March is filled with firsts — first robin, first pussy willows, and after a hard, cold winter, first thaw. Well, now we’ve got the first pansy.

Tom Johnson, owner of Lexington Gardens, took a moment during Saturday morning’s bonsai planting workshop to check the pansy flats in his greenhouse. He emerged smiling with a sure sign of spring in both hands ready to show members of the Horticulture Club of Newtown. “These are all home grown,” Tom said of the tray full of pansy seedlings in full leaf. “And here’s the first pansy blooming,” he added, pointing to one cheerful white pansy flower just lifting its head.

Add to this list the first American bald eagle egg laid on Monday, March 6, at Northeast Utilities’ Barton Island, Mass., sanctuary. A pair of eagles has returned to a particular nest high in a tall pine tree every year since the early 1990s. The nest is under constant surveillance by a hidden video-camera known as the Eagle Cam, and we can watch live streaming images of the eagle family by logging onto www.nu.com/eagles.

A second egg was due Wednesday, March 8, and a third is possible after a similar interval. Both parents share the incubation duties and if all goes well, we can expect the first egg to hatch around April 9, with any other eggs hatching in the same time interval in which they were laid. Over the nearly 20-year period of Eagle Cam observation, 21 eaglets have hatched and survived to fledge, no doubt contributing to the good news that bald eagles may soon fly off the endangered species list.

Morning commuters tuned in to radio station WRCH 100.5 last Wednesday might have recognized the voice of Newtowner Tracy Van Buskirk. Tracy was a guest on the station’s What’s My Line show, a sort of cross between the old TV show of the same name and the 20 questions game.  So what exactly is her secret that listeners tried to uncover? Polymer clay artist? Yes, but not the right answer. Banking? Yes, but also the wrong answer. Former Girl Scout leader? Right, but also wrong. The winning answer? Tracy has had two of her horse stories published by the popular Chicken Soup series of books.  I say, what about Chicken Soup for Cat Lovers?

Dennis Kean, who helps maintain Town Hall South for the town, sure has a keen new haircut. Having grown tired of sporting longish hair, Dennis said he opted to have a barber cut his locks for a new and improved shorter look. The barber’s magic seems to have worked. Although Dennis’s hair is significantly shorter than it used to be, he still looks sharp.

Newtown’s volunteer firefighters experienced quite a busy day on Thursday, March 2, when several inches of snow fell on Newtown. Firefighters responded to a half-dozen weather-related calls that day. Also, town police were busy too, responding to 15 auto accidents during the period from 11 am to 3 pm.

Mild-mannered reporter Dottie Evans was feted with goodies and greetings from all of her co-workers in celebration of her 65th birthday this week.

Speaking of milestones, I want everyone to check out The Way We Were in the real estate section of The Bee this week. The sleek feline pictured there is yours truly in one of my early lives. The picture was taken when this Wild Mountain Cat first clawed his way to the Top of the Mountain. Quite a handsome fellow, if I say so myself, and what a way with words!

I’ll let that be the last word, but I’ll be back again next week, so be sure to…

Read me again.