Monthly Archives: May 2022

May 5 COVID-19 Update: Over 85% of CT Now in Red Zone, CT Positivity Rate Breaks 10%; Five New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 1129, One New Case Takes Lyme’s Total to 277

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This map, updated May 5, 2022 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the Red (highest) Zone. One hundred and forty five towns (representing a total of 85.8% of the state) are now found in the Red Zone. Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities. Map: Ver 12.1.2020 Source: CT Department of Public Health Get the data Created with Datawrapper.

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Reports issued Thursday, May 5, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) shows five new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme and one in Lyme.

These cases raise Old Lyme’s cumulative case total to 1129 and Lyme’s to 277.

Old Lyme reported two new cases on Tuesday and five on Wednesday. Lyme reported one new case on each day.

Statewide Situation – Weekly Update

On Thursday, May 5, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) also released its latest weekly COVID-19 Alert Map (pictured above), which indicates that 145 municipalities are now in the Red (highest of four) Zone for case rates. These towns in the Red Zone include both Lyme and Old Lyme.

This number has increased by 14 over the 131 towns recorded in the Red Zone last week, thus increasing the number of towns in the Red Zone to over 85.8%) of the state.

This total of 145 Red Zone towns is moving rapidly towards the Jan. 27, 2022 number, when the total was 168 out of 169 towns.

As of May 5, 2022 all nine towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) remain in the Red Zone.

The LLHD is no longer issuing reports with updated Case Rates and other metrics.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, May 12 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones are:

Red: Indicates case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population
Orange: Indicates case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population
Yellow: Indicates case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population
Gray: Indicates case rates lower than five per 100,000 population

More on the Local Situation

April 5, 2022 was the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either town.

Prior to March 25, Lyme had gone for 23 consecutive days with no new cases being reported. Two new cases were reported in Lyme on March 25.

Prior to April 5, the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either Lyme or Old Lyme was March 24. There were also no new cases on March 9 and 4, and Feb. 24. The previous date prior to Feb. 24 when no new cases were reported in either town was Dec. 12, 2021.

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate broke the 10% watershed on May 4 at 10.32%. It rose again on May 5 to 10.35%.

Thursday’s rate of 10.35% is the state’s highest recorded COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate since Jan.26, 2022 when the Rate stood at 10.93%.

On May 5, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations decreased by 12 to 233.

In contrast, on Jan. 12, 2022, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 1,939.

Of those hospitalized on May 5, the number not fully vaccinated was 82 (representing 35.19%).

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut remained at 10,858 on May 4, according to The New York Times.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Friday, May 6, around 4 p.m.

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 686 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443 — that number had stood unchanged for a week since the previous Thursday, Nov. 4.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 757 new cases there since that date.

Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 163 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

The LLHD is no longer issuing weekly updates unless there is, “any significant change in case rates, hospitalizations, etc.”

On April 14, LLHD sent LymeLine.com this press release issued by CT DPH the same day. It begins: With the current uptick of COVID-19 cases—coupled with the upcoming schedule of spring holidays and family gatherings—the Connecticut Department of Public Health is reminding residents of the tools currently in place to help contain the spread of the virus. 

The new Community Levels tool created by the CDC can be viewed at this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

Ledge Light Health District continues to focus its vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations and boosters to individuals, who were vaccinated previously. Information about vaccination opportunities can be found at https://llhd.org/coronavirus-covid-19-situation/covid-19-vaccine/.

An explanation of the new CDC Community Levels tool by Thomas Gotowka can be found at this link.

COVID testing opportunities can be found at COVID-19 Testing | Ledge Light Health District (llhd.org)

The following link provides centralized access to Connecticut COVID data: https://data.ct.gov/stories/s/COVID-19-data/wa3g-tfvc/

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There has been one COVID-related fatality of a Lyme resident: a 57-year-old male passed away Nov. 16, 2021. On Nov. 30, the state finally included this fatality in its data

Four COVID-related fatalities have now been reported in Old Lyme. The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

Details of the third and fourth fatalities, which were reported respectively in 2021 and on Feb. 4, 2022, have not been made available.

COVID-19 Situation in LOL Schools

Under new state protocols for schools, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools are no longer required to carry out contact tracing.

LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser explained the latest developments in LOL Schools COVID protocols in an April 1 email to the school community, saying, “As noted in my email of February 17, 2022, beginning April 1, 2022 we will no longer report daily COVID-19 cases in the schools.”

He then stated, “For the remainder of this school year, that information will be complied on a weekly basis and will be available on our website at the following link: https://www.region18.org/parents/covid-data.”

Details published to date show the following number of positive cases in LOL Schools by week.
April 3-9: 0
April 10-16: 0
April 19-23: Spring Break
April 24-30: 7

For a summary of cases in LOL Schools between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022, visit this link.

