Dave I can honestly say I don't think have ever seen anyone more willing to work with the viewers of a site. You're awesome

@Seedfork and @dave - re the acorns, I think I understand what you're saying. Well, some of it.

I'm trying not to name names so I'm going to make up a hypothetical.
UserA gives UserB 9 acorns for 1 lonely post made by UserB. (Apparently UserA really liked that post.)

UserB sees that UserA has given her 9 acorns. She sees this in what she thinks are 3 different places: in her profile, in her system messages which state that UserA doled out the 9 acorns for the post, and on the post itself.

Later (days later to be a little more precise) UserB notices in her profile "Items given special acorn tips: 1 received". Aghast, she thinks that UserA has 'revoked' the acorns. And it occurs to her that maybe she didn't thank UserA for those 9 acorns. So UserB hightails it to the post which prompted the gift of 9 acorns. Sure enough. The post still shows that UserA gave her 9 acorns. (But wait. Maybe memory is not serving your narrator on that last bit.)

Scratching her head in confusion, she posts on the Site Talk Forum that there appears to be trouble right here in River City. (Sorry. Couldn't resist. It's a favorite phrase in a favorite song.)

So . . . from @Seedfork's reply, it sounds as if UserA could give the 9 acorns and then regift them either in total or individually to others. Or even squirrel them away. Can this be true? Can anyone give out any number of acorns even if they haven't accumulated any? If true, than there's going to be a lot of acorn giving by UserB b/c everyone has been so nice, not to mention tolerant.

And if she understands what @dave has said, there's apparently some kind of law rule whereby giving too many acorns at one time to one user for one post is bad b/c it's akin to 'gaming the system'. Since UserB is new at this acorn game, she scratches her head again (habit, not lice) and skeptically takes comfort that per @Seedfork or @dave her total number of acorns has not changed. She admittedly does not remember the total in her profile where it says "You have X number of acorns in your account." And she sheepishly admits that she probably didn't read the "(What's this?)". But what's up with this prohibition about gaming the system? (indirect quote)

Did I get this right?

Joan, you're making this way harder than it is. There used to be a user on ATP who was international and therefore couldn't really "use" the acorns in the not-a-raffles. Therefore, he would give away lots of acorns to people. If the "recent acorns tips" on the front page were posted chronologically, he would have been on there all the time, comprising the whole list.

It works like this. I give User A an acorn for a post I like. It shows up in the recent tip list on the main page. But then, I give another acorn to User B for another post I read. Only my most recent "tip" will show up in the list. It will not show both of my tips given because everyone who gives acorns is only allowed to appear on the list once. Conversely, people who receive acorns tips for one post (or picture or whatever) will appear multiple times if different users tip them. That's why the list will show:

User A gave User B an acorn for picture of Rose
User C gave User B an acorn for picture of Rose
User D gave User B an acorn for picture of Rose

So you can see what's been really popular at receiving acorn tips, but you won't see multiple acorn tips given by the same user, if that makes sense.

I don't understand this, Joan. I just gave you an acorn for this post and then tried to take back. Didn't work. You're welcome, BTW . I think the notices are just sort of like a news story on current events at NGA. Sort of a headline that UserB got an acorn for 'such and such' post. I think the acorns you are given will accumulate until you give some away or purchase a 'not a lottery' ticket. The amount of acorns you have will change by what you are given or what you give away to someone else. I think the system can read the number of acorns you have available to give, so I doubt you could game the system easily. You might try giving Dave all your acorns plus one or two and see if it works. I'm not willing to try that one.

Joan, you are so funny! Your posts always make me laugh! I'm glad that you don't have lice.

I gave you an acorn too, and there is no way that I could see to take it back. Not that I wanted it back, but I don't think it is possible to take them back. Did you know that you can look at your profile page and see how many acorns you have? That's how I keep track of mine.

I needed help understanding Iris...and so I went to the iris forum. 20 people really helped me. Great advice. Long thoughtful answers. Great forum. When I established my beds..( with confidence) .I went back and collected the name of every person who helped me and sat down ..found their post to me that I liked/ appreciated..and gave each one an acorn in that post. I did it one after the other...one sitting. On the home page, it showed my acorn gift -- but just to one of those folks. Later on I believe I saw that I gifted another.. I know the entire session giving acorns were completed because 20 acorns were deducted from ny balance. I never received one thank you..which .I thought was odd..since it was 20 people. And so I wondered if actually delivered. But now at least I understand the process of the "who gifted an acorn" area and why I did not see all the tips I sent. It did not matter to me that my tips did not post as given, but that is a way for the giver to see the gifting took. Now I know ( then I did not ) that I can actually see the acorn gift showing in the post in which it was given. Click on the acorn number and a list of the the givers names appear.. Neat function. Thumbs up works that way too.

Thanks, @Natalie. I kinda thought that UserB (guess y'all knew that was really a pseudonym for my pseudonym) mentioned that she looked at her profile although she didn't remember what the total had been before she caused a ruckus. She just knew that something seemed amiss.

