This might be a long summer. Summer seems to coming quick and now we are supposed to stay inside until what feels like might possibly be Fall lol. On the other hand I am thinking of ways to entertain myself as well as my kids should life possibly go that route. Thankfully some of us live in an area where we have a large yard and can actually spend time outside even if craziness happened.

So hypothetical possibly real scenario question

If it comes down to being like Wuhan and everything is closed all spring and summer what will be your alternate hobbies?

I've already decided on the wood lathe and building more playground equipment for my kids.

I have already been basically housebound for the last 6 1/2 weeks recovering from open heart surgery. I did some reading, watched a little TV, and spent some time on email. All of these activities will continue for me.

For the next eight weeks we have four plans. Spartan1 will want to get his large garden prepared for planting. I hope to do more walking outside and continue to build up my stamina. We will get our little lake cottage cleaned up and ready to open for the new season--some of which cannot happen until it is warm enough to have the water turned on again. And we discussed the possibility of working on some "old" trip reports, especially the 22-day BWCA trip we enjoyed in 1992. That is a lot of work, as it will involve disassembling the trip book and scanning many photos.

We live out in the country, so "social distancing" isn't hard for us in our location.
Even our lake cottage is off the beaten path, with neighbors who aren't really close (and right now the most friendly neighbor is still in Arizona.

I'm going to keep running and cycling. I train by myself most of the time anyway so that won't be a change. I don't have races to look forward to anymore, however. We've also been working on house projects-finishing the basement so lots to do down there.

I'm not worried about being bored, so long as my wife and I aren't sick. If I'm sick and stuck at home for a month and don't feel like doing anything, then I'll be very thankful for internet.

Get out and paddle. You rarely see anybody, and when you do it's easy to keep your distance.

Are you getting a new wood lathe, or just going to use the shop smith?

That would be a cool report Spartan2. I can't wait to read it. Sounds like a nice summer plan as well.

And yeah Dex. I guess I wrote bored as it is kind of not nice enough to do that stuff yet and I feel I can't really go out to restaurants or trampoline parks or whatever it might be. So without that stuff I am waiting for stuff to do which includes using my backyard :) Speaking of bikes, I will be teaching my daughter to ride without training wheels this summer so that will be fun.

Blatz I always get out and paddle whether at the cabin or the bwca. That is coming soon.

Savage I am going to use that shopsmith. My father in law knows how to set it up and has an idea on what to do. I will start there and kind of decide where I go after that experience.

Will be using my time to work on a canoe build I have been dragging my feet pn for a couple years.
Be safe and stay healthy,
CB

Blatz: "Get out and paddle. You rarely see anybody, and when you do it's easy to keep your distance. "

Not possible yet in the Twin Cities area.

Going ice fishing today

dex8425: "I'm going to keep running and cycling. I train by myself most of the time anyway so that won't be a change. I don't have races to look forward to anymore, however. We've also been working on house projects-finishing the basement so lots to do down there.


I'm not worried about being bored, so long as my wife and I aren't sick. If I'm sick and stuck at home for a month and don't feel like doing anything, then I'll be very thankful for internet. "

I had read an article from a cycling website that had to do with cycling/training during the outbreak. Now, this was from an official in Italy I think, so they have a very different situation in their country with the number of infected and their healthcare capacity, but this official stressed that people stay off their bikes, even if riding alone. The main reason was that in case a rider was injured, it would add an unneeded strain to the already overburdened health care system. Basically, the injured rider would be taking up a bed that would be needed for the pandemic patients. Now, I hope that we never get to that point here, but who knows what will happen in the future. Just something to think about...

bpaddle: "

dex8425: "I'm going to keep running and cycling. I train by myself most of the time anyway so that won't be a change. I don't have races to look forward to anymore, however. We've also been working on house projects-finishing the basement so lots to do down there.

I'm not worried about being bored, so long as my wife and I aren't sick. If I'm sick and stuck at home for a month and don't feel like doing anything, then I'll be very thankful for internet. "

I had read an article from a cycling website that had to do with cycling/training during the outbreak. Now, this was from an official in Italy I think, so they have a very different situation in their country with the number of infected and their healthcare capacity, but this official stressed that people stay off their bikes, even if riding alone. The main reason was that in case a rider was injured, it would add an unneeded strain to the already overburdened health care system. Basically, the injured rider would be taking up a bed that would be needed for the pandemic patients.

