[Newfie]

Sitting in Antigua with not much to do except keep my fabricator working on my project.

Normally that would piss me off but I think I have reached that age when I am just happy to he alive and comfortable.

[AgentR11]

I tried the home garden thing, I quit when I realized I was basically making the equivalent of a dollar an hour for all the labor put into it. That's factoring in the 2/3 you give away to neighbors too, since you can never eat it all. I think I spend $20 a week now at the local grocer and last week it was $30 since I bought a big bag of dates that were on special. I can't grow dates here, or bananas, too cold, or apples really. When I was growing up backyard gardens were just going out of vogue, they were a holdover from the great Depression when it made sense, when money was tight. It might get tight again down here but at the moment I'm happy to have the supermarket supply my needs, and keep my hands clean and my back free of aches.

I think its the scale thing that does in most home gardens. Its essentially impossible to grow calorie crops, at sufficient quantity, on the small amount of land people have. My grandfather and many of my great uncles had home "gardens" that were honestly productive. They were on average about an acre+ in size, and were generally plowed with a tractor, usually by some guy who rented out his services to the large assortment of home "gardens" in the area. THOSE gardens could produce more food, calorie heavy food, than could be eaten during the course of the year, with the associated canning, pickling, blanching, and freezing into family meal size portions.

THAT was home gardening. And it was still low pay value for the amount of time it took per 3000 kcal daily chunk.

Good memories as a kid messing about though.

[AgentR11]

Sitting in Antigua with not much to do except keep my fabricator working on my project.
Normally that would piss me off but I think I have reached that age when I am just happy to he alive and comfortable.

A lot to be said in favor of "comfortable".

I keep wondering if I want to sail after I retire, huge commitment to do it right, but in reach. I really did enjoy the few days I did get to spend underway when younger.

Comfort though, seems a big anchor for staying home. lol.

[Newfie]

Agent,

That is true. It is only a tiny fraction of sailors who spend as much time on our boat as we do. It does not seem abnormal to us because we are within that tiny community and not exceptional at all.

[theluckycountry]

I think boating must be a lot like motorcycling, it gets in your blood, you can't let it go. Most of us just ride local or a few days ride here and there but I've know guys that spend half their life just criss crossing the nation endlessly. Others ride around the world, taking their bike with them. They love it, think nothing of it even though the comfort of home it's not.

[Newfie]

Well we are off again from Antigua. Now back to the States for a bit before heading to Newfoundland for the summer.

It seems we have found a couple of happy places to be, where things feel "homish." That is pretty good.

My health seems to be just fine despite the heart attack, in fact the steers revived my energy and endurance a but. If not for the 9 pills a day I could forget about it.

That seems like pretty good happy talk to me.