Commencement set
WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy will celebrate the graduation of the class of 2019 with commencement exercises at 10 a.m. June 15 on the Woodstock town common in front of The Academy building. In the event of inclement weather, the commencement exercises will be a ticketed event in the Center for the Arts on The Woodstock Academy’s South Campus. This celebration marks 129 years of The Woodstock Academy’s commencement exercises.

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Wed. May 15
Nature Program
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “20 Warbler Day” from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting from the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. $15 for CAS members; $30 for nonmembers. Register: 860-928-4948.

Art  Exhibit
THOMPSON --- The Friends of the Thompson Public Library will present, in its Art @ the Library series, “Thompson Public Schools Spring Art Show” through May 30.  860-923-9779.

Art Exhibit
POMFRET --- The Northeastern CT Art Guild will present a "Members Art Exhibit at the Vanilla Bean" during the month of May. Exhibit is free and open during restaurant hours.

Art Exhibit
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Printmaking with Nature” at the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road through May 15. Free. 860-928-4948.
 
Thur. May 16
Nature Program
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Bull Hill Bird Walk I” at 8 a.m. starting from the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. $7 for CAS members; $12 for nonmembers. 860-928-4948.

Fri. May 17
Art Exhibit
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Birds of Connecticut Photography Exhibit” through June 30. There is a reception at 2 p.m. May 19 at the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. 860-928-4948.

Nature Program
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Afternoon Bird Walk” at 5 p.m. at the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. $5 for CAS members; $10 for nonmembers. 860-928-4948.

Denim & Diamonds
PUTNAM --- The Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce will present “Denim & Diamonds” at 6:30 p.m. at the Connecticut National Golf Club. $50 per person. 860-774-8001.

Sat. May 18
Journaling
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Bird and Sketchbook Journaling” from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. $10 for CAS members; $20 for nonmembers. 860-928-4948.

Nature Program
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Bird Banding Demo” at 9 a.m. at the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. $5 for CAS members; $10 for nonmembers. Register: 860-928-4948.

Chicken BBQ
PUTNAM --- The Knights of Columbus Hall on Providence Street will hold a chicken BBQ from 5 to 7 p.m. $15. Also takeout. Benefits Boy Scout Troop 21 Summer Camp Fund. 860-928-7241.

Rabies Clinic
BROOKLYN --- Pet Pals Northeast, a local animal welfare organization, is holding a low cost rabies clinic from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Pet Valu Pet Store on Rt. 6. No appointment necessary.  $12 cash. All animals must be on a leash or in a secured carrier.  If available, bring prior proof of rabies vaccination.  860-317-1720.

Food Drive
DANIELSON --- The Danielson Veterans Coffeehouse and The Danielson Big Y supermarket will be holding a “Stuff a Humvee Event” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Big Y to benefit the Friends of Assisi Food Pantry. Food and personal hygiene products.

TLGV Adventure
POMFRET --- The Last Green Valley’s Acorn Adventure – Underwater Exploration will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at 276 Mashamoquet Road. Explore Mashamoquet Brook with Ranger Jean, a professional biologist looking for the critters who live there. Wear waterproof boots if you want to help collect the bugs. 860-774-3300.

Plant Sale
BROOKLYN --- The Windham County Extension Center on Wolf Den Road will hold a plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain or shine (indoors). Benefits the UConn Master Gardener program.

Celebration
THOMPSON --- The Thompson Library will celebrate 25 years starting at 10 a.m. with a speed stacking program. Remarks and refreshments will be at 11:30 a.m. and story time will be at 12:30 p.m.

BBQ
CANTERBURY --- The Finnish American Heritage Society's Annual Chicken BBQ will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Finnish Hall on Rt. 169. $12. Takeouts.  Ticket reservations: 860-480-3648.

Sun. May 19
Nature Program
HAMPTON --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Trail Wood Non-Fiction Book Club” from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Trail Wood on Kenyon Road. Book TBA. Call for info: 860-928-4948. Free for CAS members; $5 for nonmembers.

Family Tea
BROOKLYN --- The Captain Joel Cook Society Children of the American Revolution will present a Family Tea from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Putnam Elms on Church Street. $5 general admission; kids under 10 admitted free; DAR & SAR in period costume free. 860-428-0882.

Salamander Search
POMFRET --- The Wyndham Land Trust will present a Wee Wander Salamander Search from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at 3B’s (Bosworth, Butner, Butts) preserves.

Mon. May 20
Exercise Group
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Senior Exercise Group will meet from 9 to 10 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday in the Woodstock Town Hall large meeting room on the lower. Minimum fee. Local seniors welcome. Please check the town website www.woodstockCT.gov for current schedule or call 860-928-6595.

