Monthly Archives: August 2020

Deaths Announced of Stanley Suski (July 30), Wife, Nancy (March 9), Both of Lyme; Parents of Marcia Neville, Previously of Old Lyme

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Stanley J. Suski

Stanley Suski

Stanley J. Suski, 86, of Lyme and Niantic and a former Southington resident, passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2020. He was the husband of the late Nancy (Coates) Suski who passed just 143 days prior. Stanley was born on Feb. 26, 1934 in Middletown, CT the son of the late John J. and Helen (Stronk) Suski. He was a US Army Veteran and a die hard Giants fan. Stan started working at the age of 10, delivering milk in Middletown, every morning before school, and in turn giving his earnings to his mother to help the family. After working as a medic in the Army, Stan worked for 38 years at Tuttle & Bailey in New Britain, and then worked for the New Britain School System until his retirement. In his much deserved retirement, he enjoyed spending time at Rogers Lake with his family, boating, relaxing, and sharing stories with his grandchildren of his adventures growing up.

He is survived by his children – his son Jay Suski and wife Renee of Durham, his daughter Marcia Neville and husband Silvio of Niantic, his grandchildren Kendall Suski, Emerson Suski, Aiden Suski, Laura Lima de Souza and husband Hugo, Mark Neville and Ethan Berman and a great grandson Ian Scott Lima de Souza. He also leaves a brother Henry Suski of New Britain. In addition to his wife Nancy he is predeceased by a son Scott Swanson.

Stanley’s family would like to sincerely thank Bridebrook Health and Rehabilitation of Niantic, and the wonderfully caring staff for their unwavering support and care to both Stanley and Nancy and to our entire family. Bridebrook has been his home with Nancy for the past nearly 3 years and we couldn’t be more blessed to have found you. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.

A graveside service with military honors will be held on Saturday August 15, 2020 at 1 pm at Oak Hill Cemetery, Southington. Social distancing and masks please. There are no calling hours. DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St. Southington is assisting with arrangement For online condolences and directions please visit www.dellavecchiasouthington.com

Nancy J. (Coates) Suski

Nancy Suski

Nancy J. (Coates) Suski, 81, of Niantic, CT and previously of Lyme and Southington, passed away peacefully after a long illness on Monday, March 9, 2020.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Stanley J. Suski; and by her children Marcia (Silvio) Neville of Niantic and Jay (Renee Bauer) Suski of Durham, as well as her brother, James Coates of Terryville, Grandchildren: Laura (Hugo) Lima de Souza, Mark Neville, Kendall Suski, Emerson Suski, Aiden Suski, Ethan Berman, and newborn great grandson, Ian Scott Lima de Souza.

She was preceded in death by her son, Scott R. Swanson, her parents Cyril and Jean Coates, her sisters Ginger St. John and Gail Ryan, and by her first husband, Russell B. Swanson.

What Nancy enjoyed most in life was her family; her husband, children, and grandchildren. They were the lights of her life and she reveled in their every accomplishment. Nancy was an avid crocheter and crocheted numerous afghans for her family. The Christmas of 2018, she crocheted an afghan for each grandchild and her last afghans were crocheted for her new great grandson.

Nancy’s family would like to sincerely thank the ICU staff at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital and Vitas Hospice Care for her care in her final days, Dr. Suresh D’Mello for over 20 years of her medical care and being a very good listener, Drs. Donka, Goldberg, and Manthous for her elder care, and for Bridebrook Health and Rehabilitation of Niantic, and the wonderfully caring staff on the first floor rehabilitation unit and the second floor long-term living unit for their patient and kind attention to her needs and wants and for their constant, unwavering support and care to Stanley and to our entire family. Bridebrook has been her home with Stanley for the past 2 years and 3 months and we couldn’t be more blessed to have found you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Calling hours will be held on Friday, March 13, 2020 from 9-11 am and a Celebration of Life will held at 11 am at the DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Street, Southington.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Connecticut Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 659 Tower Avenue, First Floor, Hartford, CT 06112

A la Carte: Friday Means Fish: How About Healthy, but also Delicious ‘Poached Cod in Tomato Curry’?

