I read this every morning before I go to work. I just have nothing to add. Also have been busy with my woodworking making christmas presents.
I also used to be on Canadian gardening forum but I found it to be more in tune with the higher zones of eastern Canada. I like this because it relates more to the colder climates in Canada.

Cheers Al

Yes, I also try to read the discussions every day. I don't always make it over to the conversation side daily. This is the time of year when things are pretty slow on the Far North. I know for me, I'm busy getting ready for dinner parties and birthday parties, and then Christmas. This November has been just crazy for entertaining. I've hosted 3 parties already, and have 3 more to do before Christmas. Because we're so busy with yard/garden work and camping all summer, it seems that we do all our entertaining in Nov/Dec. But once those gardening catalogues start flying in come Jan/Feb, I'll get back into gardening mode again!

I've also come to the realization that I don't think I'd enjoy gardening 12 months of the year somewhere down south. By the end of September, I'm ready to hang up my gloves for a few months. I get burnt out I guess, and need some time to re-charge my batteries over the winter. The only problem is that our winters are just a little too long, and I'd like to be back out playing in the dirt by March.

So most of us, I think, are still around, just busy with other things. Maybe we'll have to get our alphabet going again in the Gallery?

Laurie

Yeah me too, I have a lot going on at home (making puppy food, feeding, socializing & cleaning up after puppies, LOL). I'm kinda burnt out on gardening too... it was disheartening to leave my old garden this fall and I'll have to start working in the new one this spring before I get excited about it.

Ditto everything you said Laurie, about 12 month gardening. I would find it exhausting. Much as I hate the snow, I like distinct seasons.

Re GardenWeb, I must say I am thankful too. It feels like we all know each other. But I wish new people would post more often. Maybe it seems like we're a clique. I also think the Far North is not well promoted on the GW Forums main page. I see people from our zone posting on the Northern forum and getting no responses - I wish people knew about the Far North Forum.

I too am thankful for this forum. I have very few friends that have the gardening fever like I do. The advise from the fellow gardeners here has been priceless. Thanks everyone.
Shelley

I check in occassionally, to see what ya'll are up to. I agree starting the alphabit thing again or how 'bout a new bubble.........I am about ready to enter the bubble. LOL!
Snow came early here and stayed. I'm fed up with shoveling already. On the other hand, I am glad we don't garden 12 months as well...like Laurie and Gil, I get burnt out by Sept. I am looking forward to getting the seed catalogues though....some should be here soon, shouldn't they.

Sierra

I obviously didn't express myself very clearly in my original post. Of course I realize that everyone is busy with non gardening related projects etc at this very busy time of year.
I only wanted to say how much I appreciate GardenWeb and its ease of operation compared to other cumbersome forums I've looked at.

Hey, North - we understand!

I also read every day, but don't have a lot to add either. Our weather hasn't been the greatest for over a month now and not much has happened in my gardening world. Same as everyone else, i guess. We've had great few days this week, though, and i wish there was something i could do outside. Of course, this time of year, it would be in the dark after work! LOL

We don't do a lot of entertaining, like almost none, and most of what we do is just family. My daughter's birthday is in early November and that's usually my signal to get on with Christmas stuff. I've been crocheting an afghan for her and do a square or two each evening while i watch the African web cams Sharon posted. Handy dandy, eh? :)

Anyway, i thought at first when i saw the title of this post that it was something to do with American Thanksgiving! Even if it isn't, i'm also thankful for this place and all the friends i've made here. I do wonder sometimes if people think we're too close knit and are afraid to post. We always welcome new people but many don't stay. And some of us have told people who post in other forums that this place is a more active forum and they're more likely to get answers here.

North, you're right - this is a pretty easy forum to navigate. Now, if only we had that edit option!

Great thread, North! I think your post was very clear and very positive - it prompted everyone else to take the time to express how thankful they are for this forum.

I love the FN forum and even though I've been too busy to contribute much lately I always find time to check in here and see what's happening. So even if you post something and it doesn't get a ton of replies that doesn't mean that no one is reading and enjoying it. Some people are too shy, too busy, or feel that they are too inexperienced to add much. Just think, for every one reply there are probably a dozen lurkers that learned something and took that away with them. I know that I've learned more about gardening from all of you guys here than I would have from a library full of gardening books. I also wanted to add that I was made to feel extremely welcome right from my very first post. It's not like a lot of other forums where "outsiders" are made to feel unwanted.

So, I'm very thankful for this forum and for the wonderful "garden friends" that I've made here. You guys are the best!

Wasn't there a lurker's thread a long time ago? Maybe we should bump it up and put out the welcome mat for them again.

