I'm reading

I also color. And read, garden and do jigsaw and crossword puzzles. But mostly I stream :-))

Planning and shopping for my Christmas decor. I always have fun with that.

Fun? Not much. It takes all I can do to take care of Jody, the house and the animals. I guess for fun, every time I go to Lufkin to replenish groceries, horse feed, etc, I go to the thrift shop. I hurt my knee over a year ago and it has gotten worse, so I don't feel like being as active as I usually try to be. I think my idea of fun is taking a nap with 2 or 3 cats.

I am sorry Marilyn you are having problems with your knee. My youngest daughter just had her second knee replacement surgery. She is only 43. She is doing quite well. Enjoy your animals.

Sue

I colored a lot for a while, finally stopped. I got tired of jigsaws but might get back to them. Hope you enjoy coloring again, Marilyn, and look forward to seeing your work.

I'll second that, MarilynS....so sorry Marilync, you are having trouble with your knee, Also your worries about Jodi, oxygen, etc. I've seen elastic knee braces popping up on the internet and wonder if that would help you. Tough times for you and many of us too. Thinking of you.

I wouldn't call these things fun, but it's what I do: knit a bit, garden a bit, clean house a lot, read a bit, care for dog and bird, walk with friends in the a.m.. My son came today. I went for a walk with my grandson Sunday which was wonderful. Seeing family is the best of all. We mask, distance.

Buccos4vr, thank you for giving me an idea I needed! I've been wondering what to do about my 9- and 7-year-old grandsons for Halloween this year. They love the holiday, and I usually put an assortment of small toys and art supplies in their baskets because I don't like to give candy. This year I'm not going to any of my usual stores, so I was hoping to find inspiration online. Well, you've inspired me! I'm sure they would love Halloween-themed painted rocks. I've got the supplies. Yours are terrific!

The most fun I've been having is working through the online watercolor painting class I signed up for. It's been such a good thing for me that I'll probably give it a thread of its own one of these days. It's not a live class, so I can watch the videos whenever I like, and watch them several times over--which I often do because the instruction is in Spanish and the subtitles can be a little . . . um . . . vague. lol

If anyone's interested, the course is from Domestika, out of Spain, and they run a lot of sales. I paid less than $10 for this course, and for another I signed up for when I'm finished with the first one. They offer a wide variety of courses, some of which are in English.

Just reading a lot since summer

Marilyn C, I can't say from experience if they really help or not, but DH swears by the Tommie Copper knee sleeves. He's worn them for years and has one knee with a whole lot of old diagnosed issues dating back to high school football. When he wrenched it severely a few years ago and ortho did an MRI, they found old ACL tear, old meniscus damage, arthritis, and the current issue then was a deep bone bruise. He even sleeps in the knee sleeve or says it aches at night. Other than that, takes only tylenol occasionally. He does OK climbing around on uneven ground, but completely flakes out if he needs to walk any distance on cement. ;0)

I've been trying to think what I've done lately for fun. With this 'covid' year the answer is not very much which isn't to say I haven't done things that are rewarding. We'll go tomorrow for a window visit with my mother. I've gotten a few household projects out of the way this year but not as many as I could have if I'd been more focused. I can't seem to concentrate to read this year, and have more than one book waiting for me that were recommended as something I'd enjoy. Gardengal, one of those The Scent Keeper by Bauermeister, takes place on one of our nearby islands. I bought it, have not read it.

I do a couple of online jigsaw puzzles daily, enjoy some wildlife on the Explore cams if not right in my yard. The deer who are ever present anyway have found the fruit falling from the dogwood and are picking it up from the ground - 6 the other morning and our deer don't move about in herds. They are welcome to it, its supposed to be nutritious but I've tasted and pretty much without flavor. Large numbers of flickers are picking ripened seed from one of the magnolia off my living room and providing quite a bit of entertainment. I don't know how they are enjoying those pods, they are tough. I opened one myself and it took garden shears - also the shears to get it off the tree.

Im not doing a whole lot but on the weekends our neighborhood sponsors music and food trucks in a large grassy area with a large gazebo. I do see a friend/neighbor and we sit outside and gab. I am thinking of doing some watercolor painting if I can get motivated. Other than that I read, clean, cook way more than I care to.

It's been a low-key year, for sure. I've done a dozen or more jigsaws the past few months, I enjoy the visual hunt for just the right piece for the right spot. Now that Fall is here, it's time to edit the garden -- what plants to add, delete, move. We added a sitting wall and are expanding the rock patio. I have tulips on order for the front bed, they should get here any day now. And I'm researching adding a bog filter to my fish pond. That involves lots of reading about how other people did theirs, then going outside, contemplating, reading some more, contemplating some more, planning, reading some more, etc etc. We'll get around to "doing" by next Spring.

Unfortunately, cooking and eating.

