Anyone with seasonal allergies can understand how challenging the last few weeks have been: In particular, last week in general. With dry conditions, warm summer breezes and blooming trees, the yellow coat of pollen found its way into the open windows, onto furniture and up allergy sufferer’s noses.
Even those with no allergies were bothered with a tickle, cough and unexpected sneeze. For myself; it’s been annoying but as watery and itchy as my eyes have been, I know that others have it worse and so I can get by with having a tissue at the ready and a bucket of cough drops on hand.
And despite the warmer than average temperatures and tree remnant filled air, I have been able to maintain my outdoor activities, including my quiet walks. However, there is always one particular day during the spring allergies that I seem to suffer more than any other with a bit of a nagging headache, cough and constant stream of water coming from my eyes (and nose). This year, this day happened to coincide with an outdoor temperature of near 90 degrees. Given that I am trying desperately to maintain an exercise schedule, I figured I could power through and take my walk (around 11:45 am) anyway …
Even though I was hot, itchy and could barely keep my eyes open, I stuffed my pockets with a handful of tissues, one cough drop and my Chapstick, heading outside for my trek. Since I am on a very brief hiatus in between classes, a leisurely 2-mile walk before lunch seemed like an ideal thing to do, but I will admit that laying on the couch in my cool house and catching up on a Real Housewives show was equally appealing. Alas, I decided that if I walked, resting with an afternoon show could be my reward. As soon as I turned out of my driveway, I had a sneezing attack: Yet, I pressed on. About 3 minutes later I happened upon my favorite tree, beautifully illuminated by the sun’s seeping rays: And so, I stopped and took several pictures. Another few minutes later, my phone rang: I answered it, walking and chatting. At this point, I was already 3 tissues in and began to consider turning around. I hadn’t even gone a half mile…
And just as I was wrestling with my own conscience, I turned the shaded corner and noticed our turkey family ahead. He was standing in the middle of the road all puffed out and slowly turning from side to side so she could see his every fabulous angle. She was close to him and taking in every part of his maleness with the anticipation that soon (I could only imagine) She would raise their glorious babies. He had been chasing her for weeks and it seemed like success was finally imminent. I didn’t want to disturb them and since they were in the middle of the road, I promptly turned around and headed back home. After all, who was I to interfere with nature’s mating moments… Excuses. Excuses.
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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PUTNAM — After weathering a “year like no other” Day Kimball Healthcare is looking toward the future, and is “one step closer” to finding a “strategic partner."
In his pre-recorded address for the annual corporators meeting, DKH CEO Kyle Kramer said: “The Day Kimball Healthcare Board of Directors remain committed to finding a strategic partner to help provide the best care possible to northeast Connecticut residents and to weather changes in the health care industry. A strategic partnership would bring a combination of key technologies and best practices to drive financial improvement. We are pleased to share that we are one step closer to formalizing a relationship with a larger health system that will keep Day Kimball at the forefront of health care innovation, and we look forward to the day we can announce where we are headed. Our future is bright and we are confident that the strategic direction we pursue will lead our organization and the communities we serve to a better tomorrow.”
He added, “It is evident that health care will continue to be capital intensive as our community grows and the trend of delivering care closer to home accelerates.”
In highlighting the DKH fiscal year, he said COVID-19 proved that “challenging times drive innovation.”
He said DKH experienced positive operating margins in recent fiscal years and the fiscal year 2020 budget called for an operating gain of just over $400,000 which would have marked the third consecutive year of generating positive operating margins. Then COVID-19 hit.
Paul Beaudoin, CFO, said: “Despite the challenges we faced in 2020, we are working hard to return to profitability in fiscal year 2021. Patient activity began to improve during the last four months of the 2020 fiscal year as we began to resume select procedures and services that were delayed due to executive orders related to the pandemic.”
Janice Thurlow, chairman of the DKH board, said, “Despite the challenges 2020 brought, Day Kimball came together as an organization in extraordinary ways to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Kramer highlighted a number of distinctions and designations for quality care earned during the last fiscal year.
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captions:
Honored
Putnam native Henry Breault, the only submariner to be awarded the Medal of Honor, was honored during the Putnam Memorial Day program. A wreath was placed at the pedestrian bridge named after him. Linda Lemmon photos.
Flag Waving
Eva Capalvi, 7, in front, and Rylan Toye, 9, watch the Memorial Day parade. The rain held off most of the morning. More photos on page 4.
captions, page 4:
Page 1: Henry Breault. Above: The Toye and Capalvi families along the parade route. Melinda Capalvi (standing behind the baseball cap) is a retired, U.S. Upper left: Normand Perron gives veteran and mayor Barney Seney a ride in the Memorial Day Parade.
American Legion Department of Connecticut Senior Vice Commander (U.S. Navy) Jeff DeClerck, left, and MC Roy Simmons, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Putnam High School band drummer plays the Navy Anthem.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — In his welcome to the standing-room only audience at the town’s Memorial Day program, veteran Barney Seney said, “Please thank any veteran who served. That’s why we’re here today — to honor our fallen veterans.”
Seney, Putnam’s mayor, said he often thinks about his service in Vietnam. “I think about my lieutenant and others that we lost.” After returning, he said it was “hard for me and for other veterans to talk about our experiences.” They didn’t want to relive the horrors.
