CCL Weekly Update – 7/14/22

Celebrating our connected community, together

This coming Monday, July 18th, 11am – 1pm, CCL and the Orford Senior Center co-host the fourth almost-annual Lawn Party Luncheon at the Teccas’ home on the River in Orford. ALL are warmly welcome as we gather in community. We will sit outside, under a tent provided by Those Guys of Lyme at tables and chairs provided by the Orford-Fairlee Lions. Neighbors are preparing a fabulous meal. We’ll be seated (following safety protocols) overlooking the beautiful Connecticut River in Orford. It is a lovely way to connect with friends, new and old!

Last year’s Lawn Party Luncheon was exquisite! Together, we involved dozens of volunteers and welcomed folks from 7 Upper Valley towns and some out-of-town guests. We look forward to the same warmth and generous community spirit on Monday! As a bonus this year, we celebrate the Orford Senior Center’s parent organization, Grafton County Senior Citizens Council (GCSCC), for 50 years of service.

Lawn Party Luncheon Menu

Sparkly celebration punch (non-alcoholic)

Fresh green salad

An array of hearty dishes
(chicken Caesar pasta, potato salad, tuna and white bean slaw, summer pasta salad, curried rice with dried fruit and nuts, and more!)

Assorted breads

Sweet treats

Hibiscus iced tea and water

There is no cost for the meal, though donations will be gratefully accepted. Please let us know if you’ll join (click here). It helps tremendously with planning. You can also call 603-795-0603 or email shelby@cclyme.org to RSVP and/or let us know if you could use a ride.  If you don’t have a chance to respond in advance, that’s okay! We’re eager to see you. Please come out and join us.

Come and gather by the River; the more the merrier!

With love,
With love, The CommunityCare of Lyme Team
603-795-0603
info@cclyme.org

News and Notes:

NEW! 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Crisis Lifeline. “If you or someone you care about is experiencing a mental health and/or substance use crisis, you can call and speak to trained and caring clinical staff” (nh988.com). This service starts on Saturday (7/16). Learn more about 988 on a national scale at samsha.gov and locally, at nh988.com

CommunityCare of Lyme Office Hours

The CCL Office and Living Room are open Monday through Thursday, 9-11am and by appointment. We’d love to see you!  Please note the office is closed on Monday, July 18th as we prepare for the Lawn Party Luncheon. We look forward to seeing you in Orford!

You can always call the Help Line (603-795-0603), and if you have to leave a message, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. For emergencies, always dial 911.

Current help requests

This week’s highlight: We would love helping hands for our upcoming Lawn Party Luncheon on Monday 7/18 and our Thai Meal Fundraiser on Saturday 8/6. Do you enjoy cooking, serving, or behind-the-scenes set up/clean up? Please let us know. If you can help in the next several days, please let us know at help@cclyme.org or call 603-795-0603.

July is …

Parks & Recreation Month and Anti-Boredom Month. It’s been almost a month since the school year ended, and as the summer moves along we celebrate both Parks & Recreation Month and Anti-Boredom Month. What a combination! It’s a perfect opportunity to cross some of those Summer Bucket list items off! One great way to do this is through the Converse Free Library’s Museum and Nature Passes: explore, prevent summertime boredom, and support your local library! We’re very fortunate to live in an area with a plethora of parks – explore opportunities statewide through NH State Parks.

How are you fighting boredom this summer? What adventures are you and your family going on? We would love to hear from you! shelby@cclyme.org (Pictures for sharing are highly encouraged!)

Weekly health and well-being tips, resources, and recipes

Monday’s Menu. This week’s Monday’s Menu was a special spinach salad, submitted by Lyme resident, Michael Whitman. You can see the 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. For this week’s Wellness Wednesday, we are sharing Easing Emotional Overwhelm“, with Permission from Karen Gray CH, CHI, RN, of Green Mountain Hypnosis.

