[AT] The A.T.I.S. list - Thanks Spencer

[CWI47 at comcast.net]

You guys are cracking me up with these.  I think I'm the curmudgeon in my
family :-}
John Cable
In Lower Slower Western Michigan
Grand Rapids, MI
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robinson" <robinson at svs.net>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'"
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 11:14 AM
Subject: [AT] The A.T.I.S. list - Thanks Spencer


> It is A.T.I.S. BTW, not atis as a word. Spencer
> officially settled that for us some time back.   :-)
> "Some" people tend to miss the best part of this
> list. I'm on a lot of list and have a bunch of my own.
> There are some folks on many of those list that I
> consider to be friends. Somehow though it is not the
> same as this list. I have never met any of them in
> person except some that are also on this list. I wish
> it were possible for every list member to sit around
> the Dotson Inferno at Portland. I can think of little
> I would rather do than gather with good friends I have
> made on this list. I have come to think of distance,
> time and lack of funds as the enemy. I would highly
> recommend to anyone shying back from any opportunity
> to meet with or visit with other list members to "just
> do it". I have been on here about 8 or 9 years now
> (dang, where did that time go?) and have "NEVER"
> regretted meeting a list member.
> For some reason East Central Indiana is not a hotbed
> of list members. Except for list member Scott Pike
> (who was here last night and drives past the farm
> daily) every visit requires at least a few hours of
> driving.
> Like any large family we are prone to bicker and bark
> when the list runs out of things to talk about and
> sometimes we see things differently but when meeting
> in person that all goes away.
> There are a few list that I only join for the
> information that I can suck from it but this one is
> different. I know there are those that wish we would
> stay straight on topic but I have belonged to a few of
> those (notice the past tense) and they soon become
> dull dead things indeed. As I moderate my own batch of
> list I very often quote to them Spencer's sage advice
> about subject matter. "If you don't like the topics
> being discussed start a new topic of your choosing.
> Ask a question or tell a story about what you are
> doing." Much of the off topic stuff we get into is
> just to fill up space and keep communication going
> with friends. Those of us that have been here for some
> time have already pretty well discussed the topic of
> what a steering wheel is for, as an example. That is
> one of many reasons that it is important for new
> members and lurkers to jump in and share questions and
> stories. Don't make us try to fill all of the space
> while you just read. Tell us what you are doing or
> just want to do.
> A lot of new folks get confused by some of the almost
> shorthand joke references that we use, some of which
> came from several years of build up. Things like
> TMCOTKU, TGCOTKU, The World Famous Internationally
> Traveled Blue Handled Fence Pliers, the Dotson
> Inferno, Troy and hand clutches, Ricky and his spark
> plugs and lightning, Skip's "you are not going to win
> this one farmer" and a host of others. Then more
> seriously there were the traveling boxes and charity
> auctions. You can feel free to inquire to the list
> about them or better yet ask at Portland while
> camping. While we love meeting with old friends we
> also love making new ones. Heck even "Evil Dave" is
> greeted warmly at Portland...   ;-)
>
> Thanks Spencer, and this year get that hay in a week
> earlier. See you at Portland.
>
>
> "farmer"
>
>
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana, USA
> robinson at svs.net
>
>
>
>
>
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