Coronavirus...what are you accomplishing or could you do if confined?

OhiohillsLouise
OhiohillsLouise Posts: 120 ✭✭✭
edited October 2020 in COVID-19/Coronavirus

I am not a medical professional so I am not going to add anything more about what you should or should not do from a medical viewpoint. But rather what are you accomplishing while we are on “shut down” or what you think is a good suggestion as to what you might accomplish. So I am starting with a few things I’ve been doing or think I might do. For this discussion let’s not focus on the negative.

So far I’ve cleaned out the garage (well I started anyway), made lots of banana bread from those old bananas in the freezer, made lots of veggie soup, butchered 2 roosters that should have been butchered before winter, preparing my garden for the season (that’s ongoing).

I plan to: finish a lap quilt for my hubby (started 2 years ago), get an extra beehive ready in case I find a swarm, send a card to an old friend, clean my car 🤣.

So what about you? Maybe nothing has changed for you but maybe you can list what you would like to accomplish if you found yourself at home more.

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Comments

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm sorting books, clothing, and stuff in preparation for moving soon. By the time I have a job lined up, I should be able to call for the U haul and load it right up!

    I'm also trying to eat up everything from the freezer as Ill be moving from Idaho to Missouri, and don't want to deal with a lot of food.

    Ideally, I'll be able to work on some crafts, too.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Our provincial govt. is shutting or suggesting shutting big events down. It has already given us less running around, at least until the start of April (at this point.)

    Well, if it gets even more shut down, we would keep on with the same old home things. Instead of running to Judo, we could practice it at home if the snow was gone. We have mats.

    We homeschool & have animals, and of course, there is the usual work aside from that.

    If my husband is at home, we could focus on cleaning up the yard & such, fix coops, butcher some roosters too. Maybe the bull would hit the freezer. I would write & maybe read some books if I had time, & encourage my husband to pursue his business idea.

    It certainly would be a unique & memorable experience.

  • dottile46
    dottile46 Posts: 437 ✭✭✭

    Lots of maybes here. Marathon baking on the cooler days if it's nasty outside. I have some frozen and canned pie squash (pumpkin), frozen blackberries, peaches and apples. Then there's the 12 bags of chocolate chips my daughter found when she cleaned out my baking cabinet.

    There's always garden things to do whether it is getting flats of seeds started, running the chipper/shredder, pulling the early "weeds" that are coming up in the garden, making more garden boxes, well that list goes on.

    There's the ramp to my shed that still needs built yet. A new door made for the hoop house. Maybe even a new hoop house as the wood this one is made of is starting to show some rot.

    I'd also get to spend more time on TGN!

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well we just found out my daughter in college will be out for 2 weeks but might have online classes. She's going to be home (dorms closed tonight & anyone left is quarantined) but drive back and forth to go to work. My daughter in high school and my husband who teaches are both on digital learning as of a couple hours ago. Not being negative but they are both disappointed that what they've worked so hard on have been canceled. So both are sound asleep right now. I'm hoping both get rescheduled. But my youngest graduates this year and now they're saying they might not have the graduation service which would be very disappointing.

    What are we going to do? I have a briar patch in my backyard that I've been working on for a couple weeks when it's not raining. I'll be working on that when I can. I'm trying to pull out the roots and all. We can always clean out our garage, closets, and my kids rooms. We don't really have any plans since we were surprised by school and everything else being closed or canceled just a few hours ago.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I could finish my large latch hook rug. It is half done and hasn't been touched since August, probably due to added tasks such as my workout schedule and time spent in this forum.

    There is always dusting, pet and yard work.

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    There is a good chance I will not be working for a few weeks. So far my plans are 1. spend extra time praying about this and other issues 2. to get going on the gardening and cleaning, and 3. finally take a TGN class. I'm going to try not to get too caught up in the cooking- I love to cook and can spend way too much time looking up recipes and fiddling with things. Many times "catch-up" days have turned into "cook days."

  • Gail H
    Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭

    My plans would include putting in a few new garden beds and doing some sewing. I have a sneaking suspicion I may find myself homeschooling my granddaughter if her school closes. Somehow it seems more daunting to contemplate that then it was homeschooling my seven. She is much more screen addicted than my kids were.

