May/June 2020

Playing games on smartphones and tablets has been around for more than a decade. Accessibility and the ease at which games can be played quickly probably surpass other forms of gaming and provide a common thread linking generations of game lovers. ...

A joke making the rounds these days is that the most useless purchase of 2020 was a daily planner. For the past three months, our lives have been in an uncomfortable holding pattern of dashed expectations, deferred dreams and blank calendars. If you or a loved one fell victim to the coronavirus, the stress was multiplied tenfold. There's a restlessness these days that persists as society tiptoes back to "pandemic normal." Even if you've not lost a loved one to the virus, what many of us are experiencing is grief. Our mental health expert explains pandemic grief and how to cope. She reminds us that we have control over our thoughts, if not our world or what's happening (or not) around us. ...

Before the shutdown, we were too busy with work and dined out frequently, but we’ve now found ourselves cooking at home more than ever. It’s helpful that social media has live cooking demos that provide the confidence and inspiration to whip up a delicious meal enjoyed with family. ...

Pretending you're a tourist on your own stomping grounds is a fun way to see Northeast Ohio in a new light while also giving your wallet a breather. Check out these gorgeous beaches, ledges and islands that make it feel like you and Toto are not in Ohio anymore. Stay near, get lost but remember to check destination websites for special hours, facility availability and other restrictions resulting from COVID-19 precautions. Many places have special hours for older visitors and for those especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. Up early? Morning hours are usually less popular with visitors, making it easy to have social distance-appropriate outings. ...

Modifications may be necessary to make your home accessible and safe. If you pay for the modifications because it’s your house, it might not make your house more valuable. Sometimes they make your home less desirable when you eventually sell it. You need an open and honest discussion with your folks as to who pays the costs, and it probably makes sense to put it in writing. ...

For anyone, but for the Holberts in particular, it’s got to seem like they’re a long way from Cleveland TV reporter and personality to Woodmere village mayor, from busy IT consultant and volunteer to a homebound community activist. Throw in a pandemic, and the distance is more like a chasm. They’re up to the challenge: outgoing, engaged, and philosophical about the future, they practice social distancing but it’s not an easy fit. They prefer to be with people, not sitting six feet apart from them. ...

Cleveland bluesman Austin "Walkin' Cane" Charanghat is a man and a singer for the times. When a long-anticipated tour was delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak, it was a disappointing but not unfamiliar setback for the talented and philosophical performer. Life, as he well knows, requires resets and workarounds. ...

Online order hassles, masks, crack-of-dawn store hours, lousy selections. Wouldn’t it be nice to get food from your back yard instead of a grocery store? Like Victory Gardens during World War II, Pandemic Plots promise to be the go-to hobby this summer. Grab a shovel and get started. ...