Just over a year ago, EVPL – along with most of the rest of the country – went into lockdown. What most of us thought of as a “normal day” was a thing of the past, at least for a while. Even when people began going back to work, far more time was spent at home during off-hours. It felt strange, and finding a new rhythm took some effort. As we did this, a great many of us got creative with our time and began brushing off hobbies that had gathered dust in the course of previously busier days and weeks.
Recently, three questions were put to the staff of EVPL to see what they had spent time on during the last year.
- Did you start any new hobbies?
- Did you revive past hobbies?
- Did you do a deeper dive on already existing hobbies?
We received some great responses, which broke down into a few main categories.
Arts and Crafts
- Charleen M., already an avid crocheter spent much more time on her projects, adding to her own and others’ wardrobes.
- Jamie S. also spent time crocheting and was able to teach her curious children how to as well.
- Alyssa S. had wanted to learn how to knit for some time, so following one of the CreativeBug classes available on our website, she was able to learn the basic stitches of knitting and purling and completed a beanie. This is a great resource, you can find that class and many others on a wide range of topics.
- The monthly Procrastiknitters program, normally held at EVPL North Park, went online and continued to meet and learn new techniques and create new projects.
- Stacy revved up her quilting and also began learning resin casting, making her own molds, and using them to create polyhedral dice.
- Andrea K. spent more time in her chosen craft of nature photography. This gave her time out of the house and was a great stress reliever for her.
Gardening
- Wendy C. did “massive work” on her yard and garden and painted some signs for her garden.
- Jamye W. and her husband built and installed raised beds in their yard.
- Charleen M. began planning for new flower and vegetable beds to add to her yard.
Exercise
- For Beth H. exercise was her “happy pill”. With young children at home due to school closures and canceled activities, there were bike rides, workouts, and dance parties to keep everyone active and happy.
- Helen A. spent time on her stationary bike to keep herself moving.
- Gisela was given some rollerblades and is looking forward to warm weather so she can break them in.
- Jessica H., who was already experienced in western-style horseback riding, began learning English style.
Music
- Some of our staff decided to take up the instruments they had been wanting to learn.
- Jake K., who had been in a high school marching band decided to add playing mandolin to his repertoire.
- Ann-Marie had a piano that she had acquired in the hopes of learning to play. With extra time on her hands, she used the Kanopy database on our website and took the “How to Play the Piano“ offered there through the Great Courses. That along with an app she found has her well on her way. Although she has no plans to perform for others, she finds a great deal of enjoyment in learning and playing.
Cooking
- Helen, Stacy, and Caitlyn spent time baking. Caitlyn began making her own pizza dough, yeast rolls, and focaccia. She also learned to make her own sourdough starter and bread.
Writing
- Elaine began drawing again and was able to complete a children’s book that she both wrote and illustrated.
- Aaron got a creative writing project out and began working on it again.
Reading
- As library staff members it will come as no surprise that most of us are avid readers, so extra time at home often meant extra reading time. In fact, Lesa read an impressive 169 books in the course of 2020.
Games
- Jamie’s family spent more time playing games together like Chicken Foot Dominoes.
- Cheryl had more time to work on jigsaw puzzles, something she has always enjoyed.
- Katherine who loves and regularly plays Dungeons and Dragons was able to continue playing in video meetings. This allowed friends from farther away to join the game. Using some of the many Dungeons and Dragons books in the EVPL collection they were able to learn new ways to enhance their game.
And there were a variety of other things like learning sign language and Spanish, taking a robotics course, and learning to make kombucha.
While this may all sound terribly productive, keep in mind these are the highlights from this time, as we all found ways to adapt and anchor ourselves in a very different and difficult year. Along with the productive days, there was also plenty of binge-watching of YouTube and watching comfort TV and movies.
How did you spend your time? If you have any hobbies or activities you would like to share, please go to our EVPL Facebook page and add a comment. We’d love to hear how you’ve spent your time.
