weather weirdness
GRAYING NEW YORK
By MARCIA EPSTEIN
Where is that darned sweater? The one with the collar I like. And for that matter, where are my other long-sleeved clothes, the ones I put away one warm day in April, sure spring was here to stay. How can I possibly know, as I’ve taken out and put away spring and winter clothes for weeks on end?
Ah, here it is, spring at last, I’ll think, as a fleeting warm spell drifts through New York. The next morning it’s gone and I am left shivering in the spring clothing that I have carefully put in my bureau. What is one to do when temperatures go up and down like a seesaw, after a winter of up and down temperatures that left us all in limbo and feeling slightly unmoored. Not like my childhood, when winter was winter and spring was spring.
Recently, there was a day in April when I stood shivering at a bus stop, waiting for ages (another story!), icicles hanging from the faux fur of my hood and my body shaking with cold and damp. Then came May, and winter stood its ground, along with unending rain and those darn winter boots. Until a sudden few days of 90 degree weather had us sweating until the next temperature drop, and the sweater search began again. Is this climate change or just weather weirdness? It seems to go along with the crazy political situation and the sense of unbalance that comes with not knowing what’s going to happen next. Between the weather and the election, most of us have been feeling disoriented and discombobulated since November didn’t turn into winter and Donald Trump somehow became president. The world seems wrong, turned upside down. Maybe June will bring some normalcy, if spring comes and stays. At least the weather will finally make some sense.
My family and I celebrated Mother’s Day at a delicious Mexican restaurant on Long Island. As the senior mother, I basked in the company of my two delightful daughters and four gorgeous (of course) grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 to 13. And I marveled at the fact that all these people, this whole shebang, resulted from one bad marriage. It made me wonder what we count as mistakes in life. The marriage to my children’s father was a mistake in that it was pretty disastrous. But how can I call it a mistake when from that marriage came my daughters, my granddaughter and my three delightful grandsons? The mistake was eventually rectified, we went on to new lives, and the result sat before me, eating and making merry. How can I regret that marriage? Not with those beaming faces surrounding me. Somehow, over the years, I became “Grandma,” and it was all worth it.
On June 9, July 14, August 11 and September 8, Naomi Goldberg Haas is running outdoor classes for the summer. Haas is the choreographer of Dances for a Variable Population, which promotes strong and creative movement for seniors of all ages and abilities. She leads this summer group with members of her company. Find them at the lawn at 133rd Street and Marginal Street at the West Harlem Pier Park. There is no cost to attend.
Although CityParks Senior Fitness summer sessions began in April, you can still register for programs taking place at parks in the five boroughs through June 16. The only requirement is being 60 years or older. The program offers free tennis lessons, yoga instruction and fitness walking. Most sessions take place in the morning. The phone number is 718-760-6999.