CCL Weekly Update – 2/3/2022
A hint of spring…
Ready to shake off the cold. Ready to move past the snow. Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil said yesterday, the weather yesterday was a reminder that spring is coming! The days are gradually getting longer and animals, in tune to these minute changes we may miss, sense it too. One of the first things I notice as spring draws near is my older gelding’s attitude. Yesterday, with a touch of spring fever, I was leading a fire breathing dragon, not a calm older horse. While snorting, bucking, pawing and head tossing are not behaviors you might condone, yesterday it was a sign of coming changes.
While we’ll surely have another cold snap, or several, reminding us we’re still wholly in the throes of winter, I encourage you to embrace the signs that change is coming. Spring is coming! The snow will melt, the ground will thaw, the days will get longer.
With more freezing rain and snow in the forecast over the next 48 hours, yesterday’s weather was a gift. While the suggestion of spring might be short-lived, the reminder that it’s right around the corner was clear yesterday. However challenging the cold, dark days of winter might be, remember it doesn’t last forever. Embrace the sun, and welcome the signs of spring as they come.
Embrace the sun, and welcome the signs of spring as they come.
News and Notes:
We could use your input!
Information for new neighbors. CommunityCare of Lyme is working to create an online resource and printable document for our new neighbors, offering a Lymie’s guide to the area. We’d love your feedback on your favorite places for good food and good fun!
NH Senior Leadership Series.
Apply NOW for the NH Senior Leadership Series 2022. A description from the website:
“The New Hampshire Senior Leadership Series is now taking applications for the 2022 class. A collaboration among AARP NH, Center on Aging and Community Living at UNH and Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging, the program is designed for older adults, caregivers, and family members who want to advocate for older adults in New Hampshire.
The goal of the series is to provide support and training in the advocacy and leadership skills necessary to promote livable communities, including community-based systems of support for Granite Staters as they age.”
Application Deadline: February 11, 2022. To Learn more or apply, visit the website.
January’s…
Community Poem. In honor of both International Creativity Month & Try a New Hobby Month, we’ve created a community poem to celebrate. Thank you to those who joined in on the fun by contributing!
As the winter flurries fell
Sparkles dispel darkness
Cheeks and eyelashes tingle
Snow Muffled quiet
A sigh of inner peace
Prisms of light dance in the wind
All five seasons have beauty in their sights and sounds;
I like winter’s deep whites and quiet
Cold so crisp and blue it takes your breath
Its nips and bites
A welcome sting
Reminding us that life’s joys
Rise from a bed of composted sorrows
But long held memories are sweetest
A snowy owl in its mantle of white casts
A furtive glance over the
ivory landscape as a rosy dusk settles calmly.
Field mice scurry in tunnels of crusted snow
While foxes listen for their tiny feet
Contributors (listed in no particular order), Steph Carney, Nancy Allison, Laurie Veillette, Michael Whitman, Margaret Caudill-Slosberg, Kathleen Sherrieb, Susan Hanna Rose, Mimi Weinstein, Lelia Mellen, Martha Tecca, Debbie Whitaker, Shelby Wood
February is …
International Friendship Month. As we move to International Friendship month, here are just a few ideas on how you might consider celebrating:
- Make a video containing photos, stories, songs etc. that have meaning for you and your friends. Share it with them through email or social media. (We’d love to see it too! shelby@cclyme.org)
- Set up a time to reconnect with a friend you haven’t spoken with recently. Meet in person, or schedule a zoom call.
- Send your friend a Thinking of You note in the mail. Afterall, who doesn’t like seeing a personal card in their mailbox? Much more exciting than another bill! CommunityCare of Lyme has notecards available, and we are warmly welcoming you – our friends and neighbors – to visit us in our cozy living room. Please call to make sure someone is in the office. 603-795-0603
- Attend an event with CCL this month to connect with friends, and meet new ones! We have Our Hour on Zoom coming up on Tuesday, February 8 at 10:30am, Galentine’s Day on Sunday, February 13th at 6pm via Zoom, Reiki with Stephanie Carney in the CCL office on Wednesday afternoons, the Food Pantry on Tuesdays and the Foot Clinic on Thursdays. You can also give us a call at any time for warm conversation: 603-795-0603.
Black History Month. Last year we shared a variety of resources supporting local Black History. This year, we’re exploring program opportunities and would love to hear from you if you have a suggestion. shelby@cclyme.org We’ve been in touch with the Lyme Historians and are exploring a possible collaborative program; stay tuned for more information!
Bird Feeding Month. In 2021, we offered information on a DIY bird feeder to support our feathered friends during one of winter’s bleakest months. As we prepare for Bird Feeding Month, here are some opportunities to be a citizen scientist and hugely help garner vital information on birds in our area:
- February 12th & 13th – Backyard Winter Bird Survey through the NH Audubon. Visit their website to learn more about the survey. You can submit results here, or request a mailed packet for you to fill out and submit. If you need help printing or submitting your survey, please contact shelby@cclyme.org or 603-795-0603.
