CCL Weekly Update – 12/30/2021
A new year… coming right up.
Exiting one year into the next is just a matter of clocks and calendars, right? One minute it’s 11:59pm, the last minute of a year gone by and the next minute it’s 12:00am, the beginning of a whole new 365 days to get through.
This past year has been one for the books….medically, politically, professionally. In our little section of the world we’ve suffered losses, met challenges head-on and worked together to keep each other safe and cared for.
Venturing into this next phase of life, measured in days, there’ll be more of the same. The tedious wearing of masks, appreciating their tremendous value. The appreciation for volunteers organizing The Pantry, yet sad that the need is there. The precautions and contributions we make to keep our people safe. All of these efforts show support and caring for each other. It’s what we do.
However your new days play out, whether they be gifted with joy or fraught with concern, remember there’s consistent community love and support for you and help for your needs.
Wishing a Happy New Year is template….and may not seem very realistic, but take each day at a time, dissect it by minutes if it helps for you to find some happy. It’ll be there. The not particularly happy minutes can be managed with focus, help from a friend and the confidence in yourself to just deal with whatever it is.
CommunityCare of Lyme is a team of caring, creative people working to enable a happy, healthy year for each other. Working collaboratively with the Parish Nurses, the school, the library, the Pearl Dimick and Dorcas Chaffee Funds, the Jenks Fund, the Welcome Fund, Those Guys and Lyme Foundation, Town of Lyme, Lyme Emergency Management Team, and the Lyme COVID Response Team. Also our friends in Orford and other near neighbors. We’ll all continue to be here for you regardless of the state of your year.
CommunityCare of Lyme is a team of caring, creative people working to enable a happy, healthy year for each other … We’ll celebrate with you; we’ll research solutions for you; we’ll connect you with what you need.
We send you loving wishes for a new year filled with strength, good health and happy moments! Be safe and know you are loved.
Patty
603-795-0603 (CCL office)
Patty@cclyme.org
www.cclyme.org
News and Notes:
“Jingle All the Way!” is Live
Please join CommunityCare of Lyme in celebrating the holiday season with the Jingle All the Way! virtual variety show. Thanks again this year to amazing producer Thomas Chapin and to so many of you for taking part in the lovely submissions! Share this year’s show and a community photo album. Watch the show video now, by clicking here*. You can go to cclyme.org/jingle anytime, for the link and to view the community photo album. We’ll continue to add photos of the season … just send them to jingle@cclyme.org. Hot cocoa, candy canes, roasted chestnuts, and your favorite holiday attire are all strongly encouraged!
* If you would appreciate a little tech support to watch the video, please contact CCL. We’re happy to walk you through the process! jingle@cclyme.org or 603-795-0603.
January is …
International Creativity Month & Try a New Hobby Month
With another COVID winter season upon us, what a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of our social distancing, and long nights to learn a new creative hobby. There are so many creative, challenging and engaging hobbies to pick from here are just a few for you to consider: crochet, needle point, knitting, woodworking, writing/journaling, drawing. What new hobby will you use as your creative outlet this month? Have sample work you’d love to share? Please let us know, we’d love to hear from you! shelby@cclyme.org / 603-795-0603.
Weekly health and well-being tips, resources, and recipes …
Monday’s Menu. An easy appetizer your guests will enjoy for your holiday gatherings, game nights and more. Review this week’s recipe here.
If you have an original recipe OR a recipe you have adapted that you would love to share please email me at shelby@cclyme.org
Click here to see all the Monday’s Menu recipes.
Wellness Wednesday. This week, we explore reiki with Stephanie Carney. Starting next Wednesday, January 5 reiki will be offered for our community in the CCL office space starting at noon. Learn more about reiki and our weekly offering here.
See all Wellness Wednesday posts here.
If you have a wellness topic you would like to share about OR would love to learn more about, please contact shelby@cclyme.org.
Orford Senior Center January Newsletter
Our partner organization, Orford Senior Center (serving Lyme), has shared their January newsletter and menu. Please review their website here for the most up-to date information.
Covid Update
Changes to the CDC Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines. Please review the full media statement here which details the updated guidelines as of December 27th. This media statement also has a chart that breaks down what to do in various situations.
- “People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.”
- “For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days. Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure.”
- “Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.”
- “For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day 5 after exposure.”
- “If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.”
All information is from:
“CDC Updates and Shortens Recommended Isolation and Quarantine Period for General Population.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 27 Dec. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html. Accessed 30 Dec. 2021.
For up-to-date information on testing, vaccines, and more in New Hampshire, visit www.covid19.nh.gov.
Testing. The federal and state governments are working hard to increase the availability of instant home tests, but it can be challenging to find the kits in stock. If you receive extra tests that you might like to share, please contact Lyme’s Emergency Management Director, Margaret Caudill-Slosberg, at lymeeoc@lymenh.gov or CCL by responding to this email or by calling 603-795-0603.
The latest on at-home testing: No-cost COVID testing for all areas in NH, offered through “New Hampshire and Vault Medical Services”. Learn more and request your tests here: https://learn.vaulthealth.com/nh/
We have also been made aware of another option for at home test kits: Offered through “A cooperative effort from state and local health departments, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and community partners.” You can learn more and request your kit by visiting their website here: https://sayyeshometest.org/faq.html Please note kits are available while supplies last, with one kit per address.
