I thought the January thaw was supposed to follow the January freeze, but it is all backward this year. Following some record warm days this month, this week started off with frigid temperatures that finally put a good layer of ice on Hawley Pond and Taunton Lake. Electric blankets, anyone?

Recipients of the police department’s holiday Mitten Tree project are appreciating the warmth provided by the garments this week, no doubt. By all accounts, the police department’s annual project, which collects new mittens, hats, and scarves for the needy during the holiday season, was a success. I was pleased as punch to see the great number of accessories festooning the department’s Christmas tree during December. The tree is long gone now, but the warm feeling continues.

Apparently there are plenty of people in Newtown starving for Color in January – which just happens to be the name of the SCAN art show at Lexington Gardens running from January 19 to January 27. The reason I suspect this is because I was pussyfooting around the store this past Saturday during Pat Barkman’s watercolor demonstration and could barely find a spot to peep over a shoulder, let alone sit down during her talk. I had to be pretty nimble to avoid being stepped on by art lovers admiring the many other diverse works by SCAN artists on show there, too. If you haven’t stopped by, take a moment to do so and wallow in the amazing local talent.

Nettie Archard, director of Golden Opportunities, watched a golden opportunity slip away earlier this month when her cruise to Antarctica was canceled. Just six hours before she was supposed to head for the airport to catch her flight south, she got a call saying the ship had been oversold and she was bumped. “It was disappointing, of course,” said Nettie, but she isn’t going to let the long underwear Santa left for her go to waste. She has rebooked the way down under cruise for December 2008. In the meantime, she is going to watch March of the Penguins — and head off for a break in the Caribbean instead.

The sample ballots for the February 5 Democratic and Republican presidential primaries have been posted on a cabinet in the outer office at Edmond Town Hall, I noticed while making my rounds there this week. Between the two parties, there are enough candidates listed to field two teams for a sandlot softball game. I’m going to have to do my homework to figure out who is who and what they stand for before voting day arrives, that’s for sure.

How dull is January? Dull enough to find me mastering the mouse and going to websites like HolidayInsights.com, where I discovered some amusing days of note. Naming January National Soup Month and National Oatmeal Month, as well as Hot Tea Month, I can understand. But who got to select January 26 as Spouse’s Day? And is that in addition to celebrating an anniversary or instead of? January 28 is National Kazoo Day, according to this website and my favorite, National Inane Answering Message Day, is also January 28. I’m not counting on finding a Hallmark card for any of these special days, though.

I am keeping one other special day in mind, though. I see that the Audubon Center is sponsoring an Eagle Watch Trip to Shepaug Dam on February 3, from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Now there’s an outing I can get excited about. Participants must be over the age of 7 (not a problem) and register by calling 264-5098, extension 308. The cost is just $3 for Audubon members, or $5 for nonmembers. I think I can swing that if I cut back on the cartons of cream.

If Colleen Poundstone is walking around town with a big grin on her face this week, just let her have her latest moment of being a proud mom. Colleen’s son Derek, who held the title of 2007 America’s Strongest Man last year, competed for his latest title last weekend. Derek was in Uncasville for the World’s Strongest Man Super Series Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2008 on January 19 and gave the crowd a thrilling come-from-behind victory. A resident of Waterbury and a police officer in Naugatuck, Derek defeated three-time defending champion Mariusz Pudzianowski in the competition’s final event, The Atlas Stones, and is now positioned as a favorite to capture the World’s Strongest Man crown. We of course wish him well (would you wish anything but the best of luck to a police officer who is also one of the strongest men in the world??!).

Local builder Kim Danziger illuminated me about compact fluorescent lights this week. Kim had to do some on the job training himself when installing CFLs into the new Adath Israel Synagogue. It turns out that we don’t have to suffer under the glaring bright white light that many people complain about when retrofitting their homes with the more energy efficient bulbs. Look at the number of “Kelvins” listed on the package. A CFL with a 2500 Kelvin rating, for instance, is going to be less white than one with a higher number. So it’s not just all about the watts, and we can have “pretty” light while saving energy and the environment.

I just hope that this column has been illuminating enough that next week you will…. Read me again.