How are you holding up?

[cpaharley2008]

Time seems to have narrowed down to 3 day weeks, yesterday, today, tomorrow!!

 

[Iowa Dave]

Toys

Can’t beat it. I like to bring stuff back to life too. Once in a while it can’t be done but a lot of time the basic trouble shooting will do the trick.
Iowa Dave

 

[Hollybee]

Holding up!

Down here in what we call it.."The Seattle of the South" [Nashville TN area]we are holding up fine..getting rain after rain lately w a couple of tornadoes thrown in, even last weekend. Here we get yearly more dark rainy days than even Seattle WA does , acc to stats! and we had it in spades last few days.
More severe thunderstorms last Sun and again Monday night very nearby (20+ mi south of Nashville). Tornadoes Sunday night apparently too. Even had an earthquake we felt Monday evening..sounded like and felt like a big thunder clap which went on and on and on for about 30 seconds.weird. We found out later that the epi-center was 200 miles away in western NC fer hoot sakes!
WE were even w/o power about 20+ hours... til late Monday afternoon. We fortunately live down in a narrow valley area, but several neighbors higher up on the ridges [of our area] lost alot of trees and some had home damage. No injuries we know of.

'Camped out' at home in the basement Sun night , and were able to break out some of our packed-up camping gear(still awaiting our E21) to make things bearable. propane 1 burner stove, 3 rechargeable battery lanterns, a couple of flashlites, the battery 'weather alert' radio and then.. ;-) I fired up the 2200W camping trailer generator, hooked up a couple of the camper's extension cords and ran it some to 'save' 2 full freezers we keep. Well worth a few $$ worth of gasoline!
Reminds me of the old slogan I read awhile back..
"Campers make good Preppers".
Looks like we ARE gong to make the decision to go ahead and have the '21' delivered..a new 'health issue' w my neck has cropped up and may need Rx or PT or even an op. ...so delivery seems most likely. Got to wait til MRI and 2nd doc visit are done. One good thing about the lockdown has been the ease of getting a doc appointment, MRI scheduled and done quickly. etc. Most folks at offices are still wearing masks, but most businesses in our town are opening. No way to calculate the economic costs of the LD as yet

Stay safe. Fred

 

[emers382]

We are coping quite well especially since picking up our new pup last Thursday, an eight week old cocker certainly keeps us busy. The gubmint paid us for half the dog yesterday as it was announced that our province decided this covid is causing us seniors extra money and hassle so they're giving us each $200 tax free!

Like Mike we're not driving much, mainly only because of the dog, viewing, pickup, then vet yesterday. Still half half a tank from filling up last day of our trip home March 19.

Today spent the morning cutting some dead branches from our two old spruce trees out front and hauling them to the town branches/compost dump.

 

[outwiththedogs]

Can’t camp, may as well make masks

I started a little mask factory in the basement. So far a couple hundred masks for bus and light rail drivers, neighbors, a food bank, refugee families, etc. We keep a few stashed in the Little Free Library in the front yard. If anyone is having a hard time obtaining a cloth mask I am happy to send one. They are free but I do ask that you donate to your local food bank or similar organization. Need a mask? Cue the quilters.

Our fabulous camping summer evaporated just days after we returned from picking up our new 19’ in February. We promised adventure and Long Gone sits alone in storage. We have our health and there is time coming someday for camping, so it we are among the wildly fortunate at a time when it is horrifyingly hard for so many. We mask up, walk the dogs, dream of camping and try to put our bits of energy toward the good. Magical thinking perhaps but if enough bits of good collect and expand then maybe, just maybe that famous arc will bend toward justice.
Anyway, thanks to the OP for starting this thread. It helps to hear how others are doing.
Good health and good wishes to all and dreams of camping.
Catherine

 

[NW Cat Owner]

Dirk's on his 9th week of working from home, so he started all this really early. I was ready to leave for a 6 week trip along parts of the Oregon Coast and inland Oregon. 2 days before leaving there was talk of states wide shut downs, so I decided to stay home. What fun (not) that was to completely unload everything and not know when I'd take the trailer back out. A week or two (forget exactly how long) after that our state had the shelter in place decree, along with Oregon.


I stay home most of the time, so that hasn't really changed. Dirk loves his short commute, however he does have to dodge some cats in the hallway and they love laying on his keyboard. His co-workers want more attention from him than I do!