@mellielong, I hadn't noticed that there's a "recent acorns tips" on the front page. My bad. And yes, I'm slowly beginning to understand the bottom line. Other than giving attaboys (or attagirls) to other people are acorns only used for to buy lottery tickets for the 'not a raffle'?

The only raffle of sorts that I ever won was at the Piggly Wiggly for 500 S&H GreenStamps. And it was my mother who must have forged my name. Again, I digress.

@needrain - Like you, I don't think I want to try giving Dave, as nice as he is, and clever, too, all of my acorns plus one or two and see if it works.

Thanks y'all. Gotta run. Got ice cream that's a melting in the kitchen b/c I forgot about it. Dang it!

@MISSINGROSIE - We apparently were posting here almost simultaneously but I guess you type faster (and probably better) than I do. I never should have dropped out of Typing and switched to Study Hall instead. But who would've thought way back then that typing would become so useful?

I actually knew by experimenting that I could click on the 'thumbs up' and see who the givers were. And I like that if I've given a 'thumbs up' on a particular thread/post that Mr. Green Thumbs turns into Mr. Gray Thumb so I know that I did actually give the 'thumbs up'. I'm guessing it works like that for the acorns as well. Haven't had a chance to look. No, wait. I think I gave one to Dave b/c he's worked so hard and is so pleasant to all of the users who are either crabbing or asking questions that were already 'asked and answered'. (learned that fun phrase in law school. 'Asked and answered, your Honor!' or in Spanish it would just be 'Adelante'! And in millennial speak it would be, 'Move along!'))
I also noticed the when I 'starred' something that Mr. Star became Mr. Gray. Like it.

@MISSINGROSIE - Well I think that was a little rude, or maybe just 'unthinking' that out of 20 people no one thought to thank you for giving them an acorn. Altho if I did give one to Dave, he didn't thank me. Or I could be making this up. But he is awful busy, I'll spot him that.

One last thing. I feel the need to quote my older brother who wisely told me that gelato makes all things better. So there you have it.

Joan, I don't think anyone answered this part of your question: "Can anyone give out any number of acorns even if they haven't accumulated any? If true, than there's going to be a lot of acorn giving by UserB b/c everyone has been so nice, not to mention tolerant."

You can't give out (or spend) more acorns than you "own." And, besides gifts and the Not-A-Raffle-Raffles, you can buy "badges" to represent your interests and so on.

Once I think I read...did I dream it?? That a tee shirt may be offered for acorns. THAT I would love. This site is well worth my using my chest for an advertisement..altho personally, I like a plain front..busy back!

Joan, the lack of thanks was fine. It was just a handy way to tell me the acorns were distributed. When I had none..I wondered.

But the folks I gave them to were super nice and helpful and responsive. What a great bunch of folks there. Now I got to order those iris!

When I get an acorn tip, I often just smile, it's like a thumbs-up tip for me so I often don't mention or thank the giver, my bad. Most of the time I give them back, with a few extras thrown in because I already have a mountain of them and I tell the sender to use them for themselves for badges or raffles or give them to other members.
Joan needs a few badges, too much blank real estate up there!

Acorn gathering is slim in months when photos not worthy. I won't submit unless will meaningfully add to the base. I dont have a ton but I like to give to newbies. I am not big on raffles because most things get chomped ..hosta and such. But the acorn idea is fun and I do like to gift those.

@MISSINGROSIE, fill in database details for acorns! Things like height, width, type of plant, recommended zone, bloom color, etc. Even a few details are better than none. You can gather info from books or online references.

Good idea Sue. I often use the winter months to do research, fleshing out my personal database, and making wish-lists for the following spring. If there is only skimpy information in our database, great time to fill in the blanks.

Oh...I thought it had to be my own experience.

I did too, Rosie. I'm not the only one learning more every day!

Calif_Sue said:@MISSINGROSIE, fill in database details for acorns! Things like height, width, type of plant, recommended zone, bloom color, etc. Even a few details are better than none. You can gather info from books or online references.

Especially appreciated are tips about germination and care!

I systematically went through the "Lettuce database" and looked up everything I could find online. At least now there are some details taken from sources that agree with each other. Sadly, many of those sources obviously all COPIED their information from one original source!

But Dave doesn't like us to copy anything from other sites without permission, so I always re-worded the descriptions.

In a way, finding word-for-word copies in multiple seed vendors' websites is better than reading re-worded copies, because when you read an exact copy, you KNOW it was just a copy, and not two independent sources that agree.

BTW, it is also allowed or even encouraged to take pictures at a nursery or arboretum, and then attach them to the right entry in the plant database. I think it is "one acorn per photo", and maybe the FIRST photo in an entry gets two acorns.

Writing an article or a tip is also a good way to collect acorns.

(Besides the "ATP Tee shirts" and maybe some day "NGA Tee shirts", Dave and Trish had coffee mugs made that look like clay flowerpots with handles. I love mine!)

MISSINGROSIE said:Once I think I read...did I dream it?? That a tee shirt may be offered for acorns. THAT I would love. This site is well worth my using my chest for an advertisement..altho personally, I like a plain front..busy back!

Rosie - I just read this and cracked up laughing - and with the morning I've had I needed it! Hit me when I walked in the door this morning and running ever since