Sunfish, unfortunately Aussie bob is correct in that many pilots in the circuit area of rural airfields, in particular, just talk far too much. In making 6 or 8 calls around the circuit they are only jamming whatever frequency they are using for no other reason than to hear their own voice!
If you taxi out and make a call and nobody answers, perhaps it is wise to say no more unless someone else calls taxi or inbound. Perhaps only a downwind or base call is the only call that needs to be made around the circuit, unless it is determined that there may be a conflict. The answer to this is education which needs to start with the instructors many of whom teach this talkfest!