Congratulations to rising NHS senior Mackenzie Page, who, in recognition of her fundraising efforts for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp through The Great Pumpkin Challenge, was honored as an honorary co-chair at the Travelers Championship golf tournament, in Cromwell, this past weekend. She was selected as one of just four people who support charity in remarkable ways. Mackenzie has raised nearly $10,000 throughout the years. Think of all the catnip I could get with that. Oh, how I love catnip ... it’s like the time I got into a packet of poprocks candy, only better. I was bouncing off the walls and — unfortunately — my antics resulted in my tail catching fire on the stove. You don’t need to know the details. All I can saw is meOWWW! But, I digress…

It’s the Fourth of July this Saturday, and that means the kick-off to summer parties. The ASPCA has some great tips to make sure that pets have as good a time as owners, when parties are underway:

*Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them.

*Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals.

*Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets’ reach. (With no opposable thumb, I find it a little difficult to handle those matches… And, might I add, keep pets away from any open flame… see above, ahem.)

*Keep your pets on their normal diet. Foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes, raisins, salt, and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals. (That begging for scraps can lead to some nasty indigestion, too.)

*Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions.

*Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression.

*Never use fireworks around pets. (Remember that my canine friends have especially acute hearing.)

*Loud, crowded fireworks displays are no fun for pets.

We know you love us and want to share every experience, but us domestic animals sometimes find the peace and comfort of home a lot more fun than boisterous events. Have a happy Fourth, and help your pet have a happy Fourth, too.

Our office is populated with a lot of youth this summer, and one of them is our third intern, Sam Cox. Sam is going to be a senior at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor come fall, where he is the editor-in-chief of the Loomis Chaffee Log  You’ll be seeing Sam at various town event this summer, providing coverage for The Newtown Bee, under the mentorship of our education reporter, Eliza Hallabeck. Sam applied for an internship at The Bee, he says, because he thought it would be “a great gateway to see beyond a student-printed paper,” as well as get a first look at real media. By interning here, he hopes to get a sense of how a newspaper works. Sam is still mulling over his career possibilities. “I want to be part of a paper, because I like to write; but I’m really interested in politics and journalism,” he says. I’ve extended my paw of friendship to Sam, and I hope you will, too, if you cross paths this summer. I’m wishing Sam the best of luck. Welcome to The Bee!

Natural healer Carla Barzetti will present free essential oils classes, the last Tuesday of each month, from 7 to 8:30 pm, at Sticks and Stones Farm. “Essential oils are aromatic compounds found in the immune system of plants that can help human beings on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level,” Carla explains to me. “I work only with the doTerra certified pure therapeutic grade oils, because of how thoroughly they are tested, and I feel that they have the very highest vibration of any essential oil on the market, for many different reasons. I use them in my intuitive healing practice, and saw the immediate leap in my work when I switched from the old essential oils to these. It’s why I began teaching free oils classes. I love teaching people about these particular essential oils and how to use them to empower themselves in healing themselves and their families and friends,” she says. (Maybe she has some essential catnip oil? I may have to check this out!) Sticks and Stones is at 197 Huntingtown Road. Carla will be there from 6:45 to 9 pm, and says you are welcome to bring your dinner and nosh during the class. Registration for any class is not required, but if you want to contact her, call or text 203-364-6262. The next class is Tuesday, July 28; then August 25; September 29… you get the idea.

Hearts of Hope offers another kind of healing and in a gesture to stand with Charleston, members of the Hearts of Hope Newtown Chapter have created and sent more than 300 of these hand painted ceramic hearts to our Southern sister city. The first Hearts of Hope were created and delivered in response to 9/11, and Newtown and Sandy Hook received the gift of Hearts of Hope, following 12/14. Members of Charleston Ride have volunteered to complete this pay-it-forward initiative, we are told. They will be distributing Hearts of Hope throughout downtown Charleston on Sunday, July 12. “Our Newtown Chapter’s ‘We Stand with Charleston’ campaign has brought community members together as a way to show they care,” says Judy Pedersen, Hearts of Hope director and founder.

 This long weekend — for many — means plenty of time to rest up for the Friends of C.H. Booth Library Annual Book Sale, next weekend, when you’ll want to spend plenty of time browsing and buying the bargain-priced books, CDs, DVDs, and LPs at the sale. The Annual Book Sale takes place Saturday, July 11, through Wednesday, July 15, at Reed Intermediate School, and is the group’s biggest fundraiser to support our local library. Close to 100 volunteers have put in many hours (and will continue to do so, right up to the closing moments) to see that items are organized in a manner that is most convenient for shoppers. With 90 categories of books, surely you will be able to find plenty of summer (fall, winter, and spring) reading material. You can find $2 coupons at various business locations around town, too. For complete information, visit www.boothbooksale.org.

I’m keeping my tail close by and away from the flames, but I hope you’ll be fired up enough next week to… Read me again.