So How Are You Spending This Free Time... so to speak

[crucialbunny]

I look out the widows a lot nowadays. Goddamn, I had no idea there were so many people with dogs in my neighborhood. Now I understand why my dog and cat get so excited when someone walks past the house. Oo, oo oo, I think I hear the ice cream truck coming. Gotta go.

[SoOrbudgal]

LOL crucialbunny i'd be running to that truck too Made some strawberry/razzberry jam had to use up some berries from the freezer so threw in some razzzberries from last year mixed with this years strawberries smelled so good cooking jam.

[Rwise]

I pulled out a couple of old single shot shotguns to clean up, a 410 and a 16 gauge. Once I got the "16" gauge cleaned I dropped a shell in it and noticed it fit a bit loose. I went out and popped it off, the shell split all the way down its side! So now I think it is not a 16 gauge but a 14 or 15 gauge, I had no idea they made these odd gauges, and I have a lot of 16 gauge ammo.

[Bowhunterwoody]

Never heard of anything like that. Could have been really dangerous. Defective shell maybe? 16 ga shell in a 12?

[Farmall]

Given the idle time... I just cleaned and oiled my Grandfathers 12 gauge over/under. There are enough deer in the yard trying to get to my garden, I’m thinking a little early practice might just be the thing to do. Last time this was fired was probably 1967?

[SoOrbudgal]

Well it's 2x a day for watering around our place. Irrigation for the majority of the property just flip a switch sprinklers pop up but it's maintaining those as they get older some are 15yrs old and the spread not as good. Fixtures get clogged with river particles so it's repair replace time. Took in a concert at a winery last saturday yearly "Janis in the Vines" was canceled but she was there LOL. Of course we were 6ft apart and wore our masks except to take a sip we don't go crazy like the pictures you see on the news sites, maddness but young folks think nothing of the consequences.

Yes they are on stage small small venue tables and chairs are further than 6ft apart. Also went to BLM now this stands for Bureau of Land Management in our area of thoughts and they have some beautiful campgrounds not being utilized do to " fear " go out and enjoy the less populated lands we all paid for and respect the earth. Get out in nature.

[poeras]

I have been watching different TV shows lately lol. I bought a Firestick and installed a bunch of different cool apps for free movies and shows which I found on https://www.firesticktricks.com/mobd...ernatives.html and I guess it is the best thing in my life during the pandemic lol. Do you have any recommendations? What do you watch these days, guys?

[SoOrbudgal]

Yes us too lots of movies but shortly will be sitting outdoors as temps heat up and sipping cool drinks and throwing sticks to the dogs and having fires on the river bank. I built a river rock circle the other day getting ready for it.

[Farmbuck]

Getting tired with this crap.... Doing some renovations on the old house, Spending some time on gardening. finish up the winter grow. Oh yes listening a lot to wife. And sitting in front of the screen to zoom with my amigas, amigos in the Yucatan.

[SoOrbudgal]

I'm going to invite our first dinner guests over for lasagna. I tell ya socializing after this shit show i'm needing a refresher course in not acting like a wall flower. Almost like getting to know folks all over again? For fun stuff i'm growing flower seed flats and getting big pots ready for veggies i want to try and grow in large 15gal pots i used for weed but now i'm gonna use them for potatoes, artichokes and tomatoes. I made a bit of a privacy hedge from viewing the new trashy hoarders next door ( excuse my hateful speech but they are ) made a hedge of itailian cypress and maple trees.

[DeadlyFruit]

SoOrbudgal last summer I grew a bunch of potatoes in cloth pots, it worked pretty well. You should also take a look at the cloth pots that have a Velcro flap on the front to check on the growth, and if desired harvest a few at a time. They are designed for potatoes and other root veg where having a look at progress can be helpful.

[YYCannabis]

I have a lot of free time on my hands most days. I still get out and service one customer a day, but i used to deal with 3-5 per day. I support the banking a money industry as well as counterfeit detection specialization, but 90% of my workload is shutdown entirely (casinos).
So I’ve done a lot of puttering around the house and workshop. Yard is finally free of snow and ice so i picked up about 100lbs of dog crap that finally revealed itself. I’ve been working on mastering the art of making cinnamon buns. My dog gets more walks at the off-leash park. And last but not least, I’ve become addicted to watching archeology videos on YouTube (British tv show Time Team).

[SoOrbudgal]

YYCannabis our youngest daughter began her studies doing anthropology and did a dig in NM one summer. We use to go for many years boondocking in the deserts and doing small arrowhead, thunder egg hunts also moonstones. Some of our best memories when our kids were young learning history of the land.

[Farmbuck]

What I hate about chatting via Zoom with my Yucatan's friend is to see the bloody emerald water of the gulf from their backyard or is it beachfront ?? Shit I have a backyard they don't.

Damn you Covid !!

[alltatup]

I am working on my third manifold, and I've been making jewelry, gardening, cooking, baking, getting high. One more week of school: yay!!!

[SoOrbudgal]

Those are really cool alltatup

[alltatup]

SoOrbudgal I've been in love with minerals and stones since around the age of 8. They are so magical to me, and they tell stories.

[Rwise]

First glance I seen fishing lures in the first pic, LOL

[SoOrbudgal]

Here is our back property today is 80f having first company over for dinner then sitting by the river for a bonfire an beverage

[DeadlyFruit]

Beautiful spot SoOrbudgal - I’m jealous. I wish I could get up North to my folk’s cottage.

