What are you doing at home?

[crusinbanjo]

Since we can't be cruising, I thought it might be interesting to see what others are doing with all the free time at home!  So I'll start it off.

First I have been playing the banjo, (as my handle suggests), putting together a solo act for the Nursing home circuit.  When they reopen I'll be ready to entertain them with new material.

Second, I'm building and fixing up around the house.  Mrs Banjo wanted some new plant stands and new crown moldings in the study.  Finally, when the Governor extended the Stay at Home I decided to remodel my home office  space, New paint, new floors, Same old furniture!.  Her are a few pics, Hope everybody enjoys them 

[Roz]

You're quite handy!  Beautiful workmanship.

[cruisemom42]

I am one of the lucky few -- and I do mean that sincerely -- able to work from home with nearly 100% of the same results/output as going into the office. While I miss seeing my co-workers face-to-face, we talk frequently via skype/zoom, etc. -- and I don't miss the nearly 2 hour commute, so there's that. I enjoy the extra hour of sleep in the morning VERY much.

 

What have I been doing with the extra couple of hours a day?  Not much; I cook and clean a little more than normal during the week and have gotten to a few small projects like cleaning the windows and such. Trying to keep up with my Italian using online sources. Va bene...

 

 

[Btimmer]

We've been enjoying watching the spring flora and fauna develop as the past several years we've been at sea during the spring.  I'm also doing a bunch of house projects and shredding lots of excess vegetation.

[bennybear]

Ditto the flora and fauna plus some long ignored crafts! 

[Roz]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Trying to keep up with my Italian using online sources. Va bene...

 

I've been reviewing my French, Russian, and German using apps, online resource, and good old fashioned workbooks.  French is my best language, but I'm proudest of learning Russian in my 60s.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your do beautiful work crusinbanjo.

 

We have not been doing much here but watching the rain (and snow one evening).  Even though it is chilly we are watching the hummingbirds as they are arriving for the summer.  A few will continue their journey north.  We have 2 hummingbird feeders and one is right outside our TV room window.

 

I am tired of cooking.  We used to be able to go out for lunch once in a while -- can't do that anymore.  We used to be able to order items for dinner but the restaurant where we could get those meals has permanately closed (they used to be able to fix the special meals I am allowed to eat).

[fatcat04]

Husband is "essential" ( I could have told him that but getting a letter from the government saying so I guess is more official 🤣) so he is off to work almost every weekday.

 

He has been attempting to work out as best he can with no gym. He is not alone as many in our urban, century neighborhood are using every manner of exercise, even CrossFit on the front lawn, to ward off the dreaded quarantine 20.

 

He too has also been brushing up on his languages and attempting a new one via app, Russian. More power to him. I am a single language gal. My ability to learn a foriegn language is up there with my skills at water skiing and quantum mechanics, non-exisistant. Most days I feel fortunate if I can manage just the one language I grew up speaking. 

 

Kids keep me busy. Ds graduates this spring and we are preparing him for trade school in the fall. The toddler is sassy and active and about to run me ragged. "No!" has finally made it's appearance. We are not amused. Getting her and me outside in the backyard is sanity saving. 

 

I have long been a gardener and my hard work has paid dividends this year. Everyday seems to bring a new surprise. My iris have been blooming solid for a month, my roses have been the most beautiful I can recall, and the peonies are just starting to pop open. Even my lush green hostas and delicate bleeding heart have outdone themselves. We had a fairly mild winter, though we have had some windy rainy weather since January. But spring has been serenely lingering without even a hint of summer. So often it seems we go directly from winter gloom to summer swelter bypassing all the pleasantries of spring but not this year.

 

My bird and squirrel feeders have been active and I "collected" a new to me bird this year, Red-breasted Grosbeak. So exciting having a new bird at the feeders.

 

Other than all this, hanging in there and just hoping the next plague isn't murder hornets. 😛

Edited May 10, 2020 by fatcat04

[crusinbanjo]

1 hour ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Your do beautiful work crusinbanjo.

