20 thoughts & realizations I had while sheltering in place for two months - Lockdown Day 63

Well, it's official.  I'm going back to work. I had a lot of time to think during the last two months, and realized many recurring thoughts kept running through my head. I've decided to list a few of them here in a list below.  Not sure if anything can be classified as epiphanies or prolific, but here we go..

• Time alone energizes me
• There are a lot of stupid people in this country
• There are a lot of evil people in this country
• There are a lot good and amazing people in this country
• There is so much more I want to see and do in life
• It doesn't take a lot to make me happy
• If I could retire tomorrow, I would not be bored
• I find comfort being alone with my thoughts
• I have more patience than I thought I did
• I miss laughing
• I procrastinate more than I should
• I really don't mind being confined in close quarters with my Bride
• I eat my stress
• I am ashamed of so many people in our government
• I was raised to be pretty self sufficient
• I need to be more self sufficient
• I missed the simplest and smallest things the most during all of this
• I need to simplify my life 
• I feel like I need to leave something behind for my kids to remember me by
• If it all ends for me tomorrow, at least I helped raise three decent, good hearted human beings

I assure you that this is just the short list, but these are the thoughts that keep coming to the forefront of my mind. I believe I'll keep this list handy and try to look at it often, as life seems like it may get back to normal soon. When it does, I don't want to start coasting through life again, simply existing.. rather than living. It's too bad it took a pandemic to make me see things in a new light, but I am going to try my best to approach life much differently in the future.

Sixty days prior to the epidemic, I had only blogged a total of 7 times.  In the last two months, I have blog posted 102 different times! It really was very therapeutic to me, and helped me work out a few issues I was dealing with.  I have not written this much in years, and am actually experiencing a huge boost in creativity as a result. I created a new web-site, have started writing a book, and have numerous ideas for future projects.  

Returning to work will definitely cut into my blogging time, but I am going to try and keep up the creation of content going.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are doing well during all of this craziness. Take care, and be good to yourselves friends. See you soon. 

The Lovebugs are back. Here's one of my solutions. Lockdown Day 50

Ah yes, Love Bugs aka Plecia nearctica are back and swarming through the Southeast.   While I haven't found a way to totally eradicate them from my property, I have found a way to get rid of them and take out some of my frustrations at the same time..

Shows I've binged & watched since self isolating - Lockdown Day 44

Right off the bat, I'm going to warn you that is probably going to be a very boring binge TV list.  I simply don't watch that much television.  I would like to, and its always something I said I wish I had more time to do, but I haven't dedicated much time to it thus far.

Here's what I have binged or watched over the last 44 days..


Binged Shows
Better Call Saul Season 5
The Walking Dead Season 10
Fear the Walking Dead Season 5
Ozark Season 3

Shows I watch nightly
The Flintstones
Curb your Enthusiasm
Everybody Loves Raymond

New show I'm starting to binge
Picard
The X-Files

Show I tried to binge, but quit after 40 minutes to an hour

Tiger King
Unpopular opinion I know, but I didn't care for Tiger King.  I experience nuts like this in Florida on a regular basis. I don't care to spend my spare time watching more of them and delving into their lives.

Dispatches from Elsewhere
I actually attempted to watch this show several times starting from the first episode.  I usually love weird shows like this about secret societies, conspiracies etc., but I just couldn't get into it.  The payoff for the time I was investing just wasn't worth it, and it just didn't keep my interest.


I know my binge habits can't even hold a candle to many others out there. And when I say binge, it's never any more than two episodes in a row I watch.  The only show I truly binged intently during a three day period was Ozark.  Everything else on my binge list was a matter of "catching up" on shows I had simply fell behind on watching.

Don't get me wrong, there are TONS of shows I would love to start watching, but I still can't justify taking the time to do so.  I simply have too many other things that require my time.  I'm reading, writing, cooking, and biking more.  Being a home owner.. I always have a huge to-do list. There may come a time very soon that I indeed have more spare time, so maybe I'll make a to-watch list.  If I discover anything good, I'll make sure to share it here.

Gaining weight in self isolation - Lockdown Day 43

I've definitely put on a few pounds since this lockdown started.  Not right away mind you, as I came right out of the gate staying pretty active.  However, as my big projects finished, I'm not quite as active as I was a few weeks ago.  The biggest thing however, is the eating of carbs and more sweets.  Before the pandemic, I was eating a low carb diet and had lost over 15 pounds in a couple months time.  If I don't do something soon, I'm afraid these pounds will keep piling on.  Here's some visuals on the culprits that are slowly putting pounds on me..