View a full listing of cases between 8/26/21 – 12/23/21 at this link.

Death of Mary Blossom Turner Announced, Widow of Jack, Who Founded LymeLine.com; Service May 22 in Old Lyme

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Mary Blossom Turner: January 1, 1932 – April 30, 2022

OLD LYME — We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Mary Blossom Turner, the widow of Jack Turner, who founded LymeLine.com. To quote from the obituary published in The Day, Mary passed, “easily in her sleep April 30, 2022, at 90 years old.”

Mary was a remarkable woman, as her full obituary published below testifies. I met her on several occasions during the time I worked for Jack as the first News Editor of his fledgling online publication, LymeLine.com. That was back in 2003 (when LymeLine.com was launched) through 2005, when Jack died. She was the most cheerful and supportive companion to Jack — and therefore, in turn, me — imaginable.

Jack and Mary’s relationship was truly wonderful in so many ways. After Jack’s untimely death, it was dear Mary with whom we negotiated the purchase of LymeLine.com — she made it quite clear that she personally had no interest in continuing its publication but was very happy to see someone else pursue Jack’s legacy.

We send sincere condolences to Mary’s children, Mariette and John, and their families. (For the record, it was Mariette, who recommended me to Jack to be his News Editor. Jack lured me away from the Main Street News … and the rest is history!)

A memorial service for Mary will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, May 22, at the Grassy Hill Church in Old Lyme.

Kindly make any memorial donations to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, at: https://curealz.org/giving/donate/.

I will never forget Mary … or Jack.

Olwen Logan, Publisher & Editor: LymeLine.com

Mary’s obituary follows:

Mary Turner was the first baby born in Port Chester, NY in 1932, to Mary Drummond and Earl Blossom. She had a pony and a dog growing up in Westport, CT where her father’s home studio smelled like turpentine. Her elder brother, David, put whiskey in the dog bowl and the dog got drunk. Mary tended to the dog while David joined the Coast Guard before becoming a commercial illustrator like their father. The dog recovered and Mary went off to Bennington College, where she learned proper grammar.

Mary met Jack Turner of Wilton CT at a party, and since they both liked cats, they decided to marry. Jack would become Mary’s lifelong hero. He joined the Marines after graduating from Colgate, but the two managed to see each other enough to produce two children, Mariette and John, one of whom turned out perfectly.

The young family moved to an apartment in Bloomfield. Mary ran shotgun while Jack and friends distilled vodka from potatoes and conceived Soundings at the dining room table. Children were to be seen and not heard, but Mary saw them as hers to sculpt—by instilling the Golden Rule and correcting grammar.

After moving to Wethersfield as Jack grew Soundings, Mary kept a successful portrait business, sold real estate, made wicked Halloween costumes, practiced yoga, shopped and prepped for Jack’s cooking, and briefly owned a bakery where she produced healthy donuts.

Frostbite sailing on Wethersfield Cove was a family affair and a social immersion—with racing and cocktails for the adults and racing to grow up for the kids. Mary kept her children grounded in an alluring, challenging world.

Block Island vacations exaggerated regular life without the work, and while packs of young cousins ran wild, Mary sojourned to paint watercolors. The children felt important and grown-up as she always took time to explain just why, or what, we might do, or to patiently describe what would be proper, or to make a sardine sandwich.

Jack and Mary gardened, cooked, leisured, and worked to assure a wholesome family atmosphere while Mariette and John tackled high school and college. Ever supporting her husband and children, Mary endured fiberglass boatbuilding in the driveway, amplified rock-n-roll, polyester fumes, milk and butter tasting of plastic, orange juice re-purposed as bong-water and rolling cohorts of teenagers, dogs, and cats in the house. As surrogate second but present authority, Mary anchored existence in Jack’s absence—rising each day to exemplify cheer, vigor, empathy, and purpose.

When Soundings moved to Essex and the family to Old Lyme, Mary continued painting portraits, working in real-estate, taking walks, and absorbing what she sensed best in life. Jack left Soundings, built another boat, and started Lymeline.

The children married and moved away to grow the tree—with three grandchildren, (Marilee Root, Brittany Figueroa and John Paul Turner IV) and five great-grandchildren, all stars in no small part due to Mary’s examples of excellent grammar, adherence to the Golden Rule, and casual parenting.

Jack died in 2005. Mary forged on without him, walking daily to the Chocolate Shell for a fix with Molly, the last of the many dogs and cats. She pursued her artwork until advancing years betrayed her capacity.

None would envy her long experience with Alzheimer’s.

We remember Mary smiling as she hummed, “Happy Days are Here Again,” or shrieking what she called the “Cry of the Happy Housewife.” If we transgressed in right and wrong, she would say: “You wouldn’t want someone to do that to you, would you?”

