OT - What are you doing to pass the time

[LTS]

15 hours ago, Ducky said:

How does it compare with the maple syrup?

I too am intrigued by birch syrup

[Weave]

Working form home.  Just as hectic as working form work.  It's not as efficient for sure.

In my non-working hours?  I've got plenty of whiskey to contemplate.

For some reason this was the year that I received bottles of Port as gifts.  Not sure why.  I may develop a new obsession by the time this is over.  If only I could find a cigar to buy....

[Stoner]

3 hours ago, LTS said:

I too am intrigued by birch syrup

Sounds good.

Ever have tree water? It's a by-product of making syrup.

[Indabuff]

4 hours ago, shrader said:

I was a bit bored so I decided to hit the grocery store.  I had some fun in the meat department.  I think I may be grilling every single day during this thing.

How was the meat section?  Fun as in only pigs feet and chicken gizzards left?!

[Doohicksie]

I'm also working from home.

I got out today and took a bicycle ride. 

I started out by picking up a prescription for my wife through the drive-thru

 

Then I hit the trails.  Due to recent rains, I couldn't cross here...

 

I ended up with about 20 miles.

 

If you didn't enjoy your afternoon as much as I did, DILL WITH IT.

[LTS]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Working form home.  Just as hectic as working form work.  It's not as efficient for sure.

In my non-working hours?  I've got plenty of whiskey to contemplate.

For some reason this was the year that I received bottles of Port as gifts.  Not sure why.  I may develop a new obsession by the time this is over.  If only I could find a cigar to buy....

Because people love you.. very much. ?

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Sounds good.

Ever have tree water? It's a by-product of making syrup.

I have not.. I am also intrigued.. this is a thing? 

[Skibum]

On 3/19/2020 at 11:19 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Working from home now for a week.  Been doing a daily 2 mile walk with my wife to burn off the stress.  One of the nice things about this event is all the people outside again in my neighborhood.  Kids on bikes and skateboards or just playing in their yards and parents walking, running or cycling.  I even saw one dad playing 4 square with his son.  It feels like summer in Buffalo Circa 1983.

I've also been binge watching some series on Netflix and Prime. 

That's really cool. It's amazing what a crisis can do for the public good. I remember life during the Ice Storm of '91 in Rochester - Everything goes back to basics, neighbors help each other out, and it's the best time in a lot of ways. It ended up being one of the fondest memories of my youth!

[SwampD]

https://www.theonion.com/violently-bored-americans-begin-looting-puzzle-stores-1842429517
 

[SwampD]

So, I drive all local roads to get to work. There are always people walking, waiting for buses, shopping, riding bikes, lots o stuff.

There are a lot more people outside now. Other than the increase of joggers, the one thing I’ve noticed that really stands out while driving to and from work, is, how do I say this, the hue of them is much, um, paler than it was two weeks ago.

I’ve seen entire families of white people going for a walk.

its nice.

[Stoner]

2 hours ago, LTS said:

Because people love you.. very much. ?

I have not.. I am also intrigued.. this is a thing? 

Yep. I had some at Sprague's in Portville.

[bunomatic]

On 3/19/2020 at 11:16 AM, nfreeman said:

Growing a mustache.

Ha me too. 2nd one in my life at 55 years young. So far I look like a greasy pervert ( according to my wife ).

[Tondas]

2 hours ago, Doohickie said:

I'm also working from home.

I got out today and took a bicycle ride. 

I started out by picking up a prescription for my wife through the drive-thru

Then I hit the trails.  Due to recent rains, I couldn't cross here...

I ended up with about 20 miles.

If you didn't enjoy your afternoon as much as I did, DILL WITH IT.

Man, compared to you @Doohickie, I am definitely a Donthickie.  I read your post and needed to sit down with a Gatorade.

[shrader]

5 hours ago, Indabuff said:

How was the meat section?  Fun as in only pigs feet and chicken gizzards left?!

Plenty of the good stuff. I wouldn’t be grilling that crap for a month. 

[French Collection]

On 3/19/2020 at 10:05 PM, Ducky said:

How does it compare with the maple syrup?

It is darker and has a taste more like molasses. It is mainly fructose, where maple syrup is sucrose. Boiling it is more difficult, it can burn more easily.

It is a lot more work to make, requiring 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Maple is 40 to 1. A lot of firewood is burned, but there are a lot of dead trees on our property plus scrap wood from projects.

[French Collection]

7 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Sounds good.

Ever have tree water? It's a by-product of making syrup.

I plan on having some birch sap this year. I read that people in the northern parts of Europe drink it as a health supplement. It is best fresh and spoils in a few days.

[sabremike]

Streaming wrestling from IWTV, Highspots and Honor Club while holed up in my apartment with these guys:

L-R: Tage 1, Tage 2 and Weird Tage

[French Collection]

On 3/19/2020 at 10:38 PM, Ogre said:

How do you boil off? My MIL makes some every year but she gets a few bottles of vodka and just spends days boiling on the stove top. 

I don’t have a fancy evaporator, I have a 12’ x 12’ sugar shack with a flat top wood stove. There is room for 3 large stainless steel pans on top of the stove.

It takes me about 12 hours to boil 30+ gallons of sap. I just keep feeding wood (approx. 1/2 cord of wood) and adding fresh sap to the starter pan.

I get it down to 80% syrup and then finish it on the electric stove in the house. We can get better precision and not burn it with the electric + hydrometer to measure water content.

Filtration at the bottling stage takes a while as well.

One can have a few beers over the course of a syrup day. No driving required as the shack is 300 yards from the house.

[Ogre]

Sounds like heaven to me. I planted 50 sugar maples on our property a few years before we built the house but by the next spring the deer had gobbled up every last one of them along with my dream of having a sugar shack. The process I helped out with as a kid was commercial. Even with an evaporator the sheer volume of boiling sap was remarkable. I envy your hobby, sir.

[Ogre]

Sorry @French Collection, I meant to link you to my post. Don't be surprised if you find me on the doorstep of your sugar shack one day.

 

[Indabuff]

Question:. Do current events permit increased hours of alcohol consumption at home?  

[SwampD]

31 minutes ago, Indabuff said:

Question:. Do current events permit increased hours of alcohol consumption at home?  

Permit?!

They demand it.

[FogBat]

17 hours ago, SwampD said:

https://www.theonion.com/violently-bored-americans-begin-looting-puzzle-stores-1842429517
 

I didn't read article. However, I did download an app for Jigsaw puzzles. I also have an app for cross stitching.

[French Collection]

We have had a couple of cold nights, my son is skating and shooting on the pond while the dogs chase squirrels. Healthier than video games.

[LTS]

16 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Yep. I had some at Sprague's in Portville.

Hmmm..  I've been there before.  Is this something that would be normally available or a special event?  

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Indabuff said:

Question:. Do current events permit increased hours of alcohol consumption at home?  

I'm way ahead of you.

Texans drinking the most alcohol during COVID-19 outbreak, data suggests

Posted: Mar 20, 2020 / 01:33 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 20, 2020 / 01:38 PM CDT