Ryan Quinn has confirmed to me what a wonderful town we live in! “[March 24] was our youngest daughter’s 11th birthday and she has been really upset that she would not be able to celebrate with her friends at school or have a birthday party. Her older brother and older sister drew up a letter and delivered it to our neighbors on our street in Sandy Hook, asking them to put a sign, or something outside of their house [that] morning, wishing Riley a Happy Birthday. Also, with the help of my sister, we were able to arrange for a barrage of 50-plus letters and packages from friends and family, near and far, to be delivered by US Mail. Check out one of the many good wishes Riley discovered in this photo, or visit https://www.facebook.com/700036982/posts/10158267047636983/?d=n for a video her dad shared.

Another birthday girl in town had a “safe” neighborhood celebration, as well. Maya Raslan turned 13 on March 26 to a surprise and rousing parade of cars, all decorated, honking, and with people inside them “practicing social distancing,” reports Newtown mom Debbie DeBlasi, whose son Nicholas is one of Maya’s friends. The “birthday brigade” began out of a desire to help celebrate Maya’s birthday in style. Just before the cars drove by, Maya stood outside her home to take a picture, while behind her the cars began to drive by, to her surprise. After the line of cars passed, another friend requested the “birthday brigade” head over to another location for yet another birthday surprise.

Acclaimed local gardener and author Sydney Eddison is finding the silver lining in this social isolation caused by COVID-19 concerns. Not surprisingly, walks with her active Jack Russell terrier and digging in the dirt are keeping her “on the rails.” Sydney adds, “The smell of damp earth and the feeling of the sun on my back keeps me sane. Gardeners are lucky because now they have a perfect excuse to go outside and do what they love doing anyway! It’s a perfect time to prune shrubs. One of my favorite shrubs is a very early bloomer — white forsythia. The botanical name is Abeliophyllum. It is a small shrub about 4 feet tall and about the same across with arching stems covered with four-petaled white flowers that smell heavenly!” Thank you, Sydney, for words to lift our spirits!

Judy DiScala has someone in mind deserving of the Good Egg Award. She nominates “Debbie Springmeyer for the Good Egg Award. She is always available for anyone who needs a hand. Deb’s mom lives at [Nunnawauk] Meadows and Deb is there every day taking care of her and doing weekly shopping runs. Now, during this terrible time, Deb has been adding her mom’s neighbors to her shopping runs. Pick up and delivery always with a smile!” Judy adds, “I’d like to nominate all our Newtown first responders, too.”

That Good Egg Award must be further shared this week. Nunnawauk Meadows resident Cynthia Clark tells me that Claris Construction lifted the hearts of many last week. Each resident found a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables at their door, and a pound of butter. Especially for residents who find it hard to get out in the best of times, this gesture was so appreciated by the Nunnawauk residents, Cynthia said. It is the little things in these times, she added, like seeing the smile of Judy Thomas from the Senior Center as prepackaged lunches were handed out last week, and hearing about a special poem, “Lockdown,” by Brother Richard Hendrick, an Irish Capuchin Franciscan. (See https://www.irishcentral.com/news/coronavirus-lockdown-poem.)

Colleen Honan, president of FISH of Newtown, Inc, the volunteer medical transportation service, says she regrets to announce that as of this week FISH will not be providing rides, until further notice. This is for the protection of clients and drivers.

A little update from C.H. Booth Library: The library will be closed at least until April 22, and staff will not be answering the phone. However, you will still get a response to e-mails and social media. C.H. Booth has an easy-to-remember e-mail “created just for this situation”: help@chboothlibrary.org. Happy reading!

Here’s some happy news! We offer our congratulations to Harvey Hubbell V and Stephanie Weaver, who eloped and tied the knot this past weekend. Wishing you the very best!

If you missed it in the March 20 print edition, you’ll find our roundup of restaurant adaptations at newtownbee.com, letting you know how local eateries are accommodating customers during these trying times. Lots of other businesses in town are also adapting to a new way of doing business, so if you have a favorite shop, but don’t see the lights on, be sure to call. Many have curbside or delivery options while their brick and mortar sites are shut down to the public. Everyone needs each other’s support!

John and Stacy Celli of Newtown Apparel, Inc were brainstorming ideas of how to support the community recently. “We decided to give away four gift cards for $25 each to Lions Bleeker Street,” they say. Then they reached out to other small businesses and organizations to see if there was interest in supporting that effort, and have two businesses/groups that donated a total of $300, “which means we can do three more giveaways! This is open to all businesses, organizations and any individual that wants to help. We are not a non-profit organization and donations may not be tax deductible. All money donated is used to purchase giftcards. We don’t keep any of it,” say John and Stacy. They are accepting payments through PayPal and covering the processing fee. Donors can select the restaurant of their choice with the intention of not donating twice to any one restaurant. They plan to give away gift cards as long as they get donations — and sponsors get a shout out on the Newtown Apparel Facebook page. Contact them at info@newtownapparel.com to participate.

Earth Day activities in Newtown will not be happening this spring, but that doesn’t mean you have to completely ignore the 50th anniversary of this celebration of our world. It has been suggested to me that now is a good time to could pick a section of road to clean up from the winter’s trash. It’s a great solo or family activity, and I hope you have some household chore gloves available to wear! (Not to mention, a do-it-yourself cotton face mask.)

According to its Instagram post, Newbury Farms is concerned about anyone panic buying chicks. They beg people to do their research before deciding to become backyard chicken farmers and note that it will be many months before the hens start laying eggs. Without proper care, these little chicks can die — and as they state, it’s no “‘life-cycle lesson’ for homeschooling.” Please be respectful of every little life!

Here’s my hope: that next week, you will... Read me again.