Cardinals flocking together
After last week's emails from school, I was reminded that I hadn't heard from Avery in a while. We'd touched base back in April, but that was it. I reached out, and she admitted she'd been thinking of me, too. We decided to get together this past Monday afternoon at 3 PM and we met at the Naperville Riverwalk, since I have some familiarity with it and it's not too far from her.
Wouldn't you know it, Monday was basically the coldest day we've had in ages. It was barely 70F outside. I'd brought shorts to change into, but wore a tank top (with a sweater over it), expecting it to be relatively decent. Instead, it was cloudy and windy, so that at times, when the wind blew--especially before she got there--I had goosebumps. What the heck! You suck, Mother Nature. Not knowing what the park would be like, I'd brought my camp chair and a blanket, and I was tempted to grab the latter out of my car, but I didn't. I found a picnic bench at the pavilion and read my paper until she got there. She said she was free after 3 PM, so I figured she might have to go home, but even still, when it was close to 3:10 and she wasn't there yet, I was getting concerned. I pulled out my phone and was attempting to check my email when she showed up. Okay, good, at least you're here.
Much of our conversation centered on current times, because what else is there to talk about. I'd specifically worn one of my ballet fabric masks; hers had kitties in tutus, very cute. She has a sewing machine at home, which I could tell based on the stitching. She'd said she'd made a bunch of masks in different fabrics, and due to her schedule, she'll use two in a day, so she made almost twice as many as I'd made. She's a dance instructor, and she'd resumed teaching her spring lessons, continuing from where they'd left off. There was some attrition, but the classes that would've participated in a recital, they all had enough students to put on a show. The costumes had been ordered back in February, though, so she was curious if they'd still fit. They were to record their performances in the classroom in order to have a virtual recital. She said the building she's in has a lot of sanitizer and cleaner and such, and for the most part they're able to keep their distance. She's also gotten a new car, which she showed off when we left...after 5:30, heh, and in part because we were cold. She'd parked next to me so it was easy to see it. She'd gotten it back at the beginning of the year, so before everything happened.
It was quiet enough at the pavilion that we were the only humans there for a while, though the birds and squirrels were traipsing about. There'd been a guy who'd arrived at the same time I did, around 2:30, who sat in the opposite corner from me. He stuck around until Avery showed up, then left--I don't know if that was planned, or if our talking disturbed him, or what. Then, maybe around 5 o'clock, this small group of people showed up. They sat only a few tables away from us--far enough to be comfortable, but at the same time the lead talker was a loud guy. It was a little echo-y under the roof. Avery is naturally a soft talked and I had to really pay attention to her after that. It didn't take long to figure out the guy was maybe admissions or something from North Central, talking to a dad and his son about colleges; the guy may also have been part of the cross country team, like a coach or something, because that came up. The guy also mentioned having gone there. I just wished they'd gone to a farther table.
Avery got a call as we were leaving, and I think it was her grandma; she and her mom had decided on Chinese Kitchen for dinner. Now, we'd picked the park because neither of us were up to eating in a restaurant, but we must go there so often that her grandma must have figured we were there! Haha, no. I think she was calling to check if Avery was eating dinner with me, or at home, so they'd get enough food. That was kind of hilarious, though, and truthfully I haven't been there in ages. That may well end up being our next visit with each other. It was nice to see her, and she seemed like she was in a good mood--I feel like I haven't heard her laugh this much, like, ever. I mean, we laugh when we tell each other funny stories, but I don't know. It was nice to see. I remember getting a meal with her last summer, and it rained when we left. I had heard something on the roof of the pavilion shortly before we finished, but it's one of those roofs where the slightest thing sounds like hail. It didn't look like it was raining out in the open, and I didn't feel anything when we walked to our cars, but before long my windshield wipers were on. Gloomy day: Complete. And then, when I checked my email the next day, Avery was warning me that one of her students had tested positive, so she was having to quarantine for 14 days, yikes. While we sat closer than I would've liked--I was at a corner of the bench, but she sat in the middle on her side, not the other corner--we weren't that close to each other, and we were outside, the wind was moving the air, and we both wore masks the whole time, so I'm not concerned. I asked her to keep me posted and let her know what I'd done when I was sick, like wearing a mask whenever I left my room, taking all my meals in my room, and cleaning high-touch surfaces. Her grandma lives with her and her mom, and has health issues and is in her 90s, so I know that's a concern for her.
And then, in other NCC news, I heard from Dr. K this week as well. His marching band camp originally would have started today, with the move-in of section leaders and percussionists and that sort of thing. Then, the current situation truncated things, and it was going to start a week from today and be a 4-day weekend sort of deal, do a few drills on the field, meet everyone, what have you. Ultimately, camp got canceled outright; the band will first get together on the first day of school, the 24th. This is the only band that will rehearse in person, since primarily they're outside. Everyone else will be virtual. How on earth will that work? The good news, since sports are delayed, is that the stadium is free, so the marching band gets to use those facilities. He's still going to try to have some sort of performances for them, and I asked him to keep me posted. I can't imagine what it's like for them to try to put something together but not have an outlet to show it off. I wish them luck. If they do do something, I'd like to support them, in part because it may well be the only thing I get to see all year.
