September 2023

The Staying Put office will be closed

on Friday, Sept. 1st and Monday, Sept. 4th for Labor Day.

Have a lovely Labor Day weekend!

Welcome New Members!

Carlotta Garabedian, Martha Hutter

September at a Glance

Thurs., Sept. 7, 10am - Men's Coffee with Chris Schipper at Staying Put

Fri., Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29, 10am - Walk Irwin with Kate

Tues., Sept. 12, 12:30pm - Lunch and Learn at Lapham

Wed., Sept. 13, 11am - John Holm's Bedford Garden Tour

Thurs., Sept. 14, 11am - John Holm's Bedford Garden Tour Rain Date

Tues., Sept. 19, 12pm - Lunch at Pesca Restaurant

Wed., Sept. 20, 6pm - Aging Successfully and Stressless-ly: Wills and Trusts

Thurs., Sept. 21, 10am: Ladies' Coffee at Staying Put

Tues., Sept. 26, 10am: Men's Coffee at Staying Put

Thurs., Sept. 28, 8am - Trip to FDR House and Museum

Save the Date

Wed., Oct. 11, 4:30pm - Staying Put Annual Meeting

Fri., Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29, 10am: Walk Irwin with Kate. Grab your sneakers and join Kate for a walk at Irwin Park. Meet in the lower parking lot and enjoy a mile walk on the Flexi-pave trail. Please bring a water bottle to keep hydrated. Note - this is for active members with no mobility issues. Free. RSVP by Thursday prior.

Tues., Sept. 12, 12:30pm: Lunch and Learn at Lapham - Balance and Fall Risk Screenings. Healthcare professionals from Waveny Visiting Nurse and Hospice will provide hands-on balance and fall risk assessments, discuss fall risk factors, and provide strategies and exercises to minimize your risk. You'll leave the session armed with information and techniques to keep you safe. Free. RSVP by Thurs., Sept. 7th.

Wed., Sept. 13, 11am: Private Tour of Landscape Designer John Holm's Bedford Garden. The former head gardener for Martha Stewart, John runs his own landscape design firm focusing on sustainable gardening. His garden is a regular on the Garden Conservancy Open Days. Carpool from the Staying Put parking lot will leave at 10:30am. Please wear appropriate shoes for walking on uneven ground. Refreshments will be served. Free. Rain date Thurs., Sept. 14th. RSVP by Fri., Sept. 8th

Wed., Sept. 20, 6pm: Aging Successfully and Stressless-ly: Wills and Trusts. Staying Put has joined forces with New Canaan Library to present the four-part series: Aging Successfully and Stressless-ly. In this first session "You Can't Take it with You!", attorney Michael Nedder, Managing Partner of Nedder and Associates, Darien will present an overview of wills, trusts and estate planning. Free. Register by going to newcanaanlibrary.org or RSVP with the office by Mon, Sept. 18th.

Tues., Sept. 26, 10am: Men's Coffee at Staying Put. Join Staying Put friends for coffee, treats and good conversation. Free. RSVP by Mon., Sept. 25th.

Thurs., Sept. 28, 8am: Trip to the FDR Museum and House with lunch. Tour Springwood, the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a National Historic Site, and the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Price includes admission to FDR's Home and Museum, and Lunch at Coppola's in Hyde Park. A guided tour of the home is available for an additional fee. Bus will leave the Lapham Parking lot at 8am and estimated return is 4pm. Staying Put has reserved 15 seats for our members. $120. Please make checks payable to Senior Center of New Canaan and drop off in the Staying Put office. RSVP by Fri., Sept. 15th.

Don't forget to call Staying Put at 203-966-7762 to sign up for member events. Please RSVP! 

Potluck BBQ at Wodway Beach Club

It was a wonderful evening at Woodway Beach Club for the Annual Potluck BBQ. The sun was out and everyone had a great time. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible, and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year.

Hello from Kate

What does it mean to offer help and what does it mean to ask for help? There is an implied power dynamic in these opposing, yet deeply related actions. One seemingly empowering, where the other can sometimes feel like a confession of weakness. And yet, we cannot provide help where there is no need.

I recently found myself in a foolishly helpless place: we discovered that my daughter had lice the week that my husband was traveling to the west coast… and the sitter we had lined up to help with the schedule of two working parents (understandably) bailed when I told her about the situation. But I thought to myself, surely, I can handle this. I got the shampoo, I combed through individual strands of hair, I bagged pillows, toys, wrestled Adelaide’s beloved Tulip (her lifelong stuffed bunny) away from her, and I even discovered the “steam sanitary” setting on the dryer. I didn’t need help, I was FINE. But when I felt the first hint of an itch on my own head I crumpled. I was on the phone with my husband, 3000 miles away, in tears believing my head was going to be “patient zero” for the inevitable lice outbreak of New Canaan. And it was in that moment, tears streaming and feeling totally powerless, that the pressure valve released. I confessed that I was not in fact "FINE", I was a mess actually. Asking for help was the only way through this absurd, and wildly common, inconvenience. Once I wasn’t holding it all inside, everything became so much easier. Everyone I talked to had an experience, a story, a tip. Everyone was able to offer wisdom, advice, and help. All of sudden a levity came to the whole situation, and you know what, in less than a week, it was all over. But here is where I could have really done better: Rather than waiting for that boiling point, I could have acknowledged that a stressful moment was on the horizon and the overwhelming support would have come well before I tried to navigate the issue alone.

So really, I think that what it means to offer help is beautiful and part of our DNA, and I think asking for help, while maybe not part of our DNA, is beautiful, and incredibly empowering. Let’s not think twice about it, let’s not wait until we are too far into a situation that there is urgency, let’s be strong enough to say, I can’t do this alone, and I don’t want to do this alone. 

New Canaan Outreach Registry

In the event of a town-wide emergency, if you wish to receive a wellness call, New Canaan Human Services Staff will contact you. If you would like your name added to the Registry, please contact Marcy Rand, LMSW, Adult and Senior Serivces Coordinator. Call 203-594-308 or email Marcella.rand@newcanaanct.gov or

September

Member Birthdays

Fred Afragola, Phyllis Antush, Alice Byrd, John Emert, Gil Foster,

Garo Garabedian, Parry Grogan, Yolanda Gruseke, Ralph Hills, Peggy Hooker, Carolyn Johnson, Susan Leeming, Rina McCouch, Florence Mirti,

Doris Munger, Susan Ponte, Sheila Rosenthal, Anne Snyder, Anne Stein, Weezie Stoops, Ruth Swanberg, Liz Taggart, Mara Thorpe, Margot Turk, Peggy Wallace, Dick Ward, Trudi Yeager

Town of New Canaan Shred Day

Sat., Sept. 23rd, 8am to 1pm

New Canaan Transfer Station, 394 Main Street Entrance

Open to all New Canaan residents, free of charge. Paper only. For more information go to: newcanaan.info

The Rotary Club of New Canaan's 38th Annual Lobsterfest

Fri., Sept. 29th and Sat., Sept. 30th

Enjoy a classic steamed lobster, cold lobster salad roll, grilled salmon or fried chicken. Choose to pick up or dine in at the Steve Benko Pool Pavillion. For more information or to order tickets, go to: newcanaanrotarylobsterfest.org.

Please call us anytime at

203-966-7762

Gina, Kim, Kate and Robin