"Warren" expounded:

Do you have any real information to add? Or should we simply take your
opinion over paghat's substantiated opinion because of your good name? (Or
the one name you dropped?)

Warren if you can't folow a thread don't expect me to replay it for
you. Go back upthread and figure it out.

I don't do usenet tit for tat, I don't need to heavily research this,
I have my own experience with the Master Gardener program in
Massachusetts, and have read time and time again on rec.gardensthat
it's worthless. It isn't around here. What is worthless are pompous
know-it-alls blathering on just to make themselves feel important.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

In article , Ann
wrote:

(paghat) expounded:

The reality is that the University of Massachusetts Extension Service,
assessing the master gardeners system as of very little value when it
comes to education, stopped supporting a program that wasted University
resources on what never became more than a social outlet for a very few
amateur gardeners (some knowledgeable most not so much but none
knowledgeable due to a workshop series & volunteer service). Now
volunteer service is praiseworthy, but these volunteers are just about
always lousy sources of horticultural information.

Oh blah, blah, blah, Paghat. I live here. I know the reputation of
all, the Mass. Hort. Society, the UMass Extension service (both via
the university and via the service, Dr. Lyle Craker is a personal
friend of mine - oh, that means you'll do a character assasination on
him. Sorry, Lyle!) and the Master Gardener Program. You haven't
got a clue other than going on your usual rant against Master
Gardeners. Diarrhea of the fingertips doesn't mean you know
everything.

Character assassination of Lyle? I agree with his NORML activism as a
marijuana advocate & glad he joined with the American Civil Liberties
Union as the poster boy for pot. Though I would certainly never use the
stuff myself I think Lyle & everyone else on the HIGH TIME'S "top ten"
heroes list should have the legal right to make that decision for
themselves. Heroin too as point of fact so I'd take it further than Lyle
seems to.

Not that i believe for one second he knows who the hell YOU are. Even
imagining you imposed yourself on him somewhere in some icky way he'll
never forget, well hell, it doesn't make YOU any smarter. Like hey,
Stephen King's a personal friend of mine & wrote a lovely introduction for
one of my books. That doesn't make me a wealthy writer with lots of film
options, as surprisingly little rubs off from mere friendship, & if I have
an opinion on some book, i won't have to say i'm King's buddy & imagine
that proves I'm right.

And if you REALLY chummed around with leading marijuana activists, it
wouldn't change the reality of what the m-g program is -- unless you're
saying in Massachusetts mastergardeners are yours or Lyle's source for the
stuff. Cuz i hadn't known they were involved in illegalities for the cause
& still assume they remain only a club for amateur gardeners who want to
perform volunteer services while hanging out with fellow amateur
gardeners. You're the one that despises the actual work in favor of
imaginary values above & beyond what is real. I think it's fine to be an
amateur devoted to volunteerism, & the master gardeners in those p-patches
helping to feed the poor are helping to relieve real suffering. If your
local amateurs of the m-g system happen also to be growing marijuana for
aids or cancer patients, that's just as cool. Everybody should volunteer
for SOMEthing.

-paggers
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to
liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson

In article , Ann
wrote:

"Warren" expounded:

Do you have any real information to add? Or should we simply take your
opinion over paghat's substantiated opinion because of your good name? (Or
the one name you dropped?)

Warren if you can't folow a thread don't expect me to replay it for
you. Go back upthread and figure it out.

I don't do usenet tit for tat, I don't need to heavily research this,
I have my own experience with the Master Gardener program in
Massachusetts, and have read time and time again on rec.gardensthat
it's worthless. It isn't around here. What is worthless are pompous
know-it-alls blathering on just to make themselves feel important.

you're blathering again.

-paggers
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to
liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson

Ann wrote:
"Warren" expounded:

Do you have any real information to add? Or should we simply take your
opinion over paghat's substantiated opinion because of your good name? (Or
the one name you dropped?)

Warren if you can't folow a thread don't expect me to replay it for
you. Go back upthread and figure it out.

I don't do usenet tit for tat, I don't need to heavily research this,
I have my own experience with the Master Gardener program in
Massachusetts, and have read time and time again on rec.gardensthat
it's worthless. It isn't around here. What is worthless are pompous
know-it-alls blathering on just to make themselves feel important.

I had been following it, but just in case I missed something, I went back a
looked it over again. You didn't add anything of substance to support your
opinion.

I'm not looking for tit for tat. I'm just looking for something of substance
that tells me why you believe what you believe. Did you just make up your
opinion, or is there a reason you came to your conclusions? All you've done
is state a position without supporting it, and then call someone who has a
different opinion, but can support that opinion, names.