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Lee White

I still have not had an ear of sweet corn, but the farm stands do seem to be in high cotton*.

(*I have actually never used that phrase, but I have been reading novels that take place in Virginia lately, and one person used “high cotton,” so I looked up the phrase and, originally, it meant that the crops, usually cotton, were doing particularly well, so I thought I would use this to talk about how great all the crops seems to be doing.)

Last week, I took home more kinds of green beans, lots more basil and two different sizes of tomatoes—one a little bigger than grape tomatoes and the other smaller than a medium-sized salad tomato. And both were a burnished reddish-brown. All were beyond delicious.

My food magazines are loaded with local vegetable recipes, especially my Bon Appetit. A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a friend at The Spot in Groton, close to where I live and yet I’d never eaten there. I ordered a baked stuffed cod with sweet potato fries and a fairly large, very good, Caesar salad.

A hour later, at home, I was reading August 2020’s  Bon Appetit and saw a recipe for poached cod in tomato curry. The next day I bought some cod and made the dish. It was very good, but I realized some people don’t enjoy Indian curry.

For those of you in that category, try making it as a Thai curry. I always have red curry paste in the refrigerator and unsweetened coconut milk in the pantry. Next time I will use those ingredients instead of the red chile and the Indian curry. 

In any case, here is this very nice recipe—healthy and delicious. And in case you have coconut milk but not coconut cream, use the top layer of the coconut milk.

Poached Cod in Tomato Curry

Adapted from Bon Appetit, August, 2020
Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons ghee, virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 red chile, halved, seeds removed, thinly sliced
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cardamom pods, crushed*
1 teaspoon ground coriander*
½ teaspoon ground turmeric*
1 ¼ pounds cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints)
¼ cup unsweetened coconut cream (or the top layer of canned coconut milk)
Kosher salt
4 5-ounce skinless cod fillets
1 cup basil leaves, torn if large

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook chile, ginger and garlic, stirring often, until garlic is softened but has not taken on any color, about 3 minutes. Add cardamom, coriander and turmeric and cook, stirring, until fragrant — about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes burst and release their juices 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in coconut cream, taste and season curry with salt.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Season cod with salt and nestle into curry. Cover and cook at a bare simmer until fish is opaque throughout and beginning to flake, 5 to 7 minutes. (Thicker pieces will take longer to cook.)

Gently transfer cod to shallow bowls. Stir basil into curry and spoon over fish.

*If you do not have cardamom pods, coriander and turmeric, use 2 teaspoons of Indian curry powder.

About the author: Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant. She currently writes Nibbles and a cooking column called A La Carte for LymeLine.com and also for the Shore Publishing and Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day.

Old Lyme Outages Now at 76.8%, Lyme Still at 98.7%; Roberge Says Most Roads Should be Open Thursday

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This tree at Saint Ann’s Church in Old Lyme is one of the many casualties of Tropical Storm Isaias. Fortunately no injuries have been reported due to the storm. Photo by Rita Bonita.

LYME/OLD LYME — UPDATED Aug. 6 @11:50am: According to the Eversource website, the number of houses without power in Old Lyme has now been reduced to 4,229 out of 5,506 households, which is equivalent to 76.81 percent.

We know from Facebook posts that power has been restored to the following streets/areas in Old Lyme:

Lyme St.
Rogers Lake
Library Ln.
Grassy Hill (Rogers Lake end)
Town Woods Rd. (part)
Saunders Hollow Rd. (part)
Hillside
Sill Ln. (part)
Lord’s Meadow
Beta Ave.
Wolcott Ln.

There may be more … we hope so!

The percentage without power in Lyme remains at 98.74 representing 1,328 households. The Town of Lyme issued an update earlier today in which it was stated, “… the best guess is this situation could last three or more days for primary electric circuits and longer for secondary circuits.”

Tree down on Whippoorwill in Old Lyme. Photo by Kirsten Goiangos.

Noting that, “Really good work in cutting and clearing” is taking place, Old Lyme Emergency Services Director David Roberge said in a phone call to LymeLine Wednesday afternoon that he anticipates, “The majority of roads will be open by tomorrow.”