Tues. May 21
Library Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Public Library will present “Home Composting 101” with Tom DiMauro, UConn Master composter, at 7 p.m. at the library. www.pomfretlibrary.org.

Wed. May 22
Open House
PUTNAM --- Day Kimball Hospital’s Burdick Family Birthing Center will hold an open house for parents-to-be and those who are family planning from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Fields Conference Rooms at Day Kimball Hospital.  For info and to register, call 860- 928-6541, ext. 2247.

Thur. May 23
Nature Program
HAMPTON --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Trail Wood Bird Walk” at 8 a.m. at the Trail Wood on Kenyon Road. Free for CAS members; $5 for nonmembers. Register: 860-928-4948.

Sat. May 25
Nature Program
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Boston Hollow Bird Watch” at 8 a.m. in Ashford. $7 for CAS members; $12 for nonmembers. Register: 860-928-4948.

Polish Supper
PUTNAM --- The Congregational Church of Putnam will hold a Polish Supper in memory of Shannon L. Labonte from 5 to 7 p.m. Takeout available. $12 for adults; $5 for kids 12 and younger. 860-428-4640.

Sun. May 26
Healing Service
BROOKLYN --- A Christian Healing Service, formerly held at St. Philip’s Church in Putnam, will be held at 2 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church on Rt. 6. 860-774-9352. All welcome.

Mon. May 27
Memorial Day Parade
EASTFORD --- Parade starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Eastford Elementary School. Then a Memorial Day Ceremony will take place at the Veteran's Memorial. Preceding the parade, Memorial Day services will take place at the General Lyon Cemetery at 8:30 a.m. and the Grove Cemetery at 9. In the event of rain, the parade will be cancelled and the Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the school. All welcome.

Memorial Day Parade
PUTNAM --- The Memorial Day observance will start with the parade stepping off at 10 a.m. from Grove Street and will conclude with a memorial program at Rotary Park. In case of inclement weather, notification will be on WINY 1350 AM. To accommodate older and disabled veterans, who wish to be in the parade, transportation will be available by calling parade Chairman Buster Corey at 860-617-8232.

Thur. May 30
Nature Program
POMFRET CENTER --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center will present “Bull Hill Bird Walk II” at 8 a.m. starting from the Grassland Bird Conservation Center on Day Road. $7 for CAS members; $12 for nonmembers. 860-928-4948.

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We all, on occasion, every once in a while, incessantly, check to see if we actually did the Thing we set out to do, like setting an alarm or locking a door.  “Wait a minute.  Did I set the alarm?” We ask ourselves, then we check to make sure we did.  An hour later, we check again. 
It’s not that we are all super neurotic or forgetful, it’s just that we are constantly, in our minds, reprioritizing, and what seemed insignificant at 6 p.m., like setting an alarm for an early morning meeting, is suddenly VERY important when you are tossing and turning in your bed at 1 AM!
In addition, we are all creatures of habit, and when we do something over and over and over again, like lock a car door, we don’t necessarily register the event in our brains.  This is a lot of mumbo jumbo for what can easily be summed up in one quick word for what we all do; we DOUBT ourselves and then spend countless hours in our lifetime, rechecking what we already did! 
I would doubt my ability to accomplish these mundane tasks less, IF I never forgot to do something; but, sometimes, I do forget.  Sometimes I forget to move the laundry from the washing machine into the dryer.  I really hate that because laundry that is damp and sitting in a closed laundry machine for a day or two starts to smell icky, which requires me to hit the rewash button when I discover it, which I usually do when I am about to put in another load. 
Sometimes I forget to make sure that my alarm is set for AM, rather than PM, and it doesn’t go off, which was okay because I got up anyway but highly disconcerting when it starts blaring in the middle of dinner out with friends.
Sometimes I forget to actually hit the button to close the garage door and I discover that a bird has decided to make a nest in the safety and protection of the garage rafter.  This discovery then leads to purposely leaving the garage door open, lest momma bird can’t access her nest, which, I then forget to do.
Once, I forgot to check to make sure that I had hit all of the correct settings on the automatic recording of a favorite program and instead of sitting down to watch the entire season I had missed from episode 1; I watched only the last 6 episodes, which I had, indeed, directed my DVR to save…
Since NOT rechecking some of the more mundane tasks I do on a daily basis has resulted in some bad outcomes, I, like millions of others, recheck myself constantly.  But since, I, like millions of others, am not obsessive about rechecking EVERYTHING I do over and over again, I still forget to do things.  We all do! This is why there are built in road blocks on all of the required information for any on-line order form.  If those things weren’t there, let’s face it, we’d forget to fill in the box thinking we had already input the credit card expiration date or the fact that we really do want only ONE light green small sweater.  Now that I think about it… did I already write a column titled Recheck? Let me check…. CONFIRM! CONFIRM!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!

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