All I can assume is that you aren't substantiating your opinion because you
can't. There apparently is no basis for your opinion. And based on your
attack of paghat's substantiated opinion, I'll have to assume that you're
basing your opinion on your dislike of paghat, and your opinion will always
be the opposite of hers just because it's her opinion.

If you have more substance behind your opinion, you certainly haven't taken
the opportunity to show it.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

This fall, vacuum up your leaves instead of raking:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blac...r/blowers.html

I hate to break it to anyone here, but gardening is NOT rocket science.
Anyone who enjoys it can learn the basics in one summer of working in
his/her garden, and having access to one or two garden reference books -
like sunset garden guide, or reader's digest gardening guide, or rodale's
encyclopedia of organic gardening. By basics, I'm talking about when the
best time is to plant seeds of various flowers and crops, when is the best
time to set out tender plants, how to work the soil, how to plant a shrub or
tree and how to irrigate it, how to improve the soil if your basic soil is
crappy, how to compost. Many other aspects of gardening are opinion, and
opinion on them changes with the decade......things like, should insect
infestations all be treated, should fruit trees all be pruned yearly, do
flowers and perennials need to be deadheaded religiously, stuff like that.
Landscaping is another issue entirely - and there are schools of thought
about that that also change with the decade or the century.
Some aspects of garden maintenance are more difficult - correct pruning,
propagation by means other than seeds, grafting, plant disease recognition.
In my opinion, mastergardeners are a good resource for beginning gardeners
because they are nearly all experienced home gardeners. However, they have
little of value to convey to experienced gardeners who can do the research
themselves if they have a difficult gardening issue to work out. I think
pursuing a mastergardener title is a fine idea for a retiree who loves to
garden and has the free time to attend the classes, etc. I wouldn't
recommend it to anyone who has an active life with lots of responsibilities.

(paghat) expounded:

And if you REALLY chummed around with leading marijuana activists, it
wouldn't change the reality of what the m-g program is -- unless you're
saying in Massachusetts mastergardeners are yours or Lyle's source for the
stuff.

Oh, for chrissake, you latch onto something that means nothing and go
on and on about it. My association with him has nothing to do with
marijuana, he does quite a bit more than that, but you would know that
from your 'research'.

Cuz i hadn't known they were involved in illegalities for the cause
& still assume they remain only a club for amateur gardeners who want to
perform volunteer services while hanging out with fellow amateur
gardeners.

Now you're implying that Master Gardeners have something to do with
marijuana.....stretching for your audience again.

You're the one that despises the actual work

What the hell are you talking about? Despises the actual work of
what? Now I'm lazy? Actually it doesn't matter.

in favor of
imaginary values above & beyond what is real. I think it's fine to be an
amateur devoted to volunteerism, & the master gardeners in those p-patches
helping to feed the poor are helping to relieve real suffering. If your
local amateurs of the m-g system happen also to be growing marijuana for
aids or cancer patients, that's just as cool. Everybody should volunteer
for SOMEthing.

Really, Paghat, can't you stick to one subject? Or are you spicing up
your diahrrea because you really have nothing to say but you need to
continue because you ...just....can't...stop. The issue is Master
Gardeners, not pot.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

"Warren" expounded:

All I can assume is that you aren't substantiating your opinion because you
can't.

I live here, Warren, and have experience with the Master Gardener
program in Massachusetts. That's my whole point. Sorry I can't
document my experiences here for you, but why should I have to?
Paghat made claims from across the country about a program she has no
experience with and tried to pull some references from the UMass
Extension service to back herself up, and what she's pull has little
base in reality to the program I know. I don't presume to know how
the gardening world operates where she is. And I get really stick of
the sweeping generalizations about people who have gone through the MG
program. Any organization has it's slackers. The MG's I know are
knowledgable gardeners who help others learn, who work in the many
public gardens in the state - and they do work. They aren't just in
the program to list it in their obituary.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

In article , Ann
wrote:

"Warren" expounded:

All I can assume is that you aren't substantiating your opinion because you
can't.

I live here, Warren, and have experience with the Master Gardener
program in Massachusetts. That's my whole point. Sorry I can't
document my experiences here for you, but why should I have to?
Paghat made claims from across the country about a program she has no
experience with and tried to pull some references from the UMass
Extension service to back herself up, and what she's pull has little
base in reality to the program I know.

Then the program you "know" is one of your imagination. M-G has no
affiliation with U-M becuase U-M jettisoned Mastergardeners from their
former affiliation.

I don't presume to know how
the gardening world operates where she is.

Round these parts, you put the plants in the gorund, & with some water &
sunshine they tend to grow. I assure you the moon looks the same on both
coasts, too.