Now, I hope that we never get to that point here, but who knows what will happen in the future. Just something to think about..."

Same could be said about anything you do. Driving a car, climbing a ladder, taking a shower, walking down stairs, making fun of your wife, etc., etc., etc.

x2jmorris: "This might be a long summer. Summer seems to coming quick and now we are supposed to stay "

good gawd, don't take everything so literal, what they mean is, don't be around other people

they had to say it that way, for many people, telling them to go for a walk, or paddling they might as well tell them to fly to the moon

For a couple of weeks or so, not much of a problem. Going forward if needed, T-V, reading books from library E-mail collection, walking, puzzles at home to work, and planning my BW trip will keep me out of boredom and household trouble.

ZaraSp00k: "

x2jmorris: "This might be a long summer. Summer seems to coming quick and now we are supposed to stay "

good gawd, don't take everything so literal, what they mean is, don't be around other people


they had to say it that way, for many people, telling them to go for a walk, or paddling they might as well tell them to fly to the moon"

Don't want to get in an argument but I can't control what is and isn't open. And I can't know the future of what is happening with this virus.

This is just a what if scenario.

I once took a personality test posted by a member here. That test categorized me as an INTJ. I wonder if that's why I can’t see becoming bored, nor having had my routine changed recently.

I’ve got home projects like painting rooms, sorting old photos and choosing things to donate. I went out today and bought millet bird feed for the ground feeding migrating birds like Juncos and Sparrows that should be here soon. I like to backyard bird watch. I will go on long walks too maybe late at night. I bought about a hundred books at library sales the last few years but mostly I’ll watch broadcast TV and YouTube. The Decorah Iowa Eagle Cam gave me inspiration for staying in place by watching them remaining on the eggs and just looking around. Watching programs created before CV now seems strange. People touching one another and gathering in huge crowds. News about celebrities and their lifestyles. People arguing and getting angry at trivial things. Advertisements for travel and entertainment seem odd too as do many commercials for products that seem unimportant now like a cream to reduce age spots on the back of hands. I feel lucky to have TV as a distraction and information source. I hope everyone does well and we get past this.

Some good advise from Will Steger on FB


A few thoughts on surviving isolation:
Keep your daily rhythm
Get outside (where possible)
Find ways to be creative: journal/write, sketch/draw, sing, dance
Manage your mind

I have been house -bound for several weeks with pneumonia and now staying in to avoid the virus. I have knit 3 pairs of socks and tested several new bread recipes. I am finally feeling well enough to be out in the yard but the forecast is for SNOW. Dang-it, Wang-it. time to plan a canoe trip or two!

IF...then I will go to town on my yard.
I need to remove an old garden bed where I nursed some young trees over the last decade.
Then I need to do a rough rake to remove thatch.
Then fill in some uneven spots.
Then seed it over and lay down some Milorganite.
So that should take me about 6-7 days of slow, steady work.

jcavenagh: "IF...then I will go to town on my yard.
I need to remove an old garden bed where I nursed some young trees over the last decade.
Then I need to do a rough rake to remove thatch.
Then fill in some uneven spots.
Then seed it over and lay down some Milorganite.
So that should take me about 6-7 days of slow, steady work.
"

I've used that Milwaukee poop too! Good stuff.

I’m going to use my time trying to learn how to play my new electric guitar. My wife will probably regret buying it for me by the time this is over!

Grandma L: "I have been house -bound for several weeks with pneumonia and now staying in to avoid the virus. I have knit 3 pairs of socks and tested several new bread recipes. I am finally feeling well enough to be out in the yard but the forecast is for SNOW. Dang-it, Wang-it. time to plan a canoe trip or two!"

I am in a similar situation. Two weeks ago today I came down with what I thought was a cold/sore throat but was actually a bad case of influenza B which morphed into bronchitis. And all this while being treated for worsening case of asthma. At least now I can go out for a mile or so of walking.