I've been keeping busy with cutting back a HUGE area of invasive blackberries that needed to go years ago but we never got around to it. Not all the way done, but it's thrilling to see how much has disappeared into the yard waste bins and is piled up waiting to be tossed in.


I've also been making hand stamped cards, per usual. But this time, instead of putting most of them aside for sales at craft shows, I've been sending them out to friends and relatives to cheer them up, along with thank you cards to local businesses (grocery, pet food, restaurants, police, etc). I've send out over 120 cards so far in the past 6 weeks.



If you want to see what they look like, here's the link to the Coronavirus Cards (as I call that category) I've made so far.


My store - Under Kitty Supervision




And making fabric masks for ourselves and friends.


And really hoping that Fall camping won't be cancelled.

 

[UncleTim]

I started a little mask factory in the basement. So far a couple hundred masks for bus and light rail drivers, neighbors, a food bank, refugee families, etc.
Anyway, thanks to the OP for starting this thread. It helps to hear how others are doing.
Good health and good wishes to all and dreams of camping.
Catherine

Catherine you honor me, this thread and all the wonderful people that will now be inspired by your thoughtful response. I just ordered 100 new masks to have around. I think I will make some available to others and go buy some more. You inspire me! It is this type of thoughtfulness that will help us all get thru this.

Thank you.

 

[Jim Bennett]

Oh man, I wish time would slow down. For me it is going super fast, so many things to do. So many things I can't do, like some trailer mods, due to already being taxed time wise. Not really complaining, I like being busy.

Though we are seeing some of friends and family, still not enough for my liking. This not hugging for the most part has me bummed, for sure. My 19 month old grandson is not prone to avoiding personal contact though.

Hopefully this staged movement back to normal will go good and they don't have to back off, but we'll see. Still not making any travel plans, trailer or flying, though do have lots of credit with a couple airlines now.

 

[Allan Bornestig]

Got the house painted, well almost.Hired a retired painter to do the upper part, all white stucco.Had to build scaffolds and platforms.I did the lower parts myself, less climbing, heavy Oxford brown cedar siding, got good thick paint.Used to hate painting but now when I am retired i can take whatever time it takes and do a good job.The back wall by the deck I will do when it gets warmer.Easy walk about job.
One good thing that has come out of this crazy Corona situation, staying home, no camping I can get a lot of maintenance done.Couple of weeks ago we did go to Costco, long line up.Well at least it was moving.Where do those people over there there come from I said to my wife? Oh, they have already done one loop around the building.So, one and a half loop around a big Costco ware house we are at the entrance.Five people at the time please, OK, tomorrow we have to come back for
medications , do we still have to line up for one and a half hour says I.?
No, we will let you in the out door but you can not buy anything else.So, the next day we went back and it was smooth sailing to pick up meds only.
Nothing is forever.

 

[Allan Bornestig]

emers382.
Congrats to your new family member.We had English cocker spaniels years ago.Wonderful dogs.Nowadays we are on our second Wire Fox Terrier.Wow, she keeps us on our toes.Previous one lasted thirteen years.We suffered for ten months before we decided to get another one.Love her to bits.Starting to loose a bit of weight I put on from sitting too much, with no dog walking.Life goes on.
Take care and enjoy the new puppy.

 

[Bobbie54]

I almost finished the garage. Shelving is done! I just have to finish with the giveaway boxes, back the trailer in and see if I have room for one of the old plastic shelves on the right. And I'm proud to say I did it myself except for a neighbor who helped me by ripping the plywood. Which my lovely Ridgeline carried flat in the bed, no problems! I love having a truck.

Lots of projects left. Like Jim- too much to do! I want to put in a shed outside the garage for camping stuff that rides in the truck. I need to put steps on our small front deck now that the front yard is fenced. New fence going in in back this week (contracted) to be higher for coyote deterrent but that means letting Sadie out the front over the weekend so I'd like to get those done today and tomorrow. (Highly unlikely- I've done steps before but using a different type of stringer so there will be a learning curve.) I have floats for a dock waiting to be built. And with no visitors the house has become more and more cluttered!

Off and on I've made masks for friends (a few for the hospital) but mostly that's something I fit into an hour here and there.

 

[emers382]

emers382.
Congrats to your new family member.We had English cocker spaniels years ago.Wonderful dogs.Nowadays we are on our second Wire Fox Terrier.Wow, she keeps us on our toes.Previous one lasted thirteen years.We suffered for ten months before we decided to get another one.Love her to bits.Starting to loose a bit of weight I put on from sitting too much, with no dog walking.Life goes on.
Take care and enjoy the new puppy.