[DeadlyFruit]

My life hasn’t really changed a lot with the pandemic, just where I do things not what I do. Unfortunately I am not yet at the ripe old age of some of our more respected elder forum members so retirement is still a few years out, I just do all my work (I.T. project manager) at home now instead of just a day or two a week. Still take care of the plants as everyone here does, clean up the yard now that winter is moving on and hanging out with my sons who are university age but back home for a while because classes are all online now. Harvest is about 3 weeks out so lots of trimming in my future (my least favourite part of the process).

Let us know where and I’ll happily join a room to room pub crawls and all the other fun... although I may take a pass on the belly-button chocolate making, I just cooked up some weed krispys. 😜

And of course, a group effort looking after a very high energy pooch.

[DeadlyFruit]

Oh man, if he ever got off leash we would get a call to pick him up in Mexico!

[alltatup]

He looks smart and sweet.

[DeadlyFruit]

He really is a great dog. Smart, energetic, and great with people. If he has one fault it is his stubbornness. If he makes up his mind on something it is hard work shifting him. He is definitely trainable, we just have to make more time to do it. It is my first dog ever and I am afraid that I have started seeing him as a furry baby lol. I am such a sap - it is tough being a manly man around little kids and cuddly dogs... my rep is being ruined! 🙂

[PeterMatanzas]

I go wherever I want because I was vaccinated in September 2020 as a participant in the Pfizer study.

[Farmbuck]

Having our shots this Sunday, wife is not excited

[crucialbunny]

Since the pandemic my daily routine has become a sort of self imposed prison. Everyday it seems is a clone of the previous day. The grandkids are here for the weekend so things are looking up.

[homegrown]

Beautiful! anytime with the grandkids will lighten your day!!

[Poppa]

I have a rust free 1990 Chevy PU it decided to die last fall, it was close to time for it to go into storage so said fuck it I'll fix it in the spring and put it in garage. Springs here so now I have it to work on. I got my daughters car out of storage middle of last month, last week she told me she was going to start driving it and park her van it was making noise may need brakes so I now have it to work on. The oldest grand kids boy friend couldn't figure out how to press the studs out that needed replacing in the rear axle hub and pounded them out warping the hub of her Jeep so I get to fix that. I still need to prep snow removal equipment for storage and get summer power equipment out and running for this year. Have a concrete block retaining wall and foundation topped with a concrete slab needing repair or prep done. I'm going to put a 10 x 20 shed up on the slab this summer. A neighbor a couple of doors down I got into growing last year needs some help updating electrical in their basement to supply his setup. I have arranged to barrow a friends welder to build new scrog net supports for my totes that will mount to the lids over being attached to the trolleys making accessing the reservoir easier. Planning to rent a man lift to trim trees that hang over my garage and some trees at a few of the neighbors property's especially the ones at back of property to south of mine, long about 5 years ago they started to interfere with my satellite radio antenna once leafs form. Then there is always shit that comes up that needs to be taken care of. But one thing I can grantee I will be doing this year is fishing, me and a couple of friends of 40 & 60 years have all got our shots we plan to set in a boat drowned bait, get high and talk shit. All I can say is it's going to be a better year than the last.

[SoOrbudgal]

Get her done and have a ball Poppa don't let nothing stop ya from having fun now. LOL sounds like your way to busy in the auto repair shop

[crucialbunny]

During the beginning of the pandemic I filled my time with my grow but when that was over in October I needed something to occupy my time. My grandson was given a Honda Civic but had not yet gotten his driver's license so I was storing it in my garage for a number of months. I began doing body work on damage down the entire length of the driver side when I had idle time. When that was done I decided a small spoiler on the trunk would make it a little sportier. Then I noticed the door speakers weren't working so I tackled that. Sewed on a new leather steering wheel cover. The power side mirror was having issues that weren't repairable so I replaced that. The car by this point was looking pretty good but the rims were scarred and pitted so one by one those came off and got cleaned, grinded, and polished. Every time I would move the car there was a tear in the driver's seat would eat at me. Found an OEM seat cover online for a reasonable price and learned a little about upholstery work. Looked great but now all the other seats and carpet looked dingy in comparison so then each one came out and got a steam cleaning. New plugs, fluids, and filters (Thank God the timing belt was relatively new) and I was all done just in time when he got his license and came to pick it up. He had no clue that I was doing all this work to his car so when I sent him down to the garage to move it out he honestly didn't believe it was the same car. Made all the effort so worth it.

[DeadlyFruit]

Some fantastic grandparents floating around the forum 🙂

[alexny420]

Not much changed in my routine: doing spring cleaning at my backyard, gardening, enriching my library as far as my budget allows to. Oh, also adopted a cat. Guess he'll enjoy my idea to add a fireplace to our living room as much as I do!

[alltatup]

I put a wood stove in my fireplace cavity 10 years ago: the best investment I ever made!! I can't live without it in the winter.

[SoOrbudgal]

Hey alltatup we call them " inserts" woodstove inserts that's what we have in our fireplace. It's 50yrs old still going strong. I've not had a fire in it for near a week. We do have forced air heat now new whole house system about 2yrs old. It's real nice but love our wood heat, glad not to clean it out every week for 6months.

[alltatup]

I clean my wood stove twice a winter; why do you have to clean so often? And in winter, I only heat the two rooms the wood stove reaches: my study and the kitchen. Otherwise, I keep the heat at 65, cuz why on earth would I heat the rest of it? For the ghosts? Ain't no ghosts in this house.

Clean it every two weeks????? What the heck you burning in there????!!!????