Springing is one thing cats do well, so I am more than ready to spring into Daylight Saving Time this coming weekend. DST starts at 2 am on Sunday, March 8, so be sure to set your clock ahead one hour when you go to bed on Saturday night. Now if I can only see over the snowbanks by the time spring arrives, in just two weeks. I sense snowdrops and crocus crying out from beneath the mounds of snow.

VTM Database Catalog Specialist Timothy LePak and coworkers at their Turnberry Lane office off of Toddy Hill Road saw a bobcat late last month that “came out around lunchtime,” Tim says. He was able to grab several photos of the short-tailed, pointy-eared kitty stalking its own lunch through deep snow and pausing to peer back at him. Was this big cat checking to see if the white dove that landed in VTM’s parking lot in September had been claimed?

If you read last week’s story in The Bee, “Newtown Rotary Gift of Life Keeps on Giving,” then you know that 2-year-old Bezalel Alquilos was scheduled for heart surgery this past Friday, thanks to the support of our local Rotary Club. His mother, Hazel Ricardel-Alquilos, tells us that although the PDA hole in his heart turned out to be a bit bigger than anticipated, they were able to close up the congenital defect. Than means no more extra blood is leaking through to his lungs, she said. Already, says Hazel, she is seeing improvement in Bezalel. Where drinking 4 ounces of milk was previously a chore, with lots of stopping to catch his breath, he was able to drink his milk right down after surgery. His appetite is improving, which means the diminutive 15-pound boy should be putting on some weight. The Dan Rosenthal family is hosting Hazel and Bezalel, and Meri Rosenthal reports that Bezalel’s coloring looks great, and the family has definitely noticed that his heart is not beating so rapidly anymore. If everything goes well at the one-week and four-week checkups, Bezalel and Hazel should be headed back to rejoin his dad in Cebu the end of the month. That might be a huge relief for them: Bezalel and his mother returned post-surgery to host Meri and Dan Rosenthal’s Newtown home Sunday afternoon — just in time for the Philippine natives to experience yet another snowstorm.

Congratulations to Peggy Townsend of Bethel and Deb Osborne of Sandy Hook, members of The Garden Club of Newtown, for their winning floral arrangements at the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut Flower Show Competition last month. The theme of the FGCCT Show was “Ports of Call.” Both club members’ arrangements were entered in the Design Division. Peggy received a first place ribbon for her entry titled “Stunning New Zealand — A Traditional Mass Design,” and Deb was awarded a third place ribbon for “Enchanting Sicily  — an al fresco Functional Picnic for Two.”

For those that march to the beat of the Winter Percussion and Winter Guard’s drum, this Saturday, March 7, Newtown High School is hosting a “Home Show,” with ten Winter Percussion ensembles and 30 Winter Guards set to perform. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors and students. NHS Marching Band & Guard Parents have a menu of pulled pork, kielbasa, burgers, fries, and more ready to serve the well over 1,000 anticipated guests. When there is food, I always recommend being there when doors open, which is set for noon. The first performance starts at 1 pm.

Jeff Beckman of the Hershey Company wrote to say that the company had taken a peek at our Cadbury/Hershey controversy story in last week’s Bee — and clarified the “differences” between the two chocolate makers. “Cadbury supplies us with the core ingredients we use for our US Cadbury milk chocolate bars — the mixture of chocolate, sugar, and milk that are at the core of a US Cadbury chocolate bar, we call chocolate crumb. Our crumb comes from a Cadbury factory in the British Isles that makes the identical crumb for the UK version,” Mr Beckman writes. “This means our bars have the same milk from the British Isles.” It is labeling requirements and FDA requirements that make the US Cadbury bar appear to be somewhat different, he explained. Of course, Mr Beckman said, Hershey’s was pleased to see that The Bee taste test favored their product. I guess you’ll just have to test the two for yourselves to decide — but remember, those UK Cadbury treats are disappearing from US shops for good in the not too distant future. Me, I’ll savor milk from anywhere, anytime. No arguing here.

Don’t forget that this Saturday, March 7, offers the opportunity to find out about Phase I of the new community center, and speak up with ideas you have. One info session begins at 11 am, the other begins at 1 pm. Both take place at our Senior Center on Riverside Road, and refreshments will be served.

I see there are two fundraisers competing for my attention next Friday, March 13. The Winter Guard Parents are sponsoring a Wine & Beer Tasting at Edmond Town Hall to support the NHS Varsity Winter Guard. This event features 30 wines, 10 beers, appetizers, and dessert, and runs from 7 to 10 pm. Just down the street, at the Inn at Newtown, a fundraiser to support Two Coyotes Wilderness School begins at 7 pm. Enjoy music, a three-course dinner, a silent auction, and words from keynote speaker Justin Pegnataro. Find out details at www.newtownbee.com, under the calendar section.

Among those participating in this year’s fourth annual Band Together CT concert to benefit the Connecticut chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association is vocalist Tracy James of Newtown. Band Together unites a network of talented musicians and artists with local nonprofits to raise funds for families in need of a helping hand. The concert begins at 7:45 pm, Friday, March 13, at Fairfield Theatre Company, 70 Sanford Street, Fairfield. Tickets are $40 each and are currently available for purchase online (www.fairfieldtheatre.org) or by calling 203-259-1036.

Ben’s Bells Newtown rang in its second year anniversary last month; 129,000 students have benefited from the Kind Campus program, and more than 3,600 bells have been hung since February 2013. “Connecticut has fully embraced intentional kindness,” boasts the Ben’s Bells website.

It would be most kind of you, intentionally or not, to make time next week to… Read me again.