 

We have not been doing much here but watching the rain (and snow one evening).  Even though it is chilly we are watching the hummingbirds as they are arriving for the summer.  A few will continue their journey north.  We have 2 hummingbird feeders and one is right outside our TV room window.

 

I am tired of cooking.  We used to be able to go out for lunch once in a while -- can't do that anymore.  We used to be able to order items for dinner but the restaurant where we could get those meals has permanately closed (they used to be able to fix the special meals I am allowed to eat).

Mrs Banjo loves the Hummingbirds as well.  She dutifully puts the feeder out on May 1 and the birds arrive shortly after.  They are quite stunning.  They also seem to communicate with us, when the feeder is empty or has a problem, (ants etc), they will fly to the window, or if we are outside they fly up into our face and chirp at us! HA

I'm getting tired of cooking as well and miss going out for lunch, but I am sure this will pass sooner or later.

[Lido deck main]

Hi,

We have started plants from seeds for the first time.  So this is a 100 per cent improvement in our plant growing.  We have beefsteak and cheery tomatoes, long English and marketmore cucumbers, and peppers, salad stuff, and other stuff.  We are having fantastic weather this weekend so I put  the plants on the back deck  table to get more sun. We are in for a week of dull rainy weather on Wednesday so I will have to bring it all in the house again.  We are from Vancouver and can usually plant outdoors after May Long Weekend.  

[ellbelle]

Well, we couldn’t quite stay at home. After three weeks at home we got a text from our son in law in Idaho that our daughter was going to deliver their baby via C-section that day due to our daughters health. We were fortunate that our short term rental was available early so we hightailed it out if California.

Our daughter spent a few days in the hospital and recovered nicely and our first grandchild (Emma) was released after just 10 days in the NICU which was amazing since she was six weeks early.

So we continue the same routine at home, biking and walking, limiting store visits, masking up (fortunately not many cases here). Two more weeks and we head home and hope that our tomatoes didn’t die due to the heatwave there and my cherries remain on the tree.


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[VennDiagram]

@fatcat04 I'm in awe of your beautiful garden.  You should be very proud of it!

 

I have 3 kids that are being home schooled.  So please, feel free to guess what I'm doing at home  😄 😄  🤣🤪

[crusinbanjo]

6 minutes ago, ellbelle said:

Well, we couldn’t quite stay at home. After three weeks at home we got a text from our son in law in Idaho that our daughter was going to deliver their baby via C-section that day due to our daughters health. We were fortunate that our short term rental was available early so we hightailed it out if California.

Our daughter spent a few days in the hospital and recovered nicely and our first grandchild (Emma) was released after just 10 days in the NICU which was amazing since she was six weeks early.

So we continue the same routine at home, biking and walking, limiting store visits, masking up (fortunately not many cases here). Two more weeks and we head home and hope that our tomatoes didn’t die due to the heatwave there and my cherries remain on the tree.


Sent from my iPhone using Forums

She is beautiful!  I’m sure the tomatoes will be ok!

[fatcat04]

36 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

Hi,

We have started plants from seeds for the first time.  So this is a 100 per cent improvement in our plant growing.  We have beefsteak and cheery tomatoes, long English and marketmore cucumbers, and peppers, salad stuff, and other stuff.  We are having fantastic weather this weekend so I put  the plants on the back deck  table to get more sun. We are in for a week of dull rainy weather on Wednesday so I will have to bring it all in the house again.  We are from Vancouver and can usually plant outdoors after May Long Weekend.  

How wonderful! I would love to do some container gardening like yours. On my wish list. I just got my 'maters in the ground this past week... and then comes a possible frost. Mother Nature has a sense of humor, as all good mothers do. Thankfully I covered everything and then there was no frost here so the tomatoes and pepper continue to thrive. I grow very few veggies due to lack of super sunny space but tomatoes are a must and summer isn't summer without fresh sliced tomatoes, with a little salt and pepper. Mmm.