Wouldn't you know it, Monday was basically the coldest day we've had in ages. It was barely 70F outside. I'd brought shorts to change into, but wore a tank top (with a sweater over it), expecting it to be relatively decent. Instead, it was cloudy and windy, so that at times, when the wind blew--especially before she got there--I had goosebumps. What the heck! You suck, Mother Nature. Not knowing what the park would be like, I'd brought my camp chair and a blanket, and I was tempted to grab the latter out of my car, but I didn't. I found a picnic bench at the pavilion and read my paper until she got there. She said she was free after 3 PM, so I figured she might have to go home, but even still, when it was close to 3:10 and she wasn't there yet, I was getting concerned. I pulled out my phone and was attempting to check my email when she showed up. Okay, good, at least you're here.
Much of our conversation centered on current times, because what else is there to talk about. I'd specifically worn one of my ballet fabric masks; hers had kitties in tutus, very cute. She has a sewing machine at home, which I could tell based on the stitching. She'd said she'd made a bunch of masks in different fabrics, and due to her schedule, she'll use two in a day, so she made almost twice as many as I'd made. She's a dance instructor, and she'd resumed teaching her spring lessons, continuing from where they'd left off. There was some attrition, but the classes that would've participated in a recital, they all had enough students to put on a show. The costumes had been ordered back in February, though, so she was curious if they'd still fit. They were to record their performances in the classroom in order to have a virtual recital. She said the building she's in has a lot of sanitizer and cleaner and such, and for the most part they're able to keep their distance. She's also gotten a new car, which she showed off when we left...after 5:30, heh, and in part because we were cold. She'd parked next to me so it was easy to see it. She'd gotten it back at the beginning of the year, so before everything happened.
It was quiet enough at the pavilion that we were the only humans there for a while, though the birds and squirrels were traipsing about. There'd been a guy who'd arrived at the same time I did, around 2:30, who sat in the opposite corner from me. He stuck around until Avery showed up, then left--I don't know if that was planned, or if our talking disturbed him, or what. Then, maybe around 5 o'clock, this small group of people showed up. They sat only a few tables away from us--far enough to be comfortable, but at the same time the lead talker was a loud guy. It was a little echo-y under the roof. Avery is naturally a soft talked and I had to really pay attention to her after that. It didn't take long to figure out the guy was maybe admissions or something from North Central, talking to a dad and his son about colleges; the guy may also have been part of the cross country team, like a coach or something, because that came up. The guy also mentioned having gone there. I just wished they'd gone to a farther table.
Avery got a call as we were leaving, and I think it was her grandma; she and her mom had decided on Chinese Kitchen for dinner. Now, we'd picked the park because neither of us were up to eating in a restaurant, but we must go there so often that her grandma must have figured we were there! Haha, no. I think she was calling to check if Avery was eating dinner with me, or at home, so they'd get enough food. That was kind of hilarious, though, and truthfully I haven't been there in ages. That may well end up being our next visit with each other. It was nice to see her, and she seemed like she was in a good mood--I feel like I haven't heard her laugh this much, like, ever. I mean, we laugh when we tell each other funny stories, but I don't know. It was nice to see. I remember getting a meal with her last summer, and it rained when we left. I had heard something on the roof of the pavilion shortly before we finished, but it's one of those roofs where the slightest thing sounds like hail. It didn't look like it was raining out in the open, and I didn't feel anything when we walked to our cars, but before long my windshield wipers were on. Gloomy day: Complete. And then, when I checked my email the next day, Avery was warning me that one of her students had tested positive, so she was having to quarantine for 14 days, yikes. While we sat closer than I would've liked--I was at a corner of the bench, but she sat in the middle on her side, not the other corner--we weren't that close to each other, and we were outside, the wind was moving the air, and we both wore masks the whole time, so I'm not concerned. I asked her to keep me posted and let her know what I'd done when I was sick, like wearing a mask whenever I left my room, taking all my meals in my room, and cleaning high-touch surfaces. Her grandma lives with her and her mom, and has health issues and is in her 90s, so I know that's a concern for her.
And then, in other NCC news, I heard from Dr. K this week as well. His marching band camp originally would have started today, with the move-in of section leaders and percussionists and that sort of thing. Then, the current situation truncated things, and it was going to start a week from today and be a 4-day weekend sort of deal, do a few drills on the field, meet everyone, what have you. Ultimately, camp got canceled outright; the band will first get together on the first day of school, the 24th. This is the only band that will rehearse in person, since primarily they're outside. Everyone else will be virtual. How on earth will that work? The good news, since sports are delayed, is that the stadium is free, so the marching band gets to use those facilities. He's still going to try to have some sort of performances for them, and I asked him to keep me posted. I can't imagine what it's like for them to try to put something together but not have an outlet to show it off. I wish them luck. If they do do something, I'd like to support them, in part because it may well be the only thing I get to see all year.