Michelle - I am stunned, flabbergasted, that you or anyone else would take my sarcasm for anything more than me playing a part and having a bit of fun. If I have offended you or anyone else, than you need to take life a little less seriously; you should learn to recognize a joker for who he is and appreciate the humor. If you are really that taken aback by my postings then don't come to the swap and that goes for anyone else that feels this way.

Ricky,

I, for one, think you're great just the way you are and fully appreciate your humor. I have found you to be opinionated (me too!), knowledgeable and generous beyond belief! I haven't responded about the plant swap because I rsvp'ed the last couple of swaps and then ended up not being able to make it so I was trying to hold out to the last minute.

Seriously, GW wouldn't be the same without you! Have a single malt and another for me lol!

Helen

I don't know you, and I haven't been to any of your swaps. I am just going to butt in and put in my 2 cents or maybe 1 and 1/2. Personally I feel if anyone had a problem with you they should have done it privately. Not blown you out of the water for the world to see. I hope you have a nice swap and please don't let a few grouchy people prevent you from staying on this site. I have been reading the posts, and I can see you know what you are talking about and appreciate all the advise you give out. Like you said if they don't like it stay away!

Privately? Well Ricky did ask and Michelle is being just being truthful and I feel personally responsible. This whole thing started when I one-upped him on a bromeliad throw down and we ended up with his post on collections vs gardens.
I know he has a strange sense of humor but lately he's been falling into that "weird creepy uncle" mode of being mean but making it all right by saying"just kidding" and if you get upset you have no sense of humor.

Ricky, I've loved and thank you for every swap you have hosted, but I obviously don't need any more plants for my "collection". I wish you well and BTW, that was the best pulled pork I've ever had in my life....no joke

Here is a link that might be useful: Collections vs Gardens

coffeemom,

Please don't feel responsible, I don't even think you were involved during all the insults to vegetable gardeners.

Michelle

Michelle, I do so support your honest answer. After all, as you stated, Ricky asked twice. I don't know why you should be criticized for expressing personal feelings. It is no secret that Ricky stirs emotions on this forum. We have nearly all been the brunt of his "sarcasm". I have been hurt and felt the hurt of many friends from this "humor". We love Ricky but I for one feel he pushes the envelope past the humor point. He posted pictures of my yard I would have rather not shared. I have heard the "veggies aren't food, veggies are what food eats" one too many times. I have to agree, while there are many many qualities in Ricky I admire and respect his opinions (maybe don't agree) I try to refrain from reacting as of late. I too would feel a hypocrite attending another swap at his house.

The swap is canceled.

Well that is really a shame and I feel terrible. Obviously some people were still really looking forward to the swap. I think small swaps and small parties can be more fun that large ones. Why not have it but prepare a smaller piece of meat? Or make it pure pot luck and just relax and enjoy the party and let everyone else take care of the food.

I specifically took this to the conversations page because I did not want it to be a thing. I certainly didn't think this would seriously upset Ricky with his attitude about not taking life seriously and not having a thin skin.

But I felt that if I were him I would want to know that other people do take these things seriously, and thought maybe he would consider beings a little gentler in the future. Based on his initial response it seemed like he could care less that people do get upset.

Despite Denafern's posts I don't think anyone would ever expect Ricky to stop being a major contributor to this site.

Oh I just hate this.
I like Ricky and I got his sarcastic humor. Yes, he's opinionated but I like that too. He's always reminded me of my brother who isn't mean either. I'm so sorry that anyone would be offended by anything anyone says on a forum. It baffles me but I know it happens. (And if it's OK for people to speak endlessly about veggies, why isn't it OK for others to mention endlessly that "veggies aren't food, veggies are what food eats"?)

So many contributors have left this forum over the past couple years and I think a lot of it is because people take things too personally, too literally, and way too seriously. This used to be a funny and fun place to visit. Maybe carrots just aren't as funny as coleus.

______________

Ricky, I hope you aren't really gone, although I saw your 'goodbye' on the Discussion side. Some of us still look for your name and enjoy your comments. Just in case you are gone, I'm opening a new bottle of single malt in your honor tonight. I might even push one of the neighborhood kids into my silk floss tree.

Kate

Sarcasm and joking undeniably adds spice to life. The written word can come across so much more caustic than something uttered face-to-face with a grin.

Acknowledgment of a mistake or apologizing for unintented hurt feelings never killed anyone, but...

RIP man, hope you come back. And thanks for the tips about the garden, oops collection.

(Sorry.)

"And if it's OK for people to speak endlessly about veggies..."

I am sorry I just don't get this. This is precisely where we all come to speak endlessly about gardening, and, growing veggies is gardening. So why do posts about veggie gardening bother people? Do we really need a separate forum called Veggie Gardening in Florida, so that non-veggie growers wont be annoyed?

I understand not being interested in veggies, there are a lot of topics I am not interested in, so I don't participate in them. I don't insult the people who are interested.

I actually do see the humor in saying veggies aren't food. I do not see the humor in entering topics you have no interest in just to insult people, nor in telling newbies they aren't real gardeners and should just shop at publix etc.

The only point of my original post was to answer Ricky's questions about why it seems the swaps are less popular than they used to be. Obviously not everyone has been offended by him, and obviously he is still free to enter topics he knows nothing about simply for sport or as he says "playing a part and having a bit of fun."

Ricky is an expert landscaper, his advise about landscaping is invaluable and he can be funny at times. He asked a question, I answered, hopefully we can all move on.

Michelle

Well said, Michelle.

Marcia

WOW! What happened to this forum, the friendships, the sharing. I came to this place in 2002 lurking, when we were building our home and would have a new empty slate to fill with flowers, plants, trees. I learned so much about Florida gardening, and made tremendously strong friendships. In the midst of construction and my first years of landscaping our new place, i found not just advice but friends who shared plants, trees and a sense of I-COULD-DO-IT support from this gardening group..I even went to a swap or 2 and this on-line gardening community grew so large! then hurricanes hit us all, we used this forum to find each other to reach out and help, hug and cry over losses and near misses...spring came and we shared seeds, blooms, plants and stories and advice....we have been though new life, new growth, the rains of spring, flooding, drought, bugs, insecticides, fertilizers, slugs, bad neighbors, good wishes, tomatoes, coleus, serious illness, cancer, break downs and break-ups, death........when did we forget to be friends? When did we loose the simple fact that "Gardening in Florida
This forum is for those in the Sunshine State to discuss the various aspects of gardening there." Well that's what it says at the top, anyway. Maybe we need a Do-Over?

This forum is no longer the friendly forum it used to be. People have become overly sensitive, vindictive and resentful of anyone whose opinion differs from theirs. We are all different and we all having differing personalities and quirks. Swaps usd to be fun and friendships were made and flourished. I rememver Coffeemom searching for me At Disney and finally locating me just to give me a hug. That is truly caring and meant more to me than she will ever know. I have formed the opinion that this forum no longer cares about people but only about their own precious egos and that makes me extremely sad. I remember when we banded together to assist one another and now we destroy one another and I for one do not wish to be a part of this forum any longer. I had a near death experience six weeks ago and it made me realize that life is too short to allow people to be vindictive and hateful. Yes, Ricky has a quirky sense of humor and he has strong opinions about certain subjects but he brought a lot of knowledge to this forum and his swaps were the most generous and caring swaps I have ever attended. I for one miss his terribly and I am most resently of the attitudes of some of you. We all newd to stand in front of a mirror and take a good long look at our reflections and see if we are the loving caring people we think we are. This forum is as Cindee stated a forum for ALL gardeners in Florida. Apparently that is no longer the case. Happy gardening. Linda