Pandemic pastimes: Hobbies help Long Islanders thrive in isolation

Since August, Howard Zryb has embraced a new indoor pastime that satisfies his artistic bent while filling his spare time during the pandemic.

Courtesy of a hand-me-down model train set from his 93-year-old father-in-law, who lives in Florida, Zryb has spent hours researching the miniature artifacts online, as well as invested several hundred dollars into getting the old trains "up and running," he said. The Merrick resident’s purchases have encompassed a few locomotives and replacement track switches.

"My grandchildren love to watch the trains, and when all is said and done, I hope this will be a lifelong passion for them," said Zryb, 67, a grandfather of a 4 ½-year-old and two 1-year-olds.

Yet, there is one aspect of his flight into his recently acquired diversion that Zryb pursues purely for his own enjoyment — making the Lilliputian houses and stations that the trains chug past.

A time-consuming effort, it involves printing images from online hobby sites and painstakingly gluing them to card stock, foam board or cardboard from a cereal box to form the three-dimensional structures. Zryb then decorates and places his handcrafts along the train’s route. He has also carved trestles from balsa wood and foam core.

"It’s a creative outlet that allows me to put something of myself into it," said the self-employed graphic designer who specializes in TV sports and news, as well as pursues photography as a hobby. "It’ll also give me something to do when the weather is cold during the pandemic. When I’m modeling, I look up and three to four hours have passed."

Amid the drawn-out coronavirus pandemic and the increasingly cold temps, older adults throughout Long Island are turning their quantity time into quality time with activities that aren’t just purposeful but help make the days slip by.

Along with bingeing on offerings from streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, socializing with family and friends on Zoom and taking virtual tours of foreign lands, the region’s seniors are focusing more and more on their longtime interests or embracing new pastimes, including beading, baking, puzzles and yoga.

'A sense of purpose'

Hobbies and other leisure experiences play an important role in giving people "a sense of purpose and making them feel whole," said Dr. Gail Lamberta, professor and department chair of recreational and leisure studies, which includes a major in therapeutic recreation, at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue.

But with COVID-19 and the onset of winter discouraging people from leaving their homes to socialize or exercise, Lamberta also recommends participating in an online fitness program, since "exercise connects with the physical and psychological domains and can be rejuvenating." In addition, she suggests virtual group classes that not only speak to a personal hobby or interest but offer a social interaction component, which can help keep depression at bay.

"It’s all about balance," Lamberta said.

Since the shutdown in March, Elinor Jaffe, 74, a 20-year volunteer docent at the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, has occupied herself, as well as satisfied her people-personality and art interests, with virtual programs. From the comfort of her Huntington home, Jaffe joins fellow museum guides in book club Zooms, and she has tuned into the group leader’s video recommendations, ranging from movies based on literary selections to online talks with their authors.

The retired math and computer teacher also channels her spare time into viewing online museum offerings, such as the Heckscher’s Virtual Gallery Talk with Exhibiting Artist Amanda Valdez and the Frick Collection’s Cocktails with a Curator, which is a video series that features a recipe for a suggested mixed drink to enjoy with each episode.

"I have a lot of time, and since I don’t go out and visit the museums, I do that online," Jaffe said. "It’s not the same as in-person, but it does open up a new world."

Prodded into a hobby

In February, Mona Corrente’s mother, who died earlier this month, posed a simple question to her daughter — "Did you fix my beads?" — that didn’t just prod Corrente, 59, to start repairing them. It turned beading into a bona fide passion for the special-education teacher.

So during the pandemic’s shutdown — and after spending her early evenings on the phone and computer with students, Corrente would haul out her toolbox of clasps, hooks and wires and, with music playing in the background, station herself at her dining room table to thread, wire and knot beads, including restoring 15 necklaces and two bracelets.

As Corrente tells it, she had purchased many of her supplies three years ago at Island Bead & Trading Co. in Eastport where, after buying a bracelet, she decided to try her hand in making a lariat necklace. She credited the store with teaching her the ropes.

For Corrente, who resides on her horse farm in Aquebogue with her husband, Russell, Charkow, 69, beading became a therapeutic outlet when her 89-year-old mother, who had lived with the couple, became gravely ill.

"Doing things with your hands is good for your heart," she noted.

Although her teaching and farming responsibilities have cut into the amount of time she can devote to her pastime, Corrente expects to concentrate more of her energies on beading come winter. Her goal is to create birthday and holiday gifts for family and friends.

"Beading is a wonderful way to pass the time while doing something positive and staying safe instead of going out," said the mother of two grown sons.

Plus, Corrente likes the way she feels when she dons the fruits of her labors.

About four nights a week, she and her husband dress up for their home-cooked dinners, with Corrente topping off her outfits with a beaded necklace.

"It feels like we’re going out to a restaurant," she said.

Stepping up a practice

West Babylon resident Bonnie Baez, 66, is using her increased hours at home to stay mentally and physically fit, including stepping up the frequency of her prayer-imbued meditations from once to three times daily.

"It helps me to get outside of myself and gives me more serenity, making my mindset better and giving me a sense of hopefulness," said Baez, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army, including as a drill sergeant. She retired four years ago from the Urban League, where she helped senior citizens land jobs.

Three times a week by herself and twice a week in a Zoom with two friends, Baez also works out, spending 30 to 45 minutes doing everything from leg bends and arm lifts to situps and pushups.

"I’m working up to doing even more exercise," said Baez, who also walks three mornings a week, weather permitting. "I’ve always liked exercising, and it just makes me feel good."

And as a breast cancer survivor, Baez has been sharing her personal prescription for well-being in a formal virtual survivor support group since April. Beginning in June, she has been part of a small informal online group composed of friends and members of her church who have also survived cancer.

"Talking to my friends, seeing them on Zoom, exercising and meditating have helped me emotionally get through a very trying time," Baez said.