If you have a wellness topic you would like to share about OR would love to learn more about, please contact shelby@cclyme.org. See all Wellness Wednesday posts here

Aging in Community

Building an Aging in Community Team. As we journey together into a new and Covid-influenced world, we are in the process of re-convening and reimagining the “Aging in Place” committee which was central to the founding of CommunityCare of Lyme in 2014. Understanding that intergenerational involvement is critical, we also recognize the need to focus on the special concerns, needs – and unique capacity – as we age in our communities. Do you have ideas, or would you like to join as we define and form this collaboration of organizations and individuals? Please contact Martha Tecca by replying to this email or directly at martha@cclyme.org or 603-443-0283.

Grafton County ServiceLink the region’s aging and disability resource center. Highlighted in a previous Wellness Wednesday post, they maintain a large resource list and offer caregiver support, classes and personal help to understand Medicare, assistance completing housing applications, and more! ServiceLink is a trusted referral – a tremendous help to many neighbors. Contact the Grafton County office in Lebanon at 603-448-1558, or email mplatt-russell@gcscc.org. Visit their website to learn more.

Dartmouth Aging Resource Center (“ARC”, throughout the Lyme Events Calendar) has an amazing array of programs, activities, and supports. Here’s a link to this week’s ARC newsletter. You can subscribe.

The Orford Senior Center (serving Orford and Lyme) has lots going on: on-site bingo, followed by a meal! Weekly Grab ‘n Go and daily home delivered meals. Links for more information: July’s newsletter,  special events, and ongoing Grafton County Senior Citizens Council activities. Contact Eileen Nickles, OSC coordinator 603-353-9107, enickles@gcscc.org to learn more or to sign up for meals or activities.

Extending a warm Upper Valley welcome

The Upper Valley Neighborhood Support Team is helping with the welcome and support of Afghan evacuees and, recently, a Cuban family. There are lots of ways to join in the welcome! 

Share the beauty of the Upper Valley! Would you like to bring new neighbors on your favorite walk, a special summer drive, to an outdoor concert or market, or perhaps to your home for a meal? Be in touch! Call Martha Tecca at 603-443-0283 – or any volunteer you may know who’s described being involved – for an introduction.

Urgent need: a nanny for the summer, and possibly beyond. If you or someone you know would be interested in full or part-time work in Hanover with a dear Afghan family, including twin 4 month olds and a 5 year old (who will be in day camp on weekdays), please contact Martha Tecca at 603-443-0283. We’d also love to hear from babysitters/mother’s helpers who have their own transportation and some regular weekly times to share. These are paid roles. (Volunteers are also still very welcome to help out!)

Financial support is needed. Childcare needs are great, even with extraordinary babycare volunteers and friendly play dates. With driver’s licenses nearly in hand, the family and the men will both be in need of car insurance. Donations to the CCL Welcome Fund support Afghan evacuees and others displaced by challenging circumstances. Go to cclyme.org/donate or mail a check to CCL at PO Box 127 Lyme, NH 03768. Please note that your donation is for the Welcome Fund. 

Get involved! Our new neighbors appreciate help with rides, opportunities to practice English, occasional meals, and simple, warm connection with neighbors. Thanks to so many who have been a part of the welcome so far. Please contact Martha Tecca (martha.tecca@gmail.com, 603-795-0603).

NEW: Orford Open Air Market

Saturdays, 9am-noon on the Common in Orford. An open air market that’s opportunity for people in the area to conveniently shop and support local small businesses that provide local produce, meats, cheese, jams, pickles, baked goods, fine crafts, and much, much more! If you’re an artisan, farmer, gardener, soap maker, honey harvester, baker, or have another product or message to share, please join in! Click here to learn more and see the growing list of participating sellers. Email Cara Dyke for an application or more information Orfordopenairmarket@gmail.com, 603-236-2899.

Those Guys Tent Rentals!


Those Guys are renting their tents for this outdoor season. As always, funds raised through this effort are distributed to community organizations. This post includes all the details. We are extremely grateful for Those Guys’ support. What a crew!

Covid update

There are still many Covid cases popping up in Lyme and neighboring communities. 

Vaccination – now including young children! There are two vaccine options for children as young as 6 months old. The distribution plans are still in the works, with more children’s “jabs” being offered at doctor’s offices and small clinics. Several Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics locations will be offering COVID-19 vaccine clinics, and scheduling is available through myDH or at the DH COVID Hotline 603-650-1818. For all ages, at Vaccines.gov you can find locations and make an appointment. Dosage is different for children, so please be sure to specify the age when making an appointment.

