October 15, 2020 11:35 am Let’s Talk About The Weather!
Written by Marianne Riess
While we can complain about many unpleasant, frightening, sad and depressing 2020 developments, we certainly can’t complain about the weather in the Northeast. We have been blessed with lots of absolutely beautiful sunny days, and warm, but not really hot temperatures. And thank goodness for that, because it allows us to see family and friends in the relative safety of the outdoors.
This summer, we had lots of visits with our children and grandchildren around the pool, with socially distanced dinners on the back terrace afterwards. We attended our grandchildren’s outdoor baseball, flag football and soccer games. We celebrated birthdays and a wedding in backyards and a park, and had our closest friends over for dinner often. Our adorable dog, Coco loves that we are always around and that we take her on daily walks now, rather than just letting her run around in our yard. My flower garden got a lot of my attention during the spring and summer and, in spite of the lack of rain, is still producing bouquets for the table.
Schools have really benefited from the nice weather, as the children are able to have lessons outside, where they can social distance and get some relief from their masks. Even in areas where learning is mostly remote, like New York City, the children enjoy being away from their screens when they can go to a park or just run around outside. Imagine how much worse 2020 would have been if we had weeks of rain, or 90+ degree temps! Imagine if, like other parts of the country, we had to endure multiple hurricanes, flooding, forest fires and power outages. We feel for them and know we have been really lucky.
In spite of the fact that our reservoirs are really low, and that the leaf change is promising to be unspectacular, I am thankful that the rain has held off. September and October have been kind to us. At my husband’s (outdoor) birthday party last week, our sons presented him with an outdoor heat lamp, so the festivities can continue, even as the weather gets cooler. I look forward to more dinners with family and friends on the back terrace, maybe in jackets or parkas, under the welcome warmth of that lamp.
I also look forward to the end of 2020, the development of a safe and effective vaccine, no need for masks, social distances and quarantines, and life getting back to normal. Then it can rain and rain because we will all be safe and cozy indoors again.
Marianne Riess is the former head of the Putnam Indian Field School in Greenwich, CT. She has over 40 years of experience in working with young children.