I used to love winter as a kid. We always lived near somewhere where I could go explore during the day, whether it was a forest, or a large field to play in. Now that I’m grown up and unable to afford my dream home with a forest out back I don’t have much to do outside during the winter. That kind of works out for me because now I use the winter time to make catch up on the things I didn’t have time for with everything else I do. These are some of the things I like to do, or would like to find time for, to keep my sanity while being stuck inside all winter.
I’ve already said I love playing video games LINK . Since I usually go most of the spring and summer months without playing them, the winter is my time to catch up. I started Rise of the Tomb Raider last winter and am pretty excited to get a chance to finish it this winter. I’ve also been wanting to replay The Godfather on Xbox again so I may have to find time for that.
Something I’ve wanted to try for a long time is knitting. The only problem is, I don’t really know what I would make if I got into it. I don’t usually wear things that are knitted because I don’t like the holes, even if they are small. I also don’t think the dogs would like it if I were sitting on the couch with something else on my lap.
Something related that I’ve been wanting to try is sewing. And I don’t necessarily mean being able to put small patches on things that are ripped. I think it would be really cool to make my own clothes. Specifically, I would like to have pants that are the correct length while still fitting my thighs.
Although I don’t see myself finding the money to get back into model trains LINK any time soon, they are a great thing to keep you occupied if you’re stuck inside during the winter. This is the time of year when my dad usually makes the most changes to his setup because he is stuck inside as well.
This is also a time when he and my step-mom do jig-saw puzzles. There is a little peninsula countertop in their basement which always has a puzzle on it. We used to do tons of puzzles when I was younger so we sometimes all just stand at the counter and talk while we work on it.
I’m hoping to find time to do some reading LINK this winter. Being on the move almost constantly makes it hard to read as much as I would like. I could listen to audio books while I’m driving but I can’t bring myself to buy the audio book for something I already own a hard copy of.
I’ll obviously be writing during the winter. Last winter was when I got most of the outlines done for this year’s blog posts and I plan on doing the same for next year’s posts. I’ll have more on this to say at the end of next month when I write about how the year went.
I’ve been getting more into woodworking LINK lately. I’ve got some things sketched out to build some cabinets this winter because my workshop is a mess right now. I have mostly just shelves to put things on so instead of giving things a home and keeping them there I just put them in an open spot on the closest shelf. The few drawers I have are the only places where things get put away correctly each time.
I also want to try making a dining room table. I saw a really cool design for a drop leaf table that folds in the middle as well as each side to go from a small shelf-like table against a wall to a big eight person table. I drew something out a while ago for how I would want to try it but I decided I don’t like what I came up with so I need to modify it.
The last big indoor project I have planned, if I find the time, is to work on finishing my basement. It was half finished when we bought the house but I can tell based on the wear on the fabric insulated wiring they probably started the process years ago and then just left it unfinished. There is some drywall put up but I don’t know what they were thinking when they made the cuts because it’s going to take some extra tape to smooth out all the joints they created.
I was going to be spending some of my time the next few months working with my sister’s Winterguard program, but they were able to find an additional instructor so she won’t need me. But I will still be building the props for them and for my wife’s program. It’s always fun because they don’t usually ask for something simple. Last year I had to make free-standing trees that could be carried through a gym door and were light enough to carry but bottom-heavy enough to stand if they got bumped into.
I used to just draw things out to show them but even when explaining it thoroughly there was always a miscommunication. Now I use Sketchup Free for everything so they can see all the angles and proportions ahead of time and I don’t need to adjust as much.
I also tend to binge-watch TV shows and movies during the winter because I don’t watch much during the other months. Last winter I watched Attack on Titan and all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies up to Inifinity War because I hadn’t seen them yet. They definitely lived up to the hype.
This year I’ve started watching Sword Art Online and will most likely be finding time for The Mandalorian. I’ll most likely wait until January to start the latter because I prefer to binge new shows when I can. It makes end of season cliff hangers worse when I don’t have the next season yet, but the ones at the ends of episodes are easier to deal with so it evens out.
A Life, Ensnared 