Fall fell last Saturday, and along with it, I have noticed many leaves leaving the trees, too. It’s a signal to me that it’s time to get in my last licks of ice cream at the local dairy havens, search out the best and biggest pumpkin for the third annual rolling of Newtown Lions Club Great Pumpkin Race (Saturday, October 20 — it’ll be here before you know it!), heat up the apple cider, and tune up my rake. Autumn is a great time to do some cleaning out around the house, too, so if you have unwanted books, CDs, DVDs, or puzzles, why not put them in a bag and deliver them to C.H. Booth Library? The Friends of the C.H. Booth Library collect books year around for the summer sale, so it’s never too soon to donate.

Fans of the NHS Nighthawks football team will want to make note that this Friday night’s varsity game, September 28, in Stratford is to be played at Bunnell High in Stratford, rather than at Stratford High. Kickoff is 7 pm.

I caught Lin Hertberg walking along Elm Drive last week, staring at his wrist. He was a little unhappy when I tripped him up, trying to figure out his fascination. Apparently, Lin got a new watch that counts his steps and he was calibrating his steps to his watch when I interrupted. Oops. Sorry, Lin. I wonder if he’s counting every step from the moment he gets up, or just the longer strolls?

If you haven’t registered yet for the 2012 Newtown Light the Night Walk up at Fairfield Hills, Saturday, September 29, there is still time. Support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and join in with survivors and supporters on a not too strenuous (and very well lit, I might add) stroll on the grounds. Registration is at 5 pm, at Newtown Youth Academy, with events beginning at 6:30. The 2012 Honored Hero is Christina Ercole, who will share remarks about her success in defeating acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a child. You don’t need to register in advance — just show up to learn more about the continued fight against blood cancers, meet people who are going through treatments now or who have successfully put leukemia or lymphoma into remission, and meet the local members of the LLS team. For full info, call 203-427-2062. I buzzed along with Shannon’s Bees last year, and it was a moving experience.

Talk about lighting the night: The Full Harvest Moon, also known as the Hunter’s Moon, occurs this coming Saturday, too. If you take a peek at the rising moon, right after sunset, you will see the large, orange orb hovering over the horizon. According to earthsky.org, what makes the Harvest Moon appear so spectacular as it rises is “The greater thickness of atmosphere in the direction of a horizon scatters blue light most effectively, but it lets red light pass through to your eyes. So a moon near the horizon takes on a yellow or orange or reddish hue.” That’s my science lesson for this week. Enjoy.

Nancy and Phil Crevier will be celebrating the full moon this weekend. The Creviers have been preparing for a pretty big day for months (years, really, since the birth of their firstborn they knew this day would come), and on Saturday their daughter Katie Rose will marry Andrew Grigg. If you hear some howling during late afternoon it may be the sounds of Nancy and Phil as their little girl walks down the aisle into marriage, or Phil trying to hold back his weeping during the father-daughter dance. Or it may be the effects of the moon. You never know with the Creviers. Either way, we send our best wishes to Katie Rose and Drew.

The first meeting for the 2013 Relay For Life of Newtown planning committee will take place on Tuesday, October 23, at 6 pm, at Newtown Savings Bank’s main office at 39 Main Street. Anyone who would like to learn more about joining this committee is welcome to attend. The 2013 Relay For Life of Newtown will take place on June 1–2 at Newtown Youth Academy.

“Taqpep” sounds more like the name of some indie band, but it is actually a gene that, along with two other genes, “produce(s) proteins central to a cascade of cell-level events that ultimately generate your kitty’s distinctive coat,” according to wired.com. It answers the questions “Why do I wear a lovely tuxedo suit, while my friend, Mimi, is dressed in calico? What makes one cat a tabby and the other a tortoiseshell?” in case you’ve been as curious as a cat about that. It appears these three genes work together to determine if a cat will be solid, striped, spotted, light, or dark in color. I know I’ll sleep better tonight, with this gem of information under my belt.

Newtown High School Gymnastics Team — which is in its second year as an official varsity sport yet is reportedly still being funded by the parents of the team’s members — is hoping that this weekend’s weather forecasts predicting rain are incorrect. The team will host a car wash at Berkshire Motors in Sandy Hook on Saturday, September 29, from 10 am to 3 pm… weather permitting. Gymnasts will accept donations in exchange for a car wash.

If you are looking for Harlan Jessup next Monday night and cannot locate him, head toward Brookfield Center, where he will be offering a program on one of his favorite subjects: genealogy. Harlan will be the guest speaker for “Finding Records of Your Civil War Ancestors,” a free program being hosted by The Brookfield Museum & Historical Society that evening. Harlan — who regularly can be located in the Genealogy Room of Booth Library — will illustrate the talk with examples from two of his great-great uncles, one who fought for the Union and one for the Confederacy, as well as with examples from Brookfield and Danbury. Light refreshments will follow. Call 203-740-8140 if you need details before the program; reservations are not necessary. The museum is at 165 Whisconier Road, at the intersection of routes 133 and 25.

The Newtown International Center for Education is still looking for host families for a guest teacher at Reed Intermediate School. Two families are needed to host Wu Tong, an international language specialist with expertise in Mandarin, for both halves of the school year. Her stay is sponsored by The College Board and Hanban, the Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network. A host family is needed immediately. Let’s not let Ms Tong’s first impression of Newtown be an unkindly one. For more information about becoming a host family send an email to nice@newtown.k12.ct.us.

If you have a cat who isn’t as lucky as me — roof over my head, lots of people spoiling me, medical treatment when I need it — and you are worried about having your cat spayed or neutered, The Spay & Neuter Association of Newtown may be able to help. SNAN will sponsor a visit by Tait’s Every Animal Matters (TEAM) Mobile Cat Clinic on Tuesday, October 2. It is a low-cost, but professional clinic brought into town by SNAN at least once each year. The number of cats that can be spayed and neutered on Tuesday is limited, and appointments are absolutely necessary. Call 203-426-0253 or 203-270-8927 for details and an appointment.

Was I lucky to have this particular procedure done? Sometimes I wonder. We’ll debate some more next week if you remember to… Read me again.