I’ve been scanning the horizon for clouds because the United Fire Company of Botsford Springtime Carnival has started and it almost always rains on that event. But the weather looks pretty clear, at least until Saturday, so I hope the Botsford Volunteers get a good crowd over at the high school for the event. In addition to the popular rides, there will be other amusements, games, and food. It’s a big fundraiser for the company, so be sure to attend. The carnival will run through Saturday. Hours are 6 to 10 pm on Thursday and Friday night, and 2 to 10 pm on Saturday. See you there.

Everyone passing in front of Edmond Town Hall last Thursday afternoon must have been wondering what in the world was going on. People from almost every walk of life were there in attendance. Police, fire, politicians, soccer coaches, teachers, senior citizens, parents, and kids were all there for a photo to show support for the annual town budget, which goes to a referendum next Tuesday.

Two weeks ago, fire marshal/Sandy Hook fire chief Bill Halstead responded to a crane fire on Interstate 84. While there, he was accidentally hit in the head by a metal fragment. Bill felt the slight pain, rubbed it, and then went about his normal business. In the coming days, he noticed a scab on his head. He ignored it, figuring it would heal up. This week, he discovered that what he felt on his head was not a scab. It was the piece of metal, which had become lodged in his noggin. Bill had it removed this week and kept it in his pocket as a souvenir. The metal actually sat in his head for 16 days.

Newtown residents may remember Cari Lish, a standout athlete and president of her NHS class of 1988. Well, she’s married now and was spotted “with child,” as they say in the Bible, attending Easter services at the Congregational Church Sunday morning. Actually, the baby was due last Tuesday, but seeing that it still had not arrived, she figured she’d go to church. Rev Steve Gordon gave the expectant mother a brief blessing after church. Best wishes, Cari.

Dave and Emi Lydem and Jerry and Ann Marie Deluccio recently visited Ginny Lathrop for an evening of Easter egg coloring. Before the evening was over, however, the coloring took a back seat to egg spinning, with the Lydems proving to the others that raw eggs will not spin – only hardboiled ones.

Bonnie Willie was in good hands Tuesday night after going down with a knee injury during women’s basketball playoff action at the Newtown Health & Fitness Club. In addition to caring teammates like Sherri Baggett, Amy Mangold, and Natalia Kerler, Bonnie also had the attention of five members of the Newtown Ambulance Corps, who responded promptly to the call. But Bonnie is pretty tough, and though she did not return to the game, she declined a ride in the ambulance. Last summer, Bonnie played softball with two broken fingers.

The women of the Kerler/Burton-sponsored team have battled injuries all season. Earlier this season, Debi Modzelewski ruptured her Achilles tendon and is still in a cast.

Friends, relatives, and members of the 392nd Bomber Group, which flew and supported B-24 bombers in World War II, will be interested to know of the official Web site of the 392nd Bomber Group Memorial Association. The site can be found at www.B24.net. The Web site is a treasure trove of information to those interested in researching the history of the bomber group, according to Thomas Perry of Sandy Hook, who served in the group in England as a ground crew member during the war. The site includes diaries and accounts of the group’s many missions, photos of the aircraft and crews, search capabilities, and links to other sites of interest to group members and their families.

Newtown Youth Services Director Debbie Richardson made it home safe and rested from a trip down south to North Carolina. Welcome back to the cold north!

Newtown Congregational Cooperative Nursery children sure are assertive. Asking Bee Lines questions there is just as tough as when asking adults. One student sure wanted to answer the question, but when she was asked about having her picture taken, she bluntly said “No!”

It’s back to school for Newtown students on Monday. They have been off from school for a week. Spring break is a sure sign that school will be ending soon. The students are really in the homestretch now. June 22 is the last day of school. Graduation is set for June 19.

Alan Potter of Newtown Tree Service got his Web site off the ground over a year, but is just now getting it into operation. On Saturday morning, he took shots of his crew taking down huge pine trees at the corner of Glover Avenue and Queen Street.

The traffic cop at Saint Rose Church had a busy time of it this past Easter weekend. He even took time out to wave to members of the Newtown Police Department as they drove by. But instead of just a simple wave, the auxiliary officer would remove his orange glove first, and then gesture to the passing officers. It must be a rule in the traffic cop handbook.

I guess it’s time for me to take off my orange glove and wave goodbye for this week, but I’ll be back just as sure as the traffic on Church Hill Road, so be sure to…

Read me again.