gardeners who have come in to replace the old friends.

I will also not go away forever, but my extended stays may be less frequent.

minks · Post by **minks** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:15 pm

all good points Clint and everybody else....

sadly if we all leave because of what FG has become, it won't ever be what we want it to be.

But I understand completely, some of us have tried to bring life back into our old FG, but as I received in a PM today, there isn't much to respond to on here anymore.

I wish you well Clint.

Minks

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:24 pm

I agree Minks that is why you don't see me around much either. Not bad, not good it has just changed for me as well. :-1 There is a great infusion of young people to the Garden that is wonderful. :-6 I just like the beautiful old roses we use to have..

[QUOTE]all good points Clint and everybody else....

sadly if we all leave because of what FG has become, it won't ever be what we want it to be.

But I understand completely, some of us have tried to bring life back into our old FG, but as I received in a PM today, there isn't much to respond to on here anymore.

I wish you well Clint.

Minks[/QUOTE]

minks · Post by **minks** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:29 pm

CARLA;566887 wrote: I agree Minks that is why you don't see me around much either. Not bad, not good it has just changed for me as well. :-1 There is a great infusion of young people to the Garden that is wonderful. :-6 I just like the beautiful old roses we use to have..

yes and we have some great middle aged flowers that put in great efforts here as well, they deserve recognition for their efforts, just a shame we can't quite figure out how to sparkle the place up again.

Carl44 · Post by **Carl44** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:30 pm

i was thinking the other day all this talk of micheal bloody jackson ,and such what am i doing here , but then i thought its totally unreasonable for young people to want to talk about the things that interest me ,if people are in the garden not talking about what i want to talk about ,i will just go find someone that does,or i may find something that we can both talk about and thus enjoy the garden and maybe learn something in the process

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:34 pm

Well said Jimbo excellent. :-6 I'm not going any where just trying to get a feel for the new members. Their energy is almost to much for me at time, but that is what its all about..

[QUOTE]i was thinking the other day all this talk of micheal bloody jackson ,and such what am i doing here , but then i thought its totally unreasonable for young people to want to talk about the things that interest me ,if people are in the garden not talking about what i want to talk about ,i will just go find someone that does,or i may find something that we can both talk about and thus enjoy the garden and maybe learn something in the process [/QUOTE]

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:41 pm

CARLA;566887 wrote: I just like the beautiful old roses we use to have..

Even the ones like me that come with a boatload of thorns?

:yh_flower

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:42 pm

valerie;566908 wrote: Even the ones like me that come with a boatload of thorns?

:yh_flower

For me, expecially the thorns.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:47 pm

:yh_flower Without a doubt Val there is no more beautiful a rose, then those with the sharpest thorns. :-4

WonderWendy3 · Post by **WonderWendy3** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:48 pm

jimbo;566893 wrote: i was thinking the other day all this talk of micheal bloody jackson ,and such what am i doing here , but then i thought its totally unreasonable for young people to want to talk about the things that interest me ,if people are in the garden not talking about what i want to talk about ,i will just go find someone that does,or i may find something that we can both talk about and thus enjoy the garden and maybe learn something in the process

Very well said Jimbo, and I agree.

I am thankful to the people that are honest about the way they feel about the garden. It's a public forum, anyone is welcome to come and play...some like it and deal with the unpleasantrys and some leave if its just not their cup of tea anymore.

Of course, I'm repeating alot that has been said many times before.

:-6

Clint, I wish you nothing but the best:-4

crazygal · Post by **crazygal** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:53 pm

:wah: At highlighting Micheal, I assume as it should be Michael then typing 'alot'.

minks · Post by **minks** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:56 pm

Yes Val thorns and all. :-6

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:01 pm

I think we should give our new people a chance. After all, the "old" people you're missing were once as new as these guys are. I'm sure they have more to talk about than MJ. In fact I haven't heard any more about that! I wish there wasn't as much blatant sex on the board, that's my beef. I've learned more about people than what I ever wanted to know.

But I stay because of a lot of people I enjoy here. With any garden, you get what you put into it. I often feel there's nothing happening here but that is mostly due to the time difference. I'm up and y'all are in bed or at work. So...if you don't like what's posted, how about posting some stuff you'd like to talk about??

I try that and sometimes it works.

I'm off to do bills. :yh_cry Back later!

minks · Post by **minks** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:06 pm

RedGlitter;566935 wrote: I think we should give our new people a chance. After all, the "old" people you're missing were once as new as these guys are. I'm sure they have more to talk about than MJ. In fact I haven't heard any more about that! I wish there wasn't as much blatant sex on the board, that's my beef. I've learned more about people than what I ever wanted to know.

