I have always found a good basketball game to be the perfect antidote to winter. It really warms things up and helps dispel that confused lost feeling I get wandering around in the snow and ice. But following the NHS boys’ junior varsity basketball game at Joel Barlow in Redding Tuesday night, I think everyone was feeling a little lost and confused. The game’s ending had an Alice in Wonderland quality to it.

Trailing by a point with 7.9 seconds left to go, Newtown got the ball down low to Tommy Ryan for what was supposed to be a last-second shot. But as he was shooting he was fouled as the final horn sounded. The officials then waved the game over, but allowed Tommy to go to the line to shoot his foul shots. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Joel Barlow was granted a timeout to “ice” the Newtown shooter.

“You can’t call timeout when the game is over,” the Newtown coach Jason Arnauckas pointed out to the ref.

No, there’s time still left on the clock, the ref responded.

“Okay, then we get to line our players up on the line just in case the shooter misses. We might be able to tip it in,” Jason said.

No, the ref said, there is no time left on the clock. The game is over.

“You just told me that the Barlow coach can call timeout because there’s time on the clock,” Jason replied, ready to pull his hair out.

Meanwhile, poor Tommy Ryan had to wait around to shoot his shots, and, thanks in part to the refs, he missed the one that would have tied the game.

I’m sorry to have to report the passing of a truly great cat and special friend of mine, Tash Maki. Tash used to remember me with a card on Valentine’s Day. One didn’t arrive this year, but the Maki family did send some fancy chocolates to me in memory of my old friend. The chocolates were great, but in truth I’d give up chocolate altogether to have Tash back.

More than 50 people showed up for the surprise 60th birthday party for Booth Reference Librarian Beryl Harrison last Saturday. But perhaps an even bigger event took place on Monday, the day before her actual birthday, when Beryl bench-pressed 100 pounds – 15 reps – in Karen Finlayson’s fitness class. Beryl may be tiny but she’s obviously no pushover.

Stephanie Hays, who has been working and living in London since November, reports that the day before Ash Wednesday is a very special English holiday, Pancake Day. “Just another reason to love London,” she says. Her mom, Norma, and brother, Greg, visited her there during the holidays. Stephanie is working at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons as a research assistant and will be home in May when her visa expires.

Newtown also celebrates Pancake Day each year when St John’s Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook holds its annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. This year’s event, the 43rd annual, will be on February 27 and will include the famous homemade corned beef hash. Tickets will be available at the door, $6.50 for adults, $3.50 for kids 4-11.

Newtown students hit the hundredth day mark last week, sending cheers from the students, who have less than 80 days left before summer vacation. St Rose kindergartners made vests for the special day. One student asked his teacher if it was alright that he got a little carried away and put over 100 items on his vest. Another St Rose student said a fellow female student looked fashioned in her vest.

Andrea Tarka has been living in California. She is working for a dot com and honing her software skills. California is also the home of Rick Ando, son of Ron and Carol Ando. After receiving his PhD from the University of Vermont he spent two years in research at a California university. He’s now working for a dot com that is centered on scientific research and reporting.

Ahhhhh! The smell of paint. Workers have been busy for the past couple weeks at the land use office in Canaan House at Fairfield Hills. They have repainted the main meeting room and are reconfiguring the old meeting room. The old meeting room is being divided into two smaller rooms. One room will be an office for Rita Macmillan, who heads the land use department. The other room will be used for file storage.

About 400 K-5 students participated in the Newtown Junior Women’s Club and the Board of Education’s Discovery Science, Math and Technology workshops on Saturday. In the workshop “Shocking Sherlock” students and their parents learned about static electricity. They were asked to eat mint lifesavers and look to see if there was a spark. One little boy, after being asked if he saw anything, responded, “Yeah, two lifesavers doing absolutely nothing.” I bet it isn’t easy to chew and keep your mouth open in the dark.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the warmth of the day is reclaiming the parking spaces in the Edmond Town Hall parking lot, which had been lost to the winter in the form of plowed snow banks.

Congressman Jim Maloney was in town this week to discuss some recent legislation passed in Washington. Following his announcement, he was asked about his thoughts on Clinton’s latest escapades. “She seems to be doing just fine,” he responded with a laugh.

Carole Ross has been holding on to someone’s camera found in front of Edmond Town Hall for more than a month. Finally, she had the film inside the camera developed to see if she recognized anyone in the photos. To her disappointment, she did not. However, you may stop by her office at town hall to see if you know who these mysterious people are in the photos. You might be able to help them get their camera back.

The town’s new automatic external heart defibrillator stands silent on the wall in the inner lobby of Edmond Town Hall. The town installed the portable electronic device last fall to have it on hand in case it’s needed in heart emergencies. Thankfully, the defibrillator remains unused, and those trained in its use hope it stays that way.

The annual report for Newtown is hot off the presses this month and sports an attractive hunter green cover. The book is full of interesting facts and figures about this community. This year’s annual report is dedicated to longtime Newtown resident Donald H. Smith, who died March 28, 2000, at the age of 76. He was the father of current town clerk Cindy Simon, and husband of past town clerk Betty Smith.

Well, they’re telling me that we’ve got to get The Bee off the presses, so I’ll end it here, but be sure to…

Read me again.