# Positive posts



## mmcmdl (Apr 24, 2020)

As you know , I've been on nightshift for the past 2+ years working 12 hrs every Fri and Sat night . I moved onto daylight and finally have my weekends free . We ( my family and I ) are pretty much locked in as far as going out . I've cleaned up the yard quite a bit . Got rid of a few tractors and zero turns , Cut trees down and burned them , have had a great bonfire the past 3 Sat nights , takin 4 truck loads of metal to the dumps , grass seed duty , grass cutting duty , car maintenance crap , the regular stuff . This is life as usual . Has this covid ? really changed anything for me , not really . Other than telling the wife we're going up to watering hole for dinner and 2 beers and keeping my butt out of New York , Herkimer County in the middle of EBE , has this affected my schedule ?









Well , yeah . It sucks . Let's all stay safe , we get thru it . we have out tool trips up to Pa next year and life moves on . I am not a negative person .












Well


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## NICOLAS LIN (Apr 24, 2020)

mmcmdl said:


> As you know , I've been on nightshift for the past 2+ years working 12 hrs every Fri and Sat night . I moved onto daylight and finally have my weekends free . We ( my family and I ) are pretty much locked in as far as going out . I've cleaned up the yard quite a bit . Got rid of a few tractors and zero turns , Cut trees down and burned them , have had a great bonfire the past 3 Sat nights , takin 4 truck loads of metal to the dumps , grass seed duty , grass cutting duty , car maintenance crap , the regular stuff . This is life as usual . Has this covid ? really changed anything for me , not really . Other than telling the wife we're going up to watering hole for dinner and 2 beers and keeping my butt out of New York , Herkimer County in the middle of EBE , has this affected my schedule ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi, many people stay at home and not going out much, you've done lots of thing that keep house clean and neat. That is a good job. anyway, just want to give you a big thumb for that. Let me share with you our daily life in Taiwan. We're not lockdown city as China or other country during this period, less people people infected, the daily still able to going maybe 80% normal (Our Government ask us not going to some places many people) but school, shop, company are runs normally. We take temp. every day, wash hand frequently, wear mask, stay safe place...stay at home as possible as we could, let's hope for the best, plan for the worst, we will get thru it somehow~~~


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## matthewsx (Apr 24, 2020)

Sometimes I wonder what the folks who don't have hobby shops are doing with their time....

john


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## Dhal22 (Apr 24, 2020)

It's been great for hobbyists.  Stuck at home and forced to do our hobbies!


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## Aukai (Apr 24, 2020)

It's getting in the way of my retirement, but at least it's not 911. When I finally got my 401 out of the company, it went into a cash account(still in retirement holding). I have been working with the broker of my new 401, and getting everything setup, and the market dumped. So now the brokers are buying things to fill the portfolio with the money from the cash account. It's only a few 100k but it's good that it was out of the market at the time.


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## matthewsx (Apr 24, 2020)

Aukai said:


> It's getting in the way of my retirement, but at least it's not 911. When I finally got my 401 out of the company, it went into a cash account. I have been working with the broker of my new 401, and getting everything setup, and the market dumped. So now the brokers are buying things to fill the portfolio with the money from the cash account. It's only a few 100k but it's good that it was out of the market at the time.



We took money out of the market last year to buy my sister out of our dad's house in California. With only 5-10 years until retirement that's looking like the smartest move ever now

John


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## Nutfarmer (Apr 25, 2020)

Think of all the money you saved not going out .


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## NICOLAS LIN (Apr 25, 2020)

Nutfarmer said:


> Think of all the money you saved not going out .


Yeah, that is another point of view to convince myself to stay down. But life will be a little boring.


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 25, 2020)

I am so glad I work from home in my workshop, only problem is no work can come in because of lockdown. Luckily there are a lot of projects to work on.


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## NICOLAS LIN (Apr 25, 2020)

Suzuki4evr said:


> I am so glad I work from home in my workshop, only problem is no work can come in because of lockdown. Luckily there are a lot of projects to work on.


What's your job? Machining something?


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 25, 2020)

Machining work. Big lathe (1,5m), knee milling machine and most of the tooling that goes with the above mentioned. I have built up a few clients over the past 9years after I had a big motor cycle accident in 09'.


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 25, 2020)

O I also have a small bench type lathe (500mm btc).


