January 12, 2021

Things To Do When The Weather Stinks

Bicycling in the rain
Photo by Sven Brandsma on Unsplash

Sometimes the weather just plain old stinks and no amount of wishful thinking will help.  A gentle rain just might mean an umbrella and a walk in a light snowfall is great.  But wind driven rain that turns your umbrella inside out or a blizzard at 5 below sort of limits your possibilities!  So, what can you do when it rains?

Play A Game

You probably played a lot more games when you were younger.  Well, they still can be great fun!  For us nerdy types try a new computer game.  These days you don’t even need to go to a store.  With Steam and similar services most games are simply a download away.  Some are even free if money is tight.

Board games are another alternative.  They can be great fun.  If the weather permits, and you can invite some people over, you’ll have a blast, and make and renew some friendships.

Work on a Project

You probably have some projects sitting around that either you should start, or started a while back and never finished.  And I’m talking fun projects too.  Do you have a half done craft project in the closet somewhere?  Maybe some kind of project kit still sitting in the basement?  Dig them out.  Or start something new that you have been thinking about for a while.

Clean Basement

You know it needs it.  Take advantage of the inclement weather to get it started.

Clean Garage

If it’s not too cold in the garage you know it really needs a good cleaning and organizing.  Maybe you can even fit a car into it if you are successful!

Write an Article or Blog Post

Write an article or two.  Start a blog if you don’t have one already or write something for the one you already have.  Sometimes when the weather is bad outside you can focus on the writing and really make some progress.

Read

Spend a few hours reading.  You know you keep telling yourself you should read more.  Now is your chance.  Don’t have a book laying around?  With EReader apps available for most devices even if you don’t already have a Kindle type device a new read is just a few clicks away.

Work on a Book

Did you always want to start a book?  Today might be that day you start.  Make an outline or do some research.  Maybe you have a book you started a while back but never finished.  Now might be the time to kick it into high gear!

Organize a Small Area

Do you want to do something a little more practical?  Pick a drawer or closet.  Then empty it out to start eliminating and organizing.  It is amazing to me what accumulates in a drawer over time.  You might find something you thought you lost a long time ago.  You might find some items in the closet that you longer want.  You can donate the items or sell them on Craigslist or Ebay for a little cash.

Work on a Hobby

Today is the perfect time to get back to that personal hobby, whatever it may be.  Take advantage of the time indoors.

Clean or Maintain Something

We all have belongings that should be maintained and cleaned.  Maybe something needs oiling.  Possibly you can use some glue to fix a broken something.  (or you can finally decide it can’t be fixed and toss it.)

However you use your time during bad weather you might find it becomes one of your most productive days.  Most times you just need to get up from the TV and get moving.  Have fun!

Filed Under: General, Hobbies, Things To Do Leave a Comment
December 18, 2020

Backyard Naturalist

Birds on Feeder
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash

Many of us want to get back to nature.  We often think of far away big National Parks and neglect the park that is literally in our own back yard.

Trees and Plants

Identifying the trees in your yard is a good place to start and just that knowledge puts you ahead of most of your neighbors!  There are lots of good tree identification books out there.  My favorite is the Audubon field guide.  Speaking of field guides that may be a good place to start your education and resource toolkit.

What Plants Do You Have or Can You Add Some?

OK, so you have some ornamental shrubs as a part of your landscaping.  What can you learn about them?  Where did they come from?  Can you add some others that are helpful to animals and friendly insects?

Birds

Many varieties of birds seem to inhabit even the smallest of spaces.  Just go outside and listen early some morning.  Grab a field guide and maybe an inexpensive pair of binoculars and see how many kinds you can identify.

Bugs

If you think the variety of birds can be great in a small space wait to you start looking for insect varieties!  Take birds and multiply by a factor of 100 or more.

Leaves

Leaves can be a subset of your tree explorations.  An old hobby used to be drying varieties of leaves in the pages of an old book.  And then you have the color varieties of the fall.  What structure can you see with a magnifying glass?

Little Animals

With some trees or a little bit of brushy cover little animals like chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels will soon find homes.  With some quiet observation you will soon learn about how they live out their lives.

Photography

Take your digital camera and really start to look around. Look at the sky, trees, flowers and shapes of things.  Take a bunch of photos and bring them into a digital editing program and start messing around.  See what you can create.

