Nothing has gone according to plan this spring, weatherwise, as March showers led to April showers and May showers and still more cool weather. Yet we are grateful for our magnificent blooming cherries, crabapples, magnolias, and pink dogwoods that are taking over where the yellow forsythia and the daffodils are fading fast.

Master gardener Maureen McLachlan is someone who knows how to celebrate gardening year-round. Maureen has been creating landscaping to complement her home on The Boulevard for the last seven years and now the country can join her in enjoying the beautiful job she has been doing. Pick up a copy of Gardening & Deck Design, a special publication from Women’s Day magazines, and check out the two-page feature on Maureen and her gardens.

We should also mention those fabulous red and gold tulips we have enjoyed over the last two weeks blooming in the front garden of Dr Henry Gellert’s orthodontist office at 23 Church Hill Road and Queen Street. Most of us don’t dare plant tulips on account of the deer that ravage them the very moment they poke out of the ground. Deer may not loiter at that busy intersection, but drivers on tulip-alert are slowing down to admire the view.

Speaking of loitering, that’s something we cats are very skilled at doing. I was prowling around Town Hall South yesterday, and I noticed the construction crew was back at work doing some demolition work in preparation for new construction on the south side of the building. They didn’t offer me a hard hat, so I did my disappearing act. But on my way out I noticed the parking lot is even more congested than usual, so proceed with caution.

Much as I’d rather not say it, some dogs are pretty smart after all. Especially that new German shepherd named Baro down at the police department. At the Police Commission meeting Tuesday night, Patrol Officer Andrew “Andy” Stinson put Baro through his paces, showing commission members how the dog can find concealed drugs and also attack an assailant when needed. Patrol Officer Michael McGowan served as a willing victim. Wearing a protective padded sleeve, Officer McGowan demonstrated how Baro would apprehend an assailant while officer Stinson controlled the dog. Commission members enjoyed the presentation, and I have to admit I was impressed.

If you’re a young person interested in community service and the medical field, take note that the Junior Ambulance Corps will be up and running by summer. Applications are available to students 16 years and older at the career center at Newtown High School, and are due on Friday, May 6 — so don’t dawdle! Junior Ambulance Corps members do not need to be certified in medical or emergency training. There will be a parent/youth meeting at the ambulance garage on May 12 at 7:30 pm for students who have been accepted into the program, according to Director Deb Aubin. Only 15 youths will be accepted at this time.

Gordon Williams said he went to the rehearsals of the Village Cemetery walking tours that will take place on May 14 and was astounded by the professional quality of the re-enactors who will portray Newtown’s notables, “gone but not forgotten.” Tours will take place at 2, 4, and 6 pm at the cemetery on Elm Drive. The $5 admission charge will go toward the Tercentennial.

Finally, I hope I don’t have to remind you who needs a card, a phone call, chocolate, and/or flowers on Sunday. We can all celebrate Mother, Mother Nature, and Mother Earth on Sunday by taking an afternoon drive to Western Connecticut State University’s White Street campus where an environmental festival and cultural day is planned to begin at 1 pm.

Sponsored by a local chapter of the Jane Goodall Institute’s volunteer program called Roots and Shoots, the event is hosted by Newtown’s own Lindsey Goodwick, who is a junior at WestConn. As an event organizer, Lindsey urges everyone to attend the free festival. There will be a Native American welcoming ceremony, Caribbean and Latin American music by Sirius Coyote, Irish music by Full Gael, and drum circles. Peace dove making, ecology lessons for kids, face painting, a seminar on landscaping, and a tree and plant giveaway to the first 250 visitors. At 5 pm, The Work O’ The Weavers will perform at Ives Concert hall, and at 7 pm, Dr Jane Goodall will speak ($10 admission fee for this event only). For some of you who remember celebrating the first Earth Day 35 years ago, this will be like a trip back in time.

I can’t possibly remember what I was doing 35 years ago. But I do know where I’ll be next week same time, same place –– so read me again.