[fatcat04]

@ellbelleWhat a beautiful baby. I know you are so proud and ready for the spoiling to begin. 😀

[JimnKaren]

Being in my mid 70s, not much changes from one week to the next. Yard work in central Florida has been happening for months. However, it did a chore that I have put off for a long time. Washing screens! What a mess. Blowing sand and stuff all the time has them dirty most of the time. If I don't do it however, no one else in the house will.

Jim

[VennDiagram]

@Lido deck main awesome!  Congrats on developing a new skill.

 

@ellbelle congrats on the new member of the family ❤️

[Cruising-along]

Like many others here, I've been loving the gardening time (love your photos fatcat!).  Since we'll be home this summer I've added some veggie plants to the garden (we usually aren't home when they produce) along with the usual perennials and annuals.  The lilacs are blooming now, the camelias are finishing up, and everything else is budding out.  We've also been getting some things done, like pressure washing the house and walkway and staining the fence.  Now we're planning on a road trip this September and keeping fingers crossed it happens!

[Mr. Boston]

This thread has been so refreshing to read.  From all of the great projects and crafts that folks are working on to the promise of new life.  Whether it be a flower, a tomato or a beautiful new baby.  Thank you all for sharing your happy happenings!

[Copper10-8]

11 hours ago, crusinbanjo said:

Since we can't be cruising, I thought it might be interesting to see what others are doing with all the free time at home!  So I'll start it off.
...............................

 

Allegedly driving my lovely wife (working from home 3x a week, going in the other two) completely haywire 

 

[cat shepard]

@ellbelle how precious! Congratulations to you!

Love all the garden pics!

 

@crusinbanjo, thank you for starting this thread!

 

I have spent more time in my garden & on my pool deck. 

 

Some time rescheduling a couple of road trips: one to the Keys and one to Asheville North Carolina.

 

Some time trying to work out an exercise routine that takes the place of my gym classes. (Bindi is NOT happy that her sniff n walk has become aerobic - though she is happy that I am home more).

 

Some time kayaking, now that some state parks have reopened. 

 

Some time planning my Alaska land-cruise tour for September 2021. I even put down a deposit! 

 

I also cleaned my window screens and inside the bottom of the windows. Long overdue! I discovered that the West side of my house is sheltered from the prevailing Westerly winds by my neighbor’s house, so everything was much cleaner on that side of the house. I refuse to discuss the windows on the Northeast side.
 

Stay well everyone!

 

[ger_77]

Congrats on the new family member; babies are always a welcome addition!

 

Although I failed Home Ec in high school, I've become friends with my sewing machine.  For the past month I've been making surgical style masks and donating them.  The neighbourhood has them, a dialysis centre has them, Ronald McDonald House has them, and the next batch (I only have 70 right now, so have to make more) will be going to a town in the north part of our province that has announced outbreak.  For some reason (I don't quilt), I've had a large amount of quilting fabrics on hand, and have used up 6 queen sized sheets as linings for the masks.  2 more sheets and I'm going to have to ask the neighbours to clean out their linen closets for donations!  DH has been enjoying the uninterrupted time to work on a research project for the university, so we're both in our happy places.

 

I hope everyone is well; we look forward to better days and more cruises ahead!

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[john2003]

I made a blanket ladder for my daughter and have been very busy in the garden. Last night cooked the Oceania (sorry) roast chicken recipe for mother's day dinner. 

[RuthC]

I've been retired for 15 years, and have been slowly becoming less mobile during that period. So, I have also found ways to fill that time, getting into a routine (rut?) that suits me just fine, with the activities taking longer to do as time goes on. 
There is really no such thing as 'extra time' for me anymore, even before the virus struck. 

[Roger88]

Well, I like it how I they made me stay at home. I enjoy my life at fullest really. I am not a fan of going clubbing or restaurants. While at home I keep watching movies, tv series, I am playing computer games and playstation, I read from time to time and play with my kids in the afternoon. Life is perfect