I have to hand it to Sandy Hook Organic Farmers Market organizer Mary Fellows for her inspired scheduling regarding the market’s opening day this week. It turned out that Tuesday, June 21, was also the first official day of summer and the Full Strawberry Moon rose that next night. The weather was perfect for the afternoon opening (market hours are 2 to 6 pm this year) and the sun shone brightly while customers browsed the vendors’ booths. Now, let’s see if Mary can manage no rain on Tuesday afternoons for the rest of the summer.

Speaking of summer, you know it’s here when the line is out the door every morning at Dunkin’ Donuts. With so many customers waiting for their morning cup of Joe and jolt of jelly (donut) we think DD Manager Jeff Dymerski should think about opening up a carry out, drive-through window. But then his hardworking staff would have to work even harder, which hardly seems possible. Luckily, no one seems to mind waiting in line because that’s the best place to greet friends and hear all the latest gossip.

If you passed through the old Grand Union parking lot Tuesday evening, you might have been surprised to see creatures rather larger than the usual pigeon or seagull there. The Newtown Bridle Lanes Association and their four-footed friends had gathered for a talk and demonstration of horse message therapy administered by an expert from Equine Alchemy. I always say, there’s nothing like a good scratch behind the ears.

Caryl Timmel insists that she doesn’t have a green thumb. That’s hard to believe considering that she seems to have a knack for making things grow. A few years ago she had a cut Christmas tree that began to show new growth. And now she has two roses that are sprouting new leaves despite the fact that they were cut, shipped, sold, and are now displayed in a vase of water. Caryl says she asked Tom Johnson at Lexington Gardens about the phenomenon and he said she could try to root the new growth and grow plants.

At the Planning and Zoning Commission’s June 16 meeting at the town offices at Peck’s Lane, none other than Dan Fogliano was sitting in the front row of the audience. Dan’s hair is cropped a little tighter than it used to be, so at first I didn’t recognize him. Then I did a double take and realized that the former P&Z chairman had returned from Texas to visit Newtown, and while here had dropped in to see his former colleagues on the P&Z. Dan, who served as P&Z chairman for several years, resigned from the agency in December 2003 to move to Texas. As Dan explains it, Texas is wide open country, full of pastureland and horses.

Besides the elevator being built on the north side of Edmond Town Hall and the new office building being constructed next-door, behind Newtown Savings Bank, there’s a new wrinkle on the town’s construction landscape. Workmen are now excavating the rear parking lot at Edmond Town Hall, constructing a stormwater drainage system to channel away the groundwater that was discovered when the foundation for the elevator was excavated several months ago. The latest construction project will divert that groundwater away from Edmond Town Hall.

The heavy downpour last Thursday may have solved another water problem. Do you remember I told you that Hawley Pond’s fountain kept getting clogged with the algae that it was supposed to eradicate? Well the heavy rain last week seems to have washed much of the algae away. Enough, anyway, so the fountain can work properly and do its job. The pond appears clear now.

Did you catch the Yankee’s spectacular 20-11 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night? If you were listening closely, you probably know that Tiger Woods was at the game. If you were listening very closely, you may have heard the announcers mention a familiar Newtown name. Remarking on Tiger Woods’ interest in baseball, one announcer noted that lots of golf aficionados are big baseball fans. And then mentioning Newtown’s favorite PGA caddy, he said “I bet even Joe LaCava’s here.”

Local builder Kim Danziger has gotten himself a new car that looks like it’s going fast, even when it’s standing still. Kim is driving a new bright red Chevrolet Corvette convertible. He was out tooling about on Monday, a day that was made for convertibles. Kim explains that the vehicle, known as the G-6 by sports car buffs, moves around curves like a sidewinder rattlesnake and has lots of horsepower, which is held in check by computerized safety controls. After a brief chat, Kim rode off into the distance with the Corvette’s engine rumbling.

It’s time for me to ride off into the distance, but I’ll be back next week, so be sure to…

Read me again.