April 9, 2021

Unusual Hobbies

Butterfly In Hand
Photo by Maggie Jaszowska on Unsplash

There are countless hobbies out there for you to try.  Hobbies are great for relaxation and to keep your brain sharp while you learn new things.  With the Internet you can almost always find others that share your interest either locally or online.

Below are some ideas to get you started.

Tree Shaping

You know how you sometimes come across shrubs and trees with geometric and animal shapes?  That is tree shaping.  I guess the first step is to grow a bunch of your own bushes.  I don’t think the neighbors would appropriate you experimenting on their trees and bushes without asking!

Geocaching

This is a way to put all those GPS enabled devices to work.  The idea here is hobbyists navigate to a set of coordinates and find little treasures there in the geocache container.  This hobby is growing and there is lots of information on how to get started online.

Collecting Insects

OK, so collecting insects is not for everyone.  But if want to give it a try there is no shortage of different kinds to collect.

Soap Carving

Not sure how this one got starting but at least you can still use the shavings to clean up.  And when you get tired of looking at your creation you still have the soap!

Making Snow Globes

Never thought of this one but it is pretty cool.  Snow Globes make great gifts, and you can get as artistic as you want.

Ghost Hunting

I confess my wife and I used to love the “Ghost Hunters” show.  Well people really do this and I’m sure you can meet some interesting people, even live ones!  Do a search and find a group in your area.  Some communities even offer haunted house tours.  Keeping a journal of your experiences could be fun.

Origami

I’ve always been fascinated by those paper creations.  There are books and kits available to give it a try.  I assume the materials are basic and inexpensive.

Whittling

This one has been around for centuries. The shavings aren’t quite as useful as soap carving shavings, but you can always use wood shavings for kindling.

Stone Skipping

Never heard of this one but apparently the record for skipping stones is over 50 skips.  It may take a bit of practice to reach that level.  On the other hand, skipping stones across a pond on a nice day is probably very relaxing.

Brewing Beer

This one has also been around for a long time.  There are kits and lots of information available.  If you like beer it must be awful gratifying to offer guests your own brew!

Metal Detecting

I have tried this one and it really is a thrill to find old stuff buried long ago.  We never found anything valuable but that didn’t matter, it was great fun.  Just make sure you have permission to dig and make sure you put things back as you found them.

Building Rockets

I enjoyed building model rockets as a kid, and later with my son.  Model rocketry isn’t just for kids.  There are groups all around the country and some build some really big creations.

Flying Drones

Learning to fly a drone and then taking pictures and videos is a relatively new hobby.  It probably pays to learn on small and inexpensive drones before committing to an expensive model.  It can get expensive to crash and lose your drones.

Chainsaw Carving

This is the third “carving” hobby in this article.  This one isn’t for the faint of heart!  But I am amazed at the creations of experienced artists.

Rock Collecting

This one can be as simple as collecting specimens off the ground that just look nice.  Or you can order all kinds of samples online or at “Rock shops.”  In my trips to the southwest US rock shops were common and always fascinating to visit.

Wargaming

I did this one with friends as a young adult.  It still could be fun now and I bet it wouldn’t be hard to find a group of friends to play a couple times a month.  Start with “Risk” or “Axis and Allies” and go from there.  Good times!

Legos

Legos aren’t’ just for kids and you are only limited by your imagination.  There are shows and contests all over the world.

Making Fireworks

I came across this one in my research and didn’t even know it was legal!  Obviously you better make sure it is legal in your area and know what you are doing.  I would think that if you try to order too much of the required chemicals and supplies you might get a visit from law enforcement!

As you can see there are an endless number of hobby possibilities.  The fun part is experimenting to find one or more that work for you!

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do Leave a Comment
March 19, 2021

Find Nearby Trips

Car on road from above
Photo by Liam Pozz on Unsplash

I’ve always been a bit of a wonderer.  I can just get into the car and drive, with the journey being as important as the destination.  But I think a bit of a “system” for finding nearby trips is needed to help with the wondering.  As I write this during the COVID pandemic, nearby trips have become almost a necessity.  They help with that “cooped up” feeling and long trips, especially involving flying have become difficult.

Start with some maps, one showing everything within about a 150 mile radius and one showing everything out about 500 miles.  The ideal would be to set up the maps on a corkboard or something similar.  Then you could put a pushpin into your home location and use a string and the miles per inch scale from the map legend to draw circles.

Draw a 5 – 10 Mile Circle

These would be places you could drive or bike to in a spur of the moment decision.  Think “I’m bored” and just go.

Draw a 25 Mile Circle

Destinations within this circle require a little thought in that you probably must allow a couple hours.  But you might be surprised with all the possibilities.

