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Stir Crazy?

Joined
Nov 14, 2018
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Heart of the Shawnee Nation
With all the cancellations and restrictions, what are some of you doing to keep sane? Weather hasn't been great either. I've packed and repacked my gear, sharpened everything with an edge, watched more movies than is healthy, and washed the hair off muddy dogs.
 
Spent an hour or two getting the bike back into shape, lube pedals, chain, gears, axles, replace a spoke. Felt great to be biking around the streets of Toronto even with the damp & cloudy weather. Robins, red=winged blackbirds are in and singing. Brilliant color through binos.

Garden's starting to come back to life... cleanup, move plants around, dig out what isn't wanted... make plans.

Good song for these troubled times, seems esp appropriate with spring coming on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzADF9IzZ9Q
 
I live in a rural area so I have a lot of room to roam without having to be too concerned about running into folks. For that reason the dog and I have been going on longer than usual walks. Also, now that the snow is gone, I'm able to get back to my wood pile. We live on an old farm and have three different wood burning devices; a cook stove, furnace and a soapstone stove in our addition. For that reason I purchase a load of logs every couple of years and cut/split/stack what I need for them. It keeps me active and gives me something to do so having nicer weather is allowing me to get back to that. I probably should also get my bike prepped for the coming season as well so thanks for that idea frozentripper.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper
 
Since we still have snow and it is borderline snowing and 100 percent mud season I don't see the big deal

Training our dog, hiking, photography. Watching the birds raid the feeder

Life is fine

Paddling too maybe soon. Watching the lake ice change color gives hope. Anticipating an early return of the loons

Biking on bike trails soon ( they still are a bit snow covered). Maybe in a couple of weeks doing the five mile circuit around my block on dirt roads ( they are a mire right now)

Never been dependent on mass events. I live in the woods and happy to be a hermit.

The library is still open.

Gardening isnt happening yet. Hope to be able to chop ice to free up the Christmas light cords. The ice in the yard is getting soft.

It is a shame that ski areas are closing. but for some it is time. Sunday River is still open.

I think that social isolation is harder on those who are city dwellers. Its not a big deal for us ruralites . And we are getting together for board games. ( four not four hundred)
 
On a walk two weekends ago we passed the ponds where fishing fanatics were still hunched over holes waiting for the big one. I doubt there's ice enough now to safely try your luck for some shoreside dinner. There are signs of beaver activity bordering the waters here with any number of poplars taken down and trimmed, the largest boles left in place with the bark/cambium neatly incised away to the sapwood. Rivulets gurgle down through hardwood stands to feed the swelling wetlands and the earliest of spring flowers are pushing up through the softened forest duff. Spring is here. Almost. The local conservation authority has warned against the dangers of flooding. Cold water and strong currents are an annual occurrence here that sadly still claims lives. The travel and crowd restrictions have taken their toll on social activities and in time will seriously impact our economic lives too. Who knows how this will affect paddling plans? My own are still a long way off in the future, and with any hope will still play out nicely. My gear is unpacked but ready and waiting, sitting in the corner on and under a new shelf I've made just for this purpose; paddles hung from (faux) birch branches reminding me daily of a trip worth waiting for. That trip will come.
But first we have March break to stride through. With schools closed for the foreseeable future (3 weeks at least) I'm stepping up to do my bit. Well, this weekend at any rate. The two young grandsons are coming! Batten down the hatches and pull up the drawbridge! I've got the muddy shoes and walking poles set by the back door ready for some long sloppy slushy ambles down country trails. We'll go see if the ice is gone from the fishing ponds and how the beavers have gotten along with their clandestine carpentry. Will there be any spring flowers yet? And with any luck the boys will be good and tired and ready for an early bath and an early bedtime. I'm ready for that too with a pile of books on the bedside table, enough for our own quiet isolation. No stir crazy happening here. Yet.
 
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I'm ready for that too with a pile of books on the bedside table, enough for our own quiet isolation. No stir crazy happening here. Yet.

One of my peculiar concerns with closings is that the library could shut down. All public schools in Maryland are closed and I imagine library “Story time” with a crowd of snotty nosed kids would be contraindicated.

Just like foodstuffs I have stocked up, ordering a half dozen used books from Amazon to pile by the bedside table, just in case.
 
Any closings will not affect us that much. We live in the middle of nowhere not that much contact with other people so with proper caution we feel pretty safe.. NO HOCKEY - that sucks, but Spring is here and I'm trying to figure out how I'll get everything done that needs to be done.

On sunny days I'm getting a property ready to sell, on rainy days I'm getting my gear ready and making plans for some trips I'd like to take this summer.

There's flies to tie for Trout season is in a few weeks. Camper needs a good cleaning before we use it. So I guess I'm lucky, really no down time .
 
Stir crazy...? Not me. I'm laying in materials for several significant projects on the home front- new kitchen cabinets to install after living with the 60 year old knotty pine built in cabinets in our old farmhouse (which were an update from the early 60's when our 200+ year old house was renovated); ordered new 1x12 rough sawn pine boards & 25 gallons of solid pigment stain to re-side my 32' x 40' Pennsylvania bank barn; got a bunch of over mature trees to take down. I'll be busy without having to leave the homestead.

Through all that, I'm also hoping to start a stripper build but haven't settled on a design yet. I recently discovered a builder in my area (40 minutes away), http://woodstrip.wcha.org. I spent a pleasant 2 hours talking with the owner who is also associated with the Wooden Canoe Heritage Assn. He's also a paddle maker with some pretty nice single & double blade designs and some unusual wood choices.