But I stay because of a lot of people I enjoy here. With any garden, you get what you put into it. I often feel there's nothing happening here but that is mostly due to the time difference. I'm up and y'all are in bed or at work. So...if you don't like what's posted, how about posting some stuff you'd like to talk about??

I try that and sometimes it works.

I'm off to do bills. :yh_cry Back later!

true true glitter, I think with some of us oldie members, we were also "older" in age too, yes we are giving our newbies a chance, we never stopped doing that, but the age factor has really swung to the side of the youngsters...

crazygal · Post by **crazygal** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:08 pm

Maybe a teenage forum added could be a good idea. I'd be pleased to see that myself.

(sorry kids, lol)

JacksDad · Post by **JacksDad** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:21 pm

I've been here since Sept '06. Not long. 6 months.+

From my perspective these changes happened very quickly.

There was a bar in Clifton, New Jersey where every night you could find myself and some friends kickin back pitchers.

Playing pool, rockin the jukebox. Long hair and beards.

The kids would come in from the local college and we'd eye 'em up and down then shame 'em right back out the door.

We owned the Rendevous.

Then things changed.

Some of us got married, some moved away, and some died.

Two years ago I went back up there and walked in the Rendevous.

It was bright and clean and cheery.

Every table was filled with young yuppies sipping blue martinis.

They looked at me as if I were some old man off the street.

I left and walked down the street and thought to myself, if we hadn't left the Rendevous it would never had changed.

Same goes for FG.

The more seniors leave the more the noobs grow.

You're choice folks.

Give up becuase you don't like what it's become or take back what is yours.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:33 pm

crazygal;566920 wrote: :wah: At highlighting Micheal, I assume as it should be Michael then typing 'alot'.

Interestingly there are many variations on name spellings. I know several Michaels who spell their name Micheal. My brother has a name which 99.9% of the world spell with an 'I' in it, but he spells his name with a 'Y' in it as per his birth certificate. You cannot imagine how many times my writing was corrected as a child in school when I alledgedly 'misspelt' his name. Not one single teacher thought to ask me whether my spelling was correct, they just 'assumed' they were correct. They were not!

Perhaps the only Michaels that Jimbo knows, actually DO spell their names 'Micheal'. However, this is not an English lesson, a lot of people misspell words. Often it's because our fingers cannot keep up with our thoughts. What does it really matter? :rolleyes:

I know Crazygal is very hot on this topic and would never misspell a word herself.

That's why I am VERY much looking forward to seeing the pictures of herself and her son in chicken suits.

After all, she said they were both in "fowl" moods recently.

Surely she can only have meant that they were both parading around in funny chicken suits?

As I said, I can't wait to see the pics!

Carl44 · Post by **Carl44** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:44 pm

well spoted rap ,but my middle name is Michael .. and i still spelt it wrong ,i normally run a spell checker over every thing i post as i really have trouble spelling ,you would be amazed when i quote other peoples posts my spell checker highlights the mistakes in other peoples spellings too and some of the very people that pick up mine are highlighted too ,and yes the girl with the fowl habit of picking up every else's typo's is lit up all too often in red letters ,but i am not so petty as her to keep picking on it ,crazy girl just drop it hunny itz nat finny anee mare

Post by **spot** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:53 pm

You know, part of the trick lies in who starts threads about what, that's my opinion. The other part is that usually we get to know people one by one, getting a grip on all these slippery bodies at the same time is trickier. They're all different, finding the difference isn't something to be managed with just a few posts each. I used to move into new work environments every few months, freelancing, and it was always the same bewilderment on my part for a couple of weeks before I realized I finally recognised everyone in the office.

Certainly talking to newbies on their own topics, rather than trying to persuade them that our fogey nitpicking ought to interest them, seems reasonable, I'm trying. But I go back to my first point - if we don't start the sort of threads we did before they arrived, we'll not have that sort of thread to inhabit alongside the new. It takes more effort to see the threads in among the wash of enthusiastic ones whilst they're all being so exuberant and keen to network themselves back into cohesion. It's worth trying.

Clint, if I shout for you some time in the future I sincerely hope you show up to respond!

