I’ve seen plenty of spooky decorations already, as Newtown prepares for Halloween. There are mock gravesites, ghosts in trees, and skeletons galore. Call my sense of humor macabre, but my favorite that I’ve seen so far, is the leg and foot rolled up in the back car window. I did have to do a double take on that one.

Check The Bee calendar sections for the many great fall festivals and fairs coming up. Among them is the United Methodist Church Craft Fair at Reed Intermediate School this coming Saturday. There will be a lot of awesome items available, but I have to single out the Autism Awareness jewelry, key chains, and scarves that will be at the T.J. Designs booth. Sandy Hook teenager Tyler Jones, who died last year, started T.J. Designs. His mother, Linda, has taken over the task of assembling jewelry items based on designs that Tyler made himself before his untimely passing. A special feature at the booth will be Tyler’s Signature Bracelets, and new chakra bracelets.

There’s a Good Egg Award here for a young man and his mom.

Sometime between the Lions Club Lose The Litter Day in the spring and last week, people forgot that littering is an ugly habit. Karl Miller, 9, and his mom Christine spent two hours on Sunday picking up litter in their Sandy Hook neighborhood, and unfortunately collected enough to fill all of these big garbage bags.

“We didn’t really even make that big of a dent,” says Christine. “We just ran out of bags and time.” The Millers had to return with their car to pick up the filled bags, and are grateful to their neighbors, the McCarthys, who transported the bags to the town transfer station for them. I can’t help but wonder how anyone in this day and age thinks it is fine to toss trash on the side of the road? I’d like to believe that every day is Lose The Litter Day in Newtown.

Housework is, as many of us know, one of those jobs that goes unnoticed unless it isn’t done. (Just like picking up litter.) I had a wonderful experience Monday night, however, which reminded me that sometimes cleaning jobs that are really well done also deserve to be noticed. As I was leaving a Relay For Life Kick-Off meeting at the middle school, I turned into one of the foyers that links a main corridor to the school’s side driveway and stopped in my tracks. The floor had been swept, then washed, and was still so sparkling clean that it looked like it was wet! The three custodians who were in the foyer got a laugh at my observation, but I have to say — great work, guys. It’s too bad we can’t get the students and faculty of the middle school (and probably all the schools in town) to notice how much work goes into cleaning these buildings on a nightly basis. I have to tip my hat, however. I noticed, and was very impressed.

Here’s a note from afar that I came across: When it comes to car theft, police in Othello, Wash., say it’s time to start blaming the victim. If residents (and visitors, I would imagine) fail to secure their car, and it’s stolen, police are proposing that the vehicle owners face a fine. The cop could write you a $210 ticket, even though you no longer have a windshield to put it on… Sure makes you glad to live in Newtown, doesn’t it?

Especially if you are a stay-at-home worker, retiree, and might otherwise be available to respond to emergency calls during the weekday, 7 am to 6 pm, perhaps you would consider becoming an EMT. Saturday is the annual open house at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and that they are specifically seeking volunteers for the daytime hours. Find out more by stopping by the garage at 77 Main Street on Saturday, between 9 am and noon, or call 203-270-4380, or visit newtownambulancect.org.

Congratulations to Dr Harneet Sethi, son of Dr D.S. Sethi and Rose Sethi of Sandy Hook, who was recently voted one of the top doctors in New Hampshire for 2010 by New Hampshire Magazine. Dr Harneet Sethi is currently director of emergency care at Keene/Cheshire Medical Center. He now lives in Walpole, N.H., with his wife, Rebecca and daughters Hannah and Amelia, but his roots are in Connecticut. “Harneet attended school in Sandy Hook and Newtown,” says his proud dad, who also recalls his son’s favorite teachers here in town: “Charlotte Hamilton in elementary school and Mr Shupenis in middle school.”

Here’s hoping that I’m your favorite columnist here in town. I’m counting on your making time next week to… Read me again.