And I get really stick of
the sweeping generalizations about people who have gone through the MG
program. Any organization has it's slackers.

There you go dissing Mastergardeners again. I call them amateur
volunteers, which they are, & I claim that as such they do good work. You
call them slackers. There's a world of difference bertween my assessement
of their "volunteer service" & your assessment that some of 'em are
"slackers." The ones who don't fulfill their volunteer obligations may
have done wrong, but I never mentioned them even in passing -- & it could
be merely that they have lives to attend to rather than being the slackers
you demean them as.

-paggers
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to
liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson

In article , Ann
wrote:

(paghat) expounded:

And if you REALLY chummed around with leading marijuana activists, it
wouldn't change the reality of what the m-g program is -- unless you're
saying in Massachusetts mastergardeners are yours or Lyle's source for the
stuff.

Oh, for chrissake, you latch onto something that means nothing and go
on and on about it. My association with him has nothing to do with
marijuana, he does quite a bit more than that, but you would know that
from your 'research'.

Cuz i hadn't known they were involved in illegalities for the cause
& still assume they remain only a club for amateur gardeners who want to
perform volunteer services while hanging out with fellow amateur
gardeners.

Now you're implying that Master Gardeners have something to do with
marijuana.....stretching for your audience again.

You're the one that despises the actual work

What the hell are you talking about? Despises the actual work of
what? Now I'm lazy? Actually it doesn't matter.

I dunno whether you're lazy (likely you are), but you certainly are a dim
bulb! You so despise the ACTUAL good work of M-G -- which I & not you
listed (volunteering in p-patches that feed poor top of the list) -- that
you have to IMAGINE this club by & for amateurs is more than it is.
Perhaps YOU think being an amateur is a bad thing -- I'm an amateur
herpetologist & an amateur gardener & quite happy with that status in
those areas.

You even pretend you're friends with Lyle at U-M which would mean what if
you weren't lying? That U-M didn't as I noted ditch the M-G affiliation?
Because U-M most certainly did ditch M-G & that's the only reason they had
to affiliate with another garden club instead of a university extension.
You not only deny that rather simple reality reality, but you completely
undermine, dismiss, ignore, or despise the actual volunteer service an
organization by & for amateurs can do.

Really, Paghat, can't you stick to one subject? Or are you spicing up
your diahrrea because you really have nothing to say but you need to
continue because you ...just....can't...stop. The issue is Master
Gardeners, not pot.

Hey, you're the one introducing non-sequitors along with your feces
fixation where you have no facts. Your imaginary friendship with a
professor at U-M who is a leader in the marijuana rights movement I agree
has nothing whatsoever to do with Master Gardeners, but YOU name-dropped
your fantasized buddyhood in the context of M-G as if it had anything to
do with anything. IF you meant to imply M-Gs are the ones providing Lyle
with his pot after the government stopped him from growing it himself,
fine, he wants it for good uses & that'd be brave of M-Gs to take that
risk -- if you're now saying they're not brave at all & have nothing to do
with Lyle's garden needs, then why'd you drag him into the conversation,
silly? (Yes, I know why, to build YOURSELF up, but that failed).

If on the other hand you meant to imply your imaginary friendship with
Lyle proved the Univeristy of Ma didn't ditch the Master Gardeners exactly
as I outlined, then you obviously know nothing whatsoever about the
history of M-G in Massachusetts, because that's what they're most famous
for -- losing their university affiliation. And other M-G volunteer
services do worry they could be next to lose the right to boast of an
association with university extensions across the nation.

I cannot agree with mere delusions of affiliations that do not exist but
which you seeminglyl believe do exist. That you insist on your own
fabrications but have had NOTHING to say about the GOOD work I outlined
that volunteerism through the MG system can lead to is YOUR disrespect of
what M-G really is. I have every respect for any M-G who helps feed the
poor by hoeing in a p-patch or helps keep weeds out of public gardens or
shows little kids how to start a worm bin. I don't think they should be
using up university extension resources ANYwhere, as that makes them a
drain on the public rather than an asset. So the University of MA did
exactly the right thing jettisoning that affiliation, & I would be glad if
Washington State U did the same thing here. M-G affiliation with public
garden fundraising entities as now occurs in Massachusetts is a better
model.

-paggers
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to
liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson

(paghat) expounded:

Then the program you "know" is one of your imagination. M-G has no
affiliation with U-M becuase U-M jettisoned Mastergardeners from their
former affiliation.

No, Paghat, you were the one to bring them up. I know full well who
certifies Master Gardeners around here, and said so in my post in
reply to Stephen.

There you go dissing Mastergardeners again.

