Monthly Archives: March 2021

CT River Coastal Conservation Native Plant, Plug Sale Webstore Now Open; Order by April 1, Pickup April 23-24

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Butterfly weed is one of the many flowering plants that will be on sale.

AREAWIDE — The CT River Coastal Conservation District has announced its webstore is now open for pre-orders before this year’s Native Plant and Plug Sale.

All pre-orders must be received by April 1, for pickup at the Chester Fairgrounds, April 23 and 24.

Ordering can either be done in the organization’s webstore, or by using the order form on their plant sale brochure, and mailing it to their office with a check (visit the Plant Sale page to download a PDF copy of the sale brochure.)

The sale will be by pre-order only, so there will be no extra plants available on the sale days.

The plan is to follow strict COVID-19 precautions of social distancing and mask-wearing during sale preparations, and to set up contactless, curbside pick-up.

Asparagus plants will also be on sale.

This year, many of the same shrubs, ground covers, edibles, evergreen trees, flowering perennials, ferns, grasses and sedges will be offered that should have been in last year’s cancelled sale.

Evergreen trees will be sold as plugs instead of bare root seedlings, and there will be a small selection of perennial plugs.

Some of the new plants on sale in 2021 include black raspberries, Pawpaw, Maple-leaf Viburnum, Nannyberry, Rhodora, Bird’s-foot Violet, Boneset, Field Pussytoes, Golden Alexander, Solomon’s Seal, Spotted Bee Balm, and Hay-scented Fern. Order early for the best selection!

Remember advance orders are due by April 1. If you have questions, contact the office at ctrivercoastal@conservect.org or 860-346-3282.

The annual plant sale is the CT River Coastal Conservation District’s main fundraising event. All proceeds are used for conservation, environmental education, and technical assistance programs.

March 12 COVID-19 Update: Cumulative Cases Up One in Old Lyme to 289, Hold in Lyme at 91

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report for Connecticut issued Friday, March 12, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health(CT-DPH) for data as at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, March 11, shows that cumulative cases (confirmed and probable) since the pandemic began increased by one in Old Lyme to 289 and held steady in Lyme at 91 when compared with the numbers reported Wednesday, March 10.

The next CT DPH Daily Data Report for Connecticut will be issued in the afternoon of Monday, March 13.

Old Lyme – Cumulative Cases Up One

Old Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 282 confirmed COVID-19 cases and SEVEN probable cases, making a TOTAL of 289 cases.

This represents an INCREASE of ONE in the cumulative number of confirmed cases and NO CHANGE in the number of probable cases compared with those reported Thursday, March 11.

The total number of Old Lyme residents tested is 4,801, up 17 from the Thursday’s number of 4,784.

Lyme – No Change in Cumulative Cases

Lyme has a cumulative total (since the outbreak began) of 84 confirmed cases and 7 probable cases, making a TOTAL of 91 cases.

This represents NO CHANGE in the cumulative number of confirmed or  probable cases compared with those reported Thursday, March 8.

The total number of Lyme residents tested is 1,293, an increase of five over Thursday’s number of 1,288.

Old Lyme Moves Back into Yellow (Lowest but One) Zone for Two-Week New Case Rate, Lyme Remains in (Highest) Red Zone

The report issued Friday, March 12, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks contains disappointing news for both Lyme and Old Lyme.

This report is issued daily, but only updated weekly on Thursdays. The most recent report was updated Thursday, March 11; the next updated report will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, March 18.

It shows that Old Lyme has moved back into the (second lowest) Yellow Zone from the (lowest) Gray Zone reflecting an increased case two-week case rate  over the previous week.

Lyme remains in the ‘Red Zone’ — the category with the highest rate of new cases.

(Four zones are specified by the CT DPH — see details below)

Overall, the report contains fairly good news for the whole state with the number of towns in the Gray and Yellow Zone increasing this week (the previous week’s figures shown in parentheses) but the Orange Zone shows an increase:

  • 25 (18) towns are now in the (lowest case rate) Gray Zone
  • 11 (10) are in the (lowest but one) Yellow Zone
  • 30 (36) are in the (second highest case rate) Orange Zone.

All the remaining towns are in the Red Zone, but this still represents a dramatic improvement from the map published in November when every town in the state was in the Red Zone.

This report shows that Old Lyme now joins 10 other towns — Bolton, Columbia, Farmington, Granby, Marlborough, Morris, New Hartford, Portland, Simsbury, South Windsor, and Willington — in the Yellow (second lowest rate) Zone.

