Happy birthday, Hawleyville Post Office! Even though the little Route 25 post office is currently relocated to temporary quarters in the Newtown Commerce Road facility, it bears noting that March 27 is the 165th birthday of the facility that has so faithfully served residents of the Hawleyville section of town, Brookfield, Bethel, and other surrounding towns. Here’s hoping that by the time her birthday rolls around next year, that the birthday cake will be served up to faithful customers at new quarters.

It’s OK with me if you celebrate another anniversary: 170 years ago this week, the now ubiquitous term “OK” first appeared in a publication of The Boston Morning Post, an abbreviation for “all correct” or “oll correct,” as stood the misspelled slang version of the day. History.com tells me that the “in” youth of 1830 had a whole bunch of shorthand words they used: KY stood for “No Use” (Know Yuse”), KG meant “No Go” (“Know Go”), and “OW” stood for “All Right” (“Oll Wright”). And today’s teens thought they were onto something new….LOL.

A number of nominations for the Good Egg have been dropped on my desk, and they are all wonderful tributes. Sabrina Boccuzzi is a Good Egg, for one. This 7-year-old Middle Gate student is “conscious of the environment and acts on her concern,” says her admirers. Sabrina collects trash up and down the street and in the woods near her grandparents’ home. “She acts on her beliefs and we think it will make a difference, both in the environment and also influencing her family as well as her peers in a positive way,” the nominators add.

Here’s another Newtowner deserving of the Good Egg Award, says a local mom: Bea Gellert. Bea works at the RIS front desk. “No matter what time I go in, it is incredibly busy at her desk. It seems like command central,” writes this fan. What makes Bea exceptional is that despite the seeming chaos, “she always has a smile, a kind word, a cute pen to cheer everyone up and a calm way about her. She sets a great example for the students and for the rest of us busy adults.”

Congratulations, Sabrina and Bea! You are Good Eggs! Look for more Good Eggs next week, and don’t forget, if you know someone who works behind the scenes to make a difference, let me know at Nancy@thebee.com, subject line Good Egg.

The St Rose Easter Boutique is returning, and it will be earlier than usual this year. In the past it has been on Palm Sunday weekend, but this year, because of Confirmation, the church has decided to present the boutique one week earlier, the weekend of March 28–29. Monsignor Robert Weiss has been working to put together 120 Easter baskets for this year’s event, and has again created a great assortment of theme baskets for children of many ages and interests. The sale will run from 10 am to 7 pm on Saturday, and 8 am to 2 pm, Sunday. There will be religious items, First Communion and Confirmation gifts, Willow Tree Angels, Easter gift items, and plenty of Easter plants.

Easter is still a couple of weeks off, and no doubt some families are dreaming that a cute, real-live bunny would be the perfect Easter basket addition. Think twice, though, because rabbits are not so low maintenance. If you don’t have time to care for a cat or dog, you don’t have time to care for a pet rabbit. Not only that, they are not as snuggly as they look, and when the cute factor wears off a domesticated rabbit cannot be set “free” in the woods. A Lindt chocolate rabbit might be a much better choice.

If you do decide to give a happy home to a bunny, though, you probably want to get it neutered; which leads me to this note….

The Spay and Neuter Association of Newtown (SNAN) would like to remind residents that they have received a grant to bring Tait’s Every Animal Matters (TEAM) Mobile Cat Clinic to Newtown on Tuesday, April 7. The clinic will offer low-cost service for 40 cats. Each cat will be spayed or neutered, be checked for upper respiratory infections, vaccinated for rabies and distemper, have its nails clipped, and ears checked for mites. Residents who need help for their cats should call 426-0253 for an appointment as soon as possible. The clinic will be run by appointment only on a first call, first serve schedule. Meowch.

If you are up for a little road trip, Dick McEvoy, PSA, will be featured in the next exhibition at Gallery 53 in Meriden. The show, “Travels from Impressionism to Abstract,” will offer new work by the Newtown resident. It will open with a reception on Saturday, April 4, from 2 to 4 pm, and then will remain on view until April 25. The gallery is at 53 Colony Street in Meriden. Call 203-235-5347 or visit gallery53.org for directions. After next weekend the website may even have a preview of some of Dick’s new work as well.

A much closer trip to home is just down the road at Reed Intermediate School where the Newtown Kids For A Cure portion of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life 2009 is running an all-family showing of Disney’s A Bug’s Life, Thursday evening, April 2, at 7 pm. There is a suggested donation of $5 per person (and please note children need to be with a chaperone). Worried about keeping the kids up late? Don’t — there is no school on Friday. Candy, popcorn, sno-cones, and other treats and toys will be available for purchase. While walk-ins are welcomed, space is limited so families are encouraged to preregister at any Newtown elementary school or at RIS. Even if you have already seen this movie a zillion times, it’s still fun and it’s for a good cause. Hope to see you there.

If a bug’s life doesn’t intrigue you, I hope that a cat’s life does, and that next week you will…. Read me again.