How are you doing today?

[TkoK83Spy]

After work today I vacuumed out my truck, did some armor all and swapped floor mats. My wife and step daughter drew on the driveway with chalk and played catch with a nerf football. A few neighbors passed by and talked from the road. A few others stopped out front and we shared a drink from a further distance than usual...but life felt a bit more normal for those couple hours, and it was a great feeling. A nice emotional/psychological boost.

[Wartstein]

Really nice idea for a thread! :)

I´m doing fine. Here in Austria we can still go outside, but just on our owns (so not as a group or even just two together).

We´re not supposed to do any more severe mountaineering stuff, and though nobody would be able to notice if I still did so, I do not.
So it´s a lot of minor hikes, which I enjoy a lot too, many around my hometown and on the really small three or four mountains or rather hills that actually are located INSIDE the city and have old fortresses, walls and monasteries built on them.

Here is a view from one of these "mountains" over to the fortress of Salzburg, that sits on another:

[ChrisinHove]

I live in a small residential cul-de-sac. Yesterday in the late afternoon sunshine we all sat out on our front gardens/driveways, had drinks and talked loudly to each other across the road. It was a real mood lifter.

Otherwise, weekend garden work, clearing out and repainting the tool shed and binning all the gone-off paints, adhesives, etc, sorting all the screws, nuts & bolts etc (oh joy!)

Weekdays, I’m working 100% from home; I suspect the novelty of lower paid desk work will wear off, but I intend to make sure the novelty of actually keeping a job does not.

[The Deacon]

I'm doing well here in SC, this whole mess is just one more reason for me to be thankful I no longer live in NY. Retired, so it's had far less impact on me than on those whose livelihoods have been affected. The only real impact, so far, has been visual. It was a beautiful day yesterday, but the playground in our subdivision was empty, no kids riding bikes or playing ball in the streets. Less traffic on the roads, as even more businesses have been ordered to close. Fewer walking and cycling on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, actually found a parking spot on a Saturday afternoon. But some things never change, the spandex crowd was as inconsiderate as ever. I swear they count coup on how close they can get to walkers they sneak up behind. As for today, had Romeo out for his first walk this morning, What I see on that first walk is the closest thing to normalcy these days, as the place is no quieter than usual at that hour.

[murphjd25]

Still alive, Covid19 free. Even the Deputy from the local precinct stopped by to have some ribs and drop off a burn permit for me. God bless America. Thanks for everyone’s concern!

[SkullBouncer]

:cool: Cool sentiment and genuine concern on this thread, thanks Rick!

Good to read that people chiming in are faring well from what I've seen. Keeping active, occupied and engaged in our own lives, it's things like this pandemic -- an historic event for the ages -- that really can, and for the most part Does bring out the best in humanity.

That said, I know the opposite exist in people with dark hearts and ill intent that take advantage of a crisis and prey on the innocent, at times violently and very negatively impact those within their homes, businesses, communities, cities in the general sense as well, and this is unfortunate. People won't tolerate it and are pushing back, often times we are armed and that's also especially heartening.

Discussions like these I find give inspiration and faith collectively through example -- from within the social distancing of the internet, Ha! :)

Me, I'm weathering things well in my own home / studio; getting grocery delivery, but those can be days out in the majority of orders -- I can understand how and why this happens -- these folks are dedicated and work their A$$ES off in keeping up with it.
When I picked up some prescriptions a bit earlier, it was drive up, which I also appreciate.
Soon I will be having a phone conference call with my main MD -- touch base and doing business with him 4 times a year, which is fine as his secretary / nurse calls in my refills in the interim.

My ultimate respect go out to our domestic and military heroes -- our amazing First Responders, LEOs, and Hospital workers. :D Thank God for the USNS COMFORT and USNS MERCY, and their amazing medical doctors, nurses and ships' crew -- we ain't seen NUTHIN' Yet --Just wait until the ships' missions progress are full fledged and up to capacity.

IMHO there's a tidal wave brewing about man / woman helping those others in kind, it's beautiful gestures and genuine caring for individuals, their neighbors, their communities and so on.

Thanks again for the thread -- boosted my mood!

--- BRUCE :)

[TkoK83Spy]

Thanks Bruce! Yes, I'm glad to read that everyone seems to be doing well, all things considered. Some days will be worse than others, just like any other time. I like this thread to be an open dialogue for anybody to say what's on their mind! I'm happy to see it hasn't just fallen off to the wayside. :)

[JuPaul]

Great idea for a thread, Rick! Definitely lifts my spirits to hear other people being positive and doing well.

My family and I are all safe and healthy. Our business (mostly residential and some restaurant remodel) is largely shut down aside from two jobsites in unoccupied homes. We've got a few single guys that have asked to keep working in shifts, but understandably our employees with families feel safer at home now, so we're doing our best to keep them afloat until they can get some govt assistance. We decided to take my mom and spend this time at our family's property about 90 mins outside of town. It's off the beaten path, but there's a nice little community on our dirt road, and we look out for each other, especially now. It's always been the plan to retire out there eventually, so we're getting a sneak peak. We loaned our little house in the city for a few weeks to a friend whose big family needed some extra room to shelter-in-place without killing each other. :-) We just came back to the city today for a few nights to change up the routine, pick up mail (including a few boxes with my new spydies!!!), care for our many ball pythons, and so my husband can check in on jobsites for a few days. Tomorrow the kids and I go back to grandma and the cabin...and hopefully to a crapload of morel mushrooms in our woods! Morel season is like Christmas for me, so I'm trying to focus on how lucky we are that we can be out there fulltime right now. Gotta stay positive and safe, laugh as much as possible, help our neighbors and friends, and get through this.

