Hi Ken, I know you have many interests in your life, this forum, your internet work, politics, religion, your home, and more........which area gives you the most satisfaction, and which one would you like to give more time too
Ken, I'm a romantic....how did you meet your lovely wife? How long did you date before you popped the question?
Acccch you asked the question I was going to ask, Chrissy. Great question from terry too... Ken,you've shared a lot with us about your life, and your work, but I don't recall if you said you had children...do you?
That changes from time to time. Forum -- Yeah, there are a lot of things I'd like to do with it, and expect that I'll have time for it before too long. Internet Work -- I sort of wish I didn't have to do any work at all, but since I do, I'd like to see it go back up to forty hours a week. Politics -- I think I'd be happier if I ignored it altogether, and maybe I'll achieve that one day. Religion -- As an Anabaptist, my religion suggests that I spend less time on politics and more time on the things that are important. If you think about it, if we're going to spend less than a century, most of us, here on earth, and the rest of eternity elsewhere, then perhaps it doesn't really matter so much who the idiots elect in November. Home -- There are always things to do around the house but at this point, I'd rather be able to pay someone else to do it. I'd rather spend more time on our camp, turning it into an off-grid home. My Wife -- We already spend most of our time together, albeit generally in different rooms, since she has poor taste in television. I'd like for us to be able to do some traveling, but that's hard to with three cats, particularly when two of them are very old.
We were both working for the Open Directory Project, which includes a staff forum. The ODP had tens of thousands of editors from all over the world, and most of us never met, although there were meet ups every now and then. Although we hadn't met, we had known one another for years before she drove to Texas from New Mexico one day. Since we were both exactly who we thought we were, we were married not long afterward. I proposed to her during the course of an online timed quiz that I had set up. In August, we will have been married for 17 years. I was forty-eight, and had never been married before. She is a remarkable person, and I made a good choice.
I adopted a seven year-old when I was in my early twenties, and raised him as a single parent. I was also a foster parent during that time.
Mostly my wife, although I think I can do a pretty decent job of cooking. Nothing fancy, though. I do breakfasts, though. I don't know that she has a speciality. She likes experimenting with new dishes, and mostly they come out pretty good.
That begs the question what sort of things were you thinking of doing with it,................ should I be nervous
I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Maine, and winters are generally much more severe there. Other than that, I've lived in Southern California, in Iowa for a very short time, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, and in North Carolina. Although Millinocket is in central Maine, southern and northern Maine usually have more severe winters than we do. We're at the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, and I have heard that the Appalachians block a lot of the storms from us. They pass over us sometimes. Often, there are big storms in New York when we don't have much here.
If money wasn't an issue, would you still stay in Maine? Wouldn't a warmer climate be better for living off the grid?
I wouldn't mind also having a place somewhere else, but you can't beat a wood fire in a real winter, complete with snow, and since we have a hundred acres of woods, we can afford the firewood. I am not looking to live off-grid full time, but it will be nice to have a comfortable place to spend a few days or longer without all of the distractions. Plus, it's easier staying warm in Maine than staying cool in Texas. I like the bears, the deer, and the moose, as well as the squirrels and snowshoe hares. I like being able to set up my cameras and see what's out there.