Good ol' fashioned things you still do...

Took up again playing the guitar. And of course I read/listen to crime fiction and bestsellers. A bit of selective TV. Getting together with friends.
That´s pretty much all. Nothing too exciting:D
 
I still have an old fashioned (paper) address book.

I still have a land line.

I still wear a watch.

It's a little depressing to realize how hard I have to think, to come up with these. My life has changed almost completely from what it was in decades past.
 
Vicente: Isn't playing the guitar the Spanish national passtime? And dancing flamenco? The Spanish--from my time living there--always seemed to really be into the creative arts bigtime. Wonderfully warm people, by the way.
 
Want2retire said:
...It's a little depressing to realize how hard I have to think, to come up with these. My life has changed almost completely from what it was in decades past.
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Wait until you are 100% FIREd. I think you will find you may revert back to some of those cherished long-ago fun activities. I know I did.
Heck, I'm growing lettuce in an open terrarium (fishtank) just like kids grow seeds in the window in grade school. :LOL: I almost have enough Romaine grown for a single salad.
 
freebird5825 said:
Wait until you are 100% FIREd. I think you will find you may revert back to some of those cherished long-ago fun activities. I know I did.
Heck, I'm growing lettuce in an open terrarium (fishtank) just like kids grow seeds in the window in grade school. :LOL: I almost have enough Romaine grown for a single salad.
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Sounds like fun! And yes, maybe once I fully realize that I have more time, I might start doing some of these things. I had been musing about possibly starting a small vegetable garden once we move north. When I saw that pie that you made from scratch, it brought back such fond memories! I used to bake a mean peach pie back in the 60's, and my apple pie wasn't half bad either. And I never used a pre-made crust, either. I had a hippie friend who couldn't bake and who would give me all the freshly picked peaches I could eat, if I would just bake him one peach pie. So, it was a great LBYM thing for me and I ate a whole lot of peaches in those days.
 
freebird5825 said:
Wait until you are 100% FIREd. I think you will find you may revert back to some of those cherished long-ago fun activities. I know I did.
Heck, I'm growing lettuce in an open terrarium (fishtank) just like kids grow seeds in the window in grade school. :LOL: I almost have enough Romaine grown for a single salad.
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I've found there is a sense of zen in doing some of those things, especially hand washing clothes when the load is too small for the machine. I've found that I've been slower to slow down than I thought I would be, and doing those things is relaxing. YMMV!
 
Do my own engine oil changes and grease jobs
Mow my own grass
Use a wired telephone at home
Repair stuff when possible
Do my own house maintenance when possible (when the refrigerator didn't cool right I found out it doesn't have a defrost timer in it. It has a motherboard! Once the problem was diagnosed I ordered & replaced the motherboard myself to save the $80 installation fee.)
Read paper books
Cook mostly from scratch, brown bag my lunch to work
 
CuppaJoe said:
I've found there is a sense of zen in doing some of those things, ... and doing those things is relaxing. YMMV!
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Want2retire said:
Sounds like fun! And yes, maybe once I fully realize that I have more time, I might start doing some of these things. I had been musing about possibly starting a small vegetable garden once we move north. When I saw that pie that you made from scratch, it brought back such fond memories!...
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Several things drive me to do "silly" stuff like the Lettuce Project and the retro apple pie.
Remember where I live. Greenery outdoors is going to be absent very soon. I love to garden. So I do it indoors. It gets me up and moving around when I fuss over my plants.
NY is famous for its Finger Lakes apple orchards. We are now in the fall harvest season. There is nothing like a fresh crisp apple. We ate most of the 3 lb bag of fresh apples, but these were starting to go a little soft...hence PIE. :D
 
Orchidflower said:
Vicente: Isn't playing the guitar the Spanish national passtime? And dancing flamenco? The Spanish--from my time living there--always seemed to really be into the creative arts bigtime. Wonderfully warm people, by the way.
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Now now Orchid....!
I strongly:) recommend you do an update of your knowledge of all things Spanish:)!
Most Spanish people don´t conform to what you have posted. What´s more: Guitar playing and flamenco are pastimes of a few Andalusians:D.
In my case I don´t like flamenco one bit and my guitar playing (if I may call it playing) steers away from flamenco.
Mind you, flamenco guitar playing is fairly difficult....But it´s not my thing.
I hope I haven´t lectured you:LOL:
 
1. Read books printed on trees that were murdered for that sole purpose...:whistle:
2. Ditto, the newspaper on Sunday morning.
3. Pound nails with a hammer (although I must confess that I also own several air nailers) :D
4. Woodworking- built the entire bedroom set at my cabin from recycled/reclaimed barn timbers.
5. Drive my old gas-guzzler truck because my LBYM mentality can't make the numbers to replace it work.
 
These are a few of my favorite things...
  • Reading, including books, magazines and the newspaper. I read a lot on-line also, but that doesn't count. ;)
  • I take care of my own yard. Our mower is the walk behind self propelled type.
  • Cooking. Anything from wood fired rustic cooking to molecular gastronomy/sous vide.
  • Almost all my own home maintenance including plumbing and electrical.
  • Woodworking. I almost exclusively use power tools though. My DW would have divorced me if she had to wait for me to build our kitchen cabinets with only hand tools. :)
  • Home brewing, mostly full mash. At one point I even kept my own yeast cultures for different beer styles. I've gotten away from that, but now that I'm retired, who knows?
 