I hesitated to answer because it sounds a little whiny. The last few weeks I just can't seem to get interested in anything. Winter is coming and I don't like the cold. I am envious of people who have their spouse to isolate with. One of my sons lives with me (for which i am grateful) but we aren't close and he works long hours. I belonged to a senior center and enjoyed activities there but now of it is closed.

Today is gloomy and rainy but tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. I am going to take a drive to a covered bridge about 50 miles from me (the longest one in the country). I will take the camera and see if I can get some nice fall pictures. I will be safely alone in my car.

Sorry for the length of this

At home I read. I also do puzzles and crosswords. I play and train with the dog. Household and yard projects are somewhat pleasurable but not really fun. DH goes deep sea fishing and may add other fishing now.

Real fun is riding "my" horse. I have been riding her for a year now. At first she was just saddle time for me while I waited for the other place to reopen. I made the official switch from English to Western 4 months ago. She is stubborn and funny, tests me and completes me. LOL I never know what she will come up with next. We are well matched. We recently completed 100 miles miles of mountainous forest trail riding as entrants Virtual Tevis. It is normally an endurance ride of 100 miles in one day but this year since Covid they made it a 100 miles in 100 days challenge. We finished in 36 hours. Took 2 months on a school horse but we got it done. Had so much fun, learned a lot, overcame obstacles from fires, to fallen trees, riding in darkness and scheduling glitches. On Sundays I ride with a much younger couple. Like me they like to do real riding on the trails. We really move and the horses love it as much as we do. Now I may back to more arena work but we always get a bit of trail time in when possible. The barn is my new family for now. I get to interact with people of all ages. I get to "play" with horses. I get the satisfaction of working with people with common goals. I am also certain my riding coach is going to come up with new challenges for me.

Recently a nearby friend and I have started to meet up together again in person. We are going to start doing lunch and walks and the things we used to do. I have neighbors that come out. We chat a little bit.

I am ready to go and try some outside dining at a couple of my favorite restaurants. Hoping to run into old acquaintances before we are all gone.

Working full time, so I don't have much time for fun. But every second I spend in my sewing room makes me happy. So I get up an hour earlier on weekdays than I normally would to get ready for work, just to be in my happy place.

Sewing is my love, sew everyday. Also bake and cook, DH told me to stop LOL. But I also drink wine, lol

In Cathedral City, I spent a couple of hours a day in the pool and spa, in addition to working on sewing projects. I'm beginning to worry about what it is going to cost to heat the pool this winter, but I doubt it will cost more than it cost to cool the house this past summer when it was 120° for several days. No need to heat the pool in the summer, but by November, it is cool enough to need to heat the pool, if I want the temperature to be 85-87°. I might only heat to 85° this winter

We're back in L.A. now, which is a bit less fun, but I will start on some sewing projects here as well, as I have sewing machines and sergers in both locations.

I left my fabric paint and plain fabric in CC, but when we go back, I will start painting some fabrics that I will use for making clothes. It's easier to do there because we have a protected empty area that is all concrete on the west side of the house, where we have a small shed and store the garbage bins. It's also where the air conditioner is, and so it is a bit noisier than the rest of the outdoors.

I've been working on some geometric fabric designs in CAD that I want to have printed, but it's a bit expensive to do that, and that is not in the budget right now, especially since property taxes are due in November for both houses. I would like to start selling something for additional income, and maybe I'll make some pillows to sell on Etsy, but I could also submit fabric designs to be sold on line for a commission. I might also put some pillows on consignment in Palm Springs, since I have already made way too many of those and still have more fabric that I need to use.

The weather is getting nice enough for bike rides (It's always nice for that in L.A.), and so I might go for bike rides in CC instead of heating the pool. That could save me $400 a month in the winter, possibly. I haven't really explored CC on bike yet, and our house is less than a mile from Desert Memorial Park, where Frank Sinatra and a lot of other Hollywood celebrities are buried. Our house is about six miles from downtown Palm Springs, which is perhaps a bit far to go to on bike, and Ramon Road does not have a bike lane.

Dragging a catnip mouse around on a string. The kittens love it! I giggle.

Watching "Game Of Thrones." We rented all 8 seasons from the library. I can't believe ALL the characters they kill off. ☺ Very entertaining! Two seasons to go.

Shopping. I furnished a large family room, including curios for the shelving. Enjoyed that!

Upholstered 2 outdoor seat cushions. They're unfinished as I write this.

Buccos4vr, Your rocks are beautiful! Are you an artist? I bet that's a lot of fun...

Fun, what's that? I guessing hiking the trail, reading books, and watching Netflix.

I know this won't sound like anyone else's idea of fun, but I've been clearing brush and cutting down 'trash trees', mostly box elder saplings and lots of autumn olive. I bought a couple of acres of vacant land that adjoins mine, and at least a quarter of an acre is covered in autumn olive. I've sprayed the poison ivy on the property for the last twenty years (with the owner's permission), to keep it from encroaching on my place, but I've always wanted to trim back the brush--now I can!