Ham, Eggs & Biscuits

Biscuits, Gravy and Eggs

Daily Breakfast

I wasn't eating breakfast before the lockdown.  I was doing intermittent fasting after dinner, until lunch the next day. which was usually about 16 to 18 hours.  Breakfast has always been my favorite meal, so it really has been serving as a nice comforting way to start my day.

Donuts and Snack Cakes

My biggest vice is donuts and snack cakes, and if I've learned anything about myself this year, it's that I tend to eat my feelings and stress.  Therefore it comes as no surprise to me that I've been ingesting more of this type of fare, to give me a little comfort and joy during the day.  Here are some snacks I've eaten during this last week..

Tatsykake Chocolate Bells

Krispy Kreme Raspberry filled donuts

Hostess Baseball Cupcakes

Cooking at home

So I've heard cooking at home can help you lose weight.  Maybe so.. but not if you're having fun cooking stuff like this.

 Pancakes Galore

Grilled Cheeseburgers

 Homemade Pizza

 Bacon Pancakes for dinner

Bread

I had totally eliminated bread from my diet before all of this, so again I'm not shocked I'm slowly packing on the weight.  I don't eat it every day, but will bake some occasionally, or eat some whole wheat toast with breakfast.  It doesn't matter what kind of bread you eat though.  Carbs are carbs.

It's crystal clear as to what I need to do.  I have to back off of the carbs, empty calories, and sugar.  I also need to get even more active.  If I step up my activity, I'll be less likely to sit around and mindlessly snack.  With a little sweat and some tweaks to my new eating habits, I should be able to undo the damage I've done from backsliding over the last month or so.

That's it for now folks, I'm off to eat a sensible breakfast and then go for a nice bike ride.  Hmm, Holding myself accountable.. another benefit of blogging daily!

Drinking 9 month old Coke - Lockdown Day 42

My Coca-Cola stash ran dangerously low this week.  While tidying up, I decided to try and extend my supply, by chilling and opening up some older Coke Bottles from my collection.  I had several 9 month old bottles of Coca Cola Classic, Coke Zero, a can of NEW Coke that was released last summer for the STRANGER THINGS Cross Promotion, and some 16 ounce cans of Coke Zero.  Here are my findings

Coke Zero

I cracked open a can and split it with my bride. I was shocked to find there was absolutely no sweetness to it at all.  I looked at my wife and asked her what it tasted like to her, and she said it was just like Seltzer water. Next, I opened a glass bottle and it was devoid of any sweetness as well. So Coke Zero obviously doesn't hold up well over time at least for 9 months anyway.

Bottled Classic Coke 

My favorite drink from the Coca-Cola line. It had plenty of carbonation and tasted perfect.  I popped it open after mowing my yard, and was super satisfying to tip up that ice cold bottle on a 90 degree day.

NEW Coke

I like New Coke, but wasn't sure how it had held up since I last drank it in 2019. I was happy to see it tasted exactly like it did when I previously drank it 9 months ago.  I made sure to savor it slowly and took a little walk down memory lane as I drank it in the afternoon while doing some writing.

I must note that all cans and bottles were stored in the dark with no crazy spikes or drops in temperature for almost a year.  As far as the Coke Zero.. I can only attribute the total absence of sweetness to the Aspartame and Acesulfame K, simply not having a very long shelf life.

I'm not sure just how old of a Coca-Cola Bottle I would crack open to try.  Nine months very well may be my limit, but in these uncertain times, you never know..

Lockdown day 40 - Having a milestone birthday during the pandemic

I truly feel for people who have a birthday during the thick of this pandemic.  For anyone who has a
milestone birthday during this mess, you have my condolences.  As for me, I turned 50 yesterday, and it was a pretty melancholy day.  I really can't complain though.  I had my entire immediate family with me all day, and it was pretty much a chill stress free day at home.  We have our health, each other, and are still holding strong. Truly, things can always be worse, so I am very blessed.

I grew up not celebrating birthdays, so I think that the paramount occasion and importance of it all is lost on me.  I definitely am not one who would plan out a whole day, week, or month of events for my own birthday.  In fact, I feel downright uncomfortable celebrating my own birthday to tell you the truth.  I know it's simply a result of my upbringing, and that making it through another year of life should definitely be cause for celebration, but it just feels weird to me.