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## jbobb1 (Apr 25, 2020)

Self employed/work at home guy also, so I've been lucky. I did lose a very large blanket PO from one of my larger customers, but I'll survive! Been trying to take care of the honey-do list as well and playing my guitar. This event is a life changer with out a doubt, but I have to believe there's light at the end of the tunnel. 
Stay safe!


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## BGHansen (Apr 25, 2020)

I'm a quality engineer at a GM car assembly plant in Lansing, MI.  I'm 60 and plan on retiring in a couple of years.  GM has essentially laid off their salaried manufacturing work force with a 75% paycheck.  We are doing fine on my 75% paycheck other than I'm getting VERY used to getting up at 7:00 AM instead of 5:00 AM.  Going through A LOT more coffee and Bailey's in the morning.  Ah, a taste of retirement. . .

Yes, we are blessed that I work for a company who is paying me 75% to sit home.  Not bragging, just how the chips fell for us.  I feel for others who aren't as fortunate, we're helping out some family members who weren't as lucky.

Like others, been getting more stuff done around the house than usual.  This morning's project is trying to get a Massey 35 tractor started.  Replacing the ignition switch this afternoon, need to extend all of the wiring to the switch first as there's like ZERO service loop.  Heading out in a couple (need to finish the Bailey's and coffee, er, coffee and Bailey's) to finish wiring in the remote E-stop on my Tormach.  Stay safe!

Bruce


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## Janderso (Apr 25, 2020)

My wife and had a nice little argument last night.
She stays at home, won’t go to the store, won’t see any family even ten feet away.
Me, I go to work every day, go to the store and box stores as needed.
”You are exposing me to this virus”.
I was my hands, wear a mask, when I go to the stores. Work is norma, nobody is protecting themselves.
The county we are in, as of yesterday has 16 cases and zero deaths.
But, they aren’t testing people unless you are in the hospita.
Statistically valid = not in my book


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## Buffalo21 (Apr 25, 2020)

I’m an industrial boiler service technician, we’re still pretty busy, quite a bit of hospital work and some gov’t contracts. Working on the road at this time is a true adventure, a large amounts of the hotels are closed and eating, by itself is an adventure.


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## NCjeeper (Apr 25, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> Sometimes I wonder what the folks who don't have hobby shops are doing with their time....
> john


Watch a lot of YouTube of people working in their shops.


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## matthewsx (Apr 25, 2020)

After buying the house out here (modest manufactured home on a foundation and we own the lot); I was in the middle of interviewing for some very good jobs. Living in Northern Michigan the last 10 years wasn't exactly great for my career but I worked the past five doing WiFi networks for computer conferences, filling in with some remote writing work.

Well, life throws you curve balls sometimes....

But at least I already know how to garden, and bake, and can food, and a whole lot of other things folks are Googling now to try and stay busy. I miss my wife as she is still back in Michigan. It was also a gut punch to have our dog die last month, when I left in January I never thought I wouldn't see her again.

But overall we're doing well. I had a little money saved up and have been able to sell some stuff I needed to get rid of anyway. I'm grateful they extended unemployment insurance to us freelance workers. The events industry was probably the first one hit with major conferences being cancelled. It'll take a long time to come back if ever, our whole business model was based on high density people needing internet connectivity.

But my 89-year-old mom is healthy and enjoying the California sunshine, I've had time to really set-up our home here, and definitely getting more rest, exercise and healthy food. Getting to know the neighbors too

John


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## Cadillac (Apr 25, 2020)

Not much has changed in my life other than my son doesn’t have school till next year.  
I go to work as normal my wife is self employed which is huge because she is able to bring our son to work. Only difference is you can’t do what you want now have to mask up. Being a mechanic I’m use to washing my hands a hundred times a day but now washing two hundred times a day they are soooo dry lots of lotion. Been going to The summer house on weekends  to get as far away from population as possible. It’s funny how different life is 150 miles away from city life. Can’t wait for this to be over stay safe!!


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 25, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> After buying the house out here (modest manufactured home on a foundation and we own the lot); I was in the middle of interviewing for some very good jobs. Living in Northern Michigan the last 10 years wasn't exactly great for my career but I worked the past five doing WiFi networks for computer conferences, filling in with some remote writing work.
> 
> Well, life throws you curve balls sometimes....
> 
> ...


Sorry about your dog John.


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## matthewsx (Apr 25, 2020)

She was a great pup, gentle with kids and other dogs and always loyal to us. She had a fantastic last day running with other dogs on the beach and passed quickly in my wife's arms at home.

Wish we all could go out like that....

