I have a feeling that the world will shut down again soon, so we’ve been battening down the hatches. We bought extra computers and set up the girls with desks in their bedrooms. I’ve also been trying to complete remodeling projects at warp speed in case Longmont stops building inspections. I’ve had little time to work on this blog. So today, you get yet another lazy photo edition.
Fire And Ice
In between helping my younger daughter with remote learning and the older one with quadratic equations, I’ve been finishing up my basement. Last week, my friend Todd helped me put a subpanel in the basement:
As you read this, I’ll be wiring up the rest of the basement. The finish is close to completion. After wiring, I’ll install fire-blocking and insulating. The space could be ready for drywall by end of week. I’ll still have to finish the bathroom (build a shower pan, tile, and install fixtures), but most of the space will be useable soon.
Speaking of fire, Colorado has been burning. The fires are not far away from us, so we get to live in an apocalyptic scene where sometimes the sky turns orange and ash rains from the sky:
It also snowed, but not enough to have an impact on the fire:
At the HQ, Craig Curelop gave a talk on house hacking:
The world continues to be a strange place. In the age of COVID, some of our friends have been extra cautious and we haven’t seen them since February. I doubt we’ll see them before the second half of 2021.
Others we know have lost their jobs or will soon. A sad fact about COVID is that the hardest hit are the ones who were already struggling. The wealthy seem to be doing OK.
It’s depressing to consider that the world won’t return to normal for a long time. I hope we all come out on the other side with an appreciation for how good normal life is.
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No masks during the talk at HQ?
We held it outside and initially placed chairs 6′ apart to maintain social distancing. Some folks who knew each other moved their chairs closer together. The picture is a little deceiving too in the angle I took it from, so the area looks narrower than it actually was.
My friendships have definitely suffered. And it’s going to get worse in winter. Every time I think to invite someone to do something, I remember, oh yeah, COVID. One music/beer hall has exclusively outdoor seating, but that’s going to soon get too cold even for us hardy Wisconsinites.
It’s definitely a tough time for all and definitely for those already struggling as you mentioned. 2020 is a weird year, even for reasons beyond COVID.
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It sucks! We don’t get cold temps all that much here down in Atlanta, but social hangs outdoors is part of the reason I bought a down jacket as the seasons change. Trying to get by!
Hey Matt, just randomly stumbled across this. It hasn’t been as bad as I thought and I even attended an outdoor beer garden, with some cool fire pits. Yay for outdoor hangs!
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Keep the renovation updates coming Carl! You’re inspiring me to consider a small project we might have coming up as well. Unless you want to head down this way and tackle it for me!
Thanks, new video coming soon!
Do it! Let me know how I can help! I work for beer and good conversation, but it would have to be 2021…
I’ve also been anticipating another shutdown this month but I assumed it was mostly my pessimism. What makes you think it’s coming?
I’ve got to commit to a new computer for the family and for JB’s lessons. They have been using my old one but it’s been increasingly frustrating, and I can’t figure out what’s wrong with it.
As time marches on, we’re all growing further apart socially as the literal distance is maintained between us. It’s tough.
We’re meeting my parents for the first time since the early Spring pre-COVID tomorrow, I must admit I’m a little nervous. We’ll be getting together outside in a park-like area around a winery for a hike and a snack. Still… it’s your parents, you know?
On the other side of all this, I wonder what it’ll all look like and what the lasting effects will be on social relationships (many of which will no longer exist because of the sad loss of life).
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Haha! Is the pumpkin’s name Hailey? 🙂
You’re inspiring me to consider a small project we might have coming up as well.