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

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Comments

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @timtandme Hang in there! Schooling at home can be hairy at times, especially with lots of kids! We have always homeschooled. We have one already graduated & working and have 4 more to go that span the age groups.

    Take breaks & do fun things too. Include the kids in baking things & teach them some basics. Get them into the garden. Show them the wonder. Build on that. This is a perfect time to do this.

    Don't be hard on yourself or them. It will be a culture shock for them too.

    If you need ideas, I have started a thread about Homeschooling help. If you need anything, I will help in any way I can. ;)

  • Grammyprepper
    Grammyprepper Posts: 168 ✭✭✭

    I am considered 'essential' --imagine that, a simple deli clerk LOL. So I don't have much free time as it is. I am staying home as much as I can on my days off. Working on starting seeds and cool weather outdoor crops. I'm hoping DH will get some 'honey-do's' done since he is off, tho! Maybe I'll get a headstart on spring cleaning...Boning up on from scratch cooking...taking some free courses here and elsewhere, working on improving my herbal/home remedy repertoire...

  • solarnoon.aspen
    solarnoon.aspen Posts: 219 ✭✭✭

    Life as usual. Since I am an introvert anyway, it's a bit of a relief to be 'shut in', if you can call it that. We have 5 acres and can roam around our small community without bumping into anyone. Helping out an older neighbour who doesn't listen to the radio and has no idea about the virus.

    However, for the first two weeks or so, since self isolation came on so suddenly, I found I hadn't gotten around to securing enough animal feed, so it was tense there for a while. The feed stores started to ration how many bags a person could buy and didn't know how long they would stay open. So...... trips to every one of them to stock up on rabbit pellets. I ordered chicks not knowing if I would be able to get starter or grower ( Finally have found a feed house that is willing to deliver bulk orders so a few neighbours have gone together to get the minimum order - whew!). Now, just doing normal spring prep- starting seeds, waiting for the snow to melt and working on an online course to make sure I know a thing or two.

  • Momma Mo
    Momma Mo Posts: 138 ✭✭✭

    Almost have our garden planted! WooHoo!

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    Hi @LaurieLovesLearning my karate teacher has started offering classes online via zoom. It's not quite the same, but at least we are all staying somewhat in shape and keeping our skills up.

    Our karate club is very much like a family...

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin


    @VickiP my cats absolutely love "better birdwatching in Oklahoma". It's a DVD with video of different birds in, well, Oklahoma. LOL, I don't live in Oklahoma, I got the DVD at a used bookstore. The cats just stay guled to to television whenever I put it on though. Sometimes they go up and paw the screnn.

    It just cracks me up!

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

    @Marjory Wildcraft Thanks Marjory, for reminding me about my bird DVDs. They're not for the cats though. I play them for my parrot's enjoyment. The bird has been restricted lately to her bird call audio recordings.

    The cats are not forgotten though: there is a window on the first floor to watch birds at a feeder and a window on the second floor to watch hummingbirds at a feeder.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited April 2020

    @Marjory Wildcraft Martial arts clubs are often close. The difference between karate & judo (and jiu jitsu, which the kids have loved as well) is that for the most part, you need a partner, and with karate, you don't. You can learn by watching (I've learned so much), but your body will always learn best by moving.

    Once our new snow melts, the mats can be put outside. We have enough kids that they can work together. Not everyone has the luxury of mats nor partners at their own home. We were fortunate that we were able to buy good used mats through a family who approached us when their young adult children moved out.

  • Debora Salmon
    Debora Salmon Posts: 14 ✭✭✭

    I am putting in my garden, raised beds that are new this year so lots is extra setting up. Since we live in 20 acres of mixed pastures, woods, pond, wet weather creek, I am taking my wild edibles/remedies book out and learning how to identify more of the plants growing here. Also recently got chickens so have been working on a moveable fence setup to use with my chicken tractor. Got the dehydrator out and have been drying vegetables for long term storage.

  • Lesley
    Lesley Posts: 28 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2020

    I am sooo envious! That looks absolutely brilliant and so useful.

