Hobbies and my feeder project

Hubby's joke is: Dad would BBQ even in storms,
lashed to the deck. I carry on that tradition!

The news, of course, is horrific. Flooding in Kashechewan. A young man dead, another injured from a Sunday 4:00 a.m. collision in Ottawa. A young Smiths Falls man who went into the water at Peggy's Cove. They are still searching for his body. The tragic earthquake near Nepal, with thousands dead. Truly, one must enjoy each day.

My problems are insignificant! Hobbies take up some time and provide relief for worries, as well as giving me something to do. Part of early retirement is having something to do. It's peculiar but my hospice clients' families keep canceling. One of them is too healthy, the other too ill to leave the house for fun.

I've never bought wood before. My dad's stash in Bala had enough spare leftovers that I could work
on lots there. Here, I put the stash of wood, from under the garage workbench, out at the road with a for sale sign and $20. It was excellent wood, as the previous house owner was a furniture builder with several built-in saws and a workshop in the garage.

A woman picked it all up and agreed to build me a woodpecker feeder in lieu. I have yet to see one, lo, these 3 years later. It's hard not to be bitter. People make promises they fail to keep. It is predictable for many.

Dad, building his shed.
At the time it met the building code.
It was only later that the township made rules about
building close to the lake. Rightly so. 

It's fun to realize that I can figure out this project, based on watching my dad when I was a kid.
 He was always working on something at the cottage.

Anyway, I decided to build feeders for hubby. Off we went to the store, after my daughter explained how it works.

The wood fit in, and hubby didn't have to hitch hike home!!! He's so supportive of my projects. JB is off to deliver Meals on Wheels again today. He does this twice a week. It's great to give back.

Hubby snapped a photo after I finished
feeder #2! He was cat walking.

Tell me about your hobbies!

Renaissance, my retired teacher's magazine asked us to answer these questions:

Setting the camera timer I took my photo

Have you made new friends through your hobby or does your hobby give you much needed time to yourself?
What motivated you to start this pastime? 
How has your hobby affected or changed your everyday life?

I wrote about Michele in my book.
Being her friend helped me be a better hospice volunteer,
and caring for my parents helped me figure out
what a good death might be.

My hobbies are all integrated into one hobby: blogging. When I moved to Muskoka, to care for my dying mother, I began a blog to let my adult children know what I was up to. This led to the book I wrote about my journey, . The blogging morphed into some new projects: how to take better photos, writing every day, and connecting with friends far away.


I write a blog on healthcare, this one on living in cottage country, and another on teaching. As a volunteer, I do the blogs for Habitat for Humanity Muskoka and Habitat NCR. I enjoy gardening, crafts, touring our local festivals for daycations, and photographing my world as a hobby. Learning how to integrate technology into my teaching, my students and I planned out what we wanted to do and how to accomplish it. We created personal web pages, documenting our classwork, and this was a fabulously creative endeavour. We thrived on it.

Recently I gave a speech at the
Heart of Hastings Hospice AGM!

My book

During the time when my parents were really ill, it helped to connect with others who were caregiving, as well as the friends and teachers I left behind.

I ended up having Skype chats with family, and others dealing with dying family members. I wrote about bullying, and helping kids deal with death and dying. Recently, I did a Skype video for TVOntario on poverty and healthcare. Promoting local fundraising opportunities helps give back to the community.

Blogging, as a retiree, has opened up a whole new world for me. I have honed my computer skills, begun to use Twitter to influence and educate

I blogged about my kids/grandkids camping!
We Skyped when I lived far away in Muskoka.

others about teaching and healthcare. The popularity of my blog page has led to various interviews, guest spots on radio, and people anxious to read my opinions on politics, healthcare, and Canadian issues. I often get requests for information, resources or help for those caring for loved ones, or those teaching.

I was interviewed for a TV show:
 TVO's Why Poverty.
  Dr. Brian Goldman, interviewing me for his White Coat, Black Art radio show. What a thrill!