Alison Matas
Hiking
I’ve avoided boredom during the pandemic by doing lots of hiking (while practicing social distancing, of course)! My boyfriend and I made it our mission to see as many waterfalls as possible, so we’ve been regulars at nearby state parks and state nature preserves. I’m sharing a couple of our favorite Stark County walks and hikes in this month’s “Summer in Stark” section. We usually follow up that hiking with cooking dinner or baking a treat, and it’s made for some pretty great days off.
Gary Brown
Reading
Reading always has been my go-to activity for “found time.” Perhaps those extra moments in life never have been more abundant than during the coronavirus pandemic.
I turned to my bookshelves. Waiting was a collection of short stories written by a former high school classmate that I had intended to take along on my next vacation, a trip that—at least during the early part of this year—never came.
So, I nestled in with “Letting Go,” stories written by Len Joy, once of western New York and now of Illinois. I became reacquainted with a friend. You should meet him, too.
Len was a classmate and a teammate. I don’t recall him talking much about writing when we were young. As an adult, his words blossomed. Now I have had time to pick the lovely flowers that resulted from my friend planting them on paper.
Kelsey Davis
A little bit of everything
When given extra time, I often struggle deciding what I want to do with it. During the pandemic was no different. After bingeing through Netflix shows and rom-coms, I finished multiple knitting projects. Looks like I’ll have plenty of scarves to don this fall. After I used up all my yarn, I was able to be productive and get some yard work and outdoor house work done. Then I shifted gears and really focused on reading self help books and took up meditation. After reaching a point of zen, I decided it was time to watch some documentaries with my husband. We learned all about Elizabeth Holmes and the McDonald’s Monopoly scam. I also had some time to get back into listening to podcasts. I’m now hooked on the new Rabbit Hole podcast.
