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Anyone here from 20+ years ago?

I was telling someone about a group of online friends I made at the KT when I first joined in 1999, and we are still friends. I've met one of them in person, and most of the others have met each other; I'm the furthest away from the rest but have at least talked on the phone to everyone. Anyway, it made me wonder who might still be here from back then! I got pregnant with my first when I was really active on KT, and she is now 22! Some of the names I can recall are Pat Lavender, a woman named Jay, BunBun, Ruthie, Mimi, an Irish woman named Dale, Minuet, Joyce and her daughter Tammy, Peaches, Melanie, Ginger, just to name a few. So much has gone on since then that it's hard to remember all the names! There was also a guy called Tadpole who would film himself making pizza, and for awhile we had a separate forum for prayer requests and more religious discussions. Anyone still here from back then?

Comments (64)

  • Lars
    19 days ago
    last modified: 18 days ago

    I've been on Garden Web since July 2002, and I joined because of the Cooking Forum, which was very active back then.

    At some point, someone suggested that I visit KT (after having posted on CF for several years), but when I did, someone jumped on me like I had no business posting here, and so I left and did not come back for several more years. I noticed too much hostility when first visiting, but fortunately that has changed.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked Lars
  • rob333 (zone 7b)
    19 days ago
    last modified: 19 days ago

    I too started out at GardenParty, early 2000s. Those folks would be Marda, pidge, anneliese, lilo, Calliope, Jazmynsmom (Michelle), KJ (Kathy!), Jan (from Georgia), Eileen, Andie, endorphinejunkie, my twin Don (and his wife Missy).... I could go on, but I'll stop. It dwindled down and died off. Some of us came over here.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked rob333 (zone 7b)
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  • woodrose
    19 days ago

    I've been on GW 25 years, at least, but not quite as long on the KT. I used to hang out on the Crafts and Decorations forum, until Spike instituted the pay to post rule and a lot of people left in protest. It's hard to believe a forum with 2-3 pages of new posts a day dwindled down to almost nothing. I still visit some gardening forums and Home Decorating Conversations.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked woodrose
  • Patriciae
    19 days ago

    I started on Garden Web back just after you didnt pay anymore, 1999 I suppose, on something called that home site. It was about advice on things that went wrong in your house. I was following a link a friend sent about an exploding toilet. Moved on to Antique Roses and mostly posted there and the Rose forum for years but it got a bit snarky so I moved to Hot topics. If I was going to have snark I might as well go for broke. I used to read KT from time to time but it was a very close group. I had a similar experience to Lars but it was unintentional I think. I do know my views are not average. Still I never even got a warning from Spike. I feel sort of left out. I have ridden the tea cups for real though. I am hopeless with names. I admire those of you who can remember names. I do recognize some of them. I miss pidge in particular.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked Patriciae
  • rob333 (zone 7b)
    19 days ago

    I've talked with pidge on Etsy. But that was awhile ago

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked rob333 (zone 7b)
  • Elmer J Fudd
    19 days ago

    In common with a few other commenters, I started on Garden Web at the very beginning of the aughts, looking for ideas for a significant house remodel we were planning and ultimately did. I'm not sure exactly when my attention shifted from the more specifically themed forums and came to this one of general discussions. Sometime in the mid-aughts I think. Several different user names along the way as a few attracted childish catcalls. It's still the same me.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked Elmer J Fudd
  • lily316
    19 days ago

    I've been on Garden Web since 1999. First, the kitchen forum where I met a dear friend and we have been best friends since. That had to do with kitchen counters, remodeling kitchens, and soapstone which we both had. Then mostly I was on Hot Topics till they shut us down. Occasionally I had gone to the Kitchen table which I do more regularly now since HT is gone.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked lily316
  • eld6161
    19 days ago
    last modified: 19 days ago

    I found GW in 2009 when looking for advice on finding a coordinating tile for my backsplash.

    I somehow stumbled upon HDC and TKT.

    I don't recall any of the names you mention.

