# What are you doing while staying home?



## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

My husband and I are both still working (from home), but in the evenings we are playing Animal Crossing New Horizons.  It's a good way to leave the real world for a while.  I have also picked up my coloring books and Zentangle, and of course I am reading.
What are you doing to keep from going crazy when stuck at home?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't feel 'stuck at home'. I'm an introvert at heart, so I'm content at home.  Reading. Catching up on series on Netflix and Acorn (currently, "Murdoch Mysteries" set in Canada at the turn of the 20th century). Hubby is rebuilding the porch -- though he's also still working. In the evenings we watch old westerns on MeTV (or other channels) or newer movies that have been broadcast that we recorded. 

Really, I'm not having any difficulty keeping myself occupied/amused/busy.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Not much.  Not doing what I should be doing -- decluttering and cleaning.  I go out to a grocery store more than I should -- 2 - 3 times per week.  There's always something I need.    I too am mostly introvert so am content with the dog.  I've lived in this condo for 35 years so there are people around in the 60 unit building.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Up until yesterday I would have said sewing masks during the day to donate to the local hospital while DH was busy with tasks inside the house or out in the yard. In the evenings we watch a movie or an episode of The Mandalorian.

Night before last my sewing machine went on strike over working conditions that resulted in inability to make stitches due to bad hook timing. So I spent yesterday researching home fixes and then fixing my sewing machine well enough to sew straight stitches. I finished sewing the pleats of the final masks by hand as that was what was too much for my machine. I understood why when I needed pliers to pull the hand needle through the multiple layers of material.

After today's mask delivery, I am going back to the more complicated, but pleatless, version .


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## NanD (May 4, 2011)

I'm in Indianapolis. Retired as of last Feb but a volunteer church treasurer, so always something to do. Sewed masks and  donat ed. I sewed a seat cushion for my outside bench. Sandpiper, like you I'm a long time resident of a condo. Had planned on a couple home repair things, that I've put off since I'm trying to stay at home. One of which was replacing my upstairs toilet.

I'm going to try to clean my toilet tanks this pm. I got up in the middle of the night last night to use the toilet and it started to tun and run,without filling the tank. So I turned off the water. I poured some vinegar and baking soda in both toilets and will go back scrub and see if it's just sediment in the bottom of the tank. Am reluctant to have a plumber come in when the virus peak supposed to be within the next 2 weeks here.

I've watched more news but not more tv. I read a lot anyway on my paperwhite kindle.

Have tried zoom several times..
A couple times for a yoga class. That was ok bit not as good as the real thing. A few times for a bible class. Once for a drinks get together. The class and get together worked great.

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## NanD (May 4, 2011)

Happy to say I fixed it. I found the problem was that once I had tied a twist tie on the back of the stick behind the handle that goes through the upright piece holding the flapper. ( it had come out before so when you pressed on the handle nothing happened). The twist tie fell off and was keeping the flapper open.



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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

NanD said:


> Happy to say I fixed it. I found the problem was that once I had tied a twist tie on the back of the stick behind the handle that goes through the upright piece holding the flapper. ( it had come out before so when you pressed on the handle nothing happened). The twist tie fell off and was keeping the flapper open.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


So glad you got it fixed. Toilet is one of those things I can never figure out how to fix so its either get husband to figure out, or call a plumber. Before in apartment I called maintenance.

For us here is just the 2 in the house. My husband has been working from home last 2 weeks and its been interesting. . I am at least glad he has his own room now in the house and not just a desk in a corner of the loft he used to have at the old apartment. that way he can properly work and have that routine. I do not disturb him and if he needs something, he'll get it. Tries to keep same hours but now minus the often long 50 minute one way drive to work.

For me, I thought I could read ALL THE DARN BOOKS finally. But I keep drifting off, worrying about this or that. Hunting down TP, trying to catch a slot of curbside or amazon fresh delivery. I am not going out anywhere. I spend time finding and ordering home made masks at etsy, as I do not sew. I don't even know if I have a needle in the house. Not my skill.  I say anyone that has the skill, get your butt in gear, get the parts and go on Etsy. I ordered masks from Korea, Bulgaria and Ukraine because of lack of US based. They either sold out are so swarmed with orders its a long time coming. I am getting some for a couple of my neighbors also so that is why I am ordering different places.