Draw a 150 Mile Circle

Here we are probably talking a full day.  An experienced wanderer could probably find hundreds of interesting locations to visit within this area.

What About a 500 Mile Circle?

Ok, we are really pushing boundaries here, but not too much.  You probably need to devote 3 or 4 days to these trips.  It also means 2 or 3 overnights, be they camping, motel stays, AirBNB or whatever.  But this circle opens up the possibility of some serious adventures.  Some might not consider 500 miles to be a “nearby” trip, but to someone who has traveled by car cross country a few times 500 miles does not sound too bad!  Of course these trips will be easier after the Covid pandemic is under control.

Now What to do With the Circles?

Start by making a list of towns within the circle.  Then it’s time to hit the Internet.  Just do a search for each town.  Even smaller towns often have Visitor sites or Chamber of Commerce sites listing reasons to visit their town.

Here are some of the things you may find:

Parks – towns are proud of their parks and will often highlight them.

Hiking – Almost everywhere outside of the center of major cities have hiking trails.

Bike Rides – Many sites have suggested bike rides

Scenic Overlooks – Often little signs will point the way to beautiful overlooks that you would never know were there except for their mention online.

Historical Sites – Most towns are proud of their history and have at least one historical site.

Book Stores – Many towns have little private bookstores that have all kinds of treasures.  I never pass up a new or used bookstore.

Unusual stores – You will often find offbeat stores, galleries and similar listed on visitor sites.

Themed Tours – Many times sites will have suggested walking or driving tours.  My wife and I once spent a day on a Covered Bridge driving tour in Lancaster County, PA.  She took dozens of photos that she still occasionally uses in her artwork.

What else can I do?

Photo opportunities are everywhere.  Even if all you have is your cell phone camera take lots of photos.  You’ll be glad you did as they will provide great memories even years later.

Write about your adventures.  These trips make great writing material, whether for a blog, as a freelance writer, or just in a journal for yourself.

Maybe you should build a website.  It could highlight fun things to do near “My Town” or “Anytown”

Get creative.  Just the act of getting away from the daily routine will get the juices going and hopefully help your mood.  Even little disasters like getting lost become funny stories with time.  Just use your imagination!

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do, Transportation, Travel Leave a Comment
March 5, 2021

Emergency Information Document

Ambulance
Photo by Scott Evans on Unsplash

Do You Have an Emergency Instructions Document?


If not, you should! Most of us have someone we care about that will have to step in if we suddenly leave this world or become incapacitated. Put yourself in that person’s place. You want to make everything as easy as possible at that stressful time.


In many households one person handles the bills and financial affairs. If that is the case this document is doubly important. The other person may not be familiar with what accounts even exist or what steps to take, both in the short and long term.


What Information Should Be in the Document?


Bank Accounts
List each account with the name of the institution, the account number, and phone number.


Brokerage Accounts
List each account with the name of the institution, the account number, and phone number.


CDs
List each certificate with the name of the institution, the account number, and phone number. You may want to add the Interest Rate and Maturity Date.


Life Insurance Policy Info
List each policy by Institution, policy number and amount. And by the way, make sure your beneficiary information is up to date.


Mortgage and Tax Info
List each mortgage with the account number and phone number. If taxes are paid separately list to who, with contact information.


Loans
List each account with the name of the institution, the account number, and phone number.


Credit Cards
List each account with the name of the institution, the account number, and phone number.


Safe Deposit Boxes
This is one I learned the hard way. You need to do some preparation ahead of time and make sure anyone who needs access to the box is an authorized signer. Otherwise, if the only signer is not around the rules can vary widely depending on the state and policy of the institution.


Collections and Anything Valuable
If you have anything special and valuable like coins or gun collections, information should be provided here.


Wills and Living Wills
It is a given that you should have a will and Living Will. Check legal advice here, especially if your situation is complicated.


People and Phone Numbers
The people left behind might not be thinking too clearly. Why not include a list of people, phone numbers and email addresses to make things just a little easier?


Passwords to Online Accounts
This one is tricky. You probably don’t want to include those in this doc in case it is stolen. But you do need to make sure someone has them safely available.


General What To Do Information
You want to put the person reading the document at ease. Put some short term and long term information here. What immediate cash do they have access to? What bills need to be paid regularly and right away. If you have investments, you might want to include some guidance. Which ones are long term and can be reviewed later and which ones need to be watched and maybe even liquidated? Do you have advisors that you trust and want to recommend?


There is probably much more that could be added depending upon your individual situation. But start with something simple rather than put it off and add to it over time. Place the document in an envelope in a safe place that people you trust know about.


Disclaimer – I’m certainly not an attorney or financial advisor and can’t give professional advice. What I suggest I have learned from research and life experience.

Filed Under: Budgets, General, Health, Things To Do Leave a Comment