Nice twist, Ratgirl. You're the one doing the dissing. Pay
attention.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

(paghat) expounded:

This would be fun if it had a point.

I dunno whether you're lazy (likely you are), but you certainly are a dim
bulb! You so despise the ACTUAL good work of M-G -- which I & not you
listed (volunteering in p-patches that feed poor top of the list) -

I hgave never once disparged the work of Master Gardeners.

- that
you have to IMAGINE this club by & for amateurs is more than it is.
Perhaps YOU think being an amateur is a bad thing -- I'm an amateur
herpetologist & an amateur gardener & quite happy with that status in
those areas.

Find the post where I said anything against Master Gardeners. Go
ahead. I'll wait.

You even pretend you're friends with Lyle at U-M which would mean what if
you weren't lying? That U-M didn't as I noted ditch the M-G affiliation?
Because U-M most certainly did ditch M-G & that's the only reason they had
to affiliate with another garden club instead of a university extension.
You not only deny that rather simple reality reality, but you completely
undermine, dismiss, ignore, or despise the actual volunteer service an
organization by & for amateurs can do.

You are the one who brought up the UMass Extension service. You are
the one who brought up marijuana. You are the one who can't stick
with a subject. Now do go on. And on. And on. And on. Because you
just can't help yourself.

Better to go outside and garden, Ratgirl, it's what you are good at.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

"Toni" wrote in message
...

"Anna M. Miller" wrote

Its not that hard.



I don't know about that.
The schedules are impossible if you hold down a job.


--
Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10b

At the time I was working 12 hr swing shift...a little vacation and working
around my work schedule, the class was easy to fit in, as was the required
service, which was answering questions on the phone at the farm extension
service.

What did I get out of it? Knowledge that I was helping people, interesting
field trips to go to, meeting people with similar interests, plus gained a
little know-how by inter-acting with knowledgeable people....The title and
certificate were not the reason I went through the course.

"Cereus-validus-..........." wrote in message
. ..
You forgot to mention you pay them a lot of money and need to buy all your
own supplies too!!!

You need to fill out a waiver so you can't sue if you get hurt master
gardening too!!!

Be prepared to do many hours of grunt work for free too!!!

Its a lot of fun if you are a masochist!!!

Gee, it didn't cost me a dime, and the service in return wasn't that much
(40 hrs answering the phone at the farm bureau) or that hard. Questions I
couldn't answer or weren't sure of I referred to one of the staff there.

People wouldn't do it if they didn't enjoy it.

People wouldn't do it if they didn't enjoy it.

They must be the same dim witted masochists that voted for George Dubya Bush
TWICE!!!



"Anna M. Miller" wrote in message
...


"Cereus-validus-..........." wrote in
message . ..
You forgot to mention you pay them a lot of money and need to buy all
your own supplies too!!!

You need to fill out a waiver so you can't sue if you get hurt master
gardening too!!!

Be prepared to do many hours of grunt work for free too!!!

Its a lot of fun if you are a masochist!!!

Gee, it didn't cost me a dime, and the service in return wasn't that much
(40 hrs answering the phone at the farm bureau) or that hard. Questions I
couldn't answer or weren't sure of I referred to one of the staff there.

People wouldn't do it if they didn't enjoy it.

there are two people who are master gardeners that have their own programs that i find to be both enlightening as well as entertaining. they are

http://www.hgtv.ca/garden/expert/landscape_main.asp
and
http://mastergardener2005.usask.ca/p...-keynotes.html

as with anything there is both good and bad in all walks of life. i do not pretend to know the master gardener program but i do know what i enjoy and these two men i find do know what they are talking about.
there are some people that are for the master gardener program and others that are against it but my opinion on the issue is if these people really enjoy what they are doing and have a love of gardening and they get to meet new people and have fun in doing so then i dont see a problem with them doing as they wish.
sockiescat.

Cereus-validus-........... People wouldn't do it if they didn't enjoy it.

They must be the same dim witted masochists that voted for George Dubya Bush
TWICE!!!



"Anna M. Miller" wrote in message
...


"Cereus-validus-..........." wrote in
message . ..
You forgot to mention you pay them a lot of money and need to buy all
your own supplies too!!!

You need to fill out a waiver so you can't sue if you get hurt master
gardening too!!!

Be prepared to do many hours of grunt work for free too!!!

Its a lot of fun if you are a masochist!!!

Gee, it didn't cost me a dime, and the service in return wasn't that much
(40 hrs answering the phone at the farm bureau) or that hard. Questions I
couldn't answer or weren't sure of I referred to one of the staff there.

People wouldn't do it if they didn't enjoy it.