My, oh, my. Does that about sum up everyone’s feelings about the snow, ice, and cold? Well, welcome to New England.

The pile of snow and ice on the Dickinson Park pavilion roof has put the kibosh on ice-skating there, until further notice. Parks & Rec had scheduled a skating party under the pavilion for Friday, February 4, so be sure to check at newtown-ct.gov before you go, just in case the roof is still an issue next week.

If you were trying to decide whether or not to join the other songbirds in town, you haven’t missed a single rehearsal so far of the Newtown Choral Society. This week’s bad weather canceled the first rehearsal, so next Wednesday, February 2, is the first warm-up for the nonaudition choir’s spring concert. Men and women are welcome to be a part of this local chorus. If you love to sing, join them at 7 pm, in the chorus room of Newtown Middle School.

Come to think of it, so many events have been canceled or rescheduled thanks to inclement weather, that you should probably call ahead to just about any event you plan to attend, before heading out.

The members of Newtown VNA are getting ready for Women’s Heart Health Month in February. This weekend they will offer 50 percent off any red merchandise in their Thrift Shop at Edmond Town Hall. The sale will be Saturday, January 29, during the shop’s regular Saturday hours of 9 am until noon. On February 1, members will be distributing Red Dress Pins (pins in the shape of a red dress), and they also plan to have a special display during the month at The Newtown Municipal Center, in time for February 4, Women’s Heart Health Day. While this is all cheery and red-themed, remember these important signs of a possible heart attack: chest discomfort, which can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain; discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach; shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort; and/or cold sweats, nausea, or lightheadedness. If you or someone you are with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don’t wait longer than five minutes before calling 911 for help.

February is also National Bird-Feeding Month. At www.birdfeeding.org, you can find links to help you choose the right kind of feeder, a backyard bird guide, information on conservation, and information on bird food and best feeding practices. There is nothing I like better than watching “The Birdie Show” out my picture window. I would hate to see the stars of my “program” go hungry, so check out the website and find out what you can do to support the juncos, sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, and other birds trying to make it through this winter.

It’s not just birds that are hungry. Can you support the Animal Center’s drive to “feed a stray for a day” and donate a can of cat food? The Animal Center will hold its winter cat food drive at Caraluzzi’s Market, 5 Queen Street, from Sunday, February 6, through Sunday, February 13. They are especially seeking Friskies 13-ounce canned cat food and Purina dry cat food, but will gladly accept any unopened cat food placed in the bins. In addition to the cats and kittens in their adoption program, Animal Center volunteers feed dozens of free-roaming stray and feral cats in the community daily.

On that same line, I got some good news from the Animal Center of Newtown recently. Dusty, the kitty that was spared from the deadly Philo Curtis Road fire earlier this winter, was placed in the care of the Animal Center until a new home could be found. It didn’t take long, Animal Center director Monica Roberto tells me, for Dusty to be adopted. That’s something to purr about.

My canine friend Rufus took himself for a side trip while on a walk in the woods last week and brought back a surprise for his owner: a deer skeleton. Of course, the prize had to be left behind… except for the skull and antlers. Rufus has done his darnedest to clean it up, but there’s apparently only so much that gnawing can do. Anyone have a good recipe for sterilizing a deer head? It’s got to come out of the freezer sooner or later….

Something’s been buzzing around in my head lately… Oh, it’s the Buzzcast. In case you don’t know, The Newtown Bee produces an audio report of highlights from the paper each week. Find the Buzzcast, as well as the Sports Wrap Up, at www.newtownbee.com or on iTunes.

There are a few more days left of January, and according to lifehacker.com, a site loaded with tips on just about any subject you can imagine, this is the best time to buy bicycles, sporting goods, furniture, digital frames, and carpeting. Looking ahead to February, tools, chocolate (whew!), and digital cameras are typically good deals, and in March look for luggage, winter coats and winter sports gear, boats, and frozen foods for the real deal. I could spend about a day and a half browsing lifehacker.com, but then, this column wouldn’t get written. So I’ll leave the browsing to my faithful readers.

Take a break from shoveling next week, why don’t you, and… Read me again.