Cindy

I lurk here all the time and am thankful that people post way more often than I do!! I think this is my second post in a year...lol....I am busy trying to get rid of aphids and spider mites on plants that I brought in. My peach hibiscus (summers outside) is an aphid magnet. Its lucky that its so pretty when it blooms or it would have been tossed out long ago. Its in bloom now. I am having more trouble with spider mite this year than in previous years...I am doing more spritzing and an occasional blast of insecticidal soap. I think I'm starting to win the war. My geraniums have some scanty blooms...they winter in my south facing bay window and bloom on and of all winter. I get tired of gardening by September too...which is why this year I brought in fewer things to overwinter. Usually I have a hard time leaving things outside to die, but this year I was hard hearted. I promised myself I would start a few more seeds..and buy a few more plants come spring. I confess to looking at seeds to order online already:)

Every once in a while, over the past few weeks, I fight my way out of a pile of glittery ribbon and pine cones, throw down my glue gun and come up for air. It's been a busy time in the craft room and no rest for the wicked just yet - a couple more weeks to go. I fear I'll be all Christmassed out before it even gets here. I have one night of entertaining to plan for (a fancy one like Hyacinth's candlelight suppers - anyone watch Keeping Up Appearances? I love that show). We used to do fancy shmancy a lot but since we moved here, hardly ever. Seems that more people prefer chili on a bun on a paper plate and a bottle of beer than 3 forks next to a china plate and a wine glass. (big sigh) Oh well, the joys of country living.

It's pretty normal for GW activity to slow down this time of year, but of the dozen or so forums I check in on most days, I'd say it's way, way down. It changed a lot after the iVillage and annoying ads takeover. Some ads still sneak thru my adblocker and irritate the heck out of me, I can't imagine new people coming to the site and not having an adblocker in place - they'd probably be just as glad to quickly leave.

Do you think people who are able to garden year round have the luxury of not going full tilt for 3 months out of the year, and therefore don't get burnt out? I enjoy the winter break and doing something different. By September I'm tired of gardening and my mind starts thinking about downsizing the garden (but I won't). By Christmas I'll be so tired of crafting I'll be taking an oath to never do any again (but I know I will).

We've been a bit spoiled with the weather lately (a lot of us have, right?). But I think tonight something is blowing our way so maybe our brown yards will be white by morning.

Pudge, about the annoying ads. I don't have anything special to block them, but am having zero problems at this time. I use Mozilla Firefox as a browser, but don't know if that helps at all. My tech son says it is more secure than IE.

I think it was for security reasons that the Canadian Gardening Magazine forum made so many changes to their site. They were having non stop spam also.

I can only hope that Garden Web has our security in mind.

Geez, I just re-read my post and I fear it came off sounding as kind of hoity-toity and taking a shot at country folk. Sorry if I offended anyone, that certainly wasn't my intent. I'd go on to explain more, but just might land up with my other foot in my mouth. Seems I've been doing that all day long today somehow. (Too much sniffing the glue gun?)

Don't worry Pudge, I don't think it was hoity toity (ahem.. Bree van de Kamp... ahem... LOL just kidding). I too like the idea of entertaining but DH has no interest, he's all about the hot dogs and beer. Won't even learn to use his cutlery right. But I'm a town gal. Maybe I just hot glued my foot into my mouth too. ;0) Vive la difference?

Err, the weather has been warm here also. Very warm. Supposed to snow tomorrow.

My Auntie Eda is Hyacinth. We call her Mrs. Bucket... (not Boo-Kay). LOL that show is funny.

It's so nice to be able to pop on here and see how everyone's doing. Life has been crazy, DH had his back surgery last week, so I've been flying solo keeping everything here running (got the Christmas lights put up in the little warm spell we had over the weekend, and ground two deer into "bambi burger" yesterday...). It's been interesting, DH is pretty much laid out, and propped up with pillows, but at least he's appreciative of the pampering he been getting! I think that I may start building the base for the fireplace tomorrow, since it *mysteriously* took 2nd place to hunting pre-operatively. Funny how that is. I really don't want it sitting unfinished through Christmas. I'm going to have to hustle if I'm going to get it done though...time to polish up my handy woman skills. "More power...Arh! Arh! Arh!" ;-)

I like watching those shows on throwing dinner parties...with everything looking so "fabulous"...but I don't think I could pull it off...we're just a little too... hmmmm... what's the word?... "Clampett"?? ;-) Plus, I really don't know many of the 'hoity toity' type. Around here dinner is "fancy" when the food makes it into serving dishes and there's a table cloth on the table (normally I just dish up our plates in the kitchen and then bring them in). Oh well, I will get to deck it out at Christmas time, as long as I get my fireplace in.
Glad to see everyone else is around and keeping busy!

Now where did I put that saw...?

Verena

I've been a member of the Canadian Gardening forum for awhile now, but don't partake that much....I just checked out the new format and I like it much, much better than before.

But the GW will always be my home-sweet-home ;)

Sharon