In life, we all have some things we do well and some things we struggle with.  
For example, there are some people who are naturally good at cooking or drawing or singing while others rely on a microwave, create versions of stick figures in games like Pictionary, and save their singing for the shower.
Personally, I was always good in any athletic venture but could never quite master how to dive.
 I can light a fire using a minimal amount of paper and strategically placed wood but cannot figure out how to put furniture pieces together so that they are straight.
I am a natural cook, knowing what flavors work and when things are ‘done’ simply by touch, but I can’t ever seem to flip an omelet or a pancake or even a single fried egg without the whole thing breaking apart or leaving behind a thin streak of batter.  
I have tried using obscenely wide spatulas, but then I have trouble getting fully underneath the omelet.  
I’ve tried super slick frying pans with the lift and flick method, but that usually results in me throwing the pancake, batter side down, into the grates of the nearby burner, making even a bigger mess.
 I have even tried using the metal circular cooking guides, but they don’t work for omelets and don’t quite fit in an easily accessible kitchen drawer.
For the most part, I have come to accept that I am a poor food flipper, but this doesn’t stop me from trying to make improvements to my food flipping skills.
Whenever we stay in a hotel that has a chef making custom omelets for breakfast, I stand and watch, hoping to soak in his amazing omelet flipping skills.
Whenever we pass by a kitchen utensil store, I pop in hoping to find some unique spatula that is going to make me such an expert in omelet flipping that I get hired as the omelet flipper at the hotel that has the omelet station.
But alas, since I am no longer willing to trade out my beloved seasoned cast iron pan for an omelet pan that makes me burn the edges of my fried eggs; nor am I willing to differentiate what spatula I use based on what item I am attempting to flip.
I accept that this may just be a skill that I keep in my ‘not so good at it’ column.
 In the end, it doesn’t really matter and maybe the things I am not so good at are the things that continue to make me work harder at improving?
Since I have been such a bad food flipper for as long as I can remember, my family seems to accept it without judgment or critique, happily enjoying the good-tasting, although oddly shaped, food I may serve them.
Although, come to think of it, no one ever asks me to make them an omelet anymore, saying instead “I’ll have my eggs scrambled!”
Sizzle. Sizzle.

Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!

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Two weeks after trading blowout wins with each other, Putnam Science Academy’s boys’ prep basketball team and South Kent went at it again this past weekend. And while the scores were much closer this time around, the results were the same – one win for each side.
PSA won by five points, 87-82, on March 20 behind another big game from Darryl Simmons. The young point guard had 23 points, four assists, and four steals for the Mustangs, who won by 18 the first time the teams played in Putnam. Nana Owusu-Anane scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and C.J. Anthony did a little bit of everything finishing with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two charges drawn.
Alexis Reyes added 14 points and Bryce Harris 12 for the Mustangs.
South Kent responded the next night however, winning 70-67 at the buzzer. PSA tied the game with 2.5 seconds to play, but the Cardinals inbounded, split two defenders and got off a good look on the right wing from 3 to win it as the game ended.
Harris scored 14 points, and Leon Williams had 12 but no one else scored in double figures for PSA (16-2).
The girls’ Prep Black team ended its season March 15 with its lone loss, 62-49 to Westtown, Penn. Yamani McCollough had 18 points, and Ciara Bailey had nine points and five rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for PSA. Sade Young added seven points and five rebounds, while Sarah Streete had five points, five boards, and a pair of steals for the Mustangs (7-1).
The girls’ Prep Red played in the CC Storm Hardwood Battle in Pennsylvania March 21 and 22, advancing to the finals there, before losing by a point, 39-38, to East Coast Prep. Alina Abdulina had 21 points and six rebounds but it wasn’t enough. Tamara Ciric added six points, and Melissa Mwanza five points and eight rebounds in the loss.
Earlier in the day, PSA won its semifinal game, 51-25, behind 10 points and seven rebounds from Mwanza. Abdulina had nine points, four assists, and three steals, and Zanashia Croft finished with seven points, four boards, four assists, and four steals for the Mustangs.
The boys’ Elite team got 28 points from Jaden Brewington and 26 from Sean McCarthy on March 17, but nevertheless lost 105-100 in overtime to Notre Dame-West Haven. Theo Benoit added 17 for the Mustangs (6-5).
And the boys’ Varsity ended the home portion of its schedule with a win, knocking off St. Thomas More 61-45 March 18.
Jose Guerrero played a solid all-around game, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block to lead PSA. Jorge Trueba-Hernandez added 18 points and four boards, while Erwan Menguy had 11 points and five rebounds for the Mustangs (9-4).
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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Police seek
photos for
anniversary
year
The Putnam Police Department, (founded in 1896) Chief Christopher Ferace and Captain Justin Lussier, are  working on plans to share its history with the Putnam community as it enters its 125th year.
For more than a century, the men and women of the Putnam Police Department been there for the residents of Putnam. And now the department is asking for the community’s help.
As plans are being formulated to honor the Department’s 125 anniversary, Ferace and Lussier are asking that anyone with photos, articles or memorabilia of the Department get in touch with them.  
“As we begin to develop community plans that will include the publication of a commemorative issue of The Community Beat, posting of historical articles on the website, and other community-related activities, we’re asking anyone with photos, articles or memories of the early Department get in touch with us.  Our plan is to wake up memories and to provide some local history of our 125 years of existence,” said Lussier.
The Community Beat, the newsletter of the Putnam Police Department, was founded in 2007 and is published twice per year.  The plan is to publish an expanded edition this summer, featuring historical information about the Department.  The Community Beat is mailed to every home and business in Putnam.  It’s also available at locations throughout the community.  
The summer 2021 issue will be of historic value and will be a keepsake.
“We’re excited to share our history with the people of Putnam.  We’re hoping that individuals with old photos or other interesting artifacts will respond and share their items with us.  Our plan is to make copies and return the material to the owners,” said Ferace.
Anyone interested in sharing historic material with the Putnam Police Department can contact Chief Ferace or Captain Lussier at 860.928.6565 or the Department website, www.putnampolice.com.

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