Hey, I'm planning on working on guitar too. Fortunately, I'll be doing that with my wife. She is also going to help me with my ear training. Making music is a great pastime and she is now missing out on the two groups she sings and plays with.

Other than that there is working from home, working on the home (hardware stores are essential so we can even get stuff), trying not to watch more TV than usual, taking walks outside, getting back into a good routine with our home gym (spin cycle, rower, trx, and some free weights), skyping with relatives. Once the "shelter in place" order is lifted we can get back to being on the water.

As for biking, it was not included as an allowed activity in the SF Bay Area shelter-in-place orders while walking, hiking, and running were allowed. Then today the SF mayor's office said that it was ok as long as you maintain 6' social separation. However, that might have been an offhand comment by a spokesperson and not a ruling by the health department.

jcavenagh: "IF...then I will go to town on my yard.
I need to remove an old garden bed where I nursed some young trees over the last decade.
Then I need to do a rough rake to remove thatch.
Then fill in some uneven spots.
Then seed it over and lay down some Milorganite.
So that should take me about 6-7 days of slow, steady work.
"

That sounds like a good outdoor project. Protect that knee though, James!

It will be soon warm enough for me to return to my beloved woods and gardens. A couple weeks ago, 50 mph gusts brought down a white pine limb that I mistook for an entire tree. So, I'll have to cut that and haul that away. I've a Katsura tree* to plant and a couple acres of woods around my house to walk and clear of the hundreds of branches that fall every winter.

I own the adjoining 2.3 acre lot and last fall, I started to thin it. A Maine forest after successive clear cuttings is a thicket, just like a boreal forest is after it's been stripped, plus its indigenous diversity is reduced, so I forest like a wolf hunts, taking down the weak trees. I then replace those weaklings with the missing species that belong in a healthy Maine forest. In short, it's a ton of work and it'll keep me more than busy.

Europeans who've seen my forest say, "Ah, you've a German forest!"

Which it is, being neat, which the critters love, for it's easy to walk, and they'll soon love it even more, as I've planted black cherries, black walnuts, butternuts, chinkapin oaks, serviceberries, beeches, elms, black cherries, and CHESTNUTS for them. I plant for the bees too. A humming garden is a happy garden.

However, there's a nearby lake that I scouted and paddled last fall. I'll reach it down a blueberry road, at times steep and narrow. It's got two abandoned cabins on it, which I love, and nothing else. It has white perch in it, which I've never caught, but wanna because they're supposed to be yum-yum, and brook trout and largemouth bass, so it should be a ton o' fun. It's pretty too, looking much like the northwestern Ontario lakes that I love. So, when I'm not cutting and hauling and planting, I'll be on that lake and I don't have to worry about social distance because here's how many people I'll encounter: 0.

*I primarily plant trees for color (like the 17 sugar maples I've planted and 6 red maples cultivated for color), but I planted the Katsura for scent, as when it turns yellow in the fall, its leaves smell like burnt sugar. More yum-yum!

missmolly: "It will be soon warm enough for me to return to my beloved woods and gardens. A couple weeks ago, 50 mph gusts brought down a white pine limb that I mistook for an entire tree. So, I'll have to cut that and haul that away. I've a Katsura tree* to plant and a couple acres of woods around my house to walk and clear of the hundreds of branches that fall every winter.


I own the adjoining 2.3 acre lot and last fall, I started to thin it. A Maine forest after successive clear cuttings is a thicket, just like a boreal forest is after it's been stripped, plus its indigenous diversity is reduced, so I forest like a wolf hunts, taking down the weak trees. I then replace those weaklings with the missing species that belong in a healthy Maine forest. In short, it's a ton of work and it'll keep me more than busy.


Europeans who've seen my forest say, "Ah, you've a German forest!"


Which it is, being neat, which the critters love, for it's easy to walk, and they'll soon love it even more, as I've planted black cherries, black walnuts, butternuts, chinkapin oaks, serviceberries, beeches, elms, black cherries, and CHESTNUTS for them. I plant for the bees too. A humming garden is a happy garden.