Lastly, I just bought some new titanium cook pots from REI to replace my old aluminum cookset from Sigg which mate with my old gas Svea stove. A trusted old combination, but loud and inefficient! These additions are in anticipation of a May trip to Algonquin, but who knows if that will even happen with the advance of the Covid 19 virus. Will the border between the US & Canada even be open? Fingers crossed here.
 
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Kathleen and I aren’t doing anything differently, as we already live in self isolation. We live on 565 acres, with the closest neighbour over a mile away. Right now I’m sitting in front of the fire (in my Helinox Ground Chair!) reading news articles on the internet. In another hour I will dress to walk the dog, who is with Kathleen in the sunroom, enjoying the morning quiet and the morning sun splashing light across our still snow-covered property. Minus 18 C (zero F) here right now. Spring still a long way off. But then, we moved to Saskatchewan precisely because we wanted winter. So we’re happy.

After the morning walk all three of us will head to town (1200 people, 15 minutes away) for mail, coffee and geezer gossip. Then home for lunch followed by the main walk of the day with the dog. After the walk, we will fire up the skidoo to re-pack our 8 km (5 miles) of trails through the bush. Then home to feed the dog. While Kathleen then walks the dog for his post-supper constitutional, I will hand haul more firewood up to the house from the woodshed, which is about 200 m (yards) away. At these temperatures, on a packed trail, the wood-filled toboggan almost drags itself up to the house. Very satisfying.

Then our pre-supper glass of wine, followed by our own supper. All three of us enjoy watching Jeopardy during the meal. After supper tonight I will probably do some more planning for, and dreaming about our canoe trip back to the Barren Grounds this summer.

No matter what the weather, we will do it all again tomorrow, and for weeks after that. It never occurred to me that I should be “”stir-crazy.” So far we’re not doing anything differently because of the virus.Saskatchewan had its first confirmed case yesterday - a guy in Saskatoon (three hours away), who had just returned from Egypt. We are going to miss the opening of the baseball season, though. I have been a fan of the Braves since 1957. I had been looking forward to the new season.
 
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One of my peculiar concerns with closings is that the library could shut down.

That truly is a shame Mike. Libraries can offer so much to inquisitive minds both young and old and in between; not just valued learning resources but social spaces in which to explore and share, reap and sow...get together and get away. Ironically I used to "escape to" the library to duck out of the material world and dive into the literary one. They're often filled with quiet aisles and hidden corners perfect for "isolating" with the perfect read. I myself have discovered many many book treasures I never knew existed if my feet hadn't wandered that way and my mind open to the task.
I salute you and your reading.

Ironic that in order to overcome this pandemic we're required to all pull together by all staying apart.
 
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I’ve cooked on the engine manifold of my truck but that isn’t really light weight or carbon neutral.
Doesn't look very comfortable to me.
Jim
 
My wife just texted me to say she went shopping for some last minute groceries before the g-kids arrive tonight. She was on the hunt for hot dog weiners and buns. Cheap grandparents. Sit still and eat. When I was your age...(lol) Anyway, she tells me there's a run on toilet paper. I guess the bottom dropped out of that stockpile. She was told the hand sanitizer supply evaporated days ago. We still have 1 little plastic pump dispenser that'll still last us many more canoe trips, on account around home we use something real old fashioned called...wait for it...soap and water. We still have lots of that. And we may have to economize with the toilet paper but we've got enough hot dogs to last us awhile.
Wash your hands.
Eat your hotdog.
Give your grandma a hug for making dinner.
Give grandpa a hug just because,
and let's go get lost in play. Everything will be just fine. Because we have each other.
 
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Well, I seeded some bare spots, filled dog holes, and got my smoker ready to go. Maybe I'll smoke some al pastor pork this weekend.

Seems like libraries would be closed since they hold a treasure trove of virus laden materials.

I watched college basketball for 4 months anticipating the tournament. I guess that left a big hole in my calendar that won't be filled easily.
 
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No stir craziness here. I've got so many things to do (things that I actually enjoy) that I can't imagine anything happening that's going to mess me up too much. None of my favorite activities involve being around other people nor do they rely on other people providing entertainment for me. Waking the dog. Processing firewood. Working on the new shop build. Running the sawmill. Remodeling the house. Landscaping and seeding the yard. Trimming/cutting trees. Building a new fort/cabin on some land of mine with a trio of 7/8 year olds. Getting back into canoeing.

I've got enough empty land with mullein growing on it that even a toilet paper shortage won't matter. And as a last resort there's always that full case of nitrile gloves. :eek:

Alan
 
I've got plenty to do around the Humble Hovel to keep me occupied and outside of work. I don't go to group gatherings, bars or anything like that. My biggest concern now is my job working tech in a school district where sick kids come to school all the time. Being in IT I have to work on all sorts of equipment that kids ( buggers on keyboards is not an uncommon sight) use daily so I'm now wearing rubber gloves and washing my hands frequently and Monday has been called for no kids at school but all staff to plan how to deal with this in the event things get worse here. I would love nothing better than to paddle off somewhere where no people would be.

dougd
 
I've spent a lot of time in the Nokomis Wood Shop. The CNC router has my full attention, well almost.

If Alan Gage would quit filling the West Branch Des Moines River with run off, I'd go paddling !!

The river is too high to be fun for an old Slow poke like me !
\
Jim !
 
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