Re: Hey Farml, Rob, David and All..

<Charlie> wrote in message

> Also thanks for the inclusion in ya'lls community, so to speak.
> Community, largely, has been subverted here and this is a really,
> really bad thing and is something that we will find in the future we
> will need and must rebuild if we hope to continue in a meaningful way.

I do think that community is something that must be worked at where ever
one 
lives but certainly in some places it's harder than others.

Kylie (Otterbot) and I both live in the country not far from each other
and 
we both live in communities which are quite small.  Though not quite small

enough to know everyone, they are certainly small enough that we would
know 
at least one relative of everyone or at least a neighbour.  Small 
communities are just as riven with divisions as cities but it's a bit
harder 
to avoid anyone for too long.

I don't cope with big cities at all well.  I only lived in a smallish city

(and London) for a total of about 10 years of my life but I do have a
habit 
of talking to anyone and everyone and I find that works reasonably well
even 
in the city.

Most people respond to a smile and a friendly comment even if they do get
an 
initial shock that a complete stranger is talking to them.  I took up this

habit after I had the most amazing chap work for me.  He was a Mormon
elder 
and a natural when it came to getting on with people and getting them to 
laugh.

Whenever I dragged him along with me to meetings and we'd get into a lift 
(elevator), he took it as a challenge to get everyone else in the lift to 
smile and talk to him before they got out at their floor.  It was a 
relevation to watch him work the lift inhabitants and I learned lots from 
him.

> It appears that many of us are finding community within usenet and this
> group is nice in that everthing seems to be up for discussion, whilst
> being centered around the soil.  Like Billy's description in r.g about
> the garden fence.  Here you all are hanging over the fence, pickin'
> dirt from under your nails, fartin' and talkin' about whatever seems
> im****tant.  It's all related to growth, gardens...

Agree to a cetain extent, but it is becoming increasingly hard to find ngs

where there aren't too many wankers or fantasists or full on trolls.
(Don't 
take offence at the word wankers Charlie - I have been told that it is not
a 
word in general use in the US but in Oz it is a very commonly used by both

genders and about as unacceptable as either bloody or bastard and neither
of 
these words raise eyebrows here).

> Now, if'ns the youngsters will just pay heed to the wisdom of their
> elders and drop off the sass. ;-)

I'm a great believer in Dylan Thomas':
"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

I started out as a very sassy youth so I positively encourage it in others

if it shows that some thought has gone into the sassiness.  And I think
when 
it comes to being sassy, I'm quite capable of standing up on my hind legs 
and giving it right back.

> Reminds me of an ancient grumpy gardener, beekeeper, and orchardsman I
> knew long ago.  Clyde would often say, "Dammit boys, just shutup and
> listen to me and ya might learn sumpthin' here!"  'Course he got dissed
> a bunch about it when he said it. :-)
>
> Yep, these youngun's are fer sure gonna miss us old farts when we pass.

Yep, but we'll just be replaced by other old farts.