  • alindsay22
    alindsay22 Posts: 129 ✭✭✭

    I've been homebound for quite some time with a daughter that has anxiety so I'm not feeling much difference personally. I have managed to finally publish an herbal medicine journal that I've had in my head for years and now have one place to record everything. Learned how to bullet journal to be more organized, and started working in the yard. It's way into spring here in Northern CA. But now my oldest is home from school as it's closed, so I will probably get less done now. Just gonna roll with it

  • Renee Ilse
    Renee Ilse Posts: 16 ✭✭✭

    I have a lot of beans I have been wanting to can, and I'm getting my garden going for the spring. Lots of babies on the farm - bunnies, chickens, goats. I want to start milking my older doe, which I have not yet done. And we just bought a bus to convert to an RV, so LOTS of stuff to keep me busy! No need to go to the grocery store for anything but fresh fruits and maybe some veggies - our freezer(s) are full!

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Similar to the original post, I will be working on lap blankets. Last year my local Farmers Market Assoc. started dong a blanket project on "World Wide Knit in Public Day". Everyone is knitting or crocheting granny squares which will be stitched together into lap blankets for all the elders in our community. A few weeks ago, I started cleaning out a closet and came across wool purchased several years ago for other projects. So I am accomplishing several things at once. Cleaning out space in a closet, busying my hands with something useful and doing good for my community.

    All of which makes me feel better mentally. Improving mental health improves physical health and thereby helps to prevent illness.

  • Jens the Beekeeper
    Jens the Beekeeper Posts: 651 admin

    All great projects.

    I am shut down from business travel already for two weeks but today the school is shut down for the next 5 weeks.

    So I will start a try at homeschooling and clean ou the cellar to finally get started making mead.

    OH and get the garden going

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    I am working on my seed starting for the garden. I’m decluttering and re-homing things. Feels good to free up some space from unneeded “stuff”. I would like to get some more TGN certifications under my belt. In a couple weeks I’ll be morel foraging...can’t wait. :)

  • OhiohillsLouise
    OhiohillsLouise Posts: 120 ✭✭✭

    Wow what a great response! And you have all given me some inspiration. Thank you for sharing.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @louise I am glad that you started this thread. It is really good to focus on normal, even fun things and not have excessive panicked posts on TGN. It is good in order to relieve stress and for all of us to remember that life still goes on and we don't have to stop.

    It is good to support each other in whatever way we can.

    Thank you! 👏

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow, If I could stay home for awhile what would I accomplish or do... I need to do a good spring cleaning in the house. I have several craft ideas I would love to get a chance to work on. If the snow was gone, I could get more done at setting up and planting my garden (After Memorial day anyway.) Then there is all the courses on TGN I have not had the chance to use them all yet. And I have herbs I would like to get more time to work with. Several tinctures to make, Salves, lozenges and such. Plus I love to read. There would be so many things to keep me busy.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    I'm home all the time already, leaving only 1-2 times a month. So for me...probably more of the same but I am FINE with that 😂

  • chimboodle04
    chimboodle04 Posts: 286 ✭✭✭

    My husband and I will both be home for the majority of the next three weeks (or longer) due to the virus shutdowns. Aside from giving the house a thorough cleaning (which we never seem to be able to keep on top of!), we plan to finish numerous small home improvement projects, get some canning accomplished, install long awaited rabbit cages and plan the chicken coop area we want to build this summer, start our seedlings, build and install two more raised beds, make some salves I have not had the time to focus on, and begin building our garden shed early (this too was supposed to be a summer project). I have also thought about dabbling in some sourdough starter... If we get through all of that, we will go from there 😂

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    Well, I am not technically confined, but it looks like I will get to test this out. The governor shut down all the schools in Pennsylvania at least until March 27, so the day care center I work at has closed as a precaution. It depends how things go on whether we re-open on March 30 or later.

    There have been a few confirmed cases in my county, so I am minimizing going to public places for a while.

    I told my sister my plans, and she reminded me of a painting I hadn't finished. I want to make time for some fun things as well, so that is going on the list. However, mainly cleaning and gardening- sooo behind!