    Lars, when I began to participate on TKT, someone asked whom was and to introduce myself. Obviously a member who knew everyone’s comings and goings. The way worded struck me the wrong way so I just ignored it.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked eld6161
  • seagrass_gw Cape Cod
    19 days ago

    I've been a member of GW since Spike owned it and remember having to pay a small amount of money to belong. I participated mostly in The Cooking forum, and miss the livlihood of it. I started commenting on KT when I saw some familiar names here from Cooking. Lars being one of them.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked seagrass_gw Cape Cod
  • cindy-6b/7a VA
    18 days ago

    I also joined when you had to pay to belong. Didn't mind paying and the forums were much more active then.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked cindy-6b/7a VA
  • joann_fl
    18 days ago

    I came here in 1999. Joann_fla was my original name I think or very close to it. Have you been to the http://ktgatheringplace.weebly.com/ ? It has a lot of our stored information.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked joann_fl
  • mandepell
    18 days ago

    I started coming here in 1998?, just after Spike started the forums. I was looking for how to wash pillows. Yes, things have changed. I also remember Steph from California whose husband had Orange Crush, the old, beautiful car. They had a young son and daughter at the time. Her mother also posted.


    I stopped posting when it went to pay and now seldom post, but read daily to keep up with people who have become very familiar.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked mandepell
  • hounds_x_two
    18 days ago

    I have been here since ’98 or ’99. I remember Spike and many of the names y’all mentioned. Don’t recall what my name was. I left when it became a paid forum. Have been here now for a number of years.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked hounds_x_two
  • arcy_gw
    18 days ago

    When was it 'for pay"? Never experienced that and Garden Web has been around since '99 at least.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked arcy_gw
  • vgkg Z-7 Va
    18 days ago

    ^^It's been a long time ago but as I recall Spike asked for a donation of $15 and he would include a GW tee shirt. btw, I didn't come to this particular forum until after HTopics was tossed. I started at the GW Garden forums.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked vgkg Z-7 Va
  • Judi
    18 days ago
    last modified: 18 days ago

    I remember paying and getting the T-shirt. I started on the gardening side then discovered the cooking forum and the kitchen/bath forums during our remodel. Still friends with a number of people from the cooking forum on FB.


    Spike sold to iVillage. I think NBC bought it from them. Don't know when Houzz entered the picture.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked Judi
  • pudgeder
    18 days ago

    I've been here since '99... I think. I remember when it went to a pay forum and several off shoot boards came about. There was "Our Humble Home" and "Kitchen Table Too" and another but I don't recall that name.

    Those boards were active for a long time, even after the pay part was taken away. I met several people from both forums. Many of those Stacey mentioned have sadly passed away.


    There are many that have remained in touch, even after all these years.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked pudgeder
  • marilyn_c
    18 days ago

    I've been here since '99 or 2000. I remember most of the names you posted.



    Stacey Turtlebones thanked marilyn_c
  • salonva
    18 days ago

    I am very hazy on when I joined. I think I joined before 2000? and I do remember Spike but I thought I stopped when you had to pay.......unless you could still participate but not get a tshirt if you didn't pay? I have met several members over the years. I was mostly on the kitchen forum and had different names that I can't recall.

    I do recognize many of the names mentioned but it's all hazy to me.

    I asked once bfore and no one remembered thi but I'll ask again- I have a recollection of being asked to send packages to the military overseas. I thought it was Spike, but maybe I'm confusing it with another forum I visited....... anyone?

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked salonva
  • yourresidentdj
    18 days ago

    Does anyone remember the KTT? I posted there for a while but it disappeared one day. Wanda used to posted there as well

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked yourresidentdj
  • fran1523
    18 days ago
    last modified: 18 days ago

    i have been around since about 2002 which is when i retired I am not super active but try to post on Annies ”ill show me yours” a couple times a week. i know i was around when my husband passed away in 2007 After that i did quit a bit of travelling,, sold my house and started dating again i met a lovely man and spent seven wonderful years with him until he passed in 2020. i was really active on the quilting forum and have met several members at our annual Quilt Retreats

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked fran1523
  • Stacey Turtlebones
    Original Author
    18 days ago

    Gosh, thank you all for your replies! I definitely remember some of you from back then, and yes, it was GardenWeb or That Home Site when I joined. I do remember Spike and got sent to ride the teacups at Disney by him once for saying I would pray for someone. He was a real crank. I was active on the KTT as well, which I think Peaches started when it seemed like the KT was going to shut down or something. My sister used to participate as well. The group surprised me with a virtual baby shower, and I still have some of the keepsakes including from Bonnie Grandma, who passed a few years after that. It is wonderful to see familiar names here!

