A Walk in the Park

I met Mimi and Punch about 30 minutes down the Garden State Parkway at 2:30....they had a nice visit this weekend, and we had a nice rest.

We drove straight to Edgemont Park in Montclair, where we met P’s friends and their mom. They hung out in the fresh, brisk air and their mom/my friend and I walked four loops. In the pandemic, it’s hard for kids to get together; socializing outdoors is paramount. P brought the longboard Figgy got her for Christmas.

Now I’m tired and ready to rest.

Back to (remote) school for Punch tomorrow. The latest word is that our middle schools and high school will open on a hybrid model on Monday, February 8. But nothing around this matter is etched in stone.

One day at a time.

Good night.

TCOY

1. I called my godmother--my Aunt Gloria, almost 93 years old--and we talked for three hours this morning. It was a gift. I had the mental space this morning, while Punch was still with Mimi. We covered a lot of ground. I have always loved her. Today, she shared vivid memories of growing up in the Bronx. About her lame brother, Michael, her beloved playmate, who died at age 7; and about attending Cathedral High School, “across from the Atlas,” that statue on Fifth Avenue near Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. I’ve stopped and stared at that statue many times--and I didn’t know my Aunt Gloria had used it as a compass direction for her high school. She also went to Parsons (where Figgy started out) but when her father died, she had to drop out and help support the remaining family of five. She taught night art classes in Hell’s Kitchen, worked the switchboard in a home for unwed mothers, sewed toy prizes for carnivals, was a movie theater usherette.
2. Healthy breakfast--whipped cottage cheese, everything bagel seasoning, blueberries, walnuts, toasted Ezekiel English muffin with butter.
3. Great salad made by Dan.
4. One-hour park walk.
5. Important afternoon phone call.
6. Starbucks decaf latte.