My family is kind of in the same boat.  They too were raised for much of their lives not celebrating birthdays, so it only makes sense that celebrating their birthday or someone else's just doesn't come naturally.  Now some of my friends are pros through and through, and exude  happiness, merriment, and delight for their friends birthdays, but we very well can't gather with friends right now.

We were actually supposed to be on a cruise this weekend, but that was cancelled last month.  Now that I think of it, little pangs of this hopeless feeling started creeping in around that time, slowly building up until I woke up with a feeling of slight sadness yesterday.  I couldn't shake that weird feeling during my birthday, and it's still lingering a bit today.  50 years is a milestone birthday.  It's one of those birthdays that is flat out monumental, like your 18th, 21st, 30th, and 40th.  Now it has come and gone, there was not much special about it, and I will never get that day back.

I'm not going to focus on this void I'm feeling for very long. There will be other occasions to celebrate, more fun times to be had, and life will move on. I'm not the only person in this boat.  It's this lousy virus and lockdown that has made for a cruddy 2020 thus far, and I have to remember that we can't control it.  I can adjust my attitude however, and in turn be happier.  One thing is for sure, the parties and celebrations people will be enjoying after we are on the other side of this mess, will in themselves be monumental!

Lockdown Day 39 - 3 random things I learned about myself during this lockdown

Over the last 39 days, I've had a heck of a lot of time to ponder and self reflect.  During that time, there have been lots of things I've learned, noticed, and discovered.  This also includes things about myself.  Here are a few of those things that kind of took me by surprise.


3 Random things I've learned about myself during lockdown..

• I like burnt toast
• I enjoy waking up before the crack of dawn
• I only have one vice... Donuts

Burnt Toast

This one kind of surprised me. I used to despise burnt toast in the way I hate coffee grounds swimming in my coffee.  I used to watch my Grandfather ask for his toast to be "burnt", and then subsequently take a butter knife to scrape off the darkest part of the burnt surface.  He'd say "Ah that's better" and would then begin spreading butter across the less charred surface.

Strange as it may be, I totally get this now. When I eat toast.. I want my bread to be toasted.  I HATE IT when a piece of bread is golden brown and the second you spread butter or margarine, it gets super soft, and actually sinks down, collapsing in on itself. Add some jelly or jam into the equation, and its even worse.  A workaround, is to almost burn the toast to get more moisture out of the bread, so it stays firm while spreading butter or jelly across it.  This also adds more taste and texture to the entire slice.  I babysit my toast so it doesn't get to the point of being black, but if you don't have a toaster that controls heat very well, or have the time to watch it, Granddad's 'Burn it to a crisp' method and scraping it afterward is a quick way to accomplish this as well.

Waking up before sunrise
I have complained about not being able to 'sleep in' for years.  Even as a kid on summer vacation, I could stay up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, and then be wide awake as soon as it started getting light outside.  I'm simply wired that way.  For the last thirty-nine days, I have never slept past 7:00 a.m. but on most days wake up at around 5:30.  Recently I stopped resenting this.

I really do enjoy the peace and tranquility I experience when the rest of my house, and much of the world is still sleeping.  My senses aren't bombarded, and I can truly be at peace while I drink my morning coffee, write, and check the news online at my own leisure.  It really is tranquil and calming, and is a great way to get my mind right for the day ahead.


Donuts

One of my only true vices, even more so than Pizza.   While coffee can instantly get me to a good place very quickly, throwing in a donut gets me Zen!  Whenever I pass by a donut place day or night, I think about popping in to get a donut.  If there are donuts near me, I cannot pass them up.  The longer donuts are in my proximity, the more of them I will eat.

It's not like I eat donuts all of the time (anymore).  Until this lockdown, I had really gotten my eating habits under control.  Mind you, I'm not devouring donuts left and right, but have definitely ordered more of them with my groceries over the last several weeks.  To me they have always been comfort food.  I have such good memories of eating donuts with my parents as a kid, my friends, workmates, and with my own family.

