I only check this forum occasionally as it pretty much has died from neglect.

Seems that it is around Christmas that Spencer makes changes to the forums, so wondering what he has planned for us this year?

I still think this forum could be viable, but without Spencer's help it is not going to survive.  Last year he gave us the newer fancy look, but never implemented anything or made updates during the year.  Any vistor finding us would see the old dates on messages and ignored questions and pretty much rightly guess that not much is going on there.

The one exception is that the forum still seems to attract the hackers or whatever they are creating bogus user names.  Maybe this was all just a test by Spencer to build a security system to keep hackers out.

Hi George

Good to finally see another post on here. I too hope it will be a viable forum. Too mant just want to sit back and let the messages come to them. I like the idea of having the previous messages available where I can review them when I like. The email messages almost all get deleted by me, so are no longer available. Here I can read what I like to read and ignore the rest.

The email list has gotten to be a burden to Spencer. There is no where for it to go, The new forum has a lot of possibilities, if people will accept it. When we finally get more usage, it will become even more uasble.

Finally getting rain here in western, Ohio. About 3 inches since Thanksgivine. Very nice gentle rain and losing very little to runoff. Cold weather coming in tonight with possible snow flurries by morning. High of 55 today and 30 mph winds changing to the northwest.

 The new forum has a lot of possibilities, if people will accept it. When we finally get more usage, it will become even more uasble.

 
Gene,

I've said it before and will again.  We're not getting any help from Spencer.  The "Front Page" for the forums is a joke as it hasn't been changed since Spencer first loaded it with non-hobby related samples.  Only thing the Front Page is good for is to quickly check if anyone has posted recently to the forums.

I feel the Front Page is a total waste of space unless it is updated with something related to the hobby.

We also need an active administrator to answer questions and make sure things work.

I do agree that if we had more usage it would be more usable, but the problem is without more support I don't see us getting more usage.

Sorry for all the negative thoughts on my side.

George

Yes, its slow going here which is why I so seldom check in anymore. No new posts. I spend most of my online time at red power forums where there is constant activity and lots to talk about, plenty of pictures too. Its much easier to post photos there too. Here I have to upload my photo to an online photo album and then link it back to  here . Sometimes I just don't have the time or patience for that.
But I will try to get something on here later today to show that I have been actively working on at least one of my old tractors.

I haven't been active much on the list this year, either this one or the email list, but I do like to check in from time to time.  The email list is familiar and easy.  This one, like any other web-based forum, requires me to take the time to visit the website--and consequently I don't often do it.  Not that it's hard or anything, it's just that life is busy and before I know it another week or month has gone by and I haven't logged in.   Same thing happens with some other hobby forums in which I participate--my activity level rises and falls in cycles, and lately I haven't been doing much on any of them.  Nor have I gotten the Super M out recently, and now cold weather has snuck up on us.  It's still a fine-looking machine and warms my heart every time I go in or out of the garage, but I haven't had anything to post about it since the tractor show in Xenia last fall.  (It was good to see you then, Gene.)  

On the activity front, I'm happy to report that my son returns home from college this evening for winter break, and he seems to be enjoying it and doing very well, really feeling like he's in the right place.  My daughter is still high-school age but looking forward to graduation in a couple years--she's not much of a cold-weather fan and hopes to go to school out in Arizona, where she was born and where her grandmother still lives.  We'll see--that's still a few years away.  I also have a kitchen renovation project to finish, which has been stuck on 99% done for several months now... doggone those last little pieces of trim!

Given the subject line of "Christmas Surprise," I'll close with my Christmas card photo from last year, which some of you will recall.  That nice old workhorse M in the photo has gone on to a new owner to make way for the Super M, but I still miss it.

Good tidings, gentlemen--

Dean Vinson
Dayton, Ohio

Dean;

I enjoying seeing this photo every time it is posted. Looking forward to seeing a similar photo of the Super M. Just so peaceful, serene and quiet with the snow to damper the sounds from the outside world.

Gene

Thanks for the well wishes, Dean, and may you have the best Christmas season.

That is truly a terrific picture of the M.  This week on our local Craig's List a Farmall Cub with a factory snowplow (probably about 1950-1952) has been offered for $1200, and a 1949 wide front M is offered at $1600.00.  It really tempts me to go buying, but I haven't yet.

Charlie V.