Macro Photography

Macro photography is close-up photography.  Some cameras have a certain amount of capability built in, or sometimes you need a special lens.  You open a whole new world when you go close and even a small backyard or a local city park can provide thousands of opportunities.  Another thing to try is to pick up an inexpensive USB microscope that opens even more possibilities.

Bird Feeding

There are endless opportunities with bird feeding.  Find out what types of feed attracts what species.  Experiment with different kinds of purchased or self-made feeders.  Then mix in some photography and bird identification.  Just remember once you start feeding your feathered friends don’t stop and leave them hungry, especially in winter!

Bat Houses

Want to get rid of mosquitos and gnats?  Bats are voracious insect eaters and generally harmless to humans despite their vampire reputation!  Check online for bat house designs.

Mini Wildlife Sanctuary

Can you take a section of your yard and make it a mini wildlife sanctuary?  Pick a corner and let some grass and plants grow.  Maybe create a little brush pile.  Many little creatures will thank you and provide opportunities for observation.

Rocks

Depending on where you live you may find a selection of rocks nearby.  Grab a guidebook.  What kind are they?  How old are they?

Tools of the Hobby

Start simple with just a notebook to record your observations.  Maybe add some guidebooks and a magnifying glass.  Eventually you will want a camera if you don’t have one already.

Where To Go Next

Once you are hooked on nature the possibilities for growth are endless.  Consider state and national park visits.  Join a conservation effort.  Join a park or trail cleanup effort or start one.

Let’s hear your ideas!

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do Leave a Comment
December 15, 2020

Car Stories – Part One

Classic Car
Photo by Bradley Dunn on Unsplash

Cars have a special place in the hearts of many people.  I realize for some people cars are just a way to get from point A to point B.  I’m not one of them!

My First Car

I learned to drive on the 63 Plymouth family sedan.  It was beige with a push button automatic transmission.  My Mom took me out for driving lessons, but I terrified her, and she gave up.  My Dad stepped in, but he worked second shift six days a week so he could only take me out on Sundays.  When I took my drivers test the examiner passed me but said I needed a lot more practice!

First Car In My Own Name

My first car in my name was a 62 Ford Galaxy 500 given to me by my Uncle Clyde.  I loved that car.  It seemed to be about 50 feet long and had a bench front seat the size of a living room sofa.  It had a huge V-8 engine and could really move.  The power steering only worked in one direction and it had an aftermarket air conditioner that took up all the space under the dash.  I rarely used the air conditioner because the thing sucked up so much horsepower.  I added chrome wheels and air shocks to raise the back end to make it look real cool, even if the headlights now pointed at the ground!

First New Car

After I got my first real job (paying a whopping $6K a year) I needed a car replacement for the long commute.  The Ford was nearing 100,000 miles and cars never lasted past that mark back then.  Of course I started looking at used sports cars like a Triumph or Datsun Z, but my Dad bribed me with down payment assistance to buy new because I’m sure he knew he would be the one to keep fixing a used sports car!

I ended up with a blue 1975 Chevy Monza.  It cost $3742 brand new and I financed it for $99/month for three years.  The Monza has quite a history.  It was supposed to be Chevy’s first rotary engine design, but they had trouble getting the rotary engine perfected.  Engine choices were the four-cylinder Vega engine or a little 8 cylinder that was so tight in the engine compartment that you couldn’t change the spark plugs.  I went with the four-cylinder engine.  It ended up blowing its aluminum head gasket at 40,000 miles and I traded it in.

Favorite Car

My favorite car is a tough one because I’ve liked all my cars for different reasons.  If I had to choose I would say my 1977 American Motors AMX.  It was bright lime green and had fender flares, ground effects, and louvered back windows shades.  With its bright chrome wheels it looked fantastic.  I remember it was the first car I picked out on my own without parental guidance.  The payments were $141 a month for 42 months and I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to keep up the payments.  Somehow I did.  I ended up getting married and we went on our honeymoon in the Poconos (PA) in that car.

Road Trips

I love long road trips and most of my cars were taken cross country at least once.  My favorites have to be a couple of Conversion Vans.  One was a 1991 Dodge and the other a 1996 Dodge.  They were great.  The 96 was incredible with a luxury interior to die for.  My five year old son did a couple cross country trips happily watching movies on the van’s built in VCR and TV (no flat screens back then!)  That thing was so expensive it nearly bankrupted us but was great fun.

I could go on and on with my car stories and will at some point.  I’m sure everyone has their own car stories they could share!

Filed Under: Hobbies, Transportation, Travel Leave a Comment