And.. I'm an equal opportunity donut eater.  As a kid, I used to be an all out jelly and cream filled donut fanatic. I still crave them occasionally, but my taste for them has actually diminished a bit over the years.  At one time, I made it my mission to try outrageous donuts covered in cookies, cereal, candy, bacon etc., but anymore.. just give me a good old fashioned plain donut, or apple fritter to enjoy with my coffee.  Don't get me wrong, I will jump at the chance to eat any kind of donut, but lately my philosophy is that simplicity is better.

The right kind of donut that's not sickeningly sweet, and a nice cup of brewed coffee with cream, can perfectly balance each other out creating a whole yin and yang dynamic.  Wow.. until now, I didn't realize there's a whole lot of eastern philosophy involved with my coffee and donut routine.

So that's it for now.  I can only imagine how many other things I'll learn about myself in the coming weeks.  If I deem anymore of these self realizations as remotely interesting, I may have to update this list soon.

Lockdown Day 38 - The top 3 things I miss and don't miss since lockdown began

As I sit here looking towards another weekend under lock down, I once again have that weird feeling so many others have right now.  That is, Saturday and Sunday feel like any other day to me now.  There's nothing special about them, and I don't look forward to them any longer. This is mainly because we are pretty much contained to our home, and none of us can venture out for fear of exposing an at risk family member in the household.

It got me thinking of how much my life has changed during all of this, and how much I miss certain things.  Therefore, I decided to make a list of the top three things I miss and don't miss about being under a lockdown..

Top 3 things I miss since lockdown began

Laughing
While my bride and family indeed make me laugh, I'm not laughing as much lately.  Sure I get some giggles from memes and such on the internet, but then I see news that undoes all of that and really puts me in a bad place.  It's the main reason I've cut down watching the news on TV by about 90% as of late.  Not going to work has been a huge factor in this as well.  I really got along with my work family, and we would laugh all throughout our day.  Now after a month away from them, I can really see the effects that being away from such positive and happy people has had on my life.

Going out with no plans
There is/was so much to do in the area where I live.  It was such a great feeling to get up in the morning, leave the house, and simply see where the day took you.  Like so many other things, it was something I truly took for granted.  And I'm not talking about big stuff either.  It's things like stopping by my favorite pizzeria for a slice and a Coke, hitting up the local Puerto Rican eatery for some Café con leche & fresh hot buttered bread, or simply walking around a Farmer's Market after breakfast. These were all such fulfilling little pieces of my life. I simply just didn't realize how much so until now.

Travel
Traveling is one of those things that re-energizes and nourishes my soul.  Where we live, there are no shortage of destinations to visit if you only have a day or two to spare.  I had all kinds of plans for this summer, and now they are all shot.  A couple days in St. Augustine, a few days in Key West, a cruise during my 50th birthday.. all cancelled.  I know this mess won't last forever, but it sure did ruin my year.

Top 3 things I don't miss since lockdown began

The Rat Race
"I wake up every morning in a bed that's too small, drive my daughter to a school that's too expensive, and then I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little, but on Pretzel Day? Well, I like Pretzel Day".
-- Stanley Hudson  (The Office)

Doesn't that about size it up?  Life can get in the way and suck all of the joy and happiness from your soul.  The only way to make up for that, is to find things that bring that joy and happiness back into your life.. (like pretzel Day).  Unfortunately, I currently can't do a lot of the things right now that bring me joy, but I sure do have a lot of time to figure out new things to appease myself.

Commuting
My stress levels have dropped exponentially since not having to drive as much.  You really can see the worst of people in traffic, and I often did on a daily basis.  Nothing can ruin your day quicker than a terrible experience in traffic at the start, or end of your day. 

Unnecessary & impulse spending
Many people won't agree with this one. That being said, I have several friends that have self admittedly been buying tons of items they don't need online to keep themselves entertained.  I personally however have avoided this snare, because I shop a little differently when it comes to buying items online.  I never just click and buy on a whim.  I always add items to the cart and come back later to review what it is I'm actually buying.  More often than not, I end up removing half of them. In fact, the 'Save for later' list on my Amazon account must be several miles long at this point. 

I'm good at talking myself out of buying items online, but in retail stores, restaurants, theme parks or malls.. not so much.  That's why I'm saving tons of money right now.  Now if I wasn't being furloughed, and could actually access the broken Florida unemployment system, maybe my bank account would be holding steady and not shrinking.