Regarding the power situation, he commented that two major circuits located respectively at East Lyme and Essex, which both feed Old Lyme, are down so, “Old Lyme is kind of hostage to those getting repaired.”

Roberge spoke appreciatively of the work that Eversource is doing in Old Lyme, saying, “I’m a strong supporter of their efforts — their line crews are doing really good work.” He reminded residents to report any outages daily to Eversource and also to use generators correctly.

On the positive side, Roberge noted that 9 Town Transit and the drive-through meal program at Lymes’ Senior Center are both fully operational, but he also cautioned residents to be especially mindful of security at this time when the power is out, urging them to be sure to lock their cars and houses.

He added, “Police are doing additional patrols, but everyone needs to be security conscious.”

Asked if there were any areas which had experienced particularly severe damage, he responded that three areas had been identified, namely, Rogers Lake, Oakridge, and the area around Mile Creek Rd., Browns Ln. and Flat Rock Hill Rd. He noted that these three locations would be the focus of additional line-clearing efforts in the future.

Following his 11:30 a.m. update, Roberge plans to issue another official update at 7 p.m. this evening.

Letter to the Editor: Old Lyme Land Trust’s Assessment of Bucky Brook Beaver Situation Challenged

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To the Editor:

I recently read the statement provided to you by the Old Lyme Land Trust in February. I find it odd that no one from your organization met with Dave Berggren to confirm the lowering level of the pond after one dam was removed.  What’s more egregious is that when I took the Bucky Brook path just yesterday I found 4 beaver dams as well as the beaver’s lodge and how the volunteers did not see these is beyond me and they should be ashamed to have suggested otherwise.

The entire Bucky Brook needs to be dredged as well as the beavers removed.

I have video documentation of all the beaver dams if you want to see.

Sincerely,

Lee Detwiler,
Jenkintown, PA.

 

Trees Down, Power Out All Over Lyme, Old Lyme; Lyme Estimates at Least Three Days Before Power Restored

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Tree and wires down at the entrance to Homestead Circle in Old Lyme. Photo by Jay Graves.

LYME/OLD LYME — UPDATED 9pm: “[It] looks like a war zone, wrote one reader from Old Lyme on Facebook talking about the state of her yard this morning. Tropical Storm Isaias hit Lyme and Old Lyme hard yesterday felling trees, bringing down power lines and making roads impassable.

As at 7:45 a.m. this morning, 98.59 percent of Lyme and 99.26 percent of Old Lyme are without power.

Trees are down all over the Lymes. This one is in the Astley’s yard in Old Lyme. Photo by Anne Astley.

The Town of Lyme issued the following update Storm Recovery Update at 12:32 p.m.

Power Outages & Road Closures
Operational Status of Town Facilities

Tropical Storm Isaias has done considerable damage to the Connecticut power grid and caused numerous road closures. Connecticut currently has about 600,000 residents without power.

Power Outage Impacts

  • The Town of Lyme is presently 98% without power and the best guess is this situation could last three or more days for primary electric circuits and longer for secondary circuits. 
  • Town Hall is operational with internet service, but without phones.
  • The Public Library is closed until power is restored.
  • The Hamburg Fire Station and Town Garage are without phones and being powered by generator.
  • Potable water is available outside the Hamburg Fire Station, along with a charging station for residents who may need to recharge their phones. Access inside the station and to the showers previously available in better times are not open due to the COVID restrictions.
Road Closures
  • There are numerous trees and electrical wires down on many town roads.
  • All tree removal possible has been accomplished by the Town Crew. What remains to be cleared must be addressed by Eversource crews and they are hard to find.
  • Wires may still be energized, so please stay away from downed wires and do not drive over any wires on roads.
  • Roads that are impassable or with unsafe sections include:

Salem Road
Beaver Brook Road
Blood Street
Honey Hill Road
Sterling City Road
Old Hamburg Road
Tantumorantum Road
Mt. Archer and Brush Hill intersection
Mt. Archer and Honey Hill Lane intersection

  • Rte. 156 (a state road) is passable but with many trees/wires closing one lane. Be cautious as they are not marked adequately.
  • Rte. 148 (Ferry Road) is blocked close to Hadlyme Four Corners.