Please stay safe: Though you may be unlikely to get very sick, if you test positive it is a pain (at best); and you’ve got a responsibility to keep others safe. You must isolate for at least 5 days, which might mean missing work and adding stress, if not sickness, to the lives of those with whom you live, work, and play.

As infection numbers fluctuate, guidance remains consistent. Simple precautions help keep us safe when we’re at risk of Covid (and other virus or bacteria) spread: Face covering, physical distance, and hand washing. Please keep a mask along to wear inside when requested or when safe distancing isn’t possible. 

For up-to-date information on testing, vaccines, and more in New Hampshire, visit www.covid19.nh.gov. Note that Upper Valley locations in Vermont can also serve NH residents.

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.

Coming up: 

Check out the Community Events Calendar, the Valley News Calendar, Lyme organizations (see several links at the end of this message) or the Aging Resource Center for more ideas. We are pleased to pass on news shared by Lyme organizations.

This Week

Please check the Listserv or call the event organizer for confirmation, as things are changing regularly. 

Specials

  • Monday, July 18th. Lawn Party Luncheon 11am – 1pm overlooking the River in Orford. Join CommunityCare of Lyme and the Orford Senior Center for our fourth annual community gathering overlooking the beautiful Connecticut River. Please let us know if you’ll join, it helps tremendously with planning. Would you like to help with food or logistics? We have fun! Contact shelby@cclyme.org or call 603- 795-0603. 

Ongoing

  • Tuesdays at 1pm.  Lyme Food Pantry at 1pm CCL hosts the distribution every Tuesday at Lyme Congregational Church. Call ahead to order, or just stop by. DELIVERY AVAILABLE.
  • Tuesday afternoons. Pardon my Garden Lyme Gardeners visit local gardens. NEXT week (7/26) Hanover Garden Club Open Gardens “Lyme Day”; Phil Pochoda, 11 Baker Hill Rd., Jeanie Stevenson  729 River Rd. 11-2.  Jim & Deb Kennedy, Hanover 4-7pm. Click the event link for address and details about the program. Questions about Lyme Gardeners? Contact Anne Baird.
  • Wednesday afternoons. Reiki with Stephanie Carney in the CCL Living Room. For a complimentary appointment, contact carney.steph@gmail.com or 603-795-2419.
  • Wednesdays 11am-2pm, Saturdays 10am-1pm. Lyme Historians Exhibit Trains: Transportation, Trade, & Toys. At the Historians Museum.
  • Thursdays. Bingo 9-10:30am, Grab-N-Stay (or Grab-N-Go) Meal 11am at the Orford Senior Center. To reserve a meal, call 603-353-9107 or email enickles@gcscc.org. Participants must sign in and out; masks optional. Contact CCL if you could use a ride. Meal delivery is available.
  • Thursdays. Happy Feet Clinic with Susan Hanna Rose, RN, at the CCL Offices in the Lyme Center Academy Building. Therapeutic foot care, including certified diabetic foot care. Regular visits are $20. Initial or extended visits are $25. The Jenks Fund can help with fees. Appointments are required. Home visits are available for those who are home-bound. Please call Nurse Susan at (802) 222-4196 for information or to make or change an appointment. If you leave a message, she’ll call back.
  • Summer Reading Program. Visit Converse Free Library for information on all the wonderful upcoming offerings!

Save the date! 

  • Saturday, August 6th. Thai Dinner fundraiser. 5-7pm on the Lyme Common. Paphanh and generous volunteers prepare an amazing meal, with proceeds to CommunityCare of Lyme and the Lyme Congregational Church. Would you like to help with food or logistics? We have fun! Contact shelby@cclyme.org or call 603- 795-0603.
  • Saturday, September 24th. 2022 Lyme Health and Wellness Fair. A big day!! Lots more to come.

All of these events require many helping hands. If you would love to volunteer,
or be a part of an event planning committee please contact
shelby@cclyme.org / 802-468-7776.
Thank you for your consideration!

*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 Community 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 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.