The black bear spotted in the Hanover Road area of town a few weeks ago is still making his presence known in the area. I heard from Irene Kirk last week, who lives on Horseshoe Ridge Road, and she said something big and a little bit brutish has been snacking at her birdfeeder.

On April 27 and then again on May 6, the Kirk’s birdfeeder was knocked down and its pole bent. In fact, the second incident, according to Irene, resulted in the feeder being “dismembered,” and three bags of garbage were dragged up to the hillside and scattered around. Better keep your garbage and birdseed under wraps in northern Newtown unless you want bears as houseguests.

Gordon Williams showed up at the library board meeting with his arm in a sling this week, and he probably was hoping that everyone would just assume he had been wrestling with the Hanover bear. Unfortunately, someone asked for the particulars of the mishap. It seems that Gordon was trying to save time last weekend by carrying a card table, a bunch of books, and a drink up the stairs at his house, rather than making separate trips. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, with a chipped bone in his shoulder. The other board members speculated that he probably only did it to get out of mowing the lawn like a few years ago when he was on crutches for most of the summer after a hiking mishap.

Everyone did a double take when they saw Ham Brosious at the library board meeting this week. Long known for his silver locks, Ham now has a full head of brown hair. Ham explained that when his friends held a party in New York City for his 80th birthday recently, he decided to surprise them by showing up in his “natural” hair color.

During a discussion by the Tercentennial Steering Committee last week about a planned fireworks display at Fairfield Hills in August 2005, fireworks committee Chairman Mike Fitzsimons noted he was facing some challenges with the line of sight for spectators because of trees and the many buildings on the Fairfield Hills campus. Larger shells, which would increase the cost of the fireworks, might be needed, he said. Laughing, Selectman Bill Brimmer offered another alternative. “I have an idea,” he quipped. “Instead of fireworks, we do a demolition of the buildings.”

When asked what he said during comments to Meals on Wheels volunteers at their annual appreciation luncheon this week, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said he simply thanked them for their services to residents of the community. When asked if he spoke from a written speech, he answered in the negative. “I didn’t write the Gettysburg Address,” he said dryly. Mr Rosenthal said he kept his remarks brief because he had to leave early to attend an out-of-town meeting.

After Kaaren Valenta was congratulated for finally becoming a grandmother — Lily Anne Valenta was born Monday at Danbury Hospital — Pat Denlinger announced that she and Bill had just become grandparents for the 11th time. Their daughter Julie had her third child, Eleanor Charlotte Raab, in Germany, the home base of her husband, Army Major Dean Raab. Major Raab has been stationed in Baghdad since last July, and only arrived back in Germany two weeks before the baby was born on April 6.

Maybe it’s the old 1950s Cott soda sign they uncovered on the side of a South Main Street business last week, but we’ve been feeling pretty nostalgic for the good old days lately. Remember 60 years ago when a cup of coffee was ten cents? Remember last week when a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts was $1.25? Well, a small cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee just went up to $1.37. We presume it’s the rising cost of milk that did it, and we’ll probably find out this summer that our ice cream money won’t go as far as it did last summer. Nor will we be driving as much since gas prices have gone up to $2.05 down at Exit 10. This might be a good summer to sit on the back porch, sip lemonade, and swat flies. Anyone got an old push-lawnmower we can run through a sprinkler?

I can feel myself sinking into nostalgic funk. I better stop writing now. I’ll be back from the 50s in time to meet you here again next week, so be sure to…

Read me again.