John


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 25, 2020)

Glad she had a great last day. Both my dogs died in my arms too. One was 13 and the other 14.


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## Aukai (Apr 25, 2020)

I wish mine would pass on his own, and not make me do it. He is past his expiration date but still hanging on, my wife is not letting go. Sorry you lost your pup. OK back to the program.


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## matthewsx (Apr 25, 2020)

As demonstrated by the OP's avatar dogs bring so much joy to our lives they are almost always positive....

The only hard part is since they give so much more love than people their lives are correspondingly shorter. 

John


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## Karl_T (Apr 25, 2020)

I grow apples for a living. So far, not much change for me other than ordering everything on line and not going out AT ALL

probably will have no market for my crop    Neighbors that grow hogs are almost giving them away right now - processing plants shut down.


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## Janderso (Apr 25, 2020)

Buffalo21 said:


> I’m an industrial boiler service technician, we’re still pretty busy, quite a bit of hospital work and some gov’t contracts. WorkI got on the road at this time is a true adventure, a large amounts of the hotels are closed and eating, by itself is an adventure.


New York is hit pretty hard according to the press. Glad you are OK.


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## Janderso (Apr 25, 2020)

Karl_T said:


> I grow apples for a living. So far, not much change for me other than ordering everything on line and not going out AT ALL
> 
> probably will have no market for my crop    Neighbors that grow hogs are almost giving them away right now - processing plants shut down.


Oh man, that is awful. So many people are hit financially.


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## tweinke (Apr 25, 2020)

At the Ford dealer I work at they promised us 20 hrs with a max of 32 unless you have enough work to go 40hrs and our pay is hourly based on last years pay. They say that they will change back to the commission pay when things straighten out. Everyone but another guy and me are working the short hours. I have worked 40 hours since the stay at home order started. There is a lot less work coming in the door but i have stayed busy cleaning up the shop and doing maintenance between jobs. I have felt a bit resentful about others going home for short weeks and collecting unemployment and then 600 on top of that at times. But on the other hand at least my impact on the federal deficit will help everyone.  LOL Keep smiling guys and sooner or later this will all be behind us.


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## b4autodark (Apr 25, 2020)

Retired , both the wife and I. Enjoying the solitude and keeping busy. Garden planting, gopher trapping, shop work. Haven't left the farm since March 17th.  Wifes visa bill was $1.67 this month!


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## Janderso (Apr 25, 2020)

tweinke said:


> At the Ford dealer I work at they promised us 20 hrs with a max of 32 unless you have enough work to go 40hrs and our pay is hourly based on last years pay. They say that they will change back to the commission pay when things straighten out. Everyone but another guy and me are working the short hours. I have worked 40 hours since the stay at home order started. There is a lot less work coming in the door but i have stayed busy cleaning up the shop and doing maintenance between jobs. I have felt a bit resentful about others going home for short weeks and collecting unemployment and then 600 on top of that at times. But on the other hand at least my impact on the federal deficit will help everyone.  LOL Keep smiling guys and sooner or later this will all be behind us.


I’m the general manager of a Ford dealer. We have 28 employees. We asked two techs to go on unemployment and two of the office gals didn’t feel safe there so the too are on the plan.
After the Governor announced he was working with Oregon and Washington to initiate a plan to start up the economy again, we have been selling cars/trucks and the shop is improving every day.

I wanted to add, until the extra $600 a month from the feds stops, the girls won’t be coming back. They make more on unemployment than they do working. Hmmmmm.


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## Lo-Fi (Apr 25, 2020)

Spent less on general living, spent a bit on tools and bits for the shop. Found time for doing a few jobs and projects I've been meaning to for ages:

Make a taper attachment for my lathe 

Tear into the Bridgeport head, fix the timing belt squeal (new step pulley bearings required), clean and fix and the auto downfeed gubbins, generally check everything over. Found the spindle lube wick to be lacking. Machined up a few replacements for broken parts. 

Designed and machined a quick change tool holder for the lathe. 

Eaten well, enjoyed the garden, made a snazzy auto watering setup for the veg patch, loved seeing so much wildlife making the best of the lack of human activity. 

Messed about making spheres on the mill. 

Binge watched a YouTube series of a guy making a live steam loco model. Found much inspiration with creative setups. 

Really got to grips with using my rotary table. 

Found that I really enjoy working tool steel. 

Discovered the joys of Dykem and marking out. So relaxing making nice crisp lines in that gorgeous blue with a scale, dividers, scribe, square and protractor. 

