My Hobbies

Women don’t really understand men’s hobbies. When a man gets into a hobby he puts his full effort into it. It begins with an introduction by a friend, an article in a magazine, a conversation at a party or something he discovers on the Internet. The next step is to go out and acquire the basic items required for the selected hobby. He wants to make sure that it is something that he is going to enjoy. Then as the hobby ‘pulls him in” his initial investment in dollars and time begins to increase. The hobby almost becomes an obsession. He begins attending meetings and gatherings with those who also enjoy the hobby. They share a common bond.

This bond, this camaraderie he shares with his new friends, almost always conflicts with his wife. Girl friends usually don’t cause a problem because they can be easily replaced.

My hobbies have included hunting, historical miniatures, soccer referring, bagpipes and writing. There are probably other things but those were the most prevalent. Now I just do historical miniatures and writing. I have been thinking about trying the mandolin but haven't figured out how to squeeze in the time for it. Maybe at retirement. 

I have a Lionel train that I put out out during Christmas. My original track, engine, tender, box car, gondola and caboose are over 50 years old. I have been buying new cars and now have reached the point that maybe I need another engine. I purchased the new Lionel "Fastrack." And then I bought on book on track layouts. I love the new stuff and now, just maybe I need new switches and should expand the layout. This is not an easy thing to do around the Christmas tree. And, my wife would not be thrilled if I took over the living room. So now I'm thinking about other options.

1. We have a screened in porch. If I could cover the screens and add some heat then I could put a layout on the porch. 

2. What if I moved some things out of the office. The small recliner chair could be put somewhere. I could replace the desks with a smaller configuration.

3. Convince my wife that the new bedroom doesn't have to be finished until after Christmas. That would give me a whole room to use!

The question is do I need another hobby? Maybe not, but maybe at retirement.