Peggy Fillion came in to the office this week looking pretty proud of herself. Peggy and her husband have been taking care of some impressive sunflowers that have taken root in their Sandy Hook home. Peggy took this photo, in fact, to show that the plants — which grew from the seeds she swears she simply tossed into the ground, with very little help other than the fertile ground of their home near Lake Zoar — are measuring nearly 12 feet tall these days. That’s Peggy’s husband Gary holding the measuring stick next to the plants.

Also looking pretty proud of herself in the Bee office was Dottie Gerardi, who managed to completely surprise Sandy Morici with a 60th birthday party. Dottie had asked her co-workers to think of age-appropriate gifts for someone who would be reaching a milestone this year (threescore years…), and on Tuesday morning a line of people marched into Sandy’s office and piled more than 60 gifts onto the desk of the accounts receivable manager.

Newtown resident Kim Weber and her sister chose to trade in the hot, humid summer days of the Northeast for the even hotter and more humid summer days of Mississippi when they traveled to Biloxi last month with the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church to help repair and rebuild homes in the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast area. What amazed and distressed Kim was the great need that still exists, nearly a year after the hurricanes hit, in that part of the country. While Kim was inspired to devote her summer vacation to this effort by her fellow church member Chuck Samson, who was in Biloxi in March on a mission, she wants everyone to know that this incredible experience is open to anyone, not just members of the Methodist Church.

Kim, who also works at the library when she isn’t helping others in storm-ravaged areas, would like to remind everyone that the second of C.H. Booth Library’s summer concerts will be presented next weekend at The Pleasance. Mary Beth Sippin and Goldrush will return to 1 Main Street on Friday, August 18, for a free concert that’s scheduled to start at 7 pm. The band performs a mixture of country and folk, “with a twist of pop that is certain to please all ages,” says Kim. Picnic dinners and snacks are welcome — just be sure to carry out whatever trash you bring in, because there are no trash cans at The Pleasance. Bring chairs and blankets for seating, and remember that if it rains the concert will be moved into the lower meeting room up the hill at the library.

Town Historian Dan Cruson is packing up his talents and taking them on the road, but just temporarily. Dan will be working with other authorities as Fairfield Historical Society implements a $25,000 grant to support a feature exhibition in the new Fairfield Museum and History Center currently under construction on the town green. The Fairfield society will consult with four humanities scholars on themes and topics to be included in the exhibit. Mr Cruson will be joining fellow scholars Rachel Carley of Litchfield, an architectural historian and author; Dr Paul Siff of Trumbull, associate professor of history at Sacred Heart University; and Paula Johnson of Port Republic, Md., a senior curator in the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Oops. Labor Day Parade committee member Nancy Koch dashed out of The Inn at Newtown during last Thursday evening’s thunderstorm and hopped into a Saturn with Beth Cluff to go to the parade committee meeting. Only Beth was in another Saturn. It’s hard to say who was more surprised, the woman driving the misidentified vehicle or Nancy.

It looks like Newtown’s beloved Probate Judge Margot Hall has rejoined the ranks of the upright citizen’s brigade. While she acknowledged that a confining full-body brace prevented her from doing a lot of normal physical activities, she appeared to be in great spirits earlier this week as she visited offices around Edmond Town Hall. Judge Hall had been conspicuously absent from town hall in recent weeks as she recovered from an extensive back procedure that has restored her fully upright stature. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery, Margot (especially since the folks in your office have been giving me generic catnip since you’ve been gone!).

Whether it’s catnip or sunflowers that make you purr as we work our way through these summer days, pick a few of your favorite blossoms and enjoy them until next week, when you…

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