Newtown Middle School Co-President Melissa Beylouni shared a message with me: “The Newtown Middle School PTA would like to thank our very generous anonymous donor for their $250 donation to our Ben’s Bell Mural! We are deeply appreciative. Thanks so much.” Seems to me that anonymous donor is worthy of The Good Egg Award! .

That Good Egg Award needs to be shared with Stop & Shop, which is going out of its way to accommodate older shoppers. “Effective on Thursday, March 19, Stop & Shop will create hours specifically geared to accommodate customers 60 and older. Stop & Shop stores will open from 6 am-7:30 am ONLY for customers over the age of 60.” I certainly hope everyone will respect the need for one of the more vulnerable populations to safely get goods, even though Stop & Shop will not be checking IDs.

Stop & Shop at Sand Hill Plaza, as well as Caraluzzi’s Market on Queen Street have reduced hours of business temporarily, by the way. Stop & Shop is open to all customers from 7:30 am to 8 pm, and Caraluzzi’s from 7 am to 8 pm, until further notice. (I plan to call ahead to any business before going out for a carton of cream or a can of cat food, myself.)

FISH, the local organization that provides free rides to medical appointments, has a new phone number, effective March 21. To schedule a ride, call 833-460-0332. Currently, FISH is still providing rides, though there are a limited number of drivers available.

Meals On Wheels recipients can still expect meal deliveries at this time, according to organizer Colleen Honan.

Herb and Michelle Rosenthal were sitting at the General Store on Friday afternoon, March 13, when Herb recognized a man in a Way We Were picture printed in that day’s paper. The caption stated that the photo, dated ‘82-84, identifies registrars of Voters Sandra McManus and Sue Fernandes, and asks if readers can name the man speaking with the registrars. Herb said, “We were reading The Newtown Bee,” when he recognized Stan Karpacz, a past Legislative Council president and member from the late ‘80s. Herb said he had lived in town and later moved away. “He was very active in town,” he said.

We have received word that the Easter Bunny is hopping away from the Danbury Railway Museum event that was featured in a press release the week of March 13. “Due to the COVID-19 virus concerns, and for the safety and health of our guests and volunteers, the Easter Bunny Trains event at the Danbury Railway Museum scheduled for April 4, 5, 10, and 11 has been canceled. All reservation holders are being notified and refunded.”

The state parks were hopping, though, this past weekend. With many movie theaters and gathering places closed, events canceled, and other local programming on hold, it seemed everyone took advantage of the nice weather to visit some of the state and Newtown Forest Association parks and sites that remained open to the public. While parking was at a premium, once in the parks, at least visitors were able to practice the important social distancing. And while I strolled, at a safe distance from others, about Newtown streets, I noticed an uptick in the number of families playing outdoors.

If you are enjoying the springlike weather — outside of the odd snowfall early Tuesday morning — be sure to do a tick check when you get indoors. Ticks that carry disease do not care about viruses disrupting lives; they are happy to continue doing their own disrupting. It’s one thing not to worry about if you are diligent in checking yourself and any children for the tiny ticks that carry Lyme and other tickborne diseases, every time you spend any amount of time in the yard or woods.

What are you up to if you are working from home or have children home from school due to the COVID-19 outbreak? Send a brief description and a photo of your “at home” life, by noon on Wednesday, March 25, to be included in an upcoming article in The Newtown Bee to eliza@thebee.com, subject line AT HOME LIFE.

If you are interested in learning about the Torah or other Jewish law while you are at home, Rabbi Sholom Deitsch of Chabad of Ridgefield has sent an e-mail to me with a suggestion: a one-on-one learning class from the comfort of your home. “Class will be a half-hour long via Zoom, Skype, or Facetime,” he says. “Suggested topics are weekly Torah portion, Kabbalah and Chassidic philosophy, Talmud and/or Jewish law.” If you are interested respond to subscriptions_1633408_1961896@listserv.chabad.org to schedule a half hour time slot that works for you.

With all of the closings and postponements of programs, please call ahead before heading out anywhere — that includes any support groups or services at houses of worship. We have a running list online at newtownbee.com and keep up as we are notified, and the print cancelation article is current as of press time this week. If you have any changes to let the public know about for your business hours, meetings, etc, contact shannon@thebee.com or call us at 203-426-3141 and we will include you in the growing column of places NOT to gather. Thank you to everyone for supporting the recommendations of our state and local officials as we make our ways through uncharted territory of COVID-19.

John Boccuzzi, Sr, of Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) tells me the group is hoping to establish an e-mail list of senior citizens in town, as an additional means of communication. For information, www.friendsofnewtownseniors.org or connect through info@friendsofnewtownseniors.org, or call 203-430-0633.

We got an e-mail heads up that “the New England Legends podcast paid a visit to Newtown in the latest edition of their weekly podcast: Episode 134-Committed at Fairfield Hills Hospital.” In Episode 134, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit the remains of Fairfield Hills Hospital in Jeff’s old hometown — that would be Newtown! New England Legends seeks out “history, folklore, and the unusual across the northeastern United States.” Hosted, written, and co-produced by Jeff, “the series has been nominated for two Emmy awards, and continues to produce new episodes... The goal of New England Legends is to chronicle every legend in New England one story at a time. Each episode of the podcast is between 10 and 14 minutes in length and features music, sound effects, and voice actors. The podcast has received more than two million downloads and is available for free from services like: Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Spotify, TuneIn, SoundCloud, and anywhere else people get their podcasts.”

The New England Aquarium in Boston is closed due to COVID-19 concerns, but let me know that they have a plan to make this downtime fun: it is offering special virtual programming to keep families engaged. “Each day at 11 am, content will be posted on the aquarium’s social media platforms that include live videos with educators, a behind-the-scenes look at animal care, and fun activities for children. Online visitors will also find a special webpage on neaq.org to take a “virtual visit” to the aquarium, featuring video, at-home projects, and other educational resources.” The plan is also to update with fresh material frequently. Watching fish swim? That rates right up there with bird watching for this cat!

Right up there with things to do, I hope you’ll place my column, and make sure to... Read me again.