  • dianne.misspooz
    dianne.misspooz Posts: 105 ✭✭✭

    Gah! You guys shame me with how productive you are during this crazy time. Honestly, I've been a slug.

    I'm more prepared than most, even teach on emergency preparedness but I gotta say, watching the whole grocery store frenzy kind of bummed me out. I feel alone in this crisis, even though I'm well stocked and have my family at home. I think have a place like TGN to go to with like minded people has helped me with the blahs. All this is just a round about way to say I didn't do a doggone thing over the weekend. 😕

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    My life has not been altered much as we are home a lot anyways. But not going anywhere on purpose has made us focus on getting some home and garden projects done.

    We cleaned out the garage and expanded a new garden bed. Today I will be cleaning out the kitchen and pruning our cypress.

    And in practice of social distancing and knowing we want to still entertain ourselves we made a plan to go on a hike this week on a local trail that not many know about.

  • Desiree
    Desiree Posts: 255 ✭✭✭

    I was just informed that I will not be working so I guess I will be coming up with home based projects. My cupboards, pantry and freezers are full for now but I do have a small local grocery to rely on as long they can remain open for anything I may have run out of. So tomorrow I will take a walk-about and see what I have that needs to be done that I have been putting off because of time.

    Ohio is pretty much shutting down everything now so I am in a wait and see pattern. I will use this time I have given and make it fruitful!

  • VickiP
    VickiP Posts: 586 ✭✭✭✭

    We always have extra so I am not worried about basics. We are retired so it really won't change our daily life much. However our meetings for worship are being adjusted to take the latest government recommendations into account. We will likely be streaming our talks and having studies etc in family settings. What will I accomplish? The early garden is in so hopefully I will be harvesting greens soon. Who knows? I have always wanted to learn to belly dance maybe this is my golden opportunity.

  • Owl
    Owl Posts: 346 ✭✭✭

    I’m kind of excited to have my college age son home more and get some projects completed. We have the greenhouse almost ready for the skin and I’m steadily working on seedlings to fill it with. We are planning an orchard for next winter so I hope to get that planned. I want to do the “food forest” style orchard and see it feed my grandchildren and great grandchildren. A new chicken house is an immediate need and rabbit hutches soon after. I gleefully anticipate lots of hard work from this ‘vacation’ in spite of the push back from my crew...

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Really learn to play Dixieland jazz on the tenor banjo!

  • Gail H
    Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭

    I played with dandelions today-roasted the roots and pickled the buds. I also dug a lot of Jerusalem artichokes and put them in the fridge since they will probably start growing soon outside.

    I checked out three volumes of "Call the Midwife" from the library before they closed for the duration. I've never read them nor have I seen the show; I hope they prove worthwhile. I may actually have time for a bit of pleasure reading!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @VickiP I can do a little belly dancing. I wish that I could have got more lessons than just one in a couple hours. It is fun & so very healthy. I have 2 CDs, but maybe youtube could add something more. I say, go for it!

    @judsoncarroll4 We have to see videos of your playing! Some tutorials in various instruments would be great for in this unique time as well. I just don't know where they'd get put...Grow your own...banjos? Harmonicas? Lol

    I think some of us need tutorials to give us a wider choice of things to pursue learning, or just for enjoyment & encouragement. Just my opinion, of course.

  • VickiP
    VickiP Posts: 586 ✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning youtube does have lessons. I'm sure my cat will enjoy the show. LOL

  • norabelehcim
    norabelehcim Posts: 58 ✭✭✭

    Online learning, container gardening, at-home-schooling and bike/run/ball-throwing exercise with children, writing, music and visual art...

    ...and planning for summer, in case we are all still in quarantine, and the apartment begins to seem very small to the children

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Our daughter just signed up for free photography lessons at Coles Classroom online. She is very excited! So am I... 😁

  • Kelley
    Kelley Posts: 140 ✭✭✭

    We are getting in our gardens and I am baking from scratch which I haven't done in almost 40 years. Cleaning, yard work and homeschooling 7 kids for the 1st time.