Start the clock!

Sure!
What are some of your hobbies?
How do you typically spend your time when you’re not in the coffee room?

If you could have a private dinner with one living person (not a politician to conform to the terms of the OP) who would it be? Just to be mindful of tzinius concerns, if the person you have in mind is of the opposite gender, who would you suggest to your spouse or friend?

“How ’bout you? And did you find lockdown gave you a chance to find things you can enjoy on your own?”

Lockdown was supposed to be a time for all of us to make an accounting with our lives and face Hashem and his Judgement calling out to all of us including myself to come together for serious teshuva and achdus ASAP. Hashem doesn’t just shut down the entire world with a disasterous apedemic like coronavirus like it’s just coincidence. The choice is ours and there’s no one to blame except ourselves for not waking up to face reality and admit to Hashem wake up call for serious teshuva and achdus together as a loving nation on all levels from frum to frei to chassidish etc…..

May we all wake up ASAP together for national teshuva so Mashiach can come already

Anyone here like horse stories?
I’ve read the “Heartland” series by Lauren Brooke; they were extremely enjoyable. I also read the “Thoroughbred” series by Joanna Campbell.

“What type of books?”

I am a big history buff. My big project right now is a thick history of the British Parliament written by Chris Bryant, Labour MP from Rhondda, Wales. I’m to the time of Henry VIII; the level of cruel violence during the roughly 250 years preceding makes me think that Edward I did us a favor by kicking us out of England on Tisha B’Av of 1290.

@charliehall Any particular region or era of history? I think I have a bit of a phobia of history books from years of my father insisting that I read “something intelligent” (which could mean anything from a 100 page “Mary Queen of Scots for Young Readers” or Benzion Netanyahu’s mammoth “The Origins of the Inquisition in 15th Century Spain”). Though I do make an exception for Israeli or Jewish history. I prefer science and math for my non-fiction reading.

@syag-lchochma Oh gosh, you name it. Chess and Rummikub are never off the table (literally). Our latest acquisition was “Smallworld Underground” which is a ton of fun. When the kids were off for the pandemic, I started a game of “Dungeons & Dragons” with them which is an experience I firmly believe every parent must have.

Love reading, mostly history and Grisham, Travel, Off-roading, X-C skiing, cooking and gardening

I think there’s something like 17 versions of “Pandemic” out there. It’s a very popular game. I never played it, but I’ve played “Forbidden Island” by the same author which is a similar game. It’s co-operative, everyone works together to stop global pandemics by traveling around the world, building hospitals, and researching vaccines.

The latest versions to come out are a series called “Pandemic: Legacy” which are a fascinating new idea in board games (and great way to get peoples money). Every time you play the game, the rules change permanently. There are cards that are added or removed, stickers put into the instruction manual, and little boxes with new pieces to add. And the rules are different depending on how each game turns out. After ten games the rules stop changing and you end up with a unique board game that no one else has. Then they came out with three sequels to “Pandemic: Legacy” that tell an ongoing story about the pandemic so every year you have to buy the next game.

Commonsaychel and Syag: Do you have any garden – defense tips to share? I used to enjoy growing vegetables until a few years ago, when some groundhogs destroyed my fence and ate all the plants. I would love some advice on getting it started again.

I got back into my old hobby of coin collecting . I enjoy rhe history behind the coins.

Goldilocks@ Scary from the woodchucks prospective, works wonders to preserve the plants. Try Fox urine that you can buy at a garden center but not as effective as my first two solutions.

We have tried fox and coyote urine, moth balls, and just about all the chemical irritants known to science (fencing is not a practical option given the property configuration) . Nothing works when you have an overpopulation of deer in semi-rural area where hunting is prohibited and few natural predators (other than vehicles which are not so natural). I wish there was some way to “capture alive” and find some local shlachthous with good hashgacha to provide venison.