Heather Chappa and her family have also been entertaining wildlife, but it’s not like they invited their wild visitor. A couple of weeks ago, the Chappas saw a black bear poking around in the driveway of their Taunton Hill home. They gave the police a call, but the bear had disappeared by the time the NPD arrived. It did, however, leave a trail of garbage through the woods. Heather is a little concerned, what with the mysterious death of Snooker the dog recently in the woods, and with small children being outdoors now that the weather is nice and school is out. It is always a good idea to be alert when living in a rural area like Newtown, and to remember that wild animals, no matter how “cute,” are wild. Contact the Connecticut DEP at ct.gov/dep for tips on sharing the world with wild creatures.

I knew that Newtown Congregational Church choir director Dan Coffman had some pull, but I had no idea how much until he finagled the heavens to open up with thunder, lightning, and flooding rains just prior to the start of his Noah’s Flood production at the church last Saturday evening. The 40 days of rain scene was quite impressive with the flash lightning going off outside the windows and the water puddling up in the parking lot.

Speaking of Newtown Congregational Church, we wish Dolores Lussier a happy retirement this week. By the time this issue of The Bee hits the stands Dolores will be less than 24 hours away from retirement after keeping the church’s office in tip-top shape for just over 20 years. NCC members and friends celebrated Dolores and wished her well after last weekend’s worship service, while also welcoming Vicky Truitt. Vicky has been working with Dolores for a few weeks, learning the myriad details that have gone into the job of office administrator, and will try to step into Dolores’s shoes full-time next week. We wish both ladies well.

I’m always up for a tip and a friend who is feeling a little shy shared this one with The Bee staff members last week. I thought it was worth passing on: “Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, ‘Press Here to Lock End.’ Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran Wrap and it had one, too! I can’t count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up.” Well, count no more. I ran home and checked out my rolls of wrap and lo and behold — nearly every one had this clever little device.

Now that we all won’t be chasing loose rolls of food wrap around the kitchen, I guess we’ll have some extra time for fun stuff — like going to the Annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Children’s Book Sale on Wednesday, June 25. Don’t get this confused with the other amazing book sale that the Friends sponsor — that one isn’t until July. The Children’s Book Sale features books, book, and more books in like-new condition for children. Hundreds of popular board books, picture books, and young adult books will be available at bargain prices, along with some great beach reads for mom and dad thrown in, too. The sale takes place in the story room and hall on the lower level of the library from 9:30 am to 3 pm. While you’re there, settle your kids aged 4 through grade 5 in for the summer reading program kickoff. Full Effect Productions will present magic and comedy at two performances, one at 11 am and one at 1 pm. Free tickets for the limited seating are available the morning of June 25 at the children’s department desk.

The hot weather last week had me thinking more about buying bikinis than formalwear, but it has cooled off enough that I think I’ll be able to check out the formalwear sale at the VNA Thrift shop behind Edmond Town Hall. On Saturday, June 21, from 9 am to noon, and Wednesday, June 25, from noon to 3 pm, fancy duds will be sold at an even better deal than the usual good buys. Even though prom season is over, wedding season is still in full swing and that means the chance to dress up. Why not do it for less?

On Saturday, July 26, Newtown resident Jayson Karp will join some 300-plus kayakers as they cross Long Island Sound to raise money for several charities. “It’s the 8th Annual Kayak for a Cause, where men and women in tiny boats load up with SPF and Powerbars in the name of good deeds,” Jayson tells me. This year, Jayson’s fourth time taking part in the event, the charities that will benefit are Hole in the Wall Gang, Outward Bound of Connecticut, Save the Sound, Cancer Care, and The Maritime Center. To donate, go to http://kfac.kintera.org/viii/jaysonkarp. Sending in a donation sounds a lot easier to me than dodging ships and waves.

We are lucky to have volunteers here in Newtown who are willing to dodge ships and waves, though, and to reach out to other communities in times of need. Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR) was called to an emergency this past Saturday at Bantam Lake in the Bantam section of Litchfield. The dive team responded to the mutual aid call, which probably was the farthest distance the organization has ever traveled to lend aid, explained Stuart Rieve, NUSAR’s assistant chief.

At Bantam Lake, a large “riverboat style” paddleboat carrying 22 people had rolled over about 350 feet from shore in 20 feet of water. NUSAR responded with four divers, two dive trucks, and a rescue boat. Two NUSAR divers suited up at the lake, but other divers had already determined that there were no victims still inside the capsized boat or near it. So all’s well that ends well. How great is it to know that there are people so willing to help no matter where, no matter what?

I know you already sent in your check to Newtown Savings Bank to support the annual Labor Day Parade, but if watching the parade isn’t enough for you, Labor Day Parade committee prez Kym Stendahl tells me that the forms needed to participate can be found at Dr Josh Baum’s office on Church Hill Road. If you stop by to grab a form, though, be really, really careful as you pull out of the driveway onto Church Hill. When the new light system was reconfigured last month, Dr Baum’s office lost the light that had always guided patients in and out of his driveway at the head of Queen Street. Go figure.

Our always exacting and sometimes persnickety boss here at The Bee got a new set of license plates for his car this week, which we all think is entirely appropriate for a distinguished publisher with a critical eye. Be sure to give “GRUMPS” a wave and a honk when you see him go by.

Speaking of license plates, for all you political junkies out there, as of Monday this week, vanity plates for both “Obama” and “McCain” were still available at the Motor Vehicles Department.

I’m going to ask if they have the license plate “ZZZZZZ.” Hopefully, you will be wide enough awake next week to…. Read me again.