So that's it for now.  These are just the things that pop right off the top of my head.  There are many more, and I'm sure the list will continue to grow the longer we are self isolating.  I'm pretty sure a lot of people myself included are putting their lives under a microscope right now, and reassessing what is really important in their lives.  If I didn't have writing as an outlet, I'm not exactly sure I could cope with all of the stress and worries that can plague the mind.  Thanks for reading my random thoughts and musings during this time, and be good to yourselves my friends.

Lockdown day 37 - Cars and computers

Had a busy day yesterday, and by bedtime I was good and ready to go to sleep.  Here's how it went down..

• Mowed, edged and trimmed yard
• Cleaned and pressure washed my truck
• Cut down and removed dying bush in the back yard
• Repaired shower door
• Set up my new laptop
• Swam in the afternoon
• Went on an evening bike ride
• Fit in a quick dumbbell workout

My truck is something I have been putting on the back burner as far as projects go.  It really needs nothing mechanically, just some cosmetic work.  It has a camper shell, and the plan was to outfit the back of the truck for travel, to take day and weekend trips with.  I cleaned out the back of the truck bed and camper shell by hand washing and pressure washing everything.  I also cleaned out the cab really well, and just need to detail it up soon.

My vision for that camper is a space that has lots of storage, a fold out bed, and air conditioning.  Parking at KOA, RV Parks, or campgrounds with power, bathrooms, and showers.. will eliminate a HUGE expense with the type of traveling we like to do.  I may make a video or a few blog posts showing how I set it all up.  Plus, in the midst of all this Covid-19 mess, having your own personal space to sleep that you aren't sharing with thousands of other people sounds pretty appealing.

So my faithful writing and editing companion of 5 years (my Toshiba Laptop) was quickly going downhill.  A section of the hard drive was damaged and I could only do so much to keep it running properly.  I found an incredible deal for a new one at Best Buy, so I ordered it and had it shipped to me this week.  

It always amazes me how much easier and seamless the setup gets every time I buy a new phone or computer.  What used to take hours, now takes 30 minutes.  Now it's just a matter of getting the system tweaked and customized exactly the way I like.

Not sure where today will take me.  I'm pretty sore from all of the physical activity yesterday.  Once I get up and around however, that should quickly fade.  Take care friends, and see ya soon.

Lockdown Day 34 - stepping up the physical activity

So the inevitable happened.. I noticed I've gained some weight.  Not too much mind you, but a few pounds in the midsection for sure.  I dropped about 15 pounds in the months prior, so this really bugs me.  This of course is a direct result of the lockdown.  I used to walk miles upon miles a week for work, and I would usually visit the Disney Theme parks once a week and get some more physical activity that way.  Even though I'm riding bikes more, I'm simply moving a lot less than I used to.  The types of food we've been buying to ride out this lockdown has consisted of lots of pasta, rice, etc.. which I had all but eliminated from my diet before all of this.

Yesterday I decided enough was enough.  My bride and I started off the day with a nice walk.  We also spent some good time in the pool since the weather has warmed back up.  We even took a quick little ride on the bikes in the early evening.  Even if my eating habits aren't the best out of necessity right now, I'm thinking I can counteract the effects by getting my activity levels up.  There really is no excuse right now for me not to do so.

One thing I am going to be mindful of however, is safe distancing.  Lots of people are going stir crazy, and are walking and running their asses off (pun intended).  I'm going to do my walking and bike riding early to avoid these groups and sometimes crowds of people.  I hope the weather holds, as I will be able to start swimming daily as well.  We'll see how it goes.  It'll at least be another goal that I can focus on to keep my mind occupied during all of this mess.  Take care friends.  If you too are going to be stepping up your activity levels, please be safe.

Lockdown Day 31 - The new way I grocery shop

Well, it was shopping day once again, so I ventured out into the world yesterday.  It's actually a pretty easy process.  We order our groceries via the Walmart shopping app, and simply go to pick them up at our designated time. Heck, you don't even have to sign for the items anymore as the attendant does it for you.  The real fun comes when I get home.  Here's the Modus Operandi involved..

Once I get home I back into the driveway.  I then open up the tailgate of my truck that's sitting in the garage.  The tailgate serves as my table where I transfer all of the groceries to.  One by one, I physically spray each item with antibacterial cleaner, or use antibacterial cloths to wipe every inch of the packages.  I then move the clean items while still wet, to clean laundry baskets.  After the baskets are full, I move them inside of the house.  Afterward, I throw the shopping bags out, wipe down the tailgate with sanitizer, put the groceries away, take a shower, and put on a new change of clothes.