  • PattiG(rose)
    18 days ago

    I started on the Caregivers Forum in about 2000 or so while I was caring for my uncle. Shortly after that I found the Kitchen Table and have been here ever since. I read postings every day, but rarely post myself. I have found a lot of useful information here and on the other forums as well.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked PattiG(rose)
  • Kathsgrdn
    18 days ago

    I think I started posting on the gardenweb sometime around 2000. Someone suggested I go visit the KT and have been here ever since.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked Kathsgrdn
  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    18 days ago

    Me, too - somewhere around 2000 on GW.

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  • littlebug Zone 5 Missouri
    18 days ago
    last modified: 18 days ago

    Me, about 1998 or maybe earlier. I remember sitting at my kitchen table at a house we moved away from in 1999 while getting to ”know” the Kitchen Table.

    I remember GingerBeachy and Marlen from Cuba, Spike, and I experienced a ride in the teacups too. Oldtimers know what that means.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked littlebug Zone 5 Missouri
  • joann_fl
    16 days ago

    I used to go to the KTT back in the day too. Ittoo.It It wasn't as lively as this one was. Its probably closed down now.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked joann_fl
  • carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
    16 days ago

    What does KTT stand for?

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
  • girlnamedgalez8a
    16 days ago

    I have been using Gardenweb since the 80's, before Spike took over. Not on the KT because I was busy learning everything that I know about gardening. Outside of raising a family gardening pretty much has been my life, I have enjoyed it s o much. I took a brief break to learn to paint then we built a new home on acreage in the middle of the woods & I did not pick up a paint brush again after moving into the new home. Before Houzz I went by the name of Gardeningartist. It has been sad to see the forums shrink the way they have, there was a wealth of information here in the past. I hate to see it become lost.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked girlnamedgalez8a
  • carabubble
    16 days ago
    last modified: 16 days ago

    I’ve been here since the 90’s, started with the Garden Party. Mostly a lurker, I post just enough that when I did one time and another person (kindly) tried to welcome me as a new member, someone else spoke up letting them know I’ve been around a long time.


    And I deliberately one time wrote an innocuous post about a female dog just to experience a ride on the teacups.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked carabubble
  • lisa_fla
    16 days ago

    KTT was Kitchen Table Too. Some didn’t want to pay and made their own sites. I paid and never got a T shirt. I don’t recall anything about that. I remember people gifting others the memberships. Remember all of the GIFs? Tahni taught me how to do that.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked lisa_fla
  • golfergrrl
    16 days ago
    last modified: 16 days ago

    I'm still here. Just browse occasionally. Was exciting back then with all the tall tales.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked golfergrrl
  • sc_irish
    16 days ago

    Been around since the late 90's. Mostly (always a daily lurker) and fondly remember some of the names mentioned above: Ruthie and her DH, (RIP Ruthie), the laundry queen who could walk us thru getting out every stain, Tammy & her mom, Cinderella, a young mom who moved around a lot with her kids, celebrating a new mother-to-be, a few men (Barstow, TX?) and the fabulous photographer who so willingly shared his shots, and the homeowner who had a magazine coming to photoshoot her home as we all critiqued every single detail (limes or lemons in the bowl on the island) the nastiness between some members (a Canadian woman who was so easily triggered!!) Spike, paying, (not me) iVillage etc. One very touching thing: I was going thru breast cancer and out of nowhere, a package arrived containing a very special charm bracelet from "the KT gang". Oh, and there was another poster (don't remember her 'sign-in' name but she and discovered that our real names were the same - one with a K and the other with a C. How small a world????

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked sc_irish
  • Stacey Turtlebones
    Original Author
    16 days ago

    Oh golly, sc_irish, I am sure the Canadian woman was Jay! Very excitable with hurt feelings often. Sorry to hear about Ruthie; I was wondering about her since she was in her 60s then, and of course I think some might not have made it through Covid times. I have recognized several of the posters who have replied to this thread also. Very glad to hear you survived your breast cancer! I went through cancer last year myself, which was entirely cured with surgery. God bless you!

  • liira55
    15 days ago

    I dont post often, but i have been here since 1999. My name was just Liira at that time.

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  • Joan Soles
    15 days ago

    I found it the first day of the KT. JoanMN. First place I went every morning. I loved it.

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  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    15 days ago

    "...the laundry queen who could walk us thru getting out every stain..."