Vicente: I was IN Andalusia in Seville. They seemed quite proud to carry on the traditions of OLD Spanish customs when I was there, and would brag that Andalusia was the "real" Spain. Even little kids would try to dance flamenco, and many played classical Spanish guitar there. Feria (around Lent I think) there is a real treat if these sort of things interest anyone.
Yes, Vicente, I am sure that most all of Spain has lost these old traditions--much like over in America so many old-time traditions have also died. I guess we call that progress, but some of the old traditions are really worth keeping I think. Sigh....can't fight it...everything changes at some point usually.
 
Let's see:

- prepare 3 meals a day from scratch, including bread (often) and noodles/pasta (occasionally);
-- can and preserve homemade jams, jellies, fruits, pie fillings, condiments;
-- Read voraciously, but it's gotta be paper. Kindles creep me out.
-- shop at our local farm stand, farmer's markets and locally-owned stores whenever possible.
-- Do all my own housework, 95% of which I do without toxic chemicals (soap and Bon Ami are my friends!)
-- do lawn and yard maintenance and gardening with 100% hand tools. Our mower is a reel push mower, no electric or gas engine on that thing!
-- train my dog for functional purposes as well as fun. Basic obedience, agility for fun (just started), but we're also about to start her in carting, so we can use her to haul groceries to and from the store!
-- Take pictures using a 1970's film Nikon (OK, I have a digital too but really like the meditative aspects of work with manually-focused film cameras).
-- Talk to family and friends on the telephone.
-- Write thank-you notes and letters by hand and U.S. postal service them.
-- Keep a diary, by hand.
-- Birdwatch
-- Do household maintenance with hand tools, whenever possible.
-- Have neighbors and friends over regularly for dinner, snacks, etc. as part of community-building and friendship.
-- Volunteer with community groups (food bank, local HOA, Habitat for Humanity, knitting for charity)
-- Knit by hand; occasionally sew and quilt using a machine.
-- Mend clothing by hand.

--
 
I heat my house with wood (and my domestic hot water)...this year it will be 100%, last year it was 90%...this year I am not even ordering oil and my tanks are bone dry. Love the feeling of free wood heat. Takes about 12 cords a wood per year - good exercise too.
 
When in Sevilla, we went to a flamenco show performed by an art school. According to our guide book, they practiced the old-style music and dance that was considered more traditional than commercial revues. We enjoyed the show. The music was haunting, and with a very strong Arabic influence.

I have also read that Spanish people in the Northern part such as in Barcelona do not share the same tradition as the Southern Spain. Barcelonians do not enjoy bull fighting either.

Galicia and Asturias which were further away were even protected from the Moorish invasion due to the rugged terrain, and hence were not under the Arabic influence. Perhaps that's why flamenco music is not popular in those parts. Just a ventured opinion.
 
Well, I do know the Sevillanos were mighty proud to tell you that they lived in the "real" Spain. If I were to go to Spain again I'd want to go back there. I can get modern stuff in America, and I got a huge kick out of seeing those old traditions that are dying over there.
If you ever go back, NW-Bound, try to go during Feria. You'll see dancing, singing and things you normally don't see around Seville. Very cool experience totally!

...but back to good old fashioned things we still do..........................................................................................
 
Perhaps the other parts of Spain have their own traditions, which are not as well known as those of the more popular Andalusia region.

We are still on the old-fashioned things, although these are the things I only watch as a traveller. Is that OK with the OP? ;)
 
Fix or refurb alot of "appliance" disposables and get a second life. I TOTALY enjoy working on my 70's 60's fleet.
 
Orchid and NW:
You are both right on your comments.
We on the Northwest tend to be more reserved and less outgoing than Andalusians. The probable reason is blamed on the weather and having less sun. Galicia is said to be very similar to Ireland.
Anyway, any and all parts of Spain will wellcome you!:)
 
Today's project is using up some ripe bananas (5 medium). Besides banana bread/muffins, what else can I do with these? Is freezing an option or will they just go brown? I have some FruitFresh (citric acid) on hand.

My gas oven is temporaily on the blink (globar crapped out in main oven). My convection oven still w*rks but it is not so great for baking things in high profile bread pans. I can do muffins in there.

Any other ideas from the floor? :flowers:
 
Banana smoothies. Bananas and pineapple can be fried with ham and eggs (my mother used to do this a lot back in Hawaii, but I hated it so I don't).

Actually, I would do the banana muffins and freeze them. Nothing wrong with banana muffins!
 
vicente solano said:
We on the Northwest tend to be more reserved and less outgoing than Andalusians. The probable reason is blamed on the weather and having less sun.
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Being of a gloomy character at times, I would fit right in! I often think there is too much sun in Arizona for me, even if I have been here 2/3 of my life.
 
arizona
NW-Bound said:
Being of a gloomy character at times, I would fit right in! I often think there is too much sun in Arizona for me, even if I have been here 2/3 of my life.
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Arizona sounds a lot like our Castilla. A lot of sun. Dry. Hot in summer, cold in winter. Desertic. Underpopulated.
Tough, stern and serious looking people.
 
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