Vaccination. Overall, the best protection for the vast majority of us continues to be vaccination – either initial dose(s) or a booster, if you’re eligible. Seek your doctor’s advice if you have any questions about how the current recommendations affect you. At Vaccines.gov, you can search for vaccination locations and make an appointment. You can also schedule directly with retailers, such as Walmart and CVS. Walmart in Woodsville has lots of vaccination appointments and has been an easy, efficient, friendly experience for those who’ve used the site. New sites and new practices are happening all the time. A little patience will go a long way!
Upcoming vaccination clinics:
NH’s second Booster Blitz in the Upper Valley, details to be released after the holidays.
Saturday, January 8, 2022 Most likely will be by appointment only. Registration opens on Monday, January 3. Learn more here.
Walk-in Clinics. Offered by State & Regional Public Health at the Old JC Penny Site. Clinics on January 6th, 11th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 25th, and 28th from 11am-6pm. For the walk-in clinics bring: personal identification, vaccine card, and wear a mask. Boosters for those 6 months out from primary vaccine series 16 years and older. Clinic will be able to vaccinate all eligible 5 yrs and older. Moderna, Pfizer and J&J available.
Stay safe: Let’s all do our best to stay safe and keep others safe, while lifting spirits with healthy ways to stay active and involved. Keep your mask along, and wear it inside or when safe distancing isn’t possible.
Contact CCL if you would like help navigating the system or have questions, and we’ll do our best to get you the most up-to-date answers and help you may need. Email help@cclyme.org or call 603-795-0603.
Extending a Warm Upper Valley Welcome
In Lyme and across the Upper Valley, many organizations are working together to ease a very difficult transition in some wonderful families’ lives. There are many more families to welcome over the next couple of months. If you would like to help, please contact Martha (martha.tecca@gmail.com, 603-795-0603) or KJ (kjda@hey.com). Donations to the CCL Welcome Fund support refugee resettlement across the Upper Valley and new Lyme families with urgent needs. Go to cclyme.org/donate or mail a check to CCL at PO Box 127 Lyme, NH. Please note that your donation is for the Welcome Fund.
We are here. Every Day. 603-795-0603 or help@cclyme.org.
Reach out when you or someone you care about needs a hand. If you could use information, help, a listening ear or ways to bring someone else joy, contact us at 603-795-0603 or help@CCLyme.org. Our phone is answered every day, usually in person. Our welcoming living room in the Lyme Center Academy is a terrific place to relax, read, visit with friends, or meet with a CCL team member. It is now open often during the week and by appointment. Give us a call to confirm times. Be in touch, any time. You’ll reach a friendly voice, a little (or a lot of) help, and creative, safe ways to be involved.
Coming up:
There is a LOT going on out there! Check out the Lyme Events Calendar (a selection of events from lots of calendars), the Valley News Calendar (especially for all kinds of arts in the area, but lots more), Lyme organizations (see several links at the end of this message) or the Aging Resource Center for ideas.
Lyme is happening!
We are pleased to pass on news shared by Lyme organizations.
- Lyme Congregational Church. Sunday worship is at 10:30am. Bring a mask. ALL WELCOME! Go to lymecc.org for more information.
- Lyme Food Pantry. CCL hosts every Tuesday at 1pm at Lyme Congregational Church. Call ahead to let us know what you’d like, or just stop by. DELIVERY AVAILABLE.
- Lyme Historians. Museum open the second Saturday of the month from January through April.
- Those Guys. Monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of the month.
- Mindful Movement with Guided Meditation with Tracy Penfield. Conscious breathing, gentle movement (standing and/or in chair) and guided meditation. In the CCL Living Room Wednesdays, January 5 and 19 at 10:30am. Learn more here.
- FREE Reiki with Stephanie Carney at the CCL office. Weekly starting Wednesday, January 5 at noon. To make an appointment contact Stephanie at carney.steph@gmail.com or by phone at 603-795-2419. Learn more here.
- Make your New Year’s Resolutions S.M.A.R.T.! Speaker Panel/ Round Table. January 5 at 7pm You can learn more about this event and register here. Please email shelby@cclyme.org or call 603-795-0603 for additional information.
- Our Hour Warm Conversation – Zoom January 11 at 10:30, In-Person January 12 at 10:30 New Year Hope and Last Year Appreciation. RSVP to debbie@cclyme.org
- Lyme Library. Please visit the library website for current information on hours and programs.
- Happy Feet Clinic. CCL hosts three Thursdays a month at the Lyme Center Academy Building. Appointment required. Expert foot care with nurse Susan Hannah Rose. Call 802-296-1112 0r email nancyallison23@gmail.com to schedule a time.
*NOTE: For any event that’s not online, please be prepared with a mask and clean hands. Safety guidance, and hosts’ comfort continues to evolve.
Check out the Lyme Events Calendar for a full listing of upcoming events selected for Lyme and neighboring communities.
Calendar information is gathered from multiple sources, including:
Lyme and other local listservs
Lyme Library Calendar
Lyme Community and Church Newsletter
Lyme School Events Listing
Town of Lyme Website
Daybreak Upper Valley daily newsletter Click to subscribe
Valley News online calendar
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Aging Resource Center
Please share any additions or edits to calendar items, so that we can include them in the online calendar.
We are here for you.
When you seek information, help, or ways to help others, contact us.
The Lyme Community Help Line:
call 795-0603 or email Help@CCLyme.org
Connection to resources you need now to stay active, involved, and well.
Lyme Food Pantry or prepared meals. Deliveries or errands. Help around home.
Just a chat. You name it.
Leave A Comment