- February 18th – 21st – Great Backyard Bird Count this is a global event where you can connect with nature in a safe way, and help gather vital information as a citizen scientist. Their website has tons of resources for birders of all levels of experience, including phone apps to help you most meaningful engage in the bird count. Registration is open for a free Webinar on February 16th at 2pm to support your engagement in the event. Click here to register.
Weekly health and well-being tips, resources, and recipes …
Monday’s Menu. For this week’s Monday’s Menu we are sharing auxiliary links in celebration of the Randolph Caldecott Medal winning Watercress, by Andrea Wang, with illustrations by Lyme’s own Jason Chin. You’ll see a link to The Woks of Life’s recipe for Stir-Fried Watercress. We also have a link to the blog Some the Wiser for a book review and interview with the author and illustrator where they both share their favorite way to enjoy Watercress. The recipe we’ve shared from The Woks of Life is Andrea’s favorite way to prepare Watercress!
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. For Wellness Wednesday Laurie Veillette, PsyD has shared a quote by Pema Chodron for us to be able to reflect on. “What is the storm trying to tell you?”
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 February Newsletter
Our partner organization, Orford Senior Center (serving Lyme), has shared their February newsletter here. They offer programs, weekly Grab ‘n Go meals, daily Meals on Wheels, home delivered meals. Please review their website here for the most up-to date information.
CommunityCare of Lyme is hiring!
We are excited to share that CCL is seeking a Program Assistant. Our new team member will help with electronic and print communication, track and maintain information and help with event logistics. An ideal candidate will have administrative experience and strong organizational, communication, and time management skills. We are looking for someone who is positive, patient, and enjoys problem solving with a team, community partners, and those we serve.
This is a part time role requiring some schedule flexibility, including occasional nights and weekends for events. Click here for a downloadable job description.
To apply, send an email to jobs@cclyme.org, sharing your interest and your resume or other summary of your experience.
Please share this with others who may be interested.
Thank you, we hope you’ll join our team!
Covid Update
For up-to-date information on testing, vaccines, and more in New Hampshire, visit www.covid19.nh.gov.
Testing. Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Please use this link: https://www.covidtests.gov/
There are more sources of test kits all the time. If you have 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.
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. New sites and new practices are happening all the time. A little patience will go a long way!
Upcoming vaccination clinics:
Walk-in Clinics. Offered by State & Regional Public Health at the Old JC Penny Site – Rote 12A, near Kohl’s. Tuesdays during February from 9:30am – 2pm. Fridays during February from 12 noon – 6pm. Bring personal identification and your vaccine card, and wear a mask. Boosters for those 6 months out from primary vaccine series, age 12 years and older. Clinic will vaccinate all eligible, 5 yrs and older. Moderna, Pfizer and J&J available.
Click here for statewide NH Mobile Vaccine Clinic Dates, Times & Locations
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 are working together to ease a very difficult transition in some wonderful families’ lives. If you would like to be involved, please contact Martha (martha.tecca@gmail.com, 603-795-0603). Donations to the CCL Welcome Fund support displaced Afghans in Lyme and 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.
- Post Pond Ice Rink. Stop by to skate! Please, if you missed The Ice Rink Maintenance Crew’s Listserv post, review it here. There is a lot of information on how to safely and responsibly enjoy this community amenity. Be sure to check the Listserv for updates on the rink’s status as it relates to weather & maintenance. *From the Ice Rink’s Listserv post sent 2/2, “With the warming temperatures, it would be best if we all stay off the ice until Saturday when the temperatures will have dropped well below freezing again.”
- 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.
- FREE Reiki with Stephanie Carney at the CCL office. Weekly Wednesdays at noon. To make an appointment contact Stephanie at carney.steph@gmail.com or by phone at 603-795-2419. Learn more here.
- 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.
- Those Guys. An informal Lyme service organization. Monthly breakfast meetings on the first Wednesday of the month. For more information, email Those.Guys.of.Lyme@Gmail.com.
- Our Hour Warm Conversation – Zoom February 8 at 10:30 please let us know if you’ll join shelby@cclyme.org
- Lyme Historians. Second Saturday talks monthly from February through April. Museum open by appointment, contact: lymehistorians@gmail.com *Due to COVID, the Saturday program scheduled for January has been postponed. Next date tentatively scheduled with Brian Rich for Saturday, February 12th.
- Lyme Library. Please visit the library website for current information on hours and programs.
- Galentine’s Day. A Zoom celebration of female friendship and empowerment. Sunday, February 13th at 6pm If you know you’d like to attend, please register here or email shelby@cclyme.org or call 603-795-0603.
*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.
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