Re-machined bits of my machine vise. Being a Kurt knockoff, it wasn't bad, but needed a few bits finishing. The fixed jaw post wasn't flat! Much better now. 

Caught up with a lot of old friends. 

Enjoyed the views with clearer air and less smog. 

Hoping life doesn't quite go back to how it was. Lots of people enjoying the slower pace, even in business. Many customers questioning why they have and pay for a large office and why most of their staff don't mostly work from home. There's a glimmer that this might actually change the world for the better. 

I'm also feeling very thankful that this little pause is going to give concrete, irrefutable, iron clad data on pollution and climate that simply cannot be ignored. There's good grounds for hope that clean energy production can spring sorely needed life into industry, employment and economies that brings benefit to everyone. 

Many, many positives. 

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.


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## HarryJM (Apr 25, 2020)

Retired November 2018 and my wife retired about 3 years prior and we both enjoy staying home enjoying our life together along with our animal companions (3 doge, 1 cat, 2 betta fish and 1 Senegal parrot), so not much of a change for us. My wife has asthma and I'm in my early 70's so we are limiting getting out (which I do) to a once a week grocery run. The first thing I did after walking out of the work door was to move our retirement into CD's as we did not want to be in stock market. I thoroughly enjoy my various hobbies especially cleaning up a Logan 820 lathe that I purchased as a retirement hobby and getting a list of missing parts together. Once that is done I will start on my Burke #4 milling machine and then on to another Logan lathe (a basket case 200 with missing parts) which I will be using along with my Burke to make some new gears for my Logan 820 gear box which is pretty much trashed. So life is good through these horrific times although the stress of others not so fortunate greatly sadness both of us.


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## pdentrem (Apr 25, 2020)

My dad was basically locked in his room since March 18 until today. He can now move around and the dining room is open, but still no in or out for their protection. At 89 years old he is very much at risk. Fortunately the site locked down quickly and no one in or out and the staff can only work at his site. No moving around from site to site.
I have not stopped working but have avoided places where people gather. Went grocery only twice in the last 4 weeks other than corner store for milk. Ordered stuff online which I had already decided upon instead of getting it myself.
Maybe another few weeks to go. I hope!


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## vocatexas (Apr 25, 2020)

I live on a ranch 15 miles from town, so my life really hasn't  changed. My wife's office is closed and she's been working from home. She said she wouldn't care if she never had to go to the office again; she likes working from home. My only problem is I had planned on selling calves this month. Cattle market has tanked, so I'll have to sit on them a few weeks and hope the prices come back. On the good side, I should get the concrete poured to finish my shop this coming week. I'm stoked about that!


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## 682bear (Apr 25, 2020)

I've been cut back to a 30 hour workweek... last year I was working 64 hours every week. 

The bottom line is that I have taken a monthly reduction in pay of about $8500.00 between the loss of my overtime and the 25% cut in my regular hours.

I have not complained a single time... I finally have time to catch up on needed projects around the house. 

I just hope it doesn't last more than a few more months...

-Bear


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## Aaron_W (Apr 25, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> We took money out of the market last year to buy my sister out of our dad's house in California. With only 5-10 years until retirement that's looking like the smartest move ever now
> 
> John



Thanks to getting sick of dealing with an incompetent mortgage company we pulled my retirement savings out of a market based account in January. I was mad at the time because we had a low interest rate mortgage and I had been making great interest on that account but come February and a 30% drop in the market I wasn't mad anymore.    Super lucky on the timing, and no more mortgage to pay is a savings account of it own.


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## RYAN S (Apr 26, 2020)

Fortunately we were classified as “essential” for most of the work that we do, we have not seen much of a slowdown. With all of the people loosing their jobs or having their hours cut, I have had some of really good applications come through and was able to hire two new guys in the last two weeks that both have great experience and work ethic!!

On the home front, I have been really enjoying the slower pace and all the time with the wife and kids!

Stay safe!
Ryan


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## erikmannie (Apr 26, 2020)

I was lucky to have scheduled my 8 weeks of vacation for now, so I get to stay home until May 17. After that date, I have to reenter society for at least 10 months.

I gave my shop a very deep cleaning today. I took out everything I could & I mopped the concrete floor. What a pleasure to work in such a clean shop.

I have nothing to do other than work in my hobby shop. I spend 90% of my shop time stick welding. I had amassed almost 200 pounds of stick electrodes for just such an occasion.

I also amassed about 100 pounds of filler material plus gases for TIG & gas welding, so that is next. 

