The Vernal Equinox arrives just after lunchtime on Monday, March 20, which means I’ll have exactly 12 hours of daylight for prowling around the neighborhood and 12 hours of darkness for sleeping in front of the fireplace. Or maybe, considering that I’m a black cat who favors a nocturnal lifestyle, it’ll be the other way around.

Anyway, this weekend might be a good time to start spring cleaning. Hose out my litter box, wash my special pillow, and sweep the garage — maybe scare a few mice out of their hiding places behind those bags of birdseed. I’ll be waiting.

Speaking of birds, you might also want to spring clean the bluebird house. Take out all those sticks and twigs from last year’s nest, because male bluebirds are already scouting around for desirable nesting places. First, the male brings just a few pine needles and places them in the bottom of the box, then he invites the female inside to see his etchings, or approve of his twigs. If all goes well, the female finishes building the nest and before long, there will be a clutch of eggs. Then baby bluebirds. But it’s the empty nest box that starts the process off.

Working through a few technical difficulties with the spotlight, Newtown Middle School students put on quite a performance last weekend. “Seussical, The Musical” was a hit, from the Whos down in Whoville to the tip of Horton’s treetop nest. And any cat who can sing and rhyme in a hat is okay by me.

It was a rootin’ tootin’ time at the Newtown Congregational Church this past Sunday when the Men’s Club sponsored a chili cook-off following services. Bob Keegan was advocating fire extinguishers as a chaser for some of the entries, but most people settled for root beer and cola. That Rev Lee Moore is a sly dog, though: the winner will be announced at next week’s service. Bet it will be a packed house.

More than 50 family, friends, and fellow Newtown Ambulance Corps volunteers honored Bobby Carroll Saturday with a party celebrating his 30 years of service to the garage. Now that he has retired from the service, members reminisced and recalled that Bobby had delivered four babies during his long service.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Gary Frenette said this week that a big black rooster appeared last week at his rural property in Woodbury, after which he and his family fed the animal cracked corn for more than a day. The large strutting bird had white-tipped, black feathers and quite a pronounced “cock-a-doodle-do” call as it puffed out its chest, according to Gary. But just as suddenly as the animal had appeared, it disappeared for points unknown, Gary said, noting that he had been unable to catch the big bird.

The Village Cemetery Association is going to do its spring cleaning at the cemetery on March 22 this year, so if you’ve left some memento or decoration of value to you at one of the gravesites, you might want to retrieve it before then.

The organizers of the post-prom party on May 19/20 have this fantasy that someone with a nearly new Porsche Carrera GT will respond to their communitywide plea for a used car to raffle at the party. I hope someone comes through for them before one of the fire companies has to come to the rescue with one of the “convertibles” they created every time they have a Jaws of Life drill. If you’ve got a decent used car that you don’t mind turning into a tax deduction, call Janis Solheim at 426-4822, or email Barbara Manville at bamville123@charter.

Congratulations to Haotian Zheng, a freshman at Newtown High School, who won the 12th annual individual chess tournament of the Danbury Area Scholastic Chess League, at the Wooster School on March 4. He beat out 15 other students from western Connecticut for the title.

Well, that’s check and mate for me this week, but I’ll be back with some more fancy moves next week, so be sure to…

Read me again.