It is my duty as a black cat to stir up whatever superstitious proclivities you may have for Friday the 13th this week. Nobody really knows why they expect bad luck on this day, but they do. I’ve heard various stories about why the number 13 is unlucky (Judas was the 13th apostle, the 13th tribe of Israel was the only one left with no land, and in modern times who can forget Apollo 13?). And Fridays are considered bad luck ever since the Romans took to executing people on Fridays. Put the two together, and it’s no wonder people just want to lie low for the day.

Scott Solomon had all his bad luck early in the week this week, when the spreading army worms selected his lawn on Alberts Hill Road in Sandy Hook as the first lawn in Newtown that they would destroy. Scott says his neighbors’ lawns have escaped the damage, but probably not for long. 

There was some good luck in town over the past week. Apparently Father Bob Weiss’ plastic “clothing line” rosary beads worked their magic again. Despite all the rain last week, there was only one night, Thursday, when the St Rose carnival had to close early.

Some of the readers who saw the photo of Kevin Cragin operating the wheel of fortune at the St Rose carnival in last week’s Bee wondered where the wheel was when they attended the carnival on the subsequent days. It turned out that the wheel had a mechanical problem that was causing it to frequently stop on the number 4. Betters soon caught on, so the wheel had to be retired for the duration of the carnival. 

About four months ago, a local resident saw something shining in the gravel in front of the former Magic Machine video store on Church Hill Road. The sparkle turned out to be a man’s ring with diamonds and rubies. The owner can claim it by calling 270-0829 and providing a description of the ring, which is very unusual.

Dog Warden George Mattegat reminds everyone that all dogs that are six months old or older must be licensed. Licenses are available at the town clerk’s office. The owners of dogs that are on the delinquent list from last year will receive a $60 infraction if the dogs are picked up by the dog warden.

With all the unpredictable weather lately, they have installed windshields on the golf carts at Newtown Country Club, making it easier to search for balls in the rough during a downpour.

Assistant Head Lifeguard Ryan Eberts at Dickinson Town Park could be heard Monday on the floating dock singing up a storm with other fellow lifeguards as they waited for the pool to open. From what I heard, they all should hang on to their day jobs.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Robert Kuklis is about to bid farewell to his current day job and join the forces of retirement. But not before he was teased about his love for pens. Board member Earl Gordon asked Dr Kuklis if he would leave some pens for his replacement, Alice Jackson. Dr Kuklis with a smile assured the board he would leave a few. The inside joke is that Dr Kuklis loves pens – and free ones too. He admitted that he has never had to buy a pen during his time in Newtown. But anyone trying to take his pen would have another thing coming. We hope that Dr Kuklis and his pens enjoy retirement and that he won’t be a stranger to Newtown.

School Board secretary Margaret Hull arrived at the Tuesday night board meeting in shorts fit for the weather outside, but once she sat for a bit she excused herself. When she got back to the meeting she had pants on. More than a few people shivering in the air conditioned meeting envied her extra coverage

I guess time is not of the essence at the conference room in the school district office. School board members noticed when they had their first few meetings in the new room at Canaan House that the familiar clock was missing from the wall. Well, it’s still missing. I guess Dr Reed doesn’t want the board members to know what time it is. Either that or he wants to know when they are looking at their watches.

During the school board meeting Dr Reed accidentally called chairman Elaine McClure “president.” Fellow board member Sheila Stickles quickly proclaimed the rest of the board to be “cabinet members” now.

Patrick Kelley is back in town this week after spending five weeks in Mexico. Patrick is a Spanish/finance major at Canisius University in Buffalo. Prior to arriving home, he ordered dinner for his first night home. On the menu: Buffalo wings, tossed salad with Gorgonzola cheese, and corned beef and cabbage.

And from the it’s-a-small-town department, newly appointed Registrar of Voters LeReine Frampton and her husband, Rich, used to double date with former Registrar Linda Connor and her husband, Roger, during their high school days. Also, Sara Frampton and Roger Connor, Jr, both graduated from Newtown High School together in 1999 – the best of friends.

Congratulations to Herb and Michelle Rosenthal, who celebrated their fourth anniversary this week. And it should come as no surprise that the two spent their anniversary together at a Democratic Town Committee meeting.

Politics have been a part of the Rosenthal marriage since day one and Michelle has always been good-natured about it. This week, she reminded us that she and Herb had to postpone their honeymoon in July of 1997 so they could stick around for the party caucus.

Speaking of Herb, his announcement that he would seek a third term in office Tuesday was missing one of his most loyal supporters, Sarah Mannix. The longtime Newtown resident died earlier this year. As thunder rolled off in the distance, Herb joked that it was probably Sarah warning him to stay the course. The sunshine that made its way through the clouds moments later… well that was Sarah too, Herb said, wishing a longtime Democrat the best of luck.

The police get all kinds of calls. It seems that at about 1:30 pm Friday, July 7, the police received a call from a concerned resident who thought that a large dog, which was inside a sedan parked behind Edmond Town Hall, might be having a problem with heat of the day. Well, the police went to the scene to investigate, and it turned out that dog had no complaint at all. The dog was no dog at all, just a large stuffed toy dog which happened to be spending a warm summer day in the car.

For the record, the only thing I’m stuffed with is inside information about the people of Newtown, so be sure to…

Read me again.