Plant a tree this weekend. Even though National Arbor Day is always the last Friday in April (which is April 28, this year) we Connecticut Yankees have chosen to proclaim April 30 as our forever, official Arbor Day. We’re stubborn that way. But we get the job done.

Look around town to see how green we are. Dozens of good-sized Colorado blue spruce trees were added this week to landscaping underway at the new shopping center off Queen Street. And more than 150 trees were planted along Deep Brook on Al’s Trail to protect the native trout hatchery.

Before planting your tree, you might want to join volunteers from the Newtown Forest Association (NFA) on Saturday as they are sponsoring a Trail Day Clean Up on the Blue Trail at the Holcombe Wildlife Preserve at 55 Great Hill Road. “We expect many volunteers, and young Cub Scouts from Pack 70 are going to participate as part of their Earth Day Community Activity,” said NFA Board member Guy Peterson. The cleanup lasts from 9:30 to noon. See you there.

Also on Saturday, Troop 270 Boy Scout and Newtown High School senior Colin O’Connor will begin an Eagle Scout Project to add a new trail connecting the Holcombe Wildlife Preserve and the Holcombe Memorial Trail across Birch Hill Road. Give Colin an encouraging word and a helping hand, if you see him.

For those of you who love learning about the growth of railroads in this part of Connecticut, author Sue DelBianco will be giving a slide presentation and talk on Wednesday, May 3, at the Danbury Railway Museum, 120 White Street, at 7:30 pm. She’ll discuss the Berkshire Line that ran from Newtown through Brookfield and New Milford all the way to Pittsfield, Mass. “The Danbury railroad station is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed the movie Strangers on a Train in 1953,” Sue said, adding a little suspense to the upcoming event.

Blue, the Sheltie, is still on the loose though volunteers at Newtown Animal Control who are working with Karlyn Sturmer say they are getting closer to catching her. “We’ve received many calls from people who are reporting sightings, and we’re very grateful for their help,” said Monica Roberto of The Animal Center. “Please don’t approach Blue if you see her. Just call us immediately with the location.” The phone number at the Animal Center is 241-6427, and Karlyn’s number is 426-1142 .

Two groups could use some help this weekend, and by helping them you could end up helping yourself. On Saturday, from 7:30 until noon, the Lions Club will be holding a pancake breakfast at the Methodist church. Tickets are just $7 for adults, or $4 for ages 6 to 12, and proceeds will benefit Canine Advocates, which is trying to finance the cost of building a new dog pound for Newtown.

Early birds who arrived at Dunkin’ Donuts before 6 am on Wednesday were probably taken aback by the number of coffee drinkers lined up at the counter before dawn’s early light. A closer look revealed bleary-eyed parents and eighth graders stocking up on java and goodies before the kids boarded the buses at the middle school for their annual trip to Gettysburg and Washington, D.C. A quiet trip? Maybe not.

Pootatuck Watershed Association will hold its kickoff meeting on Tuesday, May 9, at 7 pm, in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall. It’s a chance to learn all about the risks to our water sources and how we can protect it, so the members are hoping to see a full house. With warm weather just around the corner, I want to be sure I have plenty of cool, fresh water to fill my bowl.

While on the prowl last week I noticed all the schools seemed quiet because of spring vacation but Michael Sobo, a 2002 Newtown High School graduate, was in town for a few days to shoot a film he co-wrote and directed as part of his culminating senior project at NYU Film School. The 20-minute 1950s musical entitled Bye, Bye Burger, is about the son of a butcher who falls in love with a vegetarian. Michael was spotted over at Newtown Middle School last Friday with a camera crew and cast using different locations at the school to film his musical. After the cast and crew enjoyed a lunch cooked and catered by Michael’s mom, Linda, they headed up to Holcombe Hill to film a musical number. Michael said half of the film was done on a New York sound stage and the remainder was shot in his hometown. NHS senior and drama student Greg Gordon helped to provide Michael with local talent for the Newtown shoot.

A little bird told me…. Well, okay, it was Sherry Powell. She has been mesmerized this week by the activity outside her Oak Drive bedroom window. A pair of sparrows has selected her windowsill as the ideal spot to build their nest this spring and mom and pop have busily collected bits of twigs and branches for their tweet little nursery. Sherry says that the glare on the window seems to keep the birdies from watching her observe them and she is hoping they will stick around to raise their family there.

If you have to stay close to the nest this week, don’t worry. I’ll be back next week with a full report on what you’re missing around town, so be sure to…

Read me again.