Here’s a tasty tidbit of information: Did you know that Julia Child, chef and author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was a cat lover? She called her cats “poussiequettes,” and her mantra was, “Une maison sans chat, c’est la vie sans soleil,” which means, “A house without a cat, is life without sunshine.” There’s even a new book out about her love of cats, called Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats. It’s never too soon to think about holiday gifts, just in case you know of a cat lover…

Speaking of tasty tidbits, there is nothing sadder than a hungry cat. You can help The Animal Center of Newtown in its efforts to feed Newtown’s “community” cats by donating to the Cat Food Drive, at Stop & Shop in Sand Hill Plaza, through this weekend. Donations are desperately needed.

Do you love to come up with creative solutions? The Christmas Tree Lighting Committee can use your input. They are looking for an alternative, cost-effective way to light the hundreds of luminarias that ring Hawley Pond and line Elm Drive on the eve of the tree lighting. The candles that are usually placed in the sand-filled bags cost only 59 cents each, but each year the committee is more concerned about the safety of using live flames. They have tried battery-operated candles, but find that they cast only a dim glow. If you can suggest a “bright” idea, please contact them at dianajohnson5418@yahoo.com, as soon as possible, and include a way for the committee to get back in touch with you.

Apparently, there is a cushion cozier than my own in some Connecticut companies, though I find that hard to believe. According to Connecticut Magazine, Curtis Packaging in Sandy Hook is among the top 20 companies “deemed to be the best for employee satisfaction.” Long average employee tenure, employee recognition events, health and wellness programs, and an environment that encourages open communication are just a few of the things that make this carton designer and manufacturer an employee-friendly place. Congratulations to Curtis Packaging president Don Droppo, Jr, and staff!

Two authors based in Newtown will be featured when Burgundy Books, “a Connecticut independent bookseller” based in Westbrook, hosts a Fall Showcase 2012 at Water’s Edge Resort & Spa this weekend. L. Todd Wood, author of Currency, and Anselm Anyoha, MD, the author of Automated Man: Thought Inheritance and The Cycle of Existence, will be at the event, Saturday, November 10. It will run from 12:30 until 2:30 pm, and reservations are not needed. Cost is $5 per person. Contact Burgundy Books’ owner Linda Williams at 860-399-1706 for additional details, or just head to the resort at 1525 Boston Post Road (Route 1).

Sandy Hook Hair Co. owner Bonnie Fredericks had an unusual request recently: Sandy Hook resident “Wild Bill” Nielsen stopped in for a haircut. Bill didn’t just want a trim of his long, dark blonde hair, however. Nope, this time he had Bonnie cut more than eight inches, which he then donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. The program is like Locks of Love, “except Pantene’s minimum length to cut off is eight inches [Locks of Love is ten inches], and Pantene also gives the client the wig at no cost.”

With all of the wind and rain and snow blowing about these days, I’ll be hanging on to all of my fur, I’m afraid. I’ll also be hanging onto each and every word I hear whispered about me, so be sure next week to… Read me again.