However, there's a nearby lake that I scouted and paddled last fall. I'll reach it down a blueberry road, at times steep and narrow. It's got two abandoned cabins on it, which I love, and nothing else. It has white perch in it, which I've never caught, but wanna because they're supposed to be yum-yum, and brook trout and largemouth bass, so it should be a ton o' fun. It's pretty too, looking much like the northwestern Ontario lakes that I love. So, when I'm not cutting and hauling and planting, I'll be on that lake and I don't have to worry about social distance because here's how many people I'll encounter: 0.


*I primarily plant trees for color (like the 17 sugar maples I've planted and 6 red maples cultivated for color), but I planted the Katsura for scent, as when it turns yellow in the fall, its leaves smell like burnt sugar. More yum-yum! "

This sounds like heaven. I'm in a different stage of life - left our little acreage to be right in town, which is so nice as the teens have us in and out 10 times a day. But now I feel cooped. Getting closer to paddle-season, and me-thinks I need to get out fishing asap.

moray: "I’m going to use my time trying to learn how to play my new electric guitar. My wife will probably regret buying it for me by the time this is over!"

Get a Korg Pandora PX5D and some headphones. Awesome sounds, great training tool and a marriage saver.

So bored already. I got quarantined yesterday to my bedroom and upstairs bathroom due to suspected coronavirus. I am using this time to try to get my home phone fixed after 3 failed attempts. Then I think it will be time to write up my epic trip from 1989. Started working on that trip report last summer, but got too busy once school started.

Once I am off quarantine, I hope to get a lot of house projects done.

straighthairedcurly: "So bored already. I got quarantined yesterday to my bedroom and upstairs bathroom due to suspected coronavirus. I am using this time to try to get my home phone fixed after 3 failed attempts. Then I think it will be time to write up my epic trip from 1989. Started working on that trip report last summer, but got too busy once school started.


Once I am off quarantine, I hope to get a lot of house projects done."

Yikes! What are your symptoms? I have another cyberpal who's self-quarantining and she's got fever, aches, and the dry cough.

missmolly: "

straighthairedcurly: "So bored already. I got quarantined yesterday to my bedroom and upstairs bathroom due to suspected coronavirus. I am using this time to try to get my home phone fixed after 3 failed attempts. Then I think it will be time to write up my epic trip from 1989. Started working on that trip report last summer, but got too busy once school started.

Once I am off quarantine, I hope to get a lot of house projects done."

Yikes! What are your symptoms? I have another cyberpal who's self-quarantining and she's got fever, aches, and the dry cough. "

Yep, exactly. It started with a tickle in my throat that felt like pebbles were stuck there and that was making me cough. The next morning I was exhausted and achy, but no fever yet. Lots of congestion and swollen lymph glands, and tons of coughing. The next day I developed a killer headache and a fever of 100.6

I am thinking good thoughts for you and thanks for the details.

Hope you recover soon. Even without suspected cases, just due to travel, I have two relatives in isolation. Fortunately we have many ways to entertain ourselves these days. I hope the time passes quickly.

straighthairedcurly: "... I am using this time to try to get my home phone fixed after 3 failed attempts...."

Good luck with that, unless...
About 4 months ago I called about a downed line (squirrel chewed it) . Was quoted a 3 week time to fix. Some B.S. about heavy rains and flooding in MN. I told the guy this was winter and the flooding was in the spring and he was b.s.ing me. After I hung up I called to file a complaint with the public service commission. Someone was out the next day to fix it. I asked the guy why the change - the call to the public service commission.

jhb8426: "

straighthairedcurly: "... I am using this time to try to get my home phone fixed after 3 failed attempts...."

Good luck with that, unless...
About 4 months ago I called about a downed line (squirrel chewed it) . Was quoted a 3 week time to fix. Some B.S. about heavy rains and flooding in MN. I told the guy this was winter and the flooding was in the spring and he was b.s.ing me. After I hung up I called to file a complaint with the public service commission. Someone was out the next day to fix it. I asked the guy why the change - the call to the public service commission."

Thanks for the hint. I finally feel like I had a competent person on the phone today. I am optimistic, but if they don't have it back up and running by morning, I will try your method.

Frenchy19: "

Blatz: "Get out and paddle. You rarely see anybody, and when you do it's easy to keep your distance. "

Not possible yet in the Twin Cities area. "

I'm just North of the cities and paddle 12 months a year, you just have to know where to go...