As Arizona heats up and Covid numbers are coming down, people want to get out. I’ve curated a list of things that I think you’ll like. But, please, please get a vaccine if you’ve not yet. It’s easy, proven safe and it protects not only you, but others around you. Have fun out there!

Jack and the Beanstalk at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. May 8th. The classic show, Jack and the Beanstalk, is premiering at Drive-In Theatre.

This wonderful tale is told with hand puppets, unique scenery, a growing beanstalk, and their very own Giant. Order breakfast delivered directly to your vehicle from Fair Trade Cafe. $40 per carload.

Sidewalk Saturdays at the Churchill. This happens weekly at 901 N 1st St. A weekly celebration of local artisans, connection, and community on the sidewalks in the heart of downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row Arts District.

The nice thing is that you can go from the Phoenix Farmer’s Market at central and Filmore to this event in just a quick stroll. The weather’s perfect for it!

Poolside Yoga at the Found:re, May 16th. A 45 minute flow yoga session taught by CorePower instructor, Christina Mierzejewski.

After class, enjoy brunch from MATCH Market & Bar. Each session includes poolside yoga, an adult beverage and meal. $39.

Quality Balls; The David Steinberg Story – Documentary Film Series. May 21st. David Steinberg, the son of a Winnipeg rabbi rises to become one of Canada’s greatest comedy exports.

At the height of his popularity, David Steinberg was one of the world’s best known stand-up comics, and he later directed some of the most successful situation comedies of the last 20 years.

UrbanFarm.org is hosting a Summer Shade Tree Class, May 11th. Greg and Janis will host these monthly Tree Care Zoom Chats focusing on fruit trees with seasonal tips and timely refreshers on caring for your fruit trees. This monthly class will take place on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, at 6pm AZ time.

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about Phoenix history and memorials.  In honor of what we all hope is the light at the end of the tunnel of this pandemic, Donna talks about the last major contagion and how her family dealt with it.

Oh, and please get the vaccine if you’ve not yet. It’s proven safe, it protects you and it protects others from this modern contagion.

Someday our younger family members may ask what was it like during the Covid-19 pandemic. And the stories will begin describing social distancing, chatting on Zoom, cooking, reading, doing school online, and working from home. Some of these things may create puzzled looks.

And some of us were quarantined many years ago.

It was the summer of 1951. I was nearly 4 ½ and my sister Ruth was just 8. I suspect that it was a rather “normal” carefree summer of playing outdoors, listening to the radio, and looking at books (we had no TV). Father went off to work and Mother took care of the three of us (we have a younger sister who was 2 ½ at the time.

And then…, thanks to the “generosity” of our next-door neighbor and babysitter, my sisters and I were exposed to the measles. Like Covid-19, measles is caused by a virus and transmitted in a similar fashion. But for some reason, only my older sister and I came down with them about the same time while my younger sister did not. So, what was the big deal?

For whatever reason, I had no recollection that our mother was pregnant that summer. Ruth knew she was going to have a baby, so it wasn’t a surprise when she went to the hospital. I don’t even remember her “disappearing,” but she was certainly gone.

Both of us were quite sick running high temperatures. The whole house was kept dark because the light hurt our eyes which must have been hard since it was July. Dad went to work every day and some couple took care of us. They must have cooked, did laundry, and cleaned the house since Dad wouldn’t know how to do those things!! Besides the traditional things of keeping up the house, this couple entertained us too keeping our youngest sister away from the “contagion” room. I distinctly remember cutting out the Sunday funnies and putting them into a scrapbook. That kept me occupied for hours or so I remember.

We would get special treats like popsicles or ice cream which was quite delightful as I’m not sure Mother would have done that. We probably didn’t stay inside for a long period of time once we felt better, but to a 4 ½ year old, being cooped up inside for any length of time seemed like an eternity.

Mom had to stay in the hospital a long time to protect the baby. When she did come home, we couldn’t touch her (yes, it was another girl).

That’s when Ruth and I decided to name her. I wanted to call her “Ancy.” Ruth thought that was okay, since she wanted to call her Nancy Ann after her Story Book dolls! Fortunately, our parents approved, and that’s what she’s been called ever since.

The memories of a 4 ½ year old are often selective and in this case, mine are totally related to that period of quarantine with a little bit of help from my older sister.

Donna Reiner is the co-author of three books on Phoenix history.