The Gray (lowest rate)  Zone includes Andover, Ashford, Barkamsted, Bethany, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Canaan, Chaplin, Colebrook, Cornwall, Deep River, Eastford, Franklin, Goshen, Hartland, Morris, North Canaan, Norfolk, Roxbury, Salem, Sprague, Scotland, Sharon, Voluntown, Warren, and Washington,

  • The gray category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is less than five or less than five reported cases.
  • The yellow category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between five and nine reported cases.
  • The orange category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town is between 10 and 14.
  • The red category is defined as when the Average Daily Rate of COVID-19 Cases Among Persons Living in Community Settings per 100,000 Population By Town exceeds 15.

In all cases, this rate does not include cases or tests among residents of nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities.

More Detail on Two-Week Case Rates

LLHD Director of Health Stephen Mansfield

On Thursday, March 11, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) issued their latest weekly report of COVID data for the municipalities within their District. Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield prefaces the report with the comment, “We are encouraged to see relatively steady numbers within our jurisdiction.”

He stresses, however, “Although we are making great strides with our COVID vaccination program, it is still imperative that we remain diligent in our mitigation strategies.”

The latest two-week case rates announced Thursday, March 11, for the period 2/21 to 3/06 per 100,000 population (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 2/07 to 2/20) have increased in both Old Lyme and Lyme.

The two-week case rates are as follows:

  • Old Lyme from 4.8 to 6.8
  • Lyme from 15.3 to 18.3

The same report shows that the case numbers in Week 1 and Week 2 respectively and recorded for the period 2/14 to 2/27  (compared with the previous two-week case rate for 2/07 to 2/20 shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Lyme had 3 (2) cases in Week 1 and 3 (3) in Week 2
  • Old Lyme had 2 (2) cases in Week 1 and 5 (3) in Week 2

This data was updated March 11, 2021. The next Ledge Light Weekly Data Report for its District will be issued in the afternoon of Thursday, March 18.

Vaccination Rates

At the request of several readers, we have started a new section reflecting the status of community vaccination rates in Lyme and Old Lyme. The data is taken from the COVID-19 Vaccinations by Town report published by CT-DPH, which is published roughly weekly.

Old Lyme is marginally ahead of Lyme in terms of the percentage of its total population that have received a first dose, with 35.94 percent vaccinated compared with 33.12 percent in Lyme. The percentages for both towns for the age segments 65-74 and 75+ are very encouraging with Old Lyme now having 96.22 percent of seniors 75 and above having received their first dose and 83.58 percent of the same age segment having received it in Lyme.

The detailed data below is the most recent and was updated March 8.

Old Lyme
Total population:  7,306
Estimated population age 65-74:  1,067
Estimated population age 75 and above:  794

Total population 1st dose administered:  2626 (2,115)
1st dose administered as % of total population:  35.94% (28.95%)

1st dose administered age 65-74:  945 (835)
1st dose administered as % of age 65-74 population:  88.57% (78%)

1st dose administered age 75 and above:  764 (730)
1st dose administered as % of age 75 and above population:  96.22% (92%)

Lyme
Total population:  2,316
Estimated population age 65-74:  372
Estimated population age 75 and above:  274

Total population 1st dose administered:  767 (605)
1st dose administered as % of total population:  33.12% (26.12%)

1st dose administered age 65-74: 281 (244)
1st dose administered as % of age 65-74 population: 75.54% (66%)

1st dose administered age 75 and above: 229 (222)
1st dose administered as % of age 75 and above population: 83.58% (81%)

Three Fatalities in Old Lyme Since Pandemic Began, None in Lyme

According to the report mentioned above, there have now been THREE fatalities in Old Lyme. Asked Tuesday, Feb. 9, for details of this third fatality, Ledge Light Health Department Director of Health Stephen Mansfield responded, “We have not been notified of any recent deaths in Old Lyme. Keep in mind that that report is compiled by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; deaths are not reportable to local health districts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for their data sources.”

The two fatalities from Old Lyme previously reported in 2020 were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

No fatalities have been reported in Lyme.

Connecticut Hospital Occupancy

At the request of several readers, we have added a new report today showing the respective rates of hospital occupancy at local hospitals. The data for this report is obtained from the Connecticut Hospital Occupancy Report published weekly by the CT DPH and extracted from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday).

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Editor’s Note: The state issues a COVID-19 metric report daily around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes current data up to the previous evening. In light of the ongoing rise in Coronavirus cases, we publish a new weekday update reporting confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

Lyme Land Trust Announces Two New Programs for Kids

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The beautiful Banningwood Preserve is where Lyme Land Trust’s new Sapling Club will meet on second Saturdays o the month.

LYME — The Lyme Land Trust will offer two monthly groups for children beginning March 13, 2021 and meeting the second Saturday of each month ( April 10, May 8, June 12).  The clubs will be directed by two volunteers, Regan Stacey and Angel Santos Burres. Both have children in the Lyme-Old Lyme school district.