With a name like Mary Blossom Turner, we would expect to learn from her.

Mary leaves two children (Mariette and John); three grandchildren (Marilee Root, Brittany Figueroa, and John Turner IV), four great-grandchildren, (Tyler Root, Annabelle, Damien, and their soon-to-be little sister Figueroa), and five nephews and their families. She joins—eternally—her partner, hero and husband, Jack; her brother David; her granddaughter, Halle Root; and her eldest nephew, David Blossom.

We all miss her dearly.

A la Carte: How Do I Love Lemons? Let me Count the Ways …

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Lee White

Over the past few weeks there have been so many holidays– Easter Sunday, Passover and Ramadan– and all had something to do with food.

For Lent, we gave up something we wanted (often sweet stuff) for 40 days and had to have fish on Fridays; for Passover nothing leavening (desserts made with matzoh and matzoh for breakfast, lunch and dinner for eight days) and, at Ramadan, which lasts for a month, each day the first meal must begin before dawn, while the second meal begins after sunset.

This week it’s Mother’s Day.

For most mothers, me included, we are fasting — but dieting (except for those, who are doing the intermittent fasting, so never mind about that!).

I will try to get a reservation for Mother’s Day Brunch.

If you mothers are cooking (and many, like me, actually love cooking), make something delicious that is sweet but tart and pretend it isn’t caloric.

I love lemon anything and this may be my favorite of all. 

Lemon Shortbread
From Felicia Gotta, one of my favorite pastry chefs ever

Photo by Adam Bartoszewic on Unsplash.

1 pound unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon lemon oil (if you have it)
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups cake flour
1 cup cornstarch

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add lemon oil and lemon zest and mix.

Sift together both flours and the cornstarch. Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Do not overmix.

Spread and press into a greased 13”x 9” pan or use your favorite shortbread molds. Prick entire surface with a fork at one-inch intervals.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.

Slice with a sharp knife into the size you’d like (1” by 1” squares is nice).

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar (optional). Enjoy warm or at room temp. Store in an airtight container

Lemon Cream

Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax (Chapters, Shelburne, VT, 1994)

There is almost nothing better with a little lemon cream (or curd) on top. It’s incredible with the lemon shortbread or lovely in a little tartlet, topped with berries or even with a berry pie. This will keep in the refrigerator, tightly closed, for at least a week.

Makes about 3 cups

Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons water
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream, well chilled

  1. Place lemon zest and juice, sugar, butter and water in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until butter melts.
  2. In a bowl, beat eggs and egg yolks with a whisk, just until blended. Whisk in about 1/3 of the hot lemon-butter mixture to warm the eggs; return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, just until the mixture thickens, usually about 3 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat and strain into a large heatproof container. Press a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to prevent a “skin” from forming. Refrigerate until cold. (The curd can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Chill until needed.)
  4. Up to 20 minutes before serving, beat cream until it forms soft peaks. Fool cream into the lemon mixture. Cover and chill until needed.

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. Contact Lee at leeawhite@aol.com.

Letter to the Editor: Seeking Kittens, A Respectful Request to the Lyme-Old Lyme Community

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To the Editor:

We are on the lookout for two adoptable kittens.  We hope to find a pair of orange tabby sisters, but we are flexible, assuming that they are, too.

We lost Finn last year with an inoperable carcinoma diagnosis.  We are grateful that our veterinarian was able to help all three of us get through Finn’s final few months.

Finn was a rescue, and started life in the NYU freshman dormitory; remaining there until expulsion appeared inevitable (n. b., Finn’s expulsion). She re-located to Old Lyme and remained with us for more than fifteen years.

Our new kittens will have big paws to fill. Finn was a true raconteur and was very willing to share her world view with either of us. She had the gift of reflecting our emotions and responding in kind.

Finn was predominantly an indoor cat, but would occasionally venture out into the gardens with either of us. There’s now a very active fox population in Greater Library Lane, so our next kittens will likely be exclusively indoors.

Finn was very proud of her birding life list, and we assume that our new kittens will have that same hobby. Our home’s design enables clear views of the marsh, the bird feeders, and the Duck River from many comfortable spots in the house.

          In return, we offer a loving home, great conversation, solid veterinary care, good food, and clean litter.

Note that we are already on a few waiting lists in SE CT.

Sincerely,

Christina J. & Thomas D. Gotowka,
Old Lyme.

May 3 & May 4 COVID-19 Update: Seven New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Total to 1124, Two New Cases in Lyme Takes Total There to 276

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash,

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Reports issued respectively Tuesday, May 3, and Wednesday, May 4, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) show a total of seven new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme and two in Lyme.

These cases raise Old Lyme’s cumulative case total to 1124 and Lyme’s to 276.

Old Lyme reported two new cases on Tuesday and five on Wednesday. Lyme reported one new case on each day.