Carl44 · Post by **Carl44** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:57 pm

spot;566987 wrote: You know, part of the trick lies in who starts threads about what, that's my opinion. The other part is that usually we get to know people one by one, getting a grip on all these slippery bodies at the same time is trickier. They're all different, finding the difference isn't something to be managed with just a few posts each. I used to move into new work environments every few months, freelancing, and it was always the same bewilderment on my part for a couple of weeks before I realized I finally recognised everyone in the office.

Certainly talking to newbies on their own topics, rather than trying to persuade them that our fogey nitpicking ought to interest them, seems reasonable, I'm trying. But I go back to my first point - if we don't start the sort of threads we did before they arrived, we'll not have that sort of thread to inhabit alongside the new. It takes more effort to see the threads in among the wash of enthusiastic ones whilst they're all being so exuberant and keen to network themselves back into cohesion. It's worth trying.

Clint, if I shout for you some time in the future I sincerely hope you show up to respond!

did i not just say that in 8 words earlier :wah: :wah:

you gotta love spot :wah:

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:59 pm

I'm sorry to see you go Clint but hope you return occasionally. I agree with what so many of you have said. I too have found other forums to frequent. It is alright to change the seaoning in the soup but when the added ingredients just become salt, salt and more salt, the soup turns to brine and is unpalatable. I hope we all see each other occasionally when we pop in here. Otherwise my love and hugs to all my friends here and I hope I'll bump into you in other forums. :yh_flower

dubs · Post by **dubs** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:54 pm

I do find it slightly annoying, when people leave and then have a go at FG. Let's face it, they aren't going to find another board with such a variety of interests, as this one! I haven't seen one with such a range of diverse subjects, as this place! Closing accounts and having a dig elsewhere, is the cyber equivelent, of storming off and slamming the door behind you! Take a break if you like, do as Clint says, visit other sites, whatever! I'd like to see senior members stay and rebuild the place, you can't get it back to how you would like, if you go, now can you?

Newbies will come, some will stay, some go that's a fact of life! It's how WE adapt to change that matters, stay and sort it, or run away! You choose....

PS Nostalgia aint what it used to be!

Carl44 · Post by **Carl44** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:56 pm

dubs;567155 wrote: I do find it slightly annoying, when people leave and then have a go at FG. Let's face it, they aren't going to find another board with such a variety of interests, as this one! I haven't seen one with such a range of diverse subjects, as this place! Closing accounts and having a dig elsewhere, is the cyber equivelent, of storming off and slamming the door behind you! Take a break if you like, do as Clint says, visit other sites, whatever! I'd like to see senior members stay and rebuild the place, you can't get it back to how you would like, if you go, now can you?

Newbies will come, some will stay, some go that's a fact of life! It's how WE adapt to change that matters, stay and sort it, or run away! You choose....

PS Nostalgia aint what it used to be!

well said buddy:wah:

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:33 am

Well Im not going to stop annoying people thats all Ive got to say.

Post by **spot** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:39 am

Nomad;567407 wrote: Well Im not going to stop annoying people thats all Ive got to say.

As though that's a matter of will rather than destiny? You have a choice??

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:43 am

spot;567409 wrote: As though that's a matter of will rather than destiny? You have a choice??

Oddly enough yes. I cant annoy people in real life the way Id like to so unfortunately for you guys......................

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:32 am

Clint, best wishes to you, I've always enjoyed your posts! :-6

WonderWendy3 · Post by **WonderWendy3** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:59 am

Nomad;567407 wrote: Well Im not going to stop annoying people thats all Ive got to say.

We wouldn't expect anything less...thanks for reminding us though:sneaky: :p

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:02 am

I'm sorry, Clint, but I really don't see a need for these threads.

I appreciate that you mention how much you have changed. At least there isn't the usual one sided blame issue going on.

If you had just said that you won't likely be posting here much anymore and that you've got other things you need to be doing, fine. The implication that FG has deteriorated in quality is, at this point, just ridiculous. It's not just your thread. You happened to hit a point where a number of members have thought it their civic duty to sit in judgment on the forum with exactly this type of thread.

I'm sure you had good intentions. I'm just apologising in advance for the timing of my exasperation falling on the same week as your thread. Don't take it personal. I've always enjoyed reading your posts.

cherandbuster · Post by **cherandbuster** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:54 am

I loved the way you worded your posting, Clint. Great analogy.

Gal, Marie, Minks, Val and others . . . I've been feeling similar things lately as well. So many new people! Just when you've started to feel really comfortable with the 'regulars'

But like you all, I'll always be a part of FG. WE need to make it what it is!

And Jack's Dad, a beautiful post, eloquently stated. Your message hit home with me :-6