    We built a studded wall to divide up our bedroom into a calm sleeping area and a sewing/craft/ library room. It's proving a real success, and at long last, I have a dedicated narrow niche for the ironing board, a shelf for the steam iron and, wonder of wonders, a dedicated space for my sailrite sewing machine. It weighs a ton and was a real pain to carry to a table. Now, I just slide it forward and sew! it's definitely the little things in life that make me smile and offer a thank you to the bounteous universe ;o))

    We got three IBC's and all the parts ordered and on site before the lockdown - now just have to assemble everything for our water harvesting project. We joked at the time that it would stop raining if we bought them. Hasn't rained since.

    Two solar panels we were given two years ago have sat in the barn. Just before lockdown went into place, we took delivery of inverter, controller wiring etc so that's on the schedule.

    We lived in Hong Kong and Borneo for five years and my one regret was that I didn't make time to learn Tai Chi - every park, there would be people doing it and I found it fascinating. We just didn't think we'd be in each place for as long as we were. I should have just seized the moment. Thanks to Corona, Husband and I are at last taking time out each day to learn it online.

    At the moment though, it's sow sow sow, to make sure we have food for the coming year and surplus for close friends. Everything points towards food shortages in the not too distant future, as labour problems result in crops not going in, or not getting harvested, and countries start to cut exports as they contemplate how they are to feed their population. I reckon tough times are ahead for a lot of people. If you haven't already, start converting those lawns and learn how to save seeds!!

  • DebiB
    DebiB Posts: 92 ✭✭✭

    I’m trying an experiment in my front flower bed. I was planning on putting in pollinator plants but have decided to go with edible things (some of which the pollinators will like) instead. I’ve planted peppers, parsley and a few collards so far with some rainbow chard and beets growing in small pots waiting until they are big enough to go in. I’m considering putting in basil and black cumin also.

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    Everyone has been so busy!! I just love that this a community of DIY gardeners who know how to use down time to make their lives more joyful!

  • Nicoleburba
    Nicoleburba Posts: 58 ✭✭✭

    I have a lot of plans, but my mane project is to learn herbal medicine.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am trying to take as many of the classes that I can since I now have the time.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    What a great thread!

    I started writing a book on homeschooling high school...and then high school got really intense again and I had to quit. But she graduated Thursday (4 down, only one to go!) and once I catch up from that mad dash, I hope to start writing again. Actually, I'm taking a lot of posts from my homeschooling blog and revamping them for the book. It's fun!

  • KimWilson
    KimWilson Posts: 197 ✭✭✭

    Well today I viewed youtube videos on how to bind the quilt I made, harvested sage, valerian, chamomile, peppers, and cherry tomatoes, wrote in my journal, and did some weeding and cooking. Since this whole covid thing began, I have done a lot of sewing, cooking, baking, reading, writing, gardening, and making medicinals. There never runs out of things to do -- but I do miss going out and enjoying time with other people.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @Annie Kate Please check in here too: https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/864064#Comment_864064

    At some point, I hope to have a support group on TGN for homeschooling, "grow your own" type of homeschoolers and those who want to know more about homeschooling. It looks like we have a fair bit of homeschoolers here!

    Life has been busy, as you can well imagine, so it is on the backburner for now.

  • Paradox
    Paradox Posts: 187 ✭✭✭

    everyone have back-up plans when/if we end up on another round of lockdown? We've been pretty busy with the garden, adding berries, some fruit trees, cleaning beds and planting. now it's weeding, weeding, and for a change of pace... weeding. :P

    I've been extremely fortunate to be able to work from home and have had only a minimal reduction in salary. Kids were already in a virtual school, though DD was taking college classes in addition to her last HS course, so she's a bit bummed out that she can't go to campus. They are still saying on campus in the fall, but i'll believe it when I see it.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for the link @LaurieLovesLearning . The support group idea sounds like fun. I blog about homeschooling and have even spoken at a conference, so I could be involved in a support group if you need help.