Shopsmith Forums

Well the Governor of California just ordered all folks over the age of 65 to be confined to their homes until further notice. Sure glad I got plenty of lumber and supplies in the work shop. Oh yeah, and some food and stuff for a few weeks of quarantine. Just the motivation I need to get started on a new project.

Yes, it definitely sounds like time to play in the sawdust.

We have lots of stuff in the freezer. Don't have to go bonkers. Don't drink bottled water. I already pay for good water from the taps in the house. I am 73 and my wife is 66. We never get sick. We have never had the Flu. I am retired AF and my wife is retired Civil Service working for DOD with the Army and AF. As such we have always been vaccinated for many things.

We have 6 concerts scheduled and paid for this summer so far. The first one is 18 April so we will see what happens. The Temptation's at the Eccles center in Salt Lake. If it gets canceled I am sure we will get a refund. We have seen them twice in Wendover, NV. Then there is the summer Utah Symphony series outside at Deer Valley in Park City, UT. The culmination is the 1812 Overture with live cannons after dark. That is in August so hopefully we will be good.

We are fairly isolated just because of where we live out in the boonies. We're 16 miles from town and, our closest neighbor is a mite less than a 1/4 mile away. We're in our 70s but in good health. We have a stocked freezer and maintain a well stocked pantry. We can hold out for several weeks. Our supply of TP is ample as is the supply of wood. I think we're gonna be fine.

We aren't quarantined here yet, so we will probably do our weekly grocery shopping today. We plan to cut down on grocery shopping trips to once every two or three weeks. We keep a 6 month supply of food in the house all the time. The freezers have around 150# of meat , and a good supply of frozen and canned fruit and vegetables from last Summer's garden. There is around 50# of flour here for baking so bread isn't an issue.
If we have to sit in for the long haul, we would run out of eggs and milk, but a bit of creativity would easily get us past that too.
I hear lots of recommendations for "social distancing". We like that too. We don't like crowds or large gatherings of any kind.
As long as the power stays on, the Shopsmith will work, and in the next couple of months, the garden and flower beds will thaw out so we can work out there. The "greenhouse" room is already fast filling with starter plants as we prepare for Spring. We start 700-800 plants every year for the yard, and none of the experts are yet claiming that the virus can be contracted from plants and dirt in your yard, so that seems plenty safe.

best of luck , the gov just shut down bars restaurants and most every public event here , my guess is there will be a surge in cellphone sales since the kids are home from school for three weeks . We don't get out much around here so I don't predict much of a life change. other then groceries things will be normal .

Self isolation is becoming the new normal. Our Provincial premier "encouraged" anybody over 70 to self isolate last week. Also shut down all public places like librairies, pools, arenas (no more old timers hockey for me), etc. Schools, churches, daycares and other gathering places are now on the list.

We had anticipated this and stocked up on some items and dear wife busied herself with making casseroles and other dishes that could be frozen so we are good for a few weeks.

Let's hope this ends soon with minimal serious illnes and death.

Take care.

John

I'm home but not feeling isolated. My Wife made up a Shepard's Pie because after all, it is St. Paddy's day so we will be enjoying Shepard's pie today.
I just made up a batch of dry cottage cheese. It has become almost impossible to get that product at the stores. All they sell is the creamy stuff which is a totally different product. When I can find the dry cottage cheese in the store, it is $8-9 a pound, and I can easily make if for around $3 a pound. There are some ethnic dishes popular here that require the dry cheese. And, you haven't eaten a proper lasagna unless you make one up with dry cottage cheese.
It is easy to keep busy and have fun too.

Next, I went to the wood shop and started a new project. Winter here is still going to be around for quite a while, so outdoor projects have to wait yet.

So, not really isolated, just having fun at home.

Its corn beef and cabbage for us today. And yes this does not change our normal patterns much either and pretty much everything is closed around here anyway except for the essentials which we can order to be delivered to our door if needed.