diff --git a/bin/nostr_console.dart b/bin/nostr_console.dart
index fd6bd33..42be077 100644
--- a/bin/nostr_console.dart
+++ b/bin/nostr_console.dart
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ Future<void> main(List<String> arguments) async {
       return;
     }    
 
-    getUserEvents(gListRelayUrls, userPublicKey, 3000, 0);
+    getUserEvents(gListRelayUrls, userPublicKey, 3000, getSecondsDaysAgo(gEventsSinceDays));
   
     // the default in case no arguments are given is:
     // get a user's events, then from its type 3 event, gets events of its follows,
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ Future<void> main(List<String> arguments) async {
       List<String> contactList = [];
       if (contactEvent != null ) {
         if(gDebug > 0) print("In main: found contact list: \n ${contactEvent.originalJson}");
-        contactList = getContactFeed(gListRelayUrls, contactEvent.eventData.contactList, 4000);
+        contactList = getContactFeed(gListRelayUrls, contactEvent.eventData.contactList, 4000, getSecondsDaysAgo(gEventsSinceDays));
 
         if( !gContactLists.containsKey(userPublicKey)) {
           gContactLists[userPublicKey] = contactEvent.eventData.contactList;
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ Future<void> main(List<String> arguments) async {
 
         // get mentioned ptags, and then get the events for those users
         List<String> pTags = getpTags(getRecievedEvents(), 300);
-        getMultiUserEvents(gListRelayUrls, pTags, 5000);
+        getMultiUserEvents(gListRelayUrls, pTags, 5000, getSecondsDaysAgo(gEventsSinceDays));
         
         stdout.write('Waiting for rest of posts to come in.....');
         Future.delayed(const Duration(milliseconds: numWaitSeconds * 2), () {
diff --git a/lib/event_ds.dart b/lib/event_ds.dart
index ecc1a6e..a24efc4 100644
--- a/lib/event_ds.dart
+++ b/lib/event_ds.dart
@@ -639,3 +639,9 @@ Set<String> getPublicKeyFromName(String userName) {
   return pubkeys;
 }
 
+// returns the seconds since eponch N days ago
+int getSecondsDaysAgo( int N) {
+  return  DateTime.now().subtract(Duration(days: N)).millisecondsSinceEpoch ~/ 1000;
+}
+
+
diff --git a/lib/relays.dart b/lib/relays.dart
index 4de327d..5403c8a 100644
--- a/lib/relays.dart
+++ b/lib/relays.dart
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ class Relays {
    * @connect Connect to given relay and get all events for multiple users/publicKey and insert the
    *          received events in the given List<Event>
    */
-  void getMultiUserEvents(String relayUrl, List<String> publicKeys, int numEventsToGet) {
+  void getMultiUserEvents(String relayUrl, List<String> publicKeys, int numEventsToGet, int sinceWhen) {
     
     List<String> reqKeys = [];
     if( relays.containsKey(relayUrl)) {
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class Relays {
 
     String subscriptionId = "multiple_user" + (relays[relayUrl]?.numRequestsSent??"").toString();
 
-    String request = getMultiUserRequest( subscriptionId, reqKeys, numEventsToGet);
+    String request = getMultiUserRequest( subscriptionId, reqKeys, numEventsToGet, sinceWhen);
     sendRequest(relayUrl, request);
   }    
 
@@ -207,9 +207,14 @@ String getUserRequest(String subscriptionId, String publicKey, int numUserEvents
   return strSubscription1 + publicKey + strSubscription2;
 }
 
-String getMultiUserRequest(String subscriptionId, List<String> publicKeys, int numUserEvents) {
+String getMultiUserRequest(String subscriptionId, List<String> publicKeys, int numUserEvents, int sinceWhen) {
+  String strTime = "";
+  if( sinceWhen != 0) {
+    strTime = ', "since": ${sinceWhen.toString()}';
+  }
+
   var    strSubscription1  = '["REQ","$subscriptionId",{ "authors": [';
-  var    strSubscription2  ='], "limit": $numUserEvents  } ]';
+  var    strSubscription2  ='], "limit": $numUserEvents $strTime } ]';
   String s = "";
 
   for(int i = 0; i < publicKeys.length; i++) {
@@ -221,7 +226,7 @@ String getMultiUserRequest(String subscriptionId, List<String> publicKeys, int n
   return strSubscription1 + s + strSubscription2;
 }
 
-List<String> getContactFeed(List<String> relayUrls, List<Contact> contacts, numEventsToGet) {
+List<String> getContactFeed(List<String> relayUrls, List<Contact> contacts, int numEventsToGet, int sinceWhen) {
   
   // maps from relay url to list of users that it supplies events for
   Map<String, List<String> > mContacts = {};
@@ -240,10 +245,10 @@ List<String> getContactFeed(List<String> relayUrls, List<Contact> contacts, numE
 
   // send request for the users events to the relays
   mContacts.forEach((key, value) { 
-    relays.getMultiUserEvents(key, value, numEventsToGet);
+    relays.getMultiUserEvents(key, value, numEventsToGet, sinceWhen);
     
     relayUrls.forEach((relayUrl) {
-      relays.getMultiUserEvents(relayUrl, value, numEventsToGet);
+      relays.getMultiUserEvents(relayUrl, value, numEventsToGet, sinceWhen);
     });
 
