Wednesday 3/18/2020
Hudson Area Library closes; all programs stop.
Friday 3/20/2020
Gov. Cuomo announces shit down of all non-essential businesses.
Saturday 3/21/2020
HAL hold first online Board of Trustees meeting; library closed
Tuesday 4/7/2020
Today marks the end of the third week of isolation. Excepting for a couple of trips to the grocery, bank, and liquor store we have had no contact with any one closer than 6 feet.
Walks
Fortunately for us we have been taking daily walks, sometimes lengthy enough to be called hikes. It has been remarkable how few people we see during these walks. You might think that people would be getting out for exercise, air, nature…. maybe this reflects how sedentary we have become as a society. Our walks have mainly featured a route up Warren St. around the hospital and then back down the hill to home – about 2.5 miles (4K). We have extended and varied this to make it both longer and more challenging.
Here are reports for a few.
3/30/20 -walk the alleys
Walk up Prison Alley (behind the house) to hospital. then, over to Union St and down to 7th St to switch over to Cherry Alley. Right onto 2nd St. and home. Had not walked these alleys in years.
4/1/2020 Walk- the boulevards
City enforces the no play rule at tennis courts.
Forsythia – one of our favorite signs that Spring is upon us.
4/2/20 – Prospect Hill and the cemetery
Colarusso quarry active in the distance.
Not noticed earlier – shop window on Warren.
4/5/2020 – adventure to Greenport conservation land
Seemed like a bright idea at the outset. Walk down 2nd St. to the landfill. Then cross over into the Greenport Conservation Land – then out to the parking lot on Joslen Blvd. But mud got in the way and a turn away from the river got us into a 20 minute exercise looking for the paths. Turned back and walked up to the high school then out to Arthur Ave. – the suburbs of Greenport. Back through the boulevards to Warren.
Solar farm behind the high school.
The “suburbs” in Greenport
near the library on 5th St.
4/7/2020 – walk to river front and back up via 2nd Street stairs – strange weight on old crane
Virtual Social Events
A big plus has been getting together with family and friends via FaceTime and Zoom. We’ve had regular meetups with the Leiden division, continuing difficulty in getting Andrea, Noah, Nyla and Kiara (Noah’s GF) into the swing of things. Scheduling anything with them remains very difficult. Also meetups with the Orton siblings – we determined that we had all last been together at Ed’s house in NJ in the summer of 2016, then before that 2013, then before that ???? – decades. Also side events with Ed, Meredith, and Maggie with Parker in the background.
We also had regular drinks with David Drake and Anne Bertrand-Dewsnap and Ted Dewsnap. Occasionally also Ellen Feldman, Harvey Meyerson and Betsy Keeler, Sue and Mark Haven, probably others.
Phoenix Sapoznick on his 3rd birthday.
Harvey and Betsy sharing book suggestions.
David Drake
Special stand built to hold iPad at correct angle for Zooming/FaceTime.
View from Leiden taken during family chat. Noah on screen.
Carol, Sam and 3 yr old Phoenix at virtual birthday party sing-a-long
Library
After aborted attempt at online Board of Trustees meeting on 3/21 we did get it off the ground on Saturday 3/28. All board members present. Group dynamics were very similar to our usual physical meetings. Held abbreviated Annual Meeting as required by bylaws. Passed library Pandemic Policy, approved 2020 budget and elected officers and trustees.
Attended MHLS webinar on 4/1 for library trustees about the pandemic. Very white and old….
Very productive Fundraising Committee meeting on Friday 4/3. Talked a lot about how to support internet access for school children. Less discussion about possible replacement fundraising strategy for gala.
Work at Home
Food
Thinking about, planning, cooking, eating…. these all take much more center stage in our daily rhythms.
Tofu gorp, baked red cabbage slice, brown rice
Dave Drakes vindaloo and sauteed bok choy
Mark’s whole wheat bread – first in several decades.
Nan’s banana bread – Leiden
Tennis
I went to a lesson with Saif on Thursday 3/19 indoors. Total Tennis indoors closed the next day. Ted and I had to cancel a Saturday event at Olde Chatham also because it closed. We played outdoors at the school on Sunday. My last tennis was an outdoor lesson with Saif on Thursday 3/26. Then decided that even the very low risk of playing tennis was unsustainable. Tennis is off for the duration…..
Received this email from Ted:
was just up at CGCC to hit on wall all by my lonesome. Security said
no, whole campus closed down, no one allowed. Where do I find a wall?Ted