I am spending lots more time talking to my mother in Germany. She is in kind of a hot zone of cases there in Bavaria. Most of their deaths have been in that area. My parents are out on their own now. My brother and sister are not allowed to visit anymore, none of the grandkids. They wave from the gate and drop stuff off. She still goes to the next town once a week for food. They live in the boonies, very small village. I worry for them. My father is 80 and my mom 76. I haven't seen them in a very very long time. My brother just died recently of cancer and they are still grieving.

So I sit often trying to read, with lots of tea. But I stare out my window more often than not. I think today I finally got some nice reading sessions in. Instead of my mind drifting off.

I also do a lot of walking around my property. Look at my plants, flowers, gardening. It feels surreal sometimes. News are scary and I am feeling it affecting me. I turn to books that are not too dark and watching some reliable TV shows in evening. 
My fridge is stocked and its helping mentally. But I keep thinking about thinking. If you know what I mean. I am a worry wart normally and I need to have plans. I made a inventory of my fridge, freezer, pantry. A bit OCD, but it helps keep me calm. 

Unfortunately, all the things I should be doing, I am not. Weird how that goes.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

I have been retired for nearly 7 years and live in a rural area, so staying home is not much of a big deal to me. I'm an AARP Tax Aide volunteer, and we had to shut down our sites in mid Feb, so that was a real bummer. So many people appreciate what we do and appreciate the free help. So that was 3 afternoons a week that got shut down. I'm continuing to knit cat blankets for the local animal shelter and I'm on a dishcloth knitting binge.  Reading a lot too. So glad for the Kindle and all the library books!

I have heard from an online knitting group that many of us can't seem to get motivated. You'd think with all this time we could finally get to knitting those big projects we have in the closet. Not so. Any of you having problems with lack of motivation?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

spotsmom said:


> I have been retired for nearly 7 years and live in a rural area, so staying home is not much of a big deal to me. I'm an AARP Tax Aide volunteer, and we had to shut down our sites in mid Feb, so that was a real bummer. So many people appreciate what we do and appreciate the free help. So that was 3 afternoons a week that got shut down. I'm continuing to knit cat blankets for the local animal shelter and I'm on a dishcloth knitting binge. Reading a lot too. So glad for the Kindle and all the library books!
> 
> I have heard from an online knitting group that many of us can't seem to get motivated. You'd think with all this time we could finally get to knitting those big projects we have in the closet. Not so. Any of you having problems with lack of motivation?


Motivation? What dat? 
I have to admit that I am having a lot of issues motivating myself to get out of bed, let alone DO anything. Fortunately, if I stay in bed too long my back starts to hurt so I do eventually get up. 
I am naturally a night owl, and have reverted to that schedule. Which is not great, because things are closing early, and if I want to shop, I need to go out early (ish).
I have been doing some sporadic binge cleaning, but not as much as I should. I've been binge watching old TV shows, doing some crossword puzzles/
I am also spending time on swagbucks (if anyone wants to join, let me know so i can get referral points) and am scoring about 1 dollar per day towards my amazon GC account.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

Not all that much different from pre-virus days at our house. We're pretty much homebodies anyway. I've cut down on trips to the grocery store as recommended. And I'm not working any, but the arena still has to have someone in the building 24 hours a day so II is working a couple of shifts a week. Since both of us have ongoing medical therapies in process, we are still going to those. I've not been able to motivate myself to do nearly as much housework as could/should be done. II is slowly getting back to doing some of the activities that the shoulder issues had prevented in recent months.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

We had all these plans to start cleaning out the messy parts of the house (including my office).  But I am still dodging boxes.  I just don't have the energy to deal with them after I finish work for the day.  And I doubt I can make any donation runs at the moment at any rate.  Maybe we just need to start taking boxes to the storage unit down the street and deal with them later.
At least I am able to work from home, but it's harder than I thought it would be.  I am definitely a people person in spite of myself.  Just being here at home with DH and Ginger is starting to make me go crazy.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Working (software engineer for sapphire-digital.com)
Eating too much
Going out for walks with my camera
Not doing the apartment cleaning/organizing I thought I might do
Watching a lot of Youtube videos


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I was going to clean out the garage. I had that planned anyway in spring as its just too hot in summer. Its still full of boxes and stuff since we moved into the house in December 2018. Hangs head in shame.  . But everytime I go in and look, I go, eh, go back into the house and make tea instead  

I did start cleaning the cacti off. That stuff multiplies like rabbits and previous owner apparently really liked those darn things. They are cool and all, but not everywhere.  . Its a long process as it has the teeny little needles as suppose to the large ones some have. So they are deceptive and work themself into the gloves if you don't watch it and into my skin like a really small painful splinter. Multiple at once. 

