I was amused to start going through my email Monday morning and find the word of the day from WordDaily was beebread. The noun describes honey or pollen used as food by bees. Here at 5 Church Hill Road, we use a lot of words as our beebread.

Speaking of fun words, I was very happy to hear from Arnie Berman earlier this week. Arnie was among those who participated last week in an early planning session for local Semiquincentennial events. As we noted in a recent editorial, this year’s big word is Semiquincentennial — “semi,” for half; plus “quin,” for five; plus “centennial,” for 100 years, adding up to half of 500 years, or 250 years. Local events will be organized across the country this year, and Newtown is starting to move forward with planning and involvement from many entities. (See the related press release in print and online.)

We at 5 Church Hill Road were recently reminded of a very cool tie-in to 1776. Stay with me … Our late Publisher R. Scudder Smith was a nephew of Susan and Elizabeth Scudder, who for years lived in part of 17 Main Street, which was originally built by Scudder’s grandfather, Arthur Smith. Arthur was married to Frances Scudder, whose sisters were … Susan and Elizabeth. The sisters were grand-daughters of Captain Isaac Scudder, who was born in Newtown in 1776.

According to E.L. Johnson’s History of Newtown, Conn., Isaac was a “leading carpenter and builder of the country in his day. The first Methodist church dedicated in 1831 was constructed by him.” Isaac’s big projects also included the contract in 1808 to build a new meeting house on Main Street. Our late publisher and friend Scudder was a great-grandson of Isaac. The Scudder family lineage has continued, with members of the eighth generation of Isaac’s family still living right here in Newtown. How very exciting!

Isaac Scudder was born on April 11, 1776, so I expect our in-house Sunshine Committee will be planning something special tied in to that anniversary, along with a hint of the Semiquincentennial built in. Perhaps an eight-layer cake wrapped in patriotic red, white and blue — and of course some yellow and black, the unofficial colors of The Newtown Bee.

Speaking of big days, belated birthday wishes to Newtown native and man-of-many-local hats Chris Gardner, who reached a significant one on Wednesday. I won’t tell you which one he celebrated this year, but I’ll give you a hint: one of Sammy Hagar’s most popular songs uses the number in its title.

Kevin Corey is already showing his Semiquincentennial pride. His 250 Years 1776-2026 garden flag was knocked just a little sideways during last weekend’s storm, but by dawn’s early light on Monday, that flag was still there.

Monday sure dawned beautifully, didn’t it? After two days of snow — when was the last time that happened??! — it was so nice to look outside that morning at that cloudless blue sky, snow covered trees and branches all around, and people emerging for one final round of shoveling and/or plowing. It was a very long weekend for those who plow, and I hope they were able to catch up on some sleep on Monday, when many places (not mine…) were closed for MLK Jr Day.

I can’t remember the last time we had two consecutive days filled with snowfall. It was such an unusual storm, too, in that we didn’t get that much precipitation after all that snow. I didn’t see too many snowmen this week, but I did see plenty of people sledding at Treadwell Park on Monday. The school closures already planned for the federal holiday were certainly enjoyed by dozens of people who headed toward Philo Curtis Road, among other locations. By mid-morning, the hill along the northern driveway of the Town park was absolutely filled with people. (My guess is by Tuesday morning there were probably a few mittens, scarves, and other related items carefully draped on nearby branches. The trees along that hill usually become a temporary Lost & Found after most sledding days.)

The Newtown-New Fairfield hockey team will hold a Hockey Fights Cancer game Wednesday, January 28, when the Rebelhawks take on BBDI (Brookfield, Bethel, Danbury, Immaculate) at Danbury Ice Arena, 1 Independence Way in Danbury. Puck drops at 5:30 pm. In lieu of game admission, donations will be accepted in memory of Andrew Tammero, former Newtown coach, dedicated health teacher, and Bethel Hockey alumnus. He bravely fought a rare and aggressive form of cancer and passed away in August. Proceeds will directly support the Tammero family.

We had Boy Scouts visit our office last week, and it was such a treat. The troop, along with some siblings and parents, came in last Thursday afternoon and spent time with Reporters Sam Cross and Jenna Visca. The group toured the building, heard some of our history, learned the different roles of many employees here, and of course took a few minutes to have their photo taken before heading home.

We love welcoming visitors, and can cater tours to different ages and topics if needed. The best times to visit are Thursday or Friday afternoons, once we’re off each week’s deadline cycle. If you’d like to get on the schedule, contact Managing Editor Shannon Hicks (203-426-3141 or shannon@thebee.com) to start that conversation. Seeing young people who are enthusiastic about our work warms our hearts.

February will be all about happy and healthy hearts, of course. Before and after Valentine’s Day on the 14th, Newtown Health District announced this week it has coordinated with Newtown Community Center to present free blood pressure screenings. The screenings are planned for Thursday, February 5, 9:30-11:30 am; Tuesday, February 17, 4-6 pm; and Monday, February 23, 9:30-11:30 am.

I don’t worry about my blood pressure. The office dogs may get it boiling every now and then when they start barking, but as I’ve mentioned before, this cat has a spot in the front office where I can regularly enjoy the sun through the south-facing windows. Few things make my heart happier than curling up for a nap in the sun. I hope you will make my heart happy again next week, when it will be time to come back and … read me again.