I'm really thankful for you all and this forum right now! Checking in here each day is a very welcome distraction from the stress of all this...and from homeschooling!

[bearrowland]

Morels! Julia, with everything going on I forgot. I'm glad you and everyone here is safe and healthy.

[PStone]

Omg! I cannot wait for our morel season to start here in IL. It is hands down my favorite thing to do. Been rough the last two years where I am, but this year is off to good start weather wise. I still have about two more weeks until they start popping up. As soon as I see some dandelions, I’m going out hunting. Here’s a pic from a decent day last year:

[TkoK83Spy]

I've seen a lot of people post about morels, but I must admit...I don't know anything about them besides they are some kind of mushroom. Is there a certain way you prepare them to eat, or certain dishes that you add them to?

[PStone]

I've seen a lot of people post about morels, but I must admit...I don't know anything about them besides they are some kind of mushroom. Is there a certain way you prepare them to eat, or certain dishes that you add them to?

They’re seasonal Rick. That’s why people tend to post in clusters. Only around for a few weeks a year in the springtime, and can fetch as much as $100+ per pound! Also many ways to prepare them. The most common, and my preferred method, is to soak them in salt water for a bit(seasons them, and kills any unseen buggies), and then just sauté them in some butter. Some people batter and fry them. I like to serve mine with steak, or on a burger. They also have a sweet, nutty aroma when cooking them. One of my fav smells on the planet.

[bearfacedkiller]

I just sauté in butter. I like to put them on top of a nice rib eye.


Ours don’t flush until late May. In general I find way more mushrooms in the fall. Lots of chanterelles and lions mane on my property. We have a fungal disease killing all the beech trees which sucks but the lions mane seems thrilled about it since lions mane grows on downed/dead trees and seems to favor beech around here. I find hen of the woods at work too. Morels are exciting because they are the first mushrooms that I look for each year. They also flush here during spring turkey season so I am already out bumming around in the woods.

They come back in the same spot every year. People are more likely to tell you where their favorite fishing spot is than to tell you where they pick morels. I met a guy who told me that he picks about 50 pounds each year and sells them. He brings his wife to help but he blindfolds her on he way there. :)

I grow shiitakes on logs behind the house and they should start to flush pretty soon. I got about 40 pounds this time last year. :D

[SpyderNut]

We’re doing well so far. Just getting used to some new routines. This is week #2 working from home, but I don’t mind. Fortunately, I can do 99% of my job from wherever there’s internet access, so I can now work from home in my PJ’s, which is nice. My wife, however, hasn’t been as fortunate. Her job as a school teacher was effectively cancelled for the remainder of the school year. In the meantime, my wife and I have been finishing off some projects around the house—stuff that I usually put off doing when things are normal, lol. I’m also getting fairly close to finishing a custom folder that I’ve been working on for the past several months. It’s always exciting to see a new design come to fruition.

Thanks for this thread. :)

[TkoK83Spy]

I'm still working and my wife is working from home. Which is becoming dangerous in its own right...she's getting all these new ideas of projects that "we" can do around the house for home improvements :p

Just today she was on our back deck working from her laptop, comes up with the idea of adding onto our deck and having it wrap around the back of our kitchen and having a fire pit type of thing in the center with some benches around it. Sounds cool, but a lot of work! I'm going to see if I can brush this one off.

Darn you Coronavirus :p

[Evil D]

Today I think I might have finally sorted out a 15+ year long issue with the belt on my Ranger. That thing has had squealing issues practically since it was new, and I've replaced the tensioner and belt several times. I'm not even sure what I did this time, I just put an old tensioner back on it and a belt that was hanging in the garage and it's quiet as a mouse. Fingers crossed :confused:

[Mike Blue]

....People are more likely to tell you where their favorite fishing spot is than to tell you where they pick morels. I met a guy who told me that he picks about 50 pounds each year and sells them. He brings his wife to help but he blindfolds her on he way there. :) ...

I've known some old folks who went to their grave and did not tell their children or their best friends where their mushroom spots were.

When I take a break from online screening of Covid19, I go for a walk around the neighborhood. If the timing's right all the neighbors are out meandering around. The kids are having fun acting like zombies. Talking to them about proper handwashing. I've been trading advice...get some chickens going for eggs and meat, plant tomatoes and barrel gardens for lack of space. Get the five veggies going in water dishes in the kitchen/porch. If it really breaks down this neighborhood will have some ready food. Plus answering a ton of questions about what to believe.

[attila]

Wrong thread... oops...

[Ankerson]

Was out driving around some yesterday and it hasn't been too bad as far as traffic goes as you could guess with the lock down.

Reminds me of like 25 years ago when we 1st moved to Raleigh.

[Naperville]

Really nice idea for a thread! :)

I´m doing fine. Here in Austria we can still go outside, but just on our owns (so not as a group or even just two together).

Wartstein do you know of popular Austrian YouTuber Survival Lilly?

https://www.youtube.com/user/alonewolverine1984