I like to think that most people like their cute, furry, black animals cat-sized, but it seems some bear-sized ones are gaining a foothold in Newtown. Last Friday morning, Warner Herde of Southbury was driving down Botsford Hill Road when he saw a black bear standing in the middle of the road. After stopping to contemplate each other for a few moments, both Mr Herde and the bear departed the scene in different directions.

I’m not sure where the bear was headed to, but Town Clerk Cindy Simon and her husband Richard “Fuzzy” Simon think they might know where he was headed from. They awoke that same morning to find that their Jeremiah Road property was a shambles. Garbage was strewn across the yard and their favorite pole-mounted bird feeder had been smashed, lying on the ground in pieces. Birdseed was scattered across the terrain. Though they didn’t see it, the Simons surmise that they were the victim of a bear that went rummaging through their yard in the night.

Cindy especially liked that bird feeder, which she had owned for many years. It had special anti-squirrel features to keep squirrels away from the birdseed. The device, however, was not bear-proof. So intent was the animal in getting at the birdseed that it yanked the pole-mounted feeder from its concrete anchoring in the ground, she noted.

That evening, Fuzzy was the focus of a surprise birthday party held for him at The Dana-Holcombe House on Main Street, near the flagpole. The party commemorated his 60th birthday, which occurred recently. The event, attended by about 40 people, was a fun night out for all those involved despite the occasional downpours that punctuated the evening.

Even though I’ve given up any kind of competitive activities (except for who can fall asleep by the fire the fastest), I’m quite certain that for the next few days I’d be able to beat Legislative Council Chairman Will Rodgers in a foot race. Although I have four good legs, for the moment, Mr Rodgers only has one. It seems he was in the early stages of training for his Marine Corps Reserve assignment, which will take him to Iraq, when he somehow broke a small bone and badly sprained his ankle. But in the spirit of the Corps, Mr Rodgers has promised to soldier on through his recovery and be ready for his duties by his expected Labor Day ship-out date.

I was meowing and meandering around Edmond Town Hall last week when I happened to notice First Selectman Herb Rosenthal giving a proclamation to members of the Town and Country Garden Club. That group, including charter members Barbara O’Connor and Barbara Finnell, have been making our three local traffic islands beautiful and blooming for more than 40 years! While Mr Rosenthal had nothing but praise for the green thumb gang, I heard Ms Finnell mention that once club members joins her ranks by exceeding the age of 80, they are dismissed from the obligation to trudge around in traffic on regular duties planting and maintaining the islands.

The Charter Revision Commission has finally taken its oath of office with former Newtown High School Principal Al Cramer as well as current EDC and former Legislative Council member Joe Hemingway taking the reins as chairman and vice-chair. As was his duty for so long, Mr Cramer gave out some “homework assignments” to his committee members to do preceding the panel’s next meeting on July 11. Member were asked to familiarize themselves intimately with the charter document in anticipation of some more specific “assignments” to come as the group progresses through its weekly meeting schedule. Anyone interested in following the revision process for Newtown’s constitutional document can plan to do so every Tuesday from 7 to 9 pm, at an easily accessible location to be determined later.

Little did Nancy Johnson know that when she presented Teresa Taylor with a Congressional Award Gold Medal last week, she was making history. The June 21 presentation of the award — the highest honor for youth given by Congress — was the first time the honor was presented to a Newtown resident. In earning her Congressional Award Gold Medal, Teresa completed more than 500 hours of voluntary public service including volunteering as a youth counselor for children; she appeared with Malenkee Ballet Company in charity performances and with Connecticut State Opera; she developed sailing, navigating, and research skills aboard the 134-foot schooner Corwith Cramer in a Cornell University Oceanography course, and did a “Green Architecture” internship; and she was a member of Yale University’s Community Rowing High School Varsity Crew Team for four years, and will be on the varsity crew team at Catholic University of America in the fall, where she will attend the School of Architecture.

All this while completing her studies in time to graduate from high school last week! She was on the winter and spring track teams, appeared in four musicals, and was a member of the National Honor Society. Congratulations Teresa.

Susan Hills and friends celebrated Doris Dayton Dickinson’s 95th birthday with a lobster dinner this past Sunday. Mrs Dickinson is the widow of A. Fenn Dickinson, for whom Dickinson Memorial Park was named. Susan said that Mrs Dickinson was going out to lunch with her daughter and granddaughter on Monday, the 26th, which is the actual date of her birth. Mrs Dickinson remains active and is still a resident of Sandy Hook, according to Susan, as well as being a wonderful person with whom to spend time.

The senior citizens in Newtown demonstrated the power of positive thinking on Wednesday. After a morning of nonstop, heavy downpours, the rains came to a dead stop — right as the annual Senior Center picnic was scheduled to begin at Dickinson Park. The band set up, the grills fired up, and everyone had a great, and dry, afternoon. Maybe with a little more concentration, the seniors could get the sun to come out for the Fourth of July.

No matter what the weather, I’ll be back next week, so be sure to…

Read me again.