Earth Day may have come and gone, but it doesn’t mean that you should stop thinking about all of the things that impact the environment — or do they? The Friends of the C.H. Booth Library continues the exploration of “Hot or Not” this coming Tuesday evening, May 6, at 7 pm, with the movie The Great Global Warming Swindle. Is it all a hoax? Do you need to reconsider media information? Seems worthwhile looking at all the sides of an issue; maybe I’ll swing by.

National Volunteer Week has been celebrated this week, so I hope you took the time to thank a volunteer. It shouldn’t be hard to find one in Newtown. We have plenty of men and women in town who volunteer with our emergency services, and others who support dozens of organizations that assist those in need. I’m offering my thanks here and now to each and every person who donates their time and energy throughout the year.

I prefer bird watching, napping, lapping a saucer of milk, or stretching in the sun, so I hope that First Selectman Joe Borst didn’t mean for me to get up from my windowsill when he signed the proclamation enacting National Start! Walking Day. On April 16 he reached for his pen and his sneakers when he signed the paperwork as a reminder that physical activity — walking, for one — is a healthy thing to do. According to the proclamation, the American Heart Association’s Start! Movement asks residents to walk at least 30 minutes a day to get more exercise into our nine-to-five lives.

Speaking of walking, do you remember Blue, the little Sheltie that had run away from her adoptive owners in 2003? She was spotted again in town in 2005, living off scraps and homeless. In 2006, resident Karlyn Sturmer managed to rescue the little dog. Blue was dirty, hungry, tick infested, and as Ms Sturmer suspects, simply tired of being alone and rummaging for something to eat. What happened to Blue? I overheard one conversation at The Bee recently that answered the question. Ms Sturmer has kept her. In fact, May 3 is an important anniversary for the rescuer. She said this week that this Saturday is the three-year anniversary since Blue’s rescue. At first she only intended to socialize the dog, but “I didn’t realize how close I had gotten after following her for a year,” Ms Sturmer said. She realized some time after the rescue: “I’m keeping her. The decision was made for me when she came into my house.” Blue has been living happily ever after since her 2005 rescue.

Former Newtown resident Nancy Jones sent a note to The Bee regarding the most recent of the series on the names of roads in Newtown. “Would you believe four of the roads were named for my ancestors?” she writes. “The ‘A. Bradley’ was Abijah. He was a chairmaker with his brother, George. His house is on Chestnut Hill Road. Abijah’s son, Horace, was my great-great-grandfather. Abijah’s parents, Abijah and Jerusha, were the first to settle there.” The George Winton Bradley mentioned in the article was Nancy’s great-great-grandfather, too. He married Sarah Jordon, the daughter of Marshall Jordon. Timothy Jordon, the first to settle in Newtown in 1795, was from England and the last name was spelled with an ‘o’ at the time. The section between Great Ring Road and High Rock Road, Nancy tells us, was known at the time as “Raggedy Corner.” Nancy goes on to say, “Marshall married Dellany Sherman, daughter of John Lyman Sherman. George Winton’s mother was Delia Botsford. Oliver Botsford was her nephew.” Nancy is also a descendent of Benjamin Curtis and John Glover. Talk about the circle of life! Thanks for helping us shed some light on the names behind the roads, Nancy.

Dr Baum and his wife, Shana, are adding to the circle of life, as well. Broden James Baum was born April 11 to the local orthodontist and we hear he is “bracing” himself for some sleepless nights. (Sorry, Dr Baum. I couldn’t resist.)

Another new kid in town is the fusion Japanese and Chinese restaurant and sushi bar “Toro” that opened its doors this past weekend. The sushi chef has more than 10 years of experience preparing fish and the head chef has run some of the best restaurants in Asia, Connecticut, and New York in his 25 years of experience. With the very freshest of fresh fish on the menu, you know it won’t be long before I sashay into the 28 Church Hill Road eatery to sample the fare.

If fish isn’t your cup of tea, maybe a cup of coffee is. Just a reminder that Newtown Police Department and Dunkin’ Donuts of Newtown have once again teamed up to support Special Olympics Connecticut’s Tip-A-Cop program. On Saturday, May 3, visitors to the Queen Street coffee and donut shop will get a kick to find police officers behind the counter, taking orders and collecting tips for Special Olympics Connecticut (SOCT). There will also be torch run merchandise available for purchase, with all proceeds to benefit SOCT. If you want to help when the torch comes through Newtown on June 6, there is a link from the Newtown Police Department’s home page (go through the town’s website, newtown-ct.gov; click on Town Departments, and then on Police), or contact Officer Jeffrey Silver, who is coordinating the event at SilverPD@yahoo.com or 426-5841.

Newtown families are invited to a movie night fundraiser. Alvin and the Chipmunks will be shown at Reed Intermediate School cafetorium, Friday, May 9, at 7 pm. Donation admission is $5, with concessions and gifts for sale to benefit Kids For A Cure, an elementary aged miniversion of Newtown’s Relay For Life. Kids For A Cure takes place at 3 pm, June 7, immediately prior to the 2008 Relay.

 There is still time to clean out your medicine cabinet and properly dispose of old or unused medicines. The Newtown Drug Center, 61 Church Hill Road, in collaboration with The Newtown Prevention Council, will continue to accept expired and excess prescription drugs for safe disposal through May 3. Ridding the home of old or unused medicines, safeguarding those drugs that are needed, and setting clear rules for teenagers about all drug use, can help keep kids safe and drug-free, according to the Newtown Prevention Council.

While you’re cleaning out the old prescriptions, take a moment to clean out your bookshelves, too. The Friends of the C.H. Booth Library are still looking for donations for the Annual Book Sale, scheduled this year for the middle of July. Drop off book donations on the cart near the children’s department during library hours, or for pick up of book donations, call 426-4533 and leave a message for the Friends of the Library.

So here’s something for any parent of a child who has done the Flat Stanley curriculum at school, as well as readers who were introduced to one Newtown family’s adventures while hosting Flat Stanley through a story just a few weeks ago in The Bee: Apparently the story of Stanley Lampchop, the boy in the book by Jeff Brown whose bulletin board falls from the wall above his bed and flattens (but doesn’t otherwise hurt, natch) him, who then goes on grand adventures around the world, has been turned into a musical. A musical about Stanley, “the ultimate exchange student,” will be at the Palace Theatre in Stamford on Friday, May 16, at 7 pm. Tickets are $8, and the show, called The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley … Live, is suitable for kids of all ages.

If I haven’t fallen flat myself with today’s column, I hope you will take time next week to… Read me again.