Spring really seems to have turned the corner now that Daylight Savings Time has returned. Even though the temperatures remained a bit on the cool side this week, having the sun linger in the sky an extra hour made me want to get out the beach chair.

The only time-change casualty I heard about was Bee associate editor Kaaren Valenta, who was complaining about how long Monday seemed this week. It turns out she had changed her watch and every clock she owned except the one on her desk, which is the one looks at all day.  The complaints stopped when she happily moved up the end of the workday by an hour.

It appears that the railroad bridge on Church Hill has only about 16 more months to satisfy its appetite for snagging tractor trailers over 12 feet 7 inches tall. Julia Wasserman stopped by the office this week to let us know that the state DOT will replace the bridge sometime next summer with a span with nearly 15 feet of clearance. The state is so confident that there are no vehicles out there over 14 feet tall that it will be removing all the warning signs on either side of the bridge.

Sandy Hook resident Steve Wargo, who is also known as the “Can Man,” will celebrate his 90th birthday Saturday. The old timer had been ill last year but appears to have made a full recovery. Steve can often be seen picking up cans along the roadways of Sandy Hook.

All the rain and cold weather of early spring have made it difficult for the sports teams at Newtown High School to get in much outside practice time. But it doesn’t seem to bother softball coach Paul LaFrancesca. As he points out, it’s the same for all the area teams. None of them have gone to Florida to train, he said.

Speaking of spring sports, the NHS boys’ tennis team has a new coach in Newtown resident Martin Margulies, a professor of law, who says he loves the game. Here, the attorney/coach is seen demonstrating his buttoned-down backhand at a recent practice.

Newtown Highway Department was the scene of some excitement Wednesday afternoon after a small fire broke out in the chimney of a power washer used to clean trucks. Members of the highway crew used fire extinguishers to douse the blaze before firefighters even arrived.

Everyone seems to be talking about George Lockwood’s retirement party this past Saturday night at the Sandy Hook firehouse. The biggest surprise of all may have been the fact that George had no idea it was to take place. The well-known former fire marshal said he always knows what’s going on in this town. Not this time, George. Credit organizers Bill Halstead, Karin Halstead, and Nancy Kokoski, not to mention all of Sandy Hook for pulling it off without a hitch. For once, George actually looked stunned when he walked in the door.

Speaking of fires, there was a small brush fire at the Orchard Hill nature Center of Huntingtown Road Tuesday afternoon. No one is sure exactly how it started, although firefighters did find fireworks at the scene. Two boys were seen running from the park moments before the flames broke out.

Father Bob Weiss has been preparing for weeks for the big Easter boutique and plant sale, “Spring into Summer,” taking place at the St Rose Parish Hall this weekend. Not only did he obtain from his many sources most of the items from all over the world, he also assembled most of the cellophane-wrapped baskets, which are filled with all kinds of treasures. The only thing he didn’t do was price them, probably because after spending so many hours making them, he was afraid he’d consider them too dear.

I noticed that Phoebe Lott and her mom, Kathryn Krecker, have gotten an early start on Easter this year. Both have been driving around town with Peeps atop their car antennas. (Peeps, for those of you who don’t know, are those little yellow marshmallow chicks that seem to hatch out everywhere in the weeks before Easter.)

This year’s Lyme Disease forum, taking place at the Fireside Inn on Monday evening, is offering a chance for residents to have free blood tests for Lyme. Anyone aged 18 to 60 is eligible, especially those who have already had Lyme. The testing takes place from 3 to 8 pm, while the forum is from 7 to 9.  Admission is free.

Longtime Newtown residents Bill and Jane Wilson celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary this week. Now residents at Ashlar of Newtown, the Wilsons are the parents of Emi Lydem and in-laws of Newtown Police Lt Dave Lydem.

From time to time, a sign will pop up in town with the word Newtown misspelled as “Newton.” This week, however, there was a new twist to the unending saga when a sign on the front door of Fleet Bank read “Newtow.” Fleet now owes Newtown an “n,” so until further notice, we should all refer to it as Fleet Bak.

I’ll be back with a full complement of letters next week, so…

Read me again.