In this new world of socially acceptable face mask coverings, I am finding that it is harder to not only immediately recognize a person I may know, but also to interact with them.  Let’s face it,  we make determinations about other people based on HOW we interact with them, and facial expressions are a major piece of that interaction. I wouldn’t buy a car if the top half of it was covered and I certainly wouldn’t buy a used car unless I could see and inspect every part of it.
As I have more opportunities to socially interact with others, I am finding that, in my attempt to have a more fulfilling interaction, I have started verbally describing my facial expressions, reactions and gestures to those I am speaking with. I am now a talking closed caption version of myself, developing a unique and interesting set of descriptive words and phrases to effectively capture a more enhanced interactive experience.
Initially, I thought that there would be no need to describe my facial expressions as, given my mask, I would use my verbal expressions more frequently, but talking (or even breathing for that matter) whilst wearing a mask makes my glasses fog up and since I have yet to master the perfect nose pinch-glass tuck technique, I try to minimize the times I need to superfluously talk, requiring an increased need for a post-facial reaction description, to convey my feelings.
Rather than simply relying on the impulsive response of curling my upper lip down in a sad face to appropriately convey my reaction to the news of my friend telling me that she broke her toe two months back, I now describe my reaction saying things like “I am frowning” rather than the much more appropriate verbal response of “That is too bad. I am sorry to hear that.”  I have become a walking and talking describer of the emojis I use in texting!
Instead of saying to someone who just told me they got engaged “Wonderful! That is so amazing. I am so happy for you!” I now say things like “I am smiling really big and now I am blowing you winky heart kisses.”  Likewise, whenever I want to convey my frustration with a situation, I describe my reaction with a “I’m now sticking my tongue out of the side of my mouth and crinkling my nose.” I feel that these reaction descriptions are important in keeping the personal connections I am making with someone, more authentic.  After all, a mask can hide an automatic response of a smile of enthusiasm when meeting someone new, and so I feel that if I describe that “I am smiling enthusiastically, but with my lips still closed” then I have successfully conveyed my feelings of an appropriately measured positive response to them…  But then again, I can also embrace the mask’s ability to cover an unanticipated negative response such as grimace when noticing that my friend is in desperate need of a haircut.  In these particular situations, I press my mute button!
Narrate. Narrate.
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!

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Scholarships
awarded
PUTNAM — On June 4 the Putnam High School staff presented Putnam Lions Memorial Scholarships to Ellie Morisette and Justin St. Martin.
Morisette maintained a high grade point average while taking AP courses and participating in basketball and volleyball. She served on the Student Council from 2018 to 2020. Morisette was also very involved in charitable works and volunteered a great deal of her time.  She was the 2020 winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest.  She also won the Pride of Putnam Award in 2019. She will be attending UConn majoring in mathematics.
St. Martin has consistently maintained a high grade point average while participating in basketball, golf, and soccer.  He served on the Student Council from 2015 to 2020. He has been an active participant in charitable works, volunteering much of his time.  In 2020 he received the Eastern Connecticut Conference Scholar Athlete Award in Basketball, the Connecticut Association of Schools Scholar Athlete Award, and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents Student Leadership Award. He will be attending Landmark College majoring in computer science.
Both students were also Putnam Leos Club II members.

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Perfect Day
After this young man finished his ice cream at We-Lik-It in Pomfret, he checked out the livestock. Linda Lemmon photo.

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