Be a Doer

I suppose this isn't so much about having a hobby as it is about being willing to do things .

To figure out what you will need and then buy the materials ( or repurpose them if I can ) and just do it .

When I was sixteen My soon to be step father " Bob " handed me a chainsaw and said , " Go cut some firewood , " So I did .

There were a lot of standing dead trees on our land , so I cut it down and sawed it up into six foot lengths , ( or so ) , and dragged it out of the woods with a pick'a'roon and cut it to stove length , and stacked it up so we could burn it in our wood stove for heat .

By the way a Pick'a'roon is tool that is basically a foot long spike with a slight curve , on a wooden handle that is about 30 inches long .

You swing it like an axe and sink the point into a log and use it as a handle to drag the log out of the woods to an area where you can cut it up , usually on a " Jig " . Which is an X shaped saw horse .

That was my first exposure to DIY .

The next year my mother and Bob got married and bought a piece of land , which we cleared and began building a house .

Bob had bought a backhoe from my mother's stepfather and I learned how to use it , as I dug the hole for the foundation . Bob laid out the dimensions and I ran the machine .

We hired a professional foundation contractor to finish it to exact specs , but he only had to spend a couple of hours to get it just right .

I remember that at the time the guy said I was a natural and if I ever wanted a job to come see him . I thought that he was pulling my leg at the time , but Bob said that he was serious .

I was seventeen at the time and still in high school , what did I know ?

I remember how that guy , The foundation guy , finished the foundation from there .

and Bob and I built the house from there on . It was a gambrel style building so it sort of looked like a barn , but I learned a lot about building things .

I learned how to lay the " plate " on top of the cement walls , I learned how to make and raise beams , I learned how to hang floor joists and lay the floor , I learned how to raise walls and to build the roof , and then to build stairs and hang sheet rock and mud and sand and to do trim work , and many other things , some plumbing and electrical work as well .

But the thing I learned that was most important , was that I could do a lot for myself .

In the years that followed I learned how to work on my own vehicles , to change out a starter , or an alternator , or do a brake job . I also learned a bit about body work , how to pull out a dent , or braze in a patch and smooth it out with " Bondo " , which is an epoxy plastic that goes on like clay and then hardens , and also bonds to metal and is easy to sand to shape .

I like being able to do things for myself , It raises my confidence and allows me to overcome obstacles , without having to hire a professional , which can save a lot of money .

So that is more or less my skill set , which plays into my hobbies .

I love to go camping .

At times that has been as basic as a tarp , a cooler , and a sleeping bag .

More often there has been a tent , and most recently ( as I get older ) , a camper , pop up campers are my favorite . they take less area to store when not in use , and are easy to tow and maneuver , especially to back up into a tight spot , or to turn around .

I am currently between campers , but I am sure that I will acquire another one soon enough .

Fishing is also an enjoyable pastime , whether from the bank of a brook or stream , at the shore of a lake or pond , or sometimes in a boat . Though fishing from a boat takes more time and preparation , and is also a much bigger money investment , but it also is fun to just be out on the water .

Ice fishing can also be a lot of fun . Most people use an ice shack , which is just a small building on skis or runners , that you can use to get out of the weather .

Most ice shacks are about four or five feet wide by six or eight feet long , and have a camp stove or even a small woodstove , along with a couple of seats . I have however seen them big enough to have bunks so you can stay overnight if you are truly committed .

Ice fishing from an ice shack takes more of a time commitment however .

You have to build it and then get it on a trailer , transport it to the lake or pond and then get it out onto the ice

Most people also invest in an Ice auger , which is a drill powered by a small motor which cuts a hole in the ice about about six inches wide , as well as ice " Traps " which are two wooden cross pieces like an x , and a third one that is vertical , which is half in the hole and half sticking up in the air with a reel of fishing line and a trip lever that releases a flag when the line starts to pay out. typically you set up between two of these per person and then you wait for a flag . That is where the shack comes in . Once you get all set up you can wait in the shack and just watch out the windows for a flag , then run out and hopefully pull up a nice fish .

Fishing and camping are both great ways to spend time with your kids , family , and friends , While you also enjoy the great outdoors . and learn a little about what it takes to be self sufficient .

Which I find to be very satisfying .