When I can get motivated, I color, read, do jigsaw puzzles, art journaling (mostly glue booking right now), and spending way too much time on youtube.

Since summer I've been busier than ever. As far as fun, a couple birthday parties, a family reunion, friend and family vacation, buying a camp up north, shopping for furniture and decorations for the camp, taking the grands to the lake near home, and to the small zoo up at camp, tubing down the river, local fire hall festival and fireworks, having friends and family at camp over labor day weekend, and dinner and shopping with my girl friend. A restaurant near our home has a Halloween restaurant and we have been there a couple times. My son rented a movie theater on Monday and we all went to see a movie. Tonight we went to the club for dinner and drinks with BIL. Tomorrow is the pumpkin patch with my son's family and Saturday is trunk and treat at a friends farm. Everyone is bringing a dish and I still don't know what we are going to bring. Sunday is my daughter's birthday which will be fun, but I will be cooking all weekend for it, which isn't what I consider fun.

wildchild2x2 In one of the local facebook groups someone is selling beaded necklaces for horses. Why would you want a necklace for a horse.

Have been reading and making masks. But today I bought some fabric to make some of my bags. DH still wants to go to Florida, so I am starting to add to my bag fabrics so I can make a bunch of them down there. Then we need to have another give away!!!

When in Florida I usually play cards 3 or 4 days a week and call bingo one night. None of that will be going on this year I'm sure.

Oh yeah, my DH is amazed at the number of packages we get from Amazon!

SusanVW, your rocks are beautiful!

Rose, our senior center up here has been closed and I usually play cards there too!

Nicole, loved GOT!

Expanding my cooking skills

Rearranging my tiny apt.

Trying to see the bright side in a dark world.

I play golf. That's the one activity that's pretty safe. We each have our own cart and we're outside and socially distancing. Unfortunately, we've had a lot of rain and every time I have a game scheduled, it's either raining or rained within a day or two before and carts are restricted. With my health issues, walking back and forth is very challenging.....she who used to walk 18 holes and carry her clubs 3 - 4 times a week. The demise of the body is very sad but hey, I'm 83 and still out there. Today we played just 9 holes because it was very muddy and carts were restricted. It was a beautiful day and I was happy to be out. I've been working on an afghan for a wedding gift. The wedding is next month so I've been crocheting around the clock. There's always something to do and I manage to keep pretty busy.

Marilync, you need to have that knee x-rayed. If it's not bone on bone, a shot may help. It's a temporary fix but it's nice to be without pain for a few months. I speak from experience. You can't take care of Jody and you can't take care of the animals if you don't take care of yourself! :-)))

For fun we are having game night every couple of weeks. My little family bubble of six people seems to be just the right number for some pretty rousing games especially with the two young men being competitive.

Our kittens are very entertaining and take us out of ourselves which is a blessing.

Cooking is fun. I have a lot of trouble preparing a more complicated meal though with getting the timing right. I'm trying to learn another way to do it. It was suggested I write down the food and write down the actual time I'm going to cook it on my whiteboard. It seems I have an easier time seeing it rather than even having a timer although I will do both. Hopefully that will work.

Putting pea gravel around my back deck. Checking on the corn, killing slugs that were on the corn. Tomorrow will finish planting bulbs out front, hopefully the ground will be dry enough.

Went to Ikea Monday and picked up a couple items, including a new desk. Went through the pillow area and tried to pick out some pillows for my couch. I decided on bright purple, thinking of Lars and his cool livingroom he posted the other day. My livingroom by comparison is very boring. Well, they were completely out of purple pillows. So, now going to go online and look for something fun and bright.

Bought a small plain set of drawers to put in my closet so I can move my old dresser out and use it in another bedroom. It's black now and will paint it. I have to fix the top first, it's cracked. Bought it used, solid wood, when my son was a baby. It was his dresser, painted it off white and put circus animal stickers on the drawers.

I also have to finish putting out the gravel, moved about 1 ton and have 3 left. Have to finish painting the kitchen. Move the twin bed from one room into the other and set up my son's old double in that room. Still have to put the gardens to bed for the winter, but we have at least a week more of warm weather (no frost).

So much to do.

In one of the local facebook groups someone is selling beaded necklaces for horses. Why would you want a necklace for a horse.

functionthenlook Those are called Rhythm Beads. They follow the rhythm of the horses movement. They are said to help the the rider learn the natural footfalls of their horse's gaits, lead changes etc. and also are said to be soothing to the horse. The belief is that they keep the horse from being distracted from outside influences also. Should only be used for training and riding. They should have a safety clip that clips to the mane so they can't slip while being used. They go back to the time of Native Americans who used shells and beads to decorate their horses to ward off evil spirits bring good fortune to those in battle etc.

For me they would be one more sound to have to discriminate from all the rest around me since I am deafened and have hyperacusis. My lack of auditory discrimination and the loudness of the world around me is the worst part of my disability at this time.

I would strongly suggest NOT opening the link above.