We all reserve some respite
In the one- act play, “In Her Golden Years,” an adult daughter discovers a piece of her mother’s past that quietly opens their relationship. The portrayals of mother and daughter, by Elayne Gordon and Dainelle Testori- Gartner, are graceful and sweet.
Connecticut theatrical organizations closed their doors during the pandemic, but many, like the Town Players of New Canaan, decided the world shouldn’t go entirely without theater. And so, until April 23, $ 20 gets you a ticket to theater you can attend from the comfort of your couch. You get soulful portrayals and there’s no need to dress up, no parking spots to find, no sitting next to someone who doesn't know to unwrap the candy prior to the start of the play.
In fact, like mushrooms in the dark, an entire world grew online via Zoom ( and various other streaming platforms) that allowed people with decent internet connections who were stuck in their homes to travel through their screens to a talk about Clara Barton: Angel of the Battlefield ( Seymour Historical Society), to an online quilting class ( Guilford Art Center), or to a talk about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro ( Cheshire Public Library).
And that’s just the Connecticut- based events. Online thrill- seekers could sign on and take a cooking class based in Mexico City, or, through an organization such as Amazon Explore, visit a Munich beer garden or watch monkeys in Costa Rica for a fraction of the cost of actual travel.
We have adapted, and though we spent the last year mostly avoiding other people, we found a way to engage online, if we weren’t Zoomed out from work. The same way the pandemic has urged us closer toward a cashless society ( hellooooo, online shopping) and telemedicine, our online lives beg the question: What will remain when we emerge on the other side? People in New York City already worry that all those downtown office buildings will remain empty while people continue to work remotely. Will we have more bike lanes? Longer lines for the reduced number of businesses that survived?
What will be our new normal, a phrase that we first tried out after the terrorist attacks of 9/ 11. At the time, any discomfort we faced could be chalked up to the “new normal” brought on by a new awareness of the dangers of the world, but unlike that time — with increased security and doomsday predictions — it’s tempting to hope we retain at least some of the pandemic changes as we begin to ease back into the world.
( I, for one, would like to retain a mute button. It’s been handy on Zoom and I will miss it when it’s gone.)
For people who avoided the virus and adapted quickly to self- imposed quarantine, this spring is marked with a strange blend of exhilaration and grief. We’ve lost so much. We are told to expect a mental health crisis — perhaps we are already in one — as people begin to process their grief. And we have so much to gain.
The answer may be — for some — to step away from the screen. The web can take you to the virtual global village, but you can’t touch the stuff in the shops. Only in person can you do something goofy like take a Goat Stroll — which is precisely what it sounds like — at a place like Bradley Mountain Farm in Southington. Those 30- minute strolls involve showing up, and taking a leashed goat for a walk through a pasture.
Don’t fancy a stroll with a goat? There are also goats that will cuddle, goats that will take a mile- long walk ( different from a stroll), and “delightfully silly” ( from the website) goat yoga. That last event is recommended for children age 10 and up. On all activities, minors must be accompanied by an adult.
On a recent weekday, Terri Battaglia, farm event leader, was checking in families for Fairy Goat Mother, where participants can pet and groom the animals. She said most of the people who work on the farm started as volunteers, and the tactile experience keeps them coming back. Some show up for events they’re not working, as customers, she said.
Goats have iffy reputations but Battaglia says no, they don’t eat tin cans, and no, they don’t tend to head butt people ( though Bradley Mountain goats seem happy to butt one another). Two of them — including Diva, the oldest and largest, at 175- pounds — are kept away from people precisely because of that. Most are skilled cuddlers.
The breeds at Bradley include LaManchas, mini LaManchas, and Nigerian Dwarf goats, ranked in order of size — 39 goats on 3 acres.
Then, too, there are goat soaps, fresh eggs, and for $ 15, you can commission a painting by your favorite goat, though Amon the Goat’s pre- painted pieces go for $ 10. So there are options for being outside.
As for New Canaan, where actors have been staging shows since 1946, you also can still buy a ticket for the 11 one- act plays — https:// www. onthestage. com/ show/ town- players- of- new- canaan/ tpnc- one- acts- festival- 64731 . You have until April 23 to watch the magic.