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Any stories from self-isolation?

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PLANTING PANTS

padded knees for added support ✿ cuffed legs keep ticks out ✿ 16 pockets for seeds and tools ✿ padded slot for phone

»ADAPTING to the new normal and spending time creatively. “I personally am loving the return to family dinners, puzzles, and Monopoly night!” says Jane MacKenzie. She and husband Neil took a bench to their neighbor’s driveway and had a long-distance cocktail, with friends who sat at a window. Another night they sang “Happy Birthday” to a neighbor from the lawn outside.

One family, decided to take the close of all court activities to heart. They created their own pickleball court in their driveway—family only for now so I’m not sharing where.

ACT of CT, our wonderful nonprofit equity theater, gave a performance—with social distancing—to thousands of viewers all over the country, with performances by Stephen Schwartz, Bryan Perri, and others.

Anne Beatty reports that she

attends her Bible-study group, via Zoom. In fact, people all over are taking advantage of the videoconferencing site by attending book clubs, cocktail parties, and virtual play dates. One St. Mary teacher reports that her students were so excited to see each other’s faces on Zoom that it took them a full ten minutes to settle down to do lessons.

My grandchildren ages 5-13 must be getting tired of so much allowed screen time because all report back that they have been riding their bikes.

People are reading lots of books and binging on favorite TV series and movies. Many like my friend Karen Klein are cleaning out closets and drawers. Klein keeps a record of all the clutter cleaning she accomplishes so she can have something to feel good about when this is over.

Some of our snowbirds have

reported in like Bette Spielman, who says: “Our community has adopted driveway happy hours and coffee clutches! We take our chairs and beverages and snacks out to end of driveway and gather with plenty of space between us. We socialize and shout at each other because many are hard of hearing! Ha-ha! Sometimes it is morning coffee and sometimes happy hour!”

Here’s one I check in on every day. Susie Silston has a “rock on” theme going on Facebook. She dresses daily in costumes related to different eras and urges us all to “rock on.” One day she was a flapper, dressed in roaring ’20s garb. Another day she donned her poodle skirt and sock hop shoes.

The real challenges we hear are from people with children at home of all ages. When the weather is warm, Gillian Sheerin does a lot of outdoor activities with her kindergartener and first grader like bike riding, scootering, tennis in the yard and walks. “We are also playing a lot of games and have a family puzzle going at all times,” she says.

Sally Sanders is working on a quilt as a fundraising effort for breast cancer. It will be auctioned off later this summer. Anyone who follows Old Ridgefield on Facebook knows Jack Sanders is there daily sharing snippets of Ridgefield’s history. It’s a great way to learn about our town.

Geri Hotard s doing a deep dive into genealogy project she’s been trying to get to for years. She hopes to finally find an answer to the riddle of “where we came from in Ireland.” From there she plans to organize, digitize, and scrapbook 30 years of photos that are currently shoeboxes.

—Gerri Lewis

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AUGUST

SHAUN CASSIDY AUGUST 7 The iconic teen idol returns with hits – “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “Hey Deanie” and more!

COLIN HAY BAND AUGUST 12 A night of music and stories with the front-man, songwriter, & vocalist of pop sensation Men at Work!

JUNE

ANN WILSON OF HEART JUNE 21 Rock & Roll Hall of Famer from rock band Heart who has thrilled audiences with her vocal power !

TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE JUNE 23 Grammy nominee returns with an upbeat night of hard-edged funk and jazz!

PAUL ANKA ANKA SINGS SINATRA JUNE 24 Includes pre-show Cocktail Party! A night of Anka and Sinatra classics: “My Way,” “Diana” and more!

TOMMY EMMANUEL JUNE 25 Two-time Grammy nominee, renowned guitarist, and one-man-band returns with a show you won’t forget!

JON ANDERSON WITH THE PAUL GREEN ROCK ACADEMY BAND JUNE 29 A night of YES classics: “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and more!

JULY

JOSS STONE JULY 8 Opening Act: Javier Colon Powerhouse British soul vocalist who has released seven albums and earned Grammy and Brit Awards!

WHITNEY CUMMINGS HOW DARE YOU TOUR JULY 9 & 10 Two nights! Co-creator of “2 Broke Girls,” podcast host and TV star!

THREE DOG NIGHT JULY 12 Opening Act: Charlie Farren A night of hits, including “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” “Joy to the World,” “Black and White” & more!

ALAN CUMMING & ARI SHAPIRO OCH & OY! JULY 18 Tony Award winner Alan Cumming teams up with NPR host Ari Shapiro!

CHRISTOPHER CROSS 40th ANNIVERSARY TOUR JULY 30 Known for hits: “Sailing,” “Arthur’s Theme,” “Ride Like the Wind” and more!

DON McLEAN AUGUST 13 Legendary songwriter, known for his iconic hits “American Pie,” “Vincent,” “Crying” and more!

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER AUGUST 16 & 17 Opening Act: Emily Barker Two nights! Five-time Grammy winner and CMA winner!

EDDIE MONTGOMERY OF MONTGOMERY GENTRY AUGUST 20 Eddie Montgomery carries on the legacy of the world famous country music duo, with hits “Some People Change,” “Hell Yeah,” and more!

TOXIC MONKEY STEVE LUKATHER, BILL EVANS, WILL LEE, KEITH CARLOCK, & STEVE WEINGART AUGUST 23 Award-winning supergroup!

TOWER OF POWER AUGUST 25 Led by founding member Emilio Castillo, TOP are known for their own hornbased, hybrid brand of East Bay soul / funk / rock!