A short parade from Canal Street stopped at the Henry Breault pedestrian bridge off Kennedy Drive to honor his memory with a wreath and then proceeded to the program at the Riverview Marketplace pavilion. This year’s Memorial Day event honored Putnam native Henry Breault who received the Medal of Honor.
Keynote speaker Jeff DeClerck, a U.S. Navy vet, submarine division, enlisted the audience into the Navy so they might understand what it’s like for submariners and Breault. Submarines at sea, he said, are a world onto themselves. Each submariner is keenly aware of the responsibility they each have. “You could be the one person who saves the crew.” DeClerck is the American Legion Department of Connecticut senior vice commander.
DeClerck described how Breault was leaving the submarine USS O-5, which had been in a collision near the Panama Canal in 1923. But he realized that a shipmate was still inside the linking submarine and went back into the sub, closing the hatch behind him. It took more than 30 hours for them to be rescued. Three shipmates died. Petty Officer Breault was the first submariner to receive the Medal of Honor and the only enlisted man to receive it for heroism while serving as a submariner.
“He was a local resident, a hero — and only 23 years old.”
Hans Lowell, VFW Post 1523 commander, said Memorial Day mourning was deeply personal as well as a national. “We can never let down our guard,” he said. “This does not end when we come home from war.”
Brian Maynard, American Legion Post 13 commander, recounted how he contacted a veteran on the other side of the country, looking for information. They didn’t know each other but the gentleman went above and beyond to help Maynard. “That speaks volumes about the brotherhood,” Maynard said.
Roy Simmons, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy (ret.) and a selectman, was the master of ceremonies. The Putnam High School and Putnam Middle School bands played and a video presentation on Breault’s naval career was played.
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captions, page 2: Members of the Woodstock Academy boys' track team proudly display the ECC championship banner following their first-place finish at Plainfield High School (Marc Allard photo)
Senior Adam Schimmelpfennig won both hurdle events at the ECC boys' track Division 2&3 track championship and was named Top Track Athlete of the championship meet. (Marc Allard photo)
Liam Blanchflower clears the high jump bar at the ECCchampionship. Blanchflower placed third in the event. (Marc Allard photo)
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Centaurs
claim ECC
boys’ track
championship
The Woodstock Academy boys’ track team didn’t win the ECC Div. 2 regular season title, but made up for it in the ECC Division 2 & 3 championship meet.
Woodstock just narrowly edged Griswold 121 ½ - 116 for the title last week.
“The regular season was what the regular season was,” said coach Pete Lusa said. “We had kids with injuries and other things. It was nice to have it all come together. This kind of meet favored a team in the position that we were in.”
It was also a bit of an eye opener especially for the freshmen and sophomores on the team.
It was the first large invitational for the team in two years thanks to the pandemic which cancelled last season and the team only participated in dual meets this year.
“They didn’t understand they had to stay away from the finish line because there was automatic timing. That’s the purpose of the ECC’s is to get kids ready for when we go to (Class) MM that the kids will have some awareness of what to do and what not do,” Lusa said.
But the Centaurs did have seniors who knew exactly what they had to do. Senior Ethan Aspiras was trying the 1600/3200 meter combination for a second time this season.
He went out with reckless abandon in the 1600 and led until the final lap. “I made my splits,” Aspiras said,” but I got a little stressed and my muscles tensed up. It was an unfortunate event.” He went from first-to-fourth on the last lap.
But Aspiras was able to put that out of his mind by the time the 3200-meter came around.
“It was a big difference from Windham when I did both the 1600 and 3200. I got a lot of rest (in the championship meet). My legs were almost back to normal,” Aspiras said.
The Centaurs needed Aspiras at full strength. They went into the 3200-meter, the next-to-last event of the day, with only a 5 ½ point lead over Griswold.
Aspiras’ first-place finish guaranteed Woodstock the victory in the championship meet.
“He ran a smart, tactical race (in the 3200). I think he ran with his heart in the 1600. I think he and (Windham’s) Victor (Cazabal) said ‘Let’s do something. Let’s challenge each other.’ I can’t be sure that was spoken but it seemed that way, and the tactical runners waited them out,” Lusa said.
Fellow senior Adam Schimmelpfennig finished first in both the 110 and 300-meter hurdles.
That was expected, but he had another goal in mind. “I’m going for the school record right now (in the 110 hurdles) which is 14.9 (seconds). I’m getting close, but I think a little competition will help a lot,” Schimmelpfennig said.
The senior had a winning time of 15.5 seconds.
The senior also was a member of the winning 4x100-meter relay team and those points helped him receive the Top Track Athlete award for the event.
Junior Keenan LaMontagne took the only other first-place finish for the Centaurs as he won the discus with a throw of 138 feet, 6 inches.
LaMontagne also finished second in the shotput to New London’s George Senate. LaMontagne came in exactly 4 feet shy of the winner with a throw of 41-feet, 8 ½ inches.
Eric Phongsa placed third in the 200-meter and fourth in the 100-meter, Silas Strandson was second in the javelin and Liam Blanchflower was third in the high jump.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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