I won’t be contracting coronavirus with my head in a welding helmet.


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 26, 2020)

b4autodark said:


> Wifes visa bill was $1.67 this month!


 you surely took note of that.


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## Boswell (Apr 26, 2020)

I am one of the lucky ones. I work for a multi-national computer company and have been working remote from my home office for 10+ years. There has been no slow down of work and only the minor inconvenience around grocery shopping. I am a couple of years from retirement and have been building up my retirement shop on the weekends.  I do worry about people not so fortunate and my wife and I.


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## projectnut (Apr 26, 2020)

Janderso said:


> My wife and had a nice little argument last night.
> She stays at home, won’t go to the store, *won’t see any family even ten feet away*.
> Me, I go to work every day, go to the store and box stores as needed.
> ”You are exposing me to this virus”.
> ...



I can concur with you're wife's opinion on seeing the relatives, but then again you have to meet my relatives.  About the only thing we have in common is that we all eat, sleep, and breathe.  Other than that we can't see eye to eye on anything including even the weather or the time of day.

As for wearing a mask when going to the stores, I tried that a couple times.  For some reason the cops didn't see any humor in it.  They were threatening me with 10 to 20, and having Bubba as my loving roommate.


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 26, 2020)

projectnut said:


> As for wearing a mask when going to the stores, I tried that a couple times. For some reason the cops didn't see any humor in it. They were threatening me with 10 to 20, and having Bubba as my loving roommate.


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## kd4gij (Apr 26, 2020)

Say this on face book . Hope it works





__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1513422038820457


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## middle.road (Apr 30, 2020)

Well, now we have a situation 

Honey tossed out my dog-eared copy of the Harbor Freight flyer.
See claimed in her defense that it was expired. . .   
I haven't seen another in the mail recently and HF mentioned that they are honoring the prices in expired flyers.
Should have mentioned that to her.


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## ericc (Apr 30, 2020)

Really good to hear, Jeff.  Glad things are picking up.


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## nnam (Apr 30, 2020)

My wife throws stuff in the trash, and I caught it twice.  One time it was a fully functioning flashlight that I don't use because it doesn't take rechargeable batteries. 

The other items, she did it one at a time.  I caught one item, the other is gone.  But let them go because I didn't need them ( fiberglass swimming pool life guard seats).  I was hoping yo give them away.

I heard that before, but didn't know my wife would play psychological game with me 

I have been cleaning up a lot lately.  I may have accidentally gave away two tires for a snow blower I am rebuilding


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## macardoso (Apr 30, 2020)

Been lucky to be categorized as an essential worker (engineering). Been doing my work 100% from home which is definitely more difficult but much better than the alternative. Pay got cut 10% but we can handle that. Wife is also working remote. I set her up with the office and the extra monitors so she is quite happy! 

We live our life too fast paced usually. Always traveling to see family and friends out of state and coming up with a million projects to do on the weekends. Always feeling guilty for not doing more when we do slow down. Kinda strange for two rather introverted people. I am personally really enjoying the slower pace of life right now. It is a much needed change to how we normally are. Hoping to take it as a life lesson and continue onward like that when things go more back to normal.

We've been doing a lot of together: couple of walks a day just to get out and talk, cooking new things, and watching shows. She got some paint by number and books to do when I'm in the shop. Been building a steam engine kit and thinking about buying a used SCARA robot to play around with.

We have been incredibly fortunate that Covid-19 hasn't affected us in any meaningful ways. I have some friends that haven't been so lucky.


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## macardoso (Apr 30, 2020)

Janderso said:


> My wife and had a nice little argument last night.
> She stays at home, won’t go to the store, won’t see any family even ten feet away.
> Me, I go to work every day, go to the store and box stores as needed.
> ”You are exposing me to this virus”.
> ...



Wife and I had the same "discussion" a month or two ago. I was trying to get outside and rock climb (was keeping me sane). Keeping a 10' distance from my partner and nobody else there. Haven't been climbing since   .

In all honestly, my wife is right on this one. Trying to respect her opinions and not let my personal wants get in the way of keeping people healthy. Thankfully I have a *lot *of hobbies...


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## ozzie46 (Apr 30, 2020)

My wife keeps sending me fishing.  

Ron


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## vocatexas (Apr 30, 2020)

I find it funny that six months ago, if you walked into a store wearing a mask the employees would have called 911. Now if you walk into a store WITHOUT a mask they'll call 911. Strange times we live in....


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