Environmentalist/artist Stacey currently runs the Tree Collective, a Lyme Land Trust program for teens. Most recently, Santos Burres was the director of Outdoors Rx, a program of the Appalachian Mountain Club.

For elementary school-aged kids, the Sapling Club will provide outside play and adventure in the forest. The group will meet every second Saturday of the month from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Banningwood Preserve, Town Street, Lyme. 

Parents are welcome to stay or drop-off.

For middle-schoolers, the Hiking Club provides exploration of the natural world at a different preserve each month. It meets every second Saturday per month at 3 to 4:30 p.m., beginning March 13 at Banningwood Preserve. 

Registration required. To register for either club, contact: reganstacey@gmail.com

For more information about these and upcoming events: https://www.lymelandtrust.org

A la Carte: There’s Always Something to Celebrate with Red Velvet Cake

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Lee’s Red Velvet Cake recipe can be adapted to make delicious cupcakes. Photo by Owen Bruce on Unsplash.

I have not seen my son, daughter-in-law and their three grown daughters since Thanksgiving of 2019. I missed another Thanksgiving, Christmases, Greek Easters and many birthdays.

But Sydney, my second oldest granddaughter, will celebrate her March 16 birthday with her nuclear family and me in Newburyport, Mass. I will bring dinner, probably Pasta Bolognese, a big salad, lots of garlic bread and dessert. And that dessert will be Red Velvet Cake. 

The day Sydney was born, we drove from Old Lyme to the hospital in Beverly, Mass. I had been eating clementines in the car. When I held her in my arms  and she was then fewer than 24-hours-old, she sucked my orange-scented finger. From that day, I was hers forever.

Maybe I will take her a bottle of Grand Marnier!

Red Velvet Cake*

Adapted from The Confetti Cakes Cookbook by Elisa Strauss (Harper Row, New York, 2007)
Yield: serves at least 12 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter each pan, line bottoms with parchment, then butter parchment. Set aside. 

3 ½ cups cake flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1 and ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2 and ¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs (I have extra-large, which is fine)
6 tablespoons red food color (3 ounces!)
1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 and ¼ cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 and ½ teaspoons white vinegar

Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat a medium-speed until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine in low, very slowly add red food color (be careful, it can splatter). Add vanilla. Add flour mix alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds. Divide batter among pans, place in oven and cake until cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes, then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel parchment. Cool completely.

*To make cupcakes: use cooking spray to muffin cups (or use cupcake liners), add batter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick. 

Red Velvet Cake Icing

Adapted from The Waldorf-Astoria Cookbook by John Doherty with John Harrison (Bulfinch, 2006)

2 cups heavy cream, cold
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (reduced-fat is fine)
8 ounces mascarpone (available in most supermarkets in the fancy cheese section)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Softly whip cream by hand in electric mixer. Cover in bowl and refrigerate.

Blend cream cheese and mascarpone in bowl of stand mixer or in large bowl with electric hand mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, pulse briefly and add confectioners’ sugar. Blend well. Fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate until needed. Yield: enough icing for top and slice of three-layer cake.

Place first layer cake on wide plate. Place pieces of waxed paper under each quadrant, about 2 or 3 inches in. Place lots of icing on top of layer and spread about half an inch to the end. Add second layer and to that again. Place the top layer on top and frost the entire cake around the sides. Add lots more to the top and spread. (I had enough left over for one one-layer cake). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lee White

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 the Shore Publishing and the Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day. She was a resident of Old Lyme for many years, but now lives in Groton, Conn.

Saint Ann’s to Host Virtual, Community-wide Book Group on ‘Waking Up White,’ March 25

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OLD LYME — Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church in Old Lyme, Conn., will hold a community-wide discussion group on the book Waking Up White by Debby Irving on  Thursday, March 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
In this book, Irving describes her “aha!” moment regarding the racial tensions she sensed in her life and in society. This moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan.
All are invited to join this discussion group, as these highly topical issues are explored. Share, listen, gain new insights, and make new friends.
The discussion will take place via Zoom. The Zoom link is on the home page of Saint Ann’s website at www.saintannsoldlyme.org.
Registration is not required.
For further information about this program, call 860-434-1621.
Saint Ann’s is an Episcopal parish in Old Lyme, CT that invites and welcomes visitors to this program. The church’s mission is to enrich the community and introduce visitors to the parish.
Saint Ann’s is located at 82 Shore Rd. (Rte. 156), two miles off I-95, Exit 70. Parking is adjacent to the church.
For information about the parish, contact Kathy Rowe at 860-434-1621, via email at office@saintannsoldlyme.org, or visit Saint Ann’s online at www.saintannsoldlyme.org.
Saint Ann’s is a Level 2 Green House of Worship. This recognition is awarded by the CT Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN), a program of environmental stewardship that grants certificates of achievement for implementing eco-friendly measures in buildings and within congregations.