My friend Maureen Colbert-Wilhelm tells me there is a way to cut back on the number of catalogs that clog your mailbox. She visited CatalogChoice.org and has had great success in decreasing the publications that come her way. It is too late for this holiday season’s onslaught of catalogs, unfortunately, as it takes about ten weeks before the publications that Catalog Choice contacts on your behalf discontinue you from their mailing list. But if you register now, maybe you can help save a tree or two down the line: more than 8 million tons of trees are required each year to produce paper catalogs.

If I want to peruse any paper magazines, I’m pleased as punch to hear that the C.H. Booth Library has extended its hours, allowing me some extra time to curl up in the reading room (with Cat Fancy Magazine, of course). The library is now open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 8 pm, from 11 am to 5 pm on Friday, 9:30 am to 5 pm on Saturday, and from noon to 5 pm on Sunday. Now all we need is a coffee shop at the library where I can get a warm latte (hold the coffee) and I’ll be in seventh heaven.

Newtown chef Patrick Wilson tells me he is honored to be one of 150 chefs from around the world who were invited to showcase their talents at a scholarship fundraiser at the James Beard House Foundation in New York City. Patrick will present a six-course meal Saturday, December 15, to 80 lucky people who make their reservations early enough to be accommodated. The meal will be accompanied by the wines of Washington State, he said. Patrick is donating his time and St Andrew’s Golf Club, where he works, is donating all of the food products. The cost of the dinner is $155 and there may be time still to make a reservation by calling 212-627-2308. Bon appetit!

Along with eating, colder weather inspires me to stay inside and weed through all of the junk that has managed to accumulate. It looks like help may be on the way for packrats like myself. A new TV show called My Life For Sale, on The Learning Channel (TLC) network, is casting families to be featured on its program and Newtown residents are within the 75-miles of New York City radius producers are looking at. Do you have an attic or basement full of hidden treasures or general clutter? Do you have a room you would love to have made over? Do you and your family want to be featured on TV? The New York based TV company Leopard Films is bringing the show My Life For Sale to the tri-state area. Producers are looking for enthusiastic couples who have a ton of secret gems to uncover. The show’s hosts will help them sell their clutter on the Internet and with the money they make, the show’s designer will give a room in their house a makeover. Anyone interested in starting the interview process just needs to call 212-627-1181 or send email to MyLifeCasting@LeopardFilms.com with contact info and a reason why you should be on the show.

I’m not planning to get rid of all my holiday decorations, though, no matter what any designer suggests. As a matter of fact, I plan to sneak over to the VNA Holiday Boutique some Wednesday or Saturday between November 17 and December 22 to see what baubles and festive trimmings I can add to my collection. The VNA Thrift Shop, located beneath Edmond Town Hall, is open from noon to 3 pm on Wednesdays and 9 am to noon on Saturdays.

Newtown native Karyl K. Evans may score a double hat trick if her latest project wins her another Emmy. Karyl, who has lived for a number of years in New Haven (mom Jean Kreizinger still calls Newtown home) and already has five Emmy Awards under her belt, is celebrating this week the release of her newest documentary, The Rise and Fall of Newgate Prison: A Story of Crime and Punishment in Connecticut. The program traces the origins of punishment in Connecticut’s judicial system through the story of East Granby’s Newgate Prison. The documentary is part of the Emmy-winning series The Connecticut Experience, which highlights the important people, events, and issues that define our state’s history. According to Karyl (through a press release related to this new documentary): “Building the Newgate prison was a significant moment in the history of crime and punishment in America. It marked the transition from the brandings, ear-croppings, and whippings of Colonial times to a new and unprecedented era: imprisonment as the preferred means of punishing lawbreakers.”

The bad news is the first broadcast is (or was, depending on when you get your Bee each week) Thursday, November 15, at 8 pm. The good news is, repeat broadcasts are already scheduled for Sunday, November 18, at 2 pm, and Tuesday, November 20, at 11 pm, on CPTV (Charter Communications channel 23).

I’m hoping that by this time next week someone will have thought to fill my bowl with some of that Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings. And I hope whoever prepared it will have taken a few minutes to check out the United State Department of Agriculture tips for safe turkey preparation. For instance, the USDA recommends that fresh turkeys be stored in the refrigerator until cooking time and they do NOT recommend buying fresh prestuffed turkeys, due to the threat of bacterial contamination. The frozen prestuffed turkeys, on the other hand, appear to be safe as long as they are not thawed prior to roasting. An unstuffed, 12- to 16-pound turkey needs three to four days to thaw in the refrigerator, or about 30 minutes per pound if thawed submerged in cold tap water. Be sure to remove the giblets from the cavity after thawing and cook them separately. For lots more helpful info about preparing and roasting turkeys, check out the usda.gov website for Let’s Talk Turkey.

And don’t forget to turn off the football game long enough to… Read me again.