We suggest caution and patience as we wait for Eversource to reach the small towns.

Old Lyme Emergency Management issued the following statement at 6 p.m.

Yesterday the Town of Old Lyme sustained significant damage to the power grid due to high winds and tree damage from Storm Isaias.

If you have an emergency, dial 911.

We continue to have over 5,470 homes without power, and at least two major electrical distribution circuits supplying our town that are damaged. Heavily damaged areas still include: Rogers Lake, Oak Ridge, Flat Rock Hill Road, Browns Lane, Mile Creek Road and Ferry Road.

Emergency Management continues to be in contact with Eversource and restoration activities are in progress. Eversource and public works crews are working together to restore power in the heavily damaged areas. Town-wide utility line damage assessment and restoration efforts are in full force.

Please avoid all downed power lines.

Please avoid all blocked roads.

Please run your generator safely, and never indoors.

Lock your cars and homes, and keep a watch out for your neighbors. Secure portable generators, if possible. Be aware of phone scams and use reputable contractors for storm clean up. All public utility workers will have proper ID.

Be sure to call Eversource to report your outage at 1-800-286-2000.

Nine Town Transit is operational.

The Respite Center is open at the Lymes’ Senior Center at 26 Town Woods Road daily from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. If you need to charge your cell phones or electronic devices, or if you need potable water, you can go to the following locations:

  • The respite center at the Lymes’ Senior Center
  • The police station on Shore Rd.
  • The Boughton Road fire station

You must bring your own water container. The police station and fire station are available for charging and water 24 hours a day – however, please do not leave your items unattended.

Residents wishing to dispose of storm debris can do so at no charge at the Old Lyme Transfer station on Four Mile River Road from now until August 15th.

For those in need of assistance, the Old Lyme Emergency Management Call Center will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Call 860-598-0120.

To get up to date storm information follow Old Lyme Emergency Management on Facebook and Twitter.

Tree down in the Krasney’s yard in Old Lyme. Photo by Ellie Krasney.

Lyme Town Clerk Linda Winzer published this update at 11 a.m.

Route 156 (Hamburg Road) is closed from Old Hamburg Road to Beaver Brook as the tree/wire issue at the Toll House/Murphy’s Corner just before the Joshuatown Road entrance is addressed. There is no time frame for reopening the road – it all depends on what needs to be done to repair the wires and get the tree out of there.

Roads that are passable: Bill Hill, Town Woods, Beaver Brook (one tree but you can get through), Grassy Hill.

A large tree came down at Saint Ann’s Church, but fortunately missed the church. Photo by Rita Bonita.

Lyme Town Clerk Linda Winzer published this important message at 8 a.m. on Facebook:

The town crew worked extremely late last night doing all they are permitted to do to clear roads, and they have basically completed that. What remains are trees in wires and across roads that they cannot touch, that Eversource and their tree crews need to clear. Please be safe as we await their arrival and help.

Remember DO NOT GO NEAR OR TOUCH ANY WIRES. We don’t want an already difficult situation to become a tragedy.

As of this writing, Route 156 is passable, however it is extremely dangerous at the turn by the Toll House before the Joshuatown Road entrance. IF YOU MUST GO THROUGH THERE, USE EXTREME CAUTION. Route 148 (Ferry Road) is blocked close to the four-corners. Lyme town roads that have impassable or unsafe sections include Salem Road, Blood Street, Honey Hill Road at the top, Sterling City Road, Old Hamburg Road, Tantumorantum Road, the intersection of Mt. Archer and Brush Hill, the intersection of Mt. Archer and Honey Hill Lane.
PLEASE DO NOT GO OUT UNLESS IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU DO SO.
The phones at the Town Garage and the Town Hall are out. Please check on your neighbors if you can do so safely.
If you are in an emergency situation, dial 911.
She adds encouragingly, “As we did in 2011 with Tropical Storm Irene, we will get through this with Tropical Storm Isaias.”

Another view of the tree and wires down at the entrance to Homestead Circle in Old Lyme. Photo by Jay Graves.