I did finally put down my peppers into the earth boxes and put a net around it so the birds, squirrels, opossums don't eat my baby plants. 

And I am finally getting a hold on my reading. Trying to relax more and just read. But its going to be historical novels. Nothing in contemporary. Historical romance and historical mysteries and maybe some urban fantasy of favorite series. Far and away from the here and now.

And like Nogdog I ate too much and paying the price.  . More like emotional snack eating. Today I started back on my usual low carb life style.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I am retired two years, introvert, but I miss my swimming, or at least my body misses it. I was going to quite a few classical concerts and operas this year, and I don't miss being around so many people. It seems odd to see parties on the streaming TV shows. One of the Netflix shows I watched was W1A with Hugh Bonneville -- people working at BBC, a comedy with a lot of superficial chatter. They have a party with SO MANY people standing very close to one another. Seems very strange now.

I am less productive than usual (not that I was doing much with housework anyway). It's been 3 weeks since I vacuumed. I keep up with wiping down sinks, doing dishes and washing hands. I was practicing flute more before this unpleasantness, but I get in about 15-20 minutes a day now. Sometimes I feel weak and shallow-breathed. There is a nice group on facebook called Etude of the Week where we work on the same book of etudes/studies and record to the group. I only posted a few times last summer (when my flute was full of leaks and sounded stuffy). After I got it fixed by a competent repair person, I didn't record again. The group is motivational though. We started a new book this week: Donjon 8 Etudes.

I like to get out and walk but some days I stay in. Short-walk errands are what I usually settle for. Had a few nice walks 2-3 weeks ago in Riverside Park.

Seven out of 20 apartments in my building the people have gone away. Very nice to have the next door neighbor couple away. Very quiet. There are people playing in the back yard of the building next door. I think it's the super's family -- 5 people in a small apartment. I hear a lot of ping-pong late afternoon/early evening.

A few weeks ago, I recorded this video behind my apartment after the #clapbecausewecare applause when someone played their amplified piano, New York, New York:

https://www.facebook.com/marti.lewis/videos/10222542309212466/


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

The husband and I have been working from home for nearly two decades, so not much change, except that we have a bit less work and make less money. When not working, it is worrying, at least for me - just like Atunah, I haven't seen my family in Europe for a long time, and although they are fine, it is a very anxious time for all of us. 

Our area of South Florida has been hit quite badly, thousands of people in the tourist industry have lost their jobs and are in a really desperate situation. But with high death rates we still see in our county, the lockdown will probably last for quite some time. 

I spend way too much time reading news and being anxious over every little health issue we encounter, thinking about future, about possible (even unlikely) food shortages, about our upcoming hurricane season - of course realizing, in my lucid moments, how silly it is to worry needlessly. Frankly, I did not expect it would affect me that badly. It's like having an insane squirrel running 'round and 'round inside of my head


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I am fortunate enough to still have a job, but I am working from home now. It was a surprising amount of work to figure out how we could do some of the things we do from home. I am not spending as much time reading as I would hope, nor of watching classic movies that I want to watch. I spend too much time fiddling with games on my iPad! And in watching less cultural Things on the screen. I am currently watching a tv series from when I was a kid called “the time tunnel” and Finding it surprisingly good! Just yesterday I broke down and got effectively a cable TV subscription For the first time in four years. It’s actually streaming called Sling TV. I’ve been getting used to the idea of actually being able to watch television again! I actually cooked something for the first time in about 15 years over the weekend as well. So between those two Rare events, I figure the end times must be new near!


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I actually cooked something for the first time in about 15 years over the weekend as well.


