Lately I watch ER, which I started between seasons of The Pitt.

I watch squirrels appear to give me the middle finger as they steal birdseed. I suppose I could thwart them somehow but that means I would have to think and do some work. Maybe they’ll get diarrhea then I will have the last laugh but no, I have seen those squirrels eat mushrooms. They have iron stomachs. One dragged a cap up a tree onto a branch.

I said to the squirrel as I looked up at it, “Mushrooms? Are you crazy? Really, you are eating that?”

I considered eating one of the mushrooms because the squirrels do but maybe they are pretending hoping I will eat a mushroom and then I will be the one to get diarrhea or perhaps die, rolling on the grass vomiting blood, the squirrels laughing.

I spend weekends trying to figure them out.

I go to concerts (big and small), community theater, parties or just watch Netflix and go to bed early. I like to get up early and make the most out of my days. I also take a weekend trip once a month and usually go back to the hotel after dinner.

Once the kids were gone, we found we both stayed at work later since there was no real reason to get home (sports practice, family dinner, etc.) This is not ideal.

Neither of us drink

After work we:
go for a walk (outside if its nice or the mall if it is cold/bad weather)
Play board games
Make dinner together or go out to dinner
We try not to go to bed before 8p to watch tv

Weekends:

we run errands together
exercise
appts (hair/nails/etc)
get together with friends
maybe a show if we can find decently priced tickets (not $$ tickets)
We got cards for christmas that are scratch off activities in each state. We got sets for DC, MD, VA so sometimes we go do that
We have done day trips (hiking/boating/etc)

Anonymous wrote:Make dinner together with a bottle of wine, dance, then go for a walk, then sit by the fire or outside on the patio.

you dance in your house?

Make dinner together with a bottle of wine, dance, then go for a walk, then sit by the fire or outside on the patio.

Anonymous wrote:We try to put things on the calendar 30-60 days in advance. Not for every weekend but if we have 2/4 planned weekend activities we can do less structured activities on those other 2.

We go to lectures, concerts, or the theater. We both love baseball and there's always a game somewhere in DMV. We often go to the Cal Ripken league games to see the college kids playing.

Dinner and movie is always a good standby. We also look for silly popup things happening in the area. Our goal is to get out of the house and "do one thing" over the weekend.

I agree this is motivating. We went to dinner and movie tonight as this post inspired me.

Anonymous wrote:We try to put things on the calendar 30-60 days in advance. Not for every weekend but if we have 2/4 planned weekend activities we can do less structured activities on those other 2.

We go to lectures, concerts, or the theater. We both love baseball and there's always a game somewhere in DMV. We often go to the Cal Ripken league games to see the college kids playing.

Dinner and movie is always a good standby. We also look for silly popup things happening in the area. Our goal is to get out of the house and "do one thing" over the weekend.

This is motivating. I am finding weekends so depressing because I have nothing going on. How old are your kids?

We try to put things on the calendar 30-60 days in advance. Not for every weekend but if we have 2/4 planned weekend activities we can do less structured activities on those other 2.

We go to lectures, concerts, or the theater. We both love baseball and there's always a game somewhere in DMV. We often go to the Cal Ripken league games to see the college kids playing.

Dinner and movie is always a good standby. We also look for silly popup things happening in the area. Our goal is to get out of the house and "do one thing" over the weekend.

Just in the evening? Take a long bath and read in there. Make dinner and watch tv.

During the day, read, clean, go on walks/drives...

Friday evening- fall asleep on the couch around 7pm and then go to bed at 8/9pm.
Saturday evening- maybe go out to dinner once every 5-6 weeks. Watch Netflix, etc. Go to bed by 10pm.


- a teacher, single mom, and empty nester

Plays, concerts, have friends over for dinner. Go see a Nats game. Read a good book

Anonymous wrote:I live alone in my 60s so I mostly get high (medical marijuana patient) or afternoon drunk (I have like 180 bottles of wine in house)

It's fun. I didn't get to do this a long time ago.

Too bad you don't need a friend. I could assist with those 180 bottles.

Anonymous wrote:Crafts, tv together. At least one Friday/Saturday is hanging out with friends. And we have little kids still. But they go to grandparents for a few weekend nights a month.

As someone who didn’t have that and plan to provide that for my daughter, I’m glad you get those respites. It’s SO important for mental health.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Astronomy. Admittedly this is something we did with the kids but it's a different vibe without. We are close to certified dark sky locations and I really love to go stargazing.

The availability of reasonably priced high power telescopes now is amazing.

Also, weekends away. It is so easy for us to pack and go now. We try to keep driving to three hours max each way so there is plenty of time to relax. We tried "staycations" but it wasn't for me. I need a little distance from the homestead to leave my worries behind!

I feel like the astronomy bug is wasted on me. I have a southern facing 3d floor finished attic with French doors and a balcony that looks out above most of our visible neighbors in town across minimum 4 acre lots and conservation woods. No light pollution. It’s enough to see flights left and right (east and west) from the local airports criss-crossing with flights descending from the north to our international airport 30m south from me as the crow flies.

Space movies scare me, and I have whatever the reverse is of claustrophobia. The limitlessness of space terrifies me

Do something else?