   });
@@ -252,13 +257,13 @@ List<String> getContactFeed(List<String> relayUrls, List<Contact> contacts, numE
   return contactList;  
 }
 
-void getUserEvents(List<String> serverUrls, publicKey, numUserEvents, sinceWhen) {
+void getUserEvents(List<String> serverUrls, String publicKey, int numUserEvents, int sinceWhen) {
   serverUrls.forEach((serverUrl) {
       relays.getUserEvents(serverUrl, publicKey, numUserEvents, sinceWhen); 
     });
 }
 
-void getMultiUserEvents(List<String> serverUrls, List<String> publicKeys, numUserEvents) {
+void getMultiUserEvents(List<String> serverUrls, List<String> publicKeys, int numUserEvents, int sinceWhen) {
   if( gDebug > 0) print("Sending multi user request for ${publicKeys.length} users");
   const int numMaxUserRequests = 15;
 
@@ -270,7 +275,7 @@ void getMultiUserEvents(List<String> serverUrls, List<String> publicKeys, numUse
       }
       //print("    sending request form $i to ${i + getUserRequests} ");
       List<String> partialList = publicKeys.sublist(i, i + getUserRequests);
-      relays.getMultiUserEvents(serverUrl, partialList, numUserEvents);
+      relays.getMultiUserEvents(serverUrl, partialList, numUserEvents, sinceWhen);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/lib/settings.dart b/lib/settings.dart
index 724eed8..accd204 100644
--- a/lib/settings.dart
+++ b/lib/settings.dart
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 
+const int gEventsSinceDays = 120;
+
 // for debugging
 String gCheckEventId = "a4479de655094679cdfb10f347521aa58f24717cdc5ddba89fb346453a8a99ed";
 
diff --git a/lib/tree_ds.dart b/lib/tree_ds.dart
index 50608a4..c30883f 100644
--- a/lib/tree_ds.dart
+++ b/lib/tree_ds.dart
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class Tree {
     List<String> tempWithoutParent = [];
     Map<String, ChatRoom> rooms = {};
 
-    if( gDebug > 0) print("In from Events: size of tempChildEventsMap = ${tempChildEventsMap.length} ");
+    if( gDebug > 0) print("In Tree from Events: size of tempChildEventsMap = ${tempChildEventsMap.length} ");
 
     tempChildEventsMap.forEach((key, value) {
       String eId = value.e.eventData.id;
@@ -52,20 +52,20 @@ class Tree {
         String chatRoomId = value.e.eventData.getChatRoomId();
         if( chatRoomId != "") {
           if( rooms.containsKey(chatRoomId)) {
-            if( gDebug > 0) print("Adding new message $key to a chat room $chatRoomId. ");
+            //if( gDebug > 0) print("Adding new message $key to a chat room $chatRoomId. ");
             addMessageToChannel(chatRoomId, eId, tempChildEventsMap, rooms);
-            if( gDebug > 0) print("Added new message to a chat room $chatRoomId. ");
+            //if( gDebug > 0) print("Added new message to a chat room $chatRoomId. ");
           } else {
             List<String> temp = [];
             temp.add(eId);
             //String name = json['name'];
             ChatRoom room = ChatRoom(chatRoomId, "", "", "", temp);
             rooms[chatRoomId] = room;
-            if( gDebug > 0) print("Added new chat room object $chatRoomId and added message to it. ");
+            //if( gDebug > 0) print("Added new chat room object $chatRoomId and added message to it. ");
           }
         } else {
           if( gDebug > 0) print("Could not get chat room id for event $eId, its original json: ");
-          if( gDebug > 0) print(value.e.originalJson);
+          //if( gDebug > 0) print(value.e.originalJson);
         }
       }
 
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class Tree {
           dynamic json = jsonDecode(value.e.eventData.content);
           if( rooms.containsKey(chatRoomId)) {
             if( rooms[chatRoomId]?.name == "") {
-              if( gDebug > 0) print('Added room name = ${json['name']} for $chatRoomId' );
+              //if( gDebug > 0) print('Added room name = ${json['name']} for $chatRoomId' );
               rooms[chatRoomId]?.name = json['name'];
             }
           } else {
@@ -926,11 +926,11 @@ void addMessageToChannel(String channelId, String messageId, var tempChildEvents
     ChatRoom? room = chatRooms[channelId];
     if( room != null ) {
       if( room.messageIds.isEmpty) {
-        if(gDebug> 0) print("room is empty. adding new message and returning. ");
+        //if(gDebug> 0) print("room is empty. adding new message and returning. ");
         room.messageIds.add(messageId);
         return;
       }
-      if(gDebug> 0) print("room has ${room.messageIds.length} messages already. adding new one to it. ");
+      //if(gDebug> 0) print("room has ${room.messageIds.length} messages already. adding new one to it. ");
 
       for(int i = 0; i < room.messageIds.length; i++) {
         int eventTime = (tempChildEventsMap[room.messageIds[i]]?.e.eventData.createdAt??0);