Boredom? Let’s see…
I have always been a bachelor so anything that needs doing I get to do it or it don’t get done. I guess I have found ways to keep myself occupied without really thinking about it. But let’s give it a try.
Springtime = Garden time!
Nice days: Main focus is getting the ground ready, trellis’ up, final soil work then the other yard work chores.
Rain Days: Going through the seed box, digging out really old ones and seeing what I need to get in ‘just a seed crop’ of for next year. Go over the winter garden plan, redo it, redo it again… Play around in the shed, always a few projects in there. If nothing else clean off some shelves and see what needs attention/lubricating/cleaning. Whenever I hit the shed the day goes really fast and it seems like I accomplished nothing. Mostly it is just finding and doing maintenance of stuff.
Summer: Garden in the early mornings before it gets too hot. Harvest if anything ready and bring in. Some herbs should be ready so do some harvesting and drying. When it gets hot out: Crush herbs for tinctures or bag up. Take the dog to the lake, wet a line. Walk in the woods looking for miscellaneous plants and places where trees are ready to harvest. Can if anything is ready. Sit on the porch with a glass of tea just enjoying the view. Take a nap under the ceiling fan.
Rain Days: Sleep until it is actually light out. Make some music, spend time with the dog teaching new items and chores. Sit on the porch with a glass of tea just watching the rain refresh everything. Good days for harvesting also and preserving anything ready. I don’t melt in the rain and if it is one of those nice summer rains, it is pleasant to be out in anyway.
Fall: Garden time.
Almost always more than enough to preserve and keep busy. Usually really busy with herbs also, cutting bunching, drying. Make sure any outside projects on the house are done, after it starts to cool off. You know, all the stuff you put off because it was too hot over the summer. Get all the compost hauled and spread in the garden, get it ready for next spring.
Rain days: I usually need a day off so just relax, read, watch the boob tube, internet or take naps. Leave the door open for the pup so she can go run around in the rain, come back in soaking wet and muddy and shake by me.
Winter: In the south many days still nice enough to go fishing or just take the pup to the lake for a swim. This is the time of year for cooking. I will spend most of the day taking raw tomato sauce and making something or other out of it, simmering and tweeking it for most of the day. Same with a stew or soup. I use winter for getting compost ready also. All those peanut shells I accumulated and the newspapers I got from the recycling place. I crunch up the shells; pecans, walnuts… into small pieces, usually with a 3# hammer, just because it is fun. Peanut shells just with my fingers. I have several large grocery bags full from the year as I buy a 50# sack of raw peanuts and roast as needed all year. Pecans I buy all I can from the local markets. I tear all the newspapers into strips and shred all the junk mail I get all year. Music, learn some new songs or try to remember old ones. I used to buy a few large garbage bags of flue cured tobacco leaves from the local farmer and would spend time to de-vein, shred it all and bag it up. Take naps. Keep the puppy busy with projects. The pup is actually a great source of keeping busy by herself. We play hide and seek, guess what I am thinking of, where is this item, go hide that item… Actually, if you are really bored? Get a Labrador Retriever puppy, you will never be bored again. I am partial to basic black myself. You will find yourself wishing for time with nothing to do!
Ongoing things to do: Music, I play 5-string banjo. Whittle; find a few interesting pieces of wood and just go at them. I have made chains, the ball in a cage, abstracts… Write: I write some lessons learned, music lyrics, random thoughts and such. Just accumulate them in a big binder, maybe someone will read them one day, maybe not. Sew, there is always something that needs a few stitches. Fix stuff, always something there and remember… If it ain’t broke I can probably still fix it. Take the pup outside and just let her have at it. “Hey L@@K! A hole that needs digging over there!!” “Go find _____” (Turtle, mole, stick, toy…) I find endless joy just watching a Lab be a Lab. They attack life with such enthusiasm it is a pleasure in itself to watch.