Thanks Allan. We've had two English CS while our kids were growing up, our son's hit by a car, our daughter left hers with us when she moved to the US and we saw her die of cancer. We had a Shitzu (housewarming gift from sisters) who we had to say goodbye to last June and decided we'd not have another dog with all our traveling. Now that's curtailed we thought what better time to train a new pup. She's and American CS. We've named her Bonnie as Beth's always wanted a dog with that name.

Here she is at six weeks old before we got her.

 

[cpaharley2008]

Bobbie54,
Nice shelves, but they are all full now, I thought the purpose was to eliminate unneeded and put the camp gear on shelves?

 

[Bobbie54]

Bobbie54,
Nice shelves, but they are all full now, I thought the purpose was to eliminate unneeded and put the camp gear on shelves?

Most of the camp gear is on the shelves, but it's not all in one place easily loaded into the truck, and I thought that was a great idea and would let me put other things in the garage. But that's not an urgent need right now since I'm not going camping for awhile. I still have to get rid of some stuff that is on the shelves- I have several tents, for example, but need to put them up and see that each has its poles and decide which one to hang onto in case grandkids come along, so right now they are all on a shelf together. (And grandkids are in California for the duration.) I'd been thinking about a bike shed but it makes far more sense to put the camping gear in a shed. (E-Bike can tuck in by the front of the trailer and be easily accessible and I gave the extra bike away.)

It's funny because I could have done this anytime- I'm retired, after all! but being stuck mostly at home does inspire projects.

 

[Iowa Dave]

Bear

One of the best workers, park foremen and friends I ever had retired a few years ago and moved to extreme northern Minnesota. I stay in contact with him and see him when he comes home to visit family. Today he sent me a photo of a bear in the mall in Duluth. In his usual dry humor he mused that the bear was only waiting for the mall to reopen.

 

[Greg A]

Great day here today. Received two 18 Mega Roll packs of toilet paper shipped from Walmart. It's our first TP purchase since February to actually go through and took persistence, but now all is well.

 

[Hollybee]

TP

Great day here today. Received two 18 Mega Roll packs of toilet paper shipped from Walmart. It's our first TP purchase since February to actually go through and took persistence, but now all is well.

WE have scored a couple of times at local Dollar General..septic safe stuff..smallish rolls, but beats the junk mail or old Sears catalogs . The usual grocery stores remain out, tho it should chg bks we a re finally in Springtime temps and the flu is near gone here..warming up finally. Aaaaah.

 

[h2owmn]

Bobbie, those shelves are wonderful. I am so envious.

So this happened today. I had a lab appointment this morning. I was the second person to arrive. They only allow one client at the desk at a time and one just inside the door. First guy and I were both wearing masks. A guy sans mask opens the door and she politely tells him he has to wait outside. He does. When both the first guy and I have been shown to rooms, I hear her talking to the third guy. He enters and she says, “Sir, you have to be wearing a mask”. “A mask?” he says. His tone is not quite incredulous, but past inquisitive. “Yes”, she says. He says loudly, “I need to have my lab done. I have had a kidney transplant!” and apparently goes storming out.

 

[Bobbie54]

Bobbie, those shelves are wonderful. I am so envious.

This morning I have fencers coming to set posts for a taller fence in back. After five years- I gave up on redoing the fence myself. Some projects are more fun than others! Though the garage one would have been much easier before the garage was full of stuff. This stay at home stuff is motivating for project completion but I pick and choose the do-it-yourself stuff depending on whether someone is available who will do it better and faster, how much I will enjoy it, and whether it can be stopped in the middle.

So this happened today. I had a lab appointment this morning. I was the second person to arrive. They only allow one client at the desk at a time and one just inside the door. First guy and I were both wearing masks. A guy sans mask opens the door and she politely tells him he has to wait outside. He does. When both the first guy and I have been shown to rooms, I hear her talking to the third guy. He enters and she says, “Sir, you have to be wearing a mask”. “A mask?” he says. His tone is not quite incredulous, but past inquisitive. “Yes”, she says. He says loudly, “I need to have my lab done. I have had a kidney transplant!” and apparently goes storming out.

I feel for anyone who has to enforce mask-wearing. It will be interesting to see if the fencers wear them. Outdoor work, so probably not, but the guy I have to talk to about it better have one. I will. Some people are just stupid.

 

[h2owmn]

Those criteria are perfect for choosing projects!