Overkill?  Some may say so, but we have a person at high risk in the household, so better safe than sorry.  Plus, you have no idea who may have touched or God forbid.. coughed on your groceries inside the store.  Something new I'm doing now is wiping down frozen goods as well.  I watched a video from a Doctor that said past strains of the Corona virus have been found to live for up to two years after being frozen!

Finally, what about fruit? This same doctor said to wash your vegetables like your hands. Basically, a sink full of soapy water is what I drop the oranges, apples, potatoes, etc into.  I then wash each one for about 20 seconds and rinse.  If I can do it.. I will open up certain packages and dump the contents into containers that are not compromised.  You can do this with pasta, grains, cereal, sodas, etc.  That way, you can just immediately throw the package away.  It's such a tedious process, but this is our new normal for now.  Heck.. it's not like I don't have enough time right now to take these extra steps.

So that was my morning.  It rained almost all day, so I spent the rest of the day on the couch writing.  I helped my bride with dinner and cooked some pork chops.  She did the heavy lifting by cooking up some Puerto Rican Rice and Beans, so I cleaned up after dinner.  That's all for now folks. Not the most exciting post I know, but maybe it can help someone out there tweak their own shopping method, to make it more safe and efficient.  Until tomorrow..

Lockdown Day 30 - A list of what I've done so far

So I've hit the 30 day mark of this lockdown. Since the days are now seamlessly blending together,  I was having a hard time naming off everything I've been doing to keep busy during this time.  I  actually had to comb through my blog posts so I could compile this list..

Some things I've done and accomplished during the lockdown

• Cleaned & Organized the garage numerous times
• Regularly Hand pull weeds from the front landscaping
• Treated landscaping for future weeds
• Treated landscaping for ants
• Reset paving stones on front landscaping
• Installed a keyed entry lock on the gate to my fence
• Scrubbed and cleaned the tiles of my pool
• Relocated a tree to the backyard
• Treated weeds in back and side yard numerous times
• Cleared home AC drip pipe
• Fixed slow draining bathroom sink
• Treated one of my trees for fungus
• Weekly Pool Maintenance and service
• Scrubbed and cleaned part of the patio by the pool.
• Repair broken and chipped tile gout on the pool
• Washed and Hand Waxed both of our cars
• Pressure washed the driveway
• Helped my wife with some interior painting
• Installed new handles and drawer pulls on the kitchen cabinets 
• Installed new toilet seats in two bathrooms
• Oiled squeaky door hinges throughout the house
• Installed hooks on the garage ceiling to hang bikes from
• Pressure washed the sidewalk in front of my house
• Treated the sidewalk for weeds
• Treated problem areas in the yard for weeds
• treated the yard for fire ants
• fertilized the yard
• Installed a wireless touchpad for my garage
• Redesigned my Blog
• Completed our household Government Census
• Combed our finances thoroughly

• Replaced our ventilation air filter
• Installed a new pool filter
• Shot, edited, and uploaded some YouTube videos
• Installed a new side mirror on my son's car
• Finished a rebuild of my 1963 Schwinn
• Fixed and tune my Bride's, Son's, and Daughters Beach Cruisers
• Installed a basket on my Brides Beach Cruiser
• Fixed the axle on my old Schwinn
• Brewed a 3 gallon batch of pineapple beer
• Installed a basket on my Brides Beach Cruiser
• Cleaned and organized attic
• Sorted my toy collection
• Unclogged two sink drains
• Hours of writing and creating content for the blog and social media
• Hours of riding my bike
• Hours of swimming and walking
• Hours of reading books

I almost expected that list to be longer to tell you the truth.  And.. this isn't a list of every single thing I've done.  Just projects and work that stood out to me.  Rest assured, I amazingly still have plenty more projects and work to do.  

I've been cooking a lot more lately as well.  Here a few of the meals I've made that stand out in my memory..

