Hey Everyone!  I hope y'all are doing well and are healthy.  At the time of this writing, most if not all of the states have some kind of partial opening.  Now, I'm not going to get into the discussion for or against reopening and if it's too soon or not.  That's not what this is about.  But what this blog is about is what have you learned during this Stay at Home Order?  What new thing or activity had you forgotten and have relearned, or have you just learned something new? I have been very lucky that I have been able to work the whole time, and I have been able to do it remotely from home.  I know that a lot of you have had to stay home without pay, and I do know how you feel.  I was out of work for five months before, and I know what it's like not to have a paycheck coming in.  Today I'm going to go over a few things that I have learned while staying at home.

1. I have learned how to cut my own hair!  I don't mean my wife has learned how.  I mean I have learned how.  I would never let my wife cut my hair.  Not because I don't think she could do it, but if she messed up I would do or say something that I would regret.  And I must say, I've done a good job at it so much that I won't be getting regular hair cuts at the barber shop anymore.  Unless I really screw it up! LOL  So I've learned a new skill and a way to save some money.

2. I have learned that I really do miss going places and camping.  I'm pretty much a loner and don't go out much to socialize any except for my camera club.  So the Stay at Home Order hasn't really affected me much in that sense.  I do most of my shopping online, so going to a store wasn't my thing to start with.  But not being able to go camping or hiking in my favorite parks, now that's killing me.  I even had a campout in my backyard as you could tell by my last blog.  I plan on going somewhere this weekend to go for a day hike because the campgrounds haven't opened yet, but I can't wait.  I don't think I will meet my goal of visiting all of the state parks in NC in a single year this year.  Might have to try again next year.

3.  I am relearning how to play the guitar.  I have had my guitar put away in the closet for almost 10 years.  I used to play quite a few songs.  Easy ones.  I really wasn't that good when I played.  But now I'm taking an online guitar course that is 14 weeks long for beginners.  I had forgotten how much the tips of your fingers hurt at the beginning.  But I'm starting to relearn some of the old songs I knew, as well as some new ones.  I'm having fun with it, and I plan to practice every day if I can.  Don't worry, this isn't going to become a Guitar Blog.

4. I also learned that I'm set in my ways and I like what I like.  I like to watch the same TV series over and over again.  Shows like "The West Wing," "Grey's Anatomy," "Game of Thrones," "Downton Abbey," "Heartland," and I could name a few more.  I have watched all of these shows many times and still like watching them.  I like a salad at night with grilled chicken for supper, and I have that every day during the week.  You would think that I would be smaller than I am with all of that salad, but I also like my sweets and savories to eat.  I like wearing the same jeans for many days in a row, and they just seem to get more comfortable every day.  I like going to bed early and waking up early.  I tend to get most of my work done before noon.  So, yes, I'm set in my ways.

Hopefully you have learned something about yourself that you didn't know or had forgotten.  Maybe a new skill with editing your photos or a new skill with your camera.  I hope that you have made this time at home an adventure instead of a burden.  I know I said that I wasn't going to write about the coronavirus anymore. OOPS!  Anyway, I hope that your days get easier and that you get outside and shoot!