So how or what do you eat? I haven't turned on my stove or oven in about five years. I do not starve though. Rarely, even before virus, eat out or carry out. I am into small kitchen appliances -- microwave, crock pots, counter-top grill, and air fryer. When I first got it tried actual air frying. That was too much like actual cooking. It's a simple fryer compared to some. I use it as a convection oven. Love it! I got an Instant Pot a while ago. Haven't used it yet. I will.


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## etexlady (May 27, 2009)

I’ve challenged myself to only eat what I already have in the house.  I do have to buy perishables (milk, juice, eggs, etc.) but everything else comes from the freezer.  As a result I have cooked more than usual.  I really prefer to bake and so far I have made brownies, sugar cookies, blueberry bread and a pound cake.  I have a big container of peanut butter I need to use so I think my next bake item will be peanut butter cookies.  I need to find a super good recipe though - any suggestions?


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I am spending most of my days sewing masks for donation. Currently I am donating all the ones that I can make to the Navajo Department of Health (Official Navajo Nation COVID-19 Relief Fund). I am currently making a modified version of the adult mask in Leah Day's YouTube videos (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv2zrkE5yQ4 and 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iNX0cRrYj6U). The main modification was made by my sister so that the inner and outer material would be different. Instead of starting with a single piece of material 9" by 15", the outer material is cut 9" by 8.5" and the inner material is cut 9" by 7.5". In addition, a nonwoven piece of material is cut the same size as the inner material. The nonwoven material is attached to the wrong side of the inner material and those are attached, right sides together, to the outer material with a half inch seam allowance, resulting in a 9" by 15" piece. From there the rest of the instructions are followed except that I use a pipe cleaner folded in an inch on one end and 5 inches in on the other end resulting in a 6 inch length. I put this in the opening before marking and making the pleats and clip it in place. Since I have a beading foot for my machine, I zigzag the pipe cleaner in place. Then I continue following the instructions using fabric ties instead of elastic.

I try to spend a little time outside in my vegetable garden. The rest of the time I am cooking, eating, or sleeping. Sometimes, usually while eating, I might watch a show. I do listen to music, shows, or Levar Burton Reads while sewing.

DH spends most of his time either working outside or inside getting our house ready to sell for when we eventually move (delayed once again) or watching shows (especially when it is too hot outside).

We are keeping busy and staying as safe as possible.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I am helping DH move our large shed, 14' by 12', forward 12 feet so that he can raise it 4 inches and pave all the area under it with pavers instead of just where the supports are. It will then be level with no place for rodents to dig. Then we get to move it eight feet back s o that it ends up about four feet in front of where it was before. It is a good break from sewing masks and vice versa.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Watching ALW's By Jeeves on YouTube. Available through Sunday, I believe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWWB2U3mntQ


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

telracs said:


> Watching ALW's By Jeeves on YouTube. Available through Sunday, I believe
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWWB2U3mntQ


How did you like it? I am hoping that I can get DH to watch it with me as he is a fan P. G. Wodehouse, especially the Jeeves stories.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Drinking Margaritas. Lots of Margaritas.   Its hot, that's my excuse.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Annalog said:


> How did you like it? I am hoping that I can get DH to watch it with me as he is a fan P. G. Wodehouse, especially the Jeeves stories.


it's a light musical comedy with fun performances. i actually saw it live a number of years ago and enjoyed it. on the video, there's bit of a long time before the actual action starts, so stick with it!


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

telracs said:


> it's a light musical comedy with fun performances. i actually saw it live a number of years ago and enjoyed it. on the video, there's bit of a long time before the actual action starts, so stick with it!


Thanks!


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Sleeping late, watching tv streaming, cooking for myself (not baking), waiting for broken wrist to get all better (today is Day 36, which is 5 weeks). Short and long walks. After my wrist is better and strong and flexible again, I will get back to playing flute and maybe swimming (pool is open with sign up for appointments - one person to each lane). i froze my membership for a while.


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## LiveWell-Amy (Jun 13, 2018)

social media, tv, reading, eating, cooking and to take a break go for a walk or biking.


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## toddhicks209 (Jul 12, 2017)

Andra said:


> My husband and I are both still working (from home), but in the evenings we are playing Animal Crossing New Horizons. It's a good way to leave the real world for a while. I have also picked up my coloring books and Zentangle, and of course I am reading.
> What are you doing to keep from going crazy when stuck at home?


 I'm Reading digital and print books more besides having more time to write my books.


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