trying to be a good community steward

So .... I got swag ... I made a youtube video .... I sent out a newsletter (of sorts) ....  I've fished around for wiki stuff and might have something running soon ....

And today I get the reward.  The first 10 forums all say "today" - and only one has my name on it. 

I know it's a stupid thing, but, to me, it is a sort of indicator for if this little community is healthy. 

And .... wow ...  I'm sitting next to 14 boxes to go to the post office.  All have the new swag in them.  That feels kinda cool too. 

I just thought I'd say "ten in a row!  yeah!"

(this forum is "meaningless drivel" after all)

that is something to feel good about..the forums have been growing and I sure have been enjoying the new people and ideas.

I am learning a lot from the forums and thank you very much..guess moderators don't get thanked often enough..so thanks for that and all that you do

You know, I still consider myself a newbie to permaculture and I lurk on here much more than I post.

The conversations have been a huge leg up for me to understand a lot of permaculture concepts and practical methods even though I haven't taken a design course (yet).

All the amazing content keeps me reading even though I should probably be doing other things...

There's something about a live and lively conversation with people, even if it's virtual, that is more dynamic than reading a book. I hope folks continue and that more folks dive in.

It is community, and a very cool one.

Thanks, Paul. And thanks to everyone with cool things to share.

Hit 10 in a row again today. 

The 11th forum is "wildcrafting" which is something where I'm so terribly weak and is so important. 

I really enjoy wild edible walks and wildcrafting walks.  Smart people talking about the values of all of these plants.  And they repeat the names over and over and .... somehow .... the names and the info rarely stick in my head.  And if I try to read a book, I .... put it down and pick up a different book.  It's like this is an area where my internal programming says I am not to know.  And yet it is so critical! 

Medicinal herbs is the same.  Super important and an excellent fit for this collection of forums, but it is something where I not only cannot steward good discussion, I cannot even ask a good question!

So frustrating!

So, I really hope that you all will help me in this space. 

16 in a row!  My new record!

Of course writing down things you have wanted to get out is agreable, though sometimes a chore, what i did not know is how much i would enjoy reading everything everyone else writes, its like going to a party, nearly, isn't that incredible, i always wondered how people could enjoy having pen pals and here i am finding out it is fun, maybe i thought people would not have character when they were writing but they do. Still i suppose it is important to have flesh and blood freinds though writting here makes me feel i don't need them.
      I was brought up to feel that it was my duty to make myself work some of the time,take some exercise, eat properly, sleep and know people, i never thought knowing people in this way could work, i still have to discupline myself and go and look for new flesh and blood freinds having got rid of my old ones. I find talking to people with the same interests so much more amusing than i have found my freinds for years that it is incredible.
    So in am really indebt to Paul Wheaton too and i have learnt a lot, i new about organic things, a bit about them at any rate but nothing about permaculture, this given me a whole new set of ideas and goals.
  The word wildcrafting looks so like witchcrafating at first sight, that it took me a long time to undersand the sentence. Agri rose macaskie. 

  On learning difficult things like plant names. I was always worst in the class at languages , i have i was no goood at learnign strange words but i have learnt this tip, I  found that if i give words a little time five minutes say instead of just rhinking i don't have time to learn it properly today, then i don't remember them the next day, or even a week later but a year or two later they seem to have sunk in, for one giving them a little bit of time means i do recognise them when i next see them, so it is worth trusting your computer (mind) and giving a little time to putting the plant name in but not as much as you would have to give to remember it in a test at the end of the week, that way you don't waste so much time but do manage to get the task done one day, although you are too busy to spend the day learning new plant names. agri rose macaskie.

My above tip means being patient with your mind, loving yourself instead of pushing yourself to do it the difficult and fast in days but not in hours way and patients with the time a plan takes to carry out. rose .

I think that this is one kind of people connection.  It feeds a little something in all of us.  And then there are other kinds.  One kind doesn't replace another - it augments.

I have viewed topic directed forums as a wonderful party, with folks all interested in my interest, hanging out having conversations on specific topics which I can easily, nonrudely pick and choose from and leave when bored.  I love them.