April 5, 2022 was the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either town.

Prior to March 25, Lyme had gone for 23 consecutive days with no new cases being reported. Two new cases were reported in Lyme on March 25.

Prior to April 5, the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either Lyme or Old Lyme was March 24. There were also no new cases on March 9 and 4, and Feb. 24. The previous date prior to Feb. 24 when no new cases were reported in either town was Dec. 12, 2021.

Statewide Situation – Weekly Update

This map, updated April 28, 2022 shows the average daily rate of new cases of COVID-19 by town during the past two weeks. Both Lyme and Old Lyme remain in the Red (highest) Zone. One hundred and thirty one towns (representing a total of 77.5% of the state) are now found in the Red Zone. Only cases among persons living in community settings are included in this map; the map does not include cases among people who reside in nursing home, assisted living, or correctional facilities. Map: Ver 12.1.2020 Source: CT Department of Public Health Get the data Created with Datawrapper.

On Thursday, April 28, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) released its latest weekly COVID-19 Alert Map (pictured above), which indicates that 131 municipalities are now in the Red (highest of four) Zone for case rates. These towns in the Red Zone include both Lyme and Old Lyme.

This number has increased by 23 over the 108 towns recorded in the Red Zone last week, thus increasing the number of towns in the Red Zone to over three-quarters (77.5%) of the state.

Although this total of Red Zone towns reflects a dramatic increase over last week’s number, it still shows a reduction in the number of Red Zone towns since  Jan. 27, when the total was 168 out of 169 towns.

As of April 21, 2022 all nine towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) are now in the Red Zone.

The LLHD is no longer issuing reports with updated Case Rates and other metrics.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, May 5 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones are:

Red: Indicates case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population
Orange: Indicates case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population
Yellow: Indicates case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population
Gray: Indicates case rates lower than five per 100,000 population

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate rose to 9.99% on May 3 and again on May 4 to 10.32%.

Wednesday’s rate of 10.32% is the state’s highest recorded COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate since Jan.26, 2022 when the Rate stood at 10.93%.

On May 3, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations increased by six to 236. On May 4, the number rose again to 245.

In contrast, on Jan. 12, 2022, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 1,939.

Of those hospitalized on May 4, the number not fully vaccinated was 78 (representing 31.84%). On May 3, the number not fully vaccinated was 67 (representing 28.39%).

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut increased to 10,858 on May 4, according to The New York Times.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Thursday, May 5, around 4 p.m.

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 681 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443 — that number had stood unchanged for a week since the previous Thursday, Nov. 4.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 752 new cases there since that date.

Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 162 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

The LLHD is no longer issuing weekly updates unless there is, “any significant change in case rates, hospitalizations, etc.”

On April 14, LLHD sent LymeLine.com this press release issued by CT DPH the same day. It begins: With the current uptick of COVID-19 cases—coupled with the upcoming schedule of spring holidays and family gatherings—the Connecticut Department of Public Health is reminding residents of the tools currently in place to help contain the spread of the virus. 

The new Community Levels tool created by the CDC can be viewed at this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

Ledge Light Health District continues to focus its vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations and boosters to individuals, who were vaccinated previously. Information about vaccination opportunities can be found at https://llhd.org/coronavirus-covid-19-situation/covid-19-vaccine/.

An explanation of the new CDC Community Levels tool by Thomas Gotowka can be found at this link.

COVID testing opportunities can be found at COVID-19 Testing | Ledge Light Health District (llhd.org)

The following link provides centralized access to Connecticut COVID data: https://data.ct.gov/stories/s/COVID-19-data/wa3g-tfvc/

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There has been one COVID-related fatality of a Lyme resident: a 57-year-old male passed away Nov. 16, 2021. On Nov. 30, the state finally included this fatality in its data

Four COVID-related fatalities have now been reported in Old Lyme. The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male.

Details of the third and fourth fatalities, which were reported respectively in 2021 and on Feb. 4, 2022, have not been made available.

COVID-19 Situation in LOL Schools

Under new state protocols for schools, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools are no longer required to carry out contact tracing.

LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser explained the latest developments in LOL Schools COVID protocols in an April 1 email to the school community, saying, “As noted in my email of February 17, 2022, beginning April 1, 2022 we will no longer report daily COVID-19 cases in the schools.”

He then stated, “For the remainder of this school year, that information will be complied on a weekly basis and will be available on our website at the following link: https://www.region18.org/parents/covid-data.”

Details published to date show the following number of positive cases in LOL Schools by week.
April 3-9: 0
April 10-16: 0
April 19-23: Spring Break
April 24-30: 7

For a summary of cases in LOL Schools between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022, visit this link.

View a full listing of cases between 8/26/21 – 12/23/21 at this link.