    That would be Mama Pinky, who has sadly passed on.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked mxk3 z5b_MI
  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    15 days ago

    I've been on Gardenweb since the early 2000s. I spent most of my time on the gardening side. The Perennials forum had a converastions side then and I became a part of the 'Idylls' group. met them for a garden tour up in PA one year. Wonderful group of gardeners. Then, they switched over to fb and I left that site a couple of years ago. Still kept in touch with a couple of them and met up for our spring nursery crawl as we called it. It was fun back then. I did get a kick out of Spike and never got sent to the teacups. Oh and of course, Hot Topics. ;-)

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
  • socks
    13 days ago
    last modified: 13 days ago

    Stacey, I joined in 2004. I seem to remember you posted a sideways photo of yourself when you were expecting? And then you had another child after that? If i'm remembering you correctly, please update us on the kids. Thanks for coming back; I've wondered about occasionally over the years.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked socks
  • sc_irish
    13 days ago

    Wait!! Stacey.....are you the one who "traveled a lot" (who I referred to above?) - was your husband an electrician or something - someone who went into storm stricken areas to get everything up and running? - Come back....and sit around the table with your old friends!

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked sc_irish
  • Stacey Turtlebones
    Original Author
    13 days ago

    Hi there! No, I didn't travel, nor was my husband an electrician. I do have two children, born in 2001 and 2006, but I don't think I was around when my youngest was born. I posted ultrasound photos but none of myself that I can recall! Mostly I joked around a lot, probably to an annoying degree, though I have matured a bit since then--at least I hope so, since I'm in my 50s now! My sister also posted on the KT and KTT, and she went by the name Annie Turtlebones. She has grandchildren now, lol.

  • Stacey Turtlebones
    Original Author
    13 days ago

    I definitely remember some of the names here now, especially Joan MN because you always posted the most beautiful flower photos! A lot of really neat ones inside of flowers IIRC

  • JoanMN
    13 days ago

    And you bought my first digital Canon when I got a new one. You took great pics.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked JoanMN
  • rosie
    13 days ago

    I started of the Cooking forum in 2003, it was still pay for a few months, then went free. I started under a different name, let's leave it at that.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked rosie
  • kathyg_in_mi
    12 days ago
    last modified: 12 days ago

    I started as Kathy G in MI in 2000 and that's still me!

    It was That Home Site and I loved it! Paid the $15 to Spike, never went to the teacups (I'm a good girl.)

    The KT intimidated me at first, so I just lurked for a few years. I was mainly on the Sewing Forum where I had a lot of fun with Budster!

    Moni stopped by for a night last year!

    I love making my little "click" bags and having give aways!

    Kathy G in MI

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked kathyg_in_mi
  • bee0hio
    10 days ago

    I came to the KT in 1999, which i recall started in 1998, & was here reguarly for several years, but only drift in occasionally now.

    I don’t remember anyone with the moniker BunBun that you mentioned, but there was Kimmie BoomBoom who lived in the hills of Kentucky & was quite a character, & had clown gigs. Others:

    Littlebit (Denise) from TN who drove a schoolbus, loved & grew irises.

    Wanda from VA retired from gov’t service & loved quilting (like me).

    Rella from Chicago who had a spin off forum from KT;

    KathyOK;

    Angela from Idaho;

    Carwil (Carolyn) from Texas;

    Susan from TX (originally from NJ?) loved roses & suffered from a very painful disease.

    Ginger lived in Virgin Islands & retired to Mexico;

    Dave (RIP) from Louisiana shared beautiful photos;

    Donna was from Louisiana & later moved to TN;

    Lynda from the Woodlands, Tx;

    I think it was Tammy &/or her mom Joyce started the spinoff OurHumbleHome (OHH)

    UglyBugg (Paula) from MI played bagpipes (?)

    I cant recall the name of the gal from VA who had a summer ice cream stand & loved her German Sheppard dogs, one named Jager.

    Lots of others …. i recall bits & pieces but cant recall names/monikers.

    We had lots of laughs as well as some bickering & disagreements, but overall good times.


    Stacey Turtlebones thanked bee0hio
  • Joan Soles
    10 days ago
    last modified: 10 days ago

    Shelba from TX. We met in person a few times, she went to some of the get-togethers. Her hubby was Ed, I am pretty sure. After he passed, she just withdrew from the table and communicating. I know there were others, but nowadays I am struggling with my memory, so can't think of names. Sure is fun reading through this, though!

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked Joan Soles
  • joann_fl
    9 days ago

    KTT was for the Kitchen Table too. A branch off of our message board

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked joann_fl
  • Chessie
    9 days ago

    Not sure when I first joined Gardenweb - I miss it. I much preferred it to what is now the discussion forum of HOUZZ. So much arrogance and snark here now. Nothing like it used to be.

    Stacey Turtlebones thanked Chessie