I for one have been spending a lot of time outside whenever it isn't raining. Then I'm pooped once I come in and get cleaned up.

When things are slow, I just visit more of my favorite forums that I don't check in on daily.

Sue

I was wondering the same thing maybe everyone has spring fever or like me have been spring house cleaning. Or it could be the news media has finally made us all into zombies who canÂt think for ourselves anymore.LOL I even read some of the step family forum boy those guys really have issues. ItÂs a war between step parents and bio moms makes me realize I donÂt have any problems. Or you can always read hot topics itÂs full of all types of wacky folks.

Not that I post that much, but spring is here - very wet - and yard work to do. The stone steps have to be re-set. I've done one level and have three more to go.

8 yards of mulch needs to be spred over the beds plus I do have to mow the lawn now that I fertilized it and we've had so much rain - it's a jungle right now.

Plus my oldest son and daughter-in-law are house hunting. So when I get the call to go look with them, I stop what I'm doing, grab the tool belt with the tape measure, flashlight and other tools and head out.

And since the lap top crashed, I've been working off my 11 year old iMac. It keeps me off the web because I have to go to the office to use it. Not the ease of wireless network with the lap top.

Enjoy the journey.
eal51 in western CT

I even read some of the step family forum boy those guys really have issues. ItÂs a war between step parents and bio moms makes me realize I donÂt have any problems.
I know...there is always a lot of drama on that forum...gets pretty heated up at times.

Or you can always read hot topics itÂs full of all types of wacky folks.
Agreed...that is HOT all of the time....very entertaining, though I seldom ever make a post...don't want to risk being flamed there if I have a different opinion.

eal51, Sounds like you have some real work cut out for you. Good luck to son and daughter in law finding the perfect home at the perfect price.

Sue

Been having some health issues which seem to boil down to high blood pressure. I will have to see how things pan out once the treatments take hold.

The way I was feeling had me considering downsizing my housing and looking into retirement.

Have also been doing some garden clean up. The spring has been late here. The small bulbs are flowering but I still have been running into frost when moving piles. I have also been getting morning frost.

"In spring a young man's mind turns to thoughts of ..."

... Gardenweb???

Yeah ... right!
_____________

Recently laid off? Looking for - hopefully relevant - work.

Worried about layoff? 1. Sharpening pencil to upgrade resume,
2. realizing one needs upgrading skills, so signing up for and taking courses,
3. using sharpened pencil to figure how to cut back on expenses to: a) pay for the courses, b) pay off bills and c) build a financial cushion to live on in case paycheque stops following layoff, and
4. looking for second job to help build said cushion.

Recently retired? Round-the-world cruise.

What? The stock market being in its current fractured state? You're kidding!

Reg'lar foks? Enjoying spring.

Gardenweb folks? In gardens (or mowing lawns ... that increased food prices here, where we enjoy the world's cheapest [subsidized] food prices, haven't led them to feel that they should replant them as gardens, yet).

Folks with some spare time? Worried about sending messages and receiving them, lest they catch Mexican Flu (forgetting that we have far more that die from regular flu annually) and (forgetting that flu germs can't be transmitted over even Gardeweb's internet connection, prolific though it may be).

HTH, and waiting with more or less bated breath for the next reply to your query.

ole joyful

chemocurl -

Owning the home is always having your work cut out for you. But I have the time and I take my time to do it right.

The house hunting is frustrating for the son and daughter-in-law. Its Fairfield county which ain't cheap. There are houses in their price range - estate sales or bank owned. Most need alot of work and some peole still haven't gotten the message about pricing. They put a bid in on one house that is an estate sale and been on the market for 245 days. Needs about $15,000.00 in work - rotted window sills, paint peeling, doors warped. You get the idea. Whoever is controlling the estate won't budge on price. So now they are looking across the river into New Haven county. Hopefully luck will be with them. They have their budget and are not going above what they know is reasonable for them and their finances.

So no rain for Sunday - Mother's Day - so I can mow the lawn which has turned into a jungle with all the rain.

Enjoy the journey.
eal51 in western CT

No, it's not because it's spring. The forums have been getting less & less traffic since last fall. Now, it's down to a trickle. I was just wondering if anybody knew why? Guess not.

Spring is well under way here. Garden's in full bloom & has been for a month. This past weekend was wonderful...spent almost the entire weekend in the garden, my favorite place.

/tricia

Partly it's my garden calling. Partly it's that I'm spending a lot more time talking to my son (who is going through a divoce and seeking custody of my grandkids). Partly it's because I'm babysitting my grandkids more often.
In other words - life.

Speaking for myself - I'm self employed in the landscape business and now is my very busy time (all the way to end of November actually) and it's through the garden forums that I found the financial ones.

This is not meant to be a slight but sometimes, I rather read more then I post because although finance and money management greatly interests me I don't have same kind of background that some of these folks have - like finance, banking & accounting so I'm not one to be able to offer up much information or advice unless I'm asking a question.

Just my ideas on the reason for slow traffic.
There are lots of other places to go to exchange ideas. Flicker makes it easy to exchange and display photos. Facebook seems to link families --I'm on it with my children, grandchildren and their friends. Some of these forums were getting so political before the election and so far right wing that I wondered if the people were real. Ghengis Khan wasn't running for political office--no sense pushing his ideas.
Also the financial picture has changed so much. All of the people who kept pitching for "investing" your money so that you don't lose to inflation by keeping it in the bank seem to have calmed down a bit.
The people who thought it was not patriotic or morally wrong to file bankruptcy are looking at big companies filing so what can you say? If you have lost your job and your house is in foreclosure --it may be an option.
We still have our gardens--but the financial picture has certainly gotten blurry and people have lots to worry about.

All those folks who are Facebooking, My space, and Twittering, and whatever else there is for social networking, are probably spending less time on any and all forums.

That sort of thing is not for me, the ole fuddy duddy though.

Do you all do any social networking?

Sue

btw...The Iris Forum has sure picked up recently and The Bulb Forum was really hopping earlier