• Macaroni and Cheese with pork chops)
• Pigs in a Blanket from scratch
• Biscuits and Gravy from Scratch
• Bacon Pancakes
• Banana Pancakes
• Homemade Calzones
• Burritos smothered in Pork Green Chile
• Chili Dogs
• Breakfast Burritos (Egg, Chorizo, Potatoes, Cheese & Green Chile)
• Philly Cheesesteak Quesadillas
• Pork Chops, eggs and grits
• Oatmeal cookies
• Breakfast Tacos
• Fresh Baked bread

I'm glad I've had so much to keep me busy during all of this mess.  I had a couple of days where the whole gravity of the pandemic really started weighing on me, but fortunately was able to shake that off without too much trouble.  Staying busy has helped me immensely, but am learning you also need to make time to take care of yourself  so the stress and anxiety doesn't start to creep in and takeover.

That's it for now folks.  Thanks for stopping by, and we'll see ya tomorrow.

Lockdown Day 29 - More Bicycle Building

So after a day of tiring work, I decided to tackle some projects at a leisurely pace.  Here's what kept me busy for most of the day..

• Organized the attic
• Assembled and tuned another Beach Cruiser
• Disassembled and repacked the wheel bearings on a Razor Scooter
• Cleaned up and tuned a fishing rod and reel
• Unclogged the sink in my Master Bathroom

It was one of those days that I felt like keeping busy with enjoyable projects.  Apart from cleaning out the bathroom sink, all of the other projects got me very Zen.

This is my very first fishing pole that was given to me at the age of seven. It's still very much functional and could be used tomorrow.  And.. as long as you didn't try to land a seven pound Bass with it, I'm sure it would still hold up.  I cleaned and oiled it up, and looked back upon some great memories I had with her.

I also tore down and repacked the bearings on a Razor Longboard Scooter, because.. why the heck not? My Son always had an affinity for scooters, and I forgot about this one up in the attic.  He took it out for a spin after I told him I had gotten it in shape once again.  Unfortunately, it was a few inches  too short for him to comfortably ride on.  I don't know what I'm going to do with it now.  Probably gift it to a neighbor whose kids might enjoy it.

And.. I put together yet another Beach Cruiser (That's four of them in my garage now).  This one simply needed to be put back together as it was disassembled and stored in the attic. I only needed to re-grease the front wheel bearings on this one.  I didn't go to hard on it cosmetically, only cleaning it up a bit. Not sure if I will strip it down and repaint it yet. Stripping the decals and a quick polish with my high speed buffer very well make it look like a new bike.

This is actually a pretty impressive bike made by Sun Bikes.  I believe it's got a 24 or 25 inch frame, but is outfitted with 26 inch rims.  It's incredibly light and rides like a dream.  It's the perfect size for someone who is under five and a half feet tall like my wife and daughters. If it starts getting ridden more, I'll give it a little more TLC.

I swear, I think the most zen that I have been through this whole Lockdown, is when I'm working on bikes.  Another lifetime ago, I at one time seriously thought about opening a bicycle shop.  It's probably a job that is perfectly suited to my personality.  I love to be calm and chill, but sometimes have trouble getting there.

Working on bicycles gets me in a good place very very quickly, and is very therapeutic and fulfilling.  I can't wait to get started on my next project, but am quickly running out of space to store any more bikes.  Fortunately, the next build I have in mind will be a space saver in regards to storage.  I just can't begin to look for a bike until this pandemic is over.  I may explore buying the frame and forks online if the shipping cost is right.

That's it for now folks.  Tomorrow will be one month that I've been home from work.  I think I'm going to compile a list of everything I've accomplished in that period of time.  I'll either be very impressed or very disappointed.  It's something I need to do however, as the days are blending together at this point. Until tomorrow..

Lockdown Day 28 - Hard work and thinking about Donuts

Things are getting back to normal after a couple days of feeling a bit down.  A nice dinner on the weekend, breaking back into reading, and trying not to focus on the negative has helped immensely however.  Here's what I did yesterday..

• Mowed, edged and trimmed the yard
• Performed weekly pool maintenance
• Wrote and worked on the blog and social media accounts

That's about it. I spent a few hours outside in the heat and humidity and it kind of wiped me out, so I relaxed inside the rest of the afternoon to recoup.  I have a short video to edit, and have plans of shooting another as soon as the clouds decide to finally go away.  

Curiously, readership of  Donut and snack cake content has been going through the roof this month on the blog, so I'm going to embrace that and do a new review this week.  I do believe I may even write some other donut or snack cake related content.

That's about it for now folks, thanks for stopping by.  Not sure what I'll be doing today, but will update you tomorrow and will try to post additional content in the meantime.  Cheers!