Dear Cat on the Mountain:

The annual Parmalee Hill Silver Mallet International Invitational Croquet Championship was won this Fourth of July by Lieutenant Dave Lydem (Rtd) of Georges Hill and Captain Kuldaar Visnapuu (Rtd), representing Roxbury and Estonia. The cup is shared this year because the socially active Lydems claimed they had to attend additional parties, which precluded a playoff.

Tom Johnson of Lexington Gardens, the 2006 Champion, who many thought would win back the cup, was eclipsed by his wife and daughter, Carol and Dara, who refused to share their mallet. Sydney Eddison, champion emeritus, who retired the cup voluntarily years ago, directed play, inspired novices, and made up the rules.

Your faithful new correspondent, Lucky Edwards-Scott.

(PS — While I grieve, etc, for Vanilla, The White Queen Cat of Parmalee Hill Swamp, who recently departed for Cat Heaven (and who the humans thought was the most beautiful cat in the history of the world), I am really glad to take over. L.E.-S.)

Now that the Independence Day holiday is over, I’m ready to spend some time lazing at the poolside, but plan to have plenty of reading material on hand. Luckily, the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Annual Book Sale begins this Saturday, July 12, at Reed Intermediate School. One of the largest book sales in the Northeast, Friends’ president Mary Maki promises me there will be more than 100,000 books, sorted and categorized, to choose from. The hard part will be deciding between fiction, nonfiction, historical novels, thrillers, mysteries, or how-to books — not to mention DVDs and CDs — all at ridiculously low prices. The sale continues through July 16, and includes extended hours this year. Visit CHBoothLibrary.org/BookSale for the lowdown on this bibliophile’s dream come true.

We know a cat nap when we see one…

One sly little fox was too tired to find cover and dropped down and curled himself into a ball right next to Laura Koscomb’s in-ground pool on June 30. The little one dozed long enough for Laura and her mother Marian to find a camera and capture the moment for The Bee.

My, how little he was. “He was the size of a Yorkie puppy, definitely a baby,” Marian said. I prefer to think that the itty-bitty fox was the size of a big cat like me. Gone by the next day — he took his sweet dreams along with him. The Koscombs are guessing that the fox slipped into the woods behind the house. Aside from his choice of stones and poolside gravel for a bed, Marian said that a fox in the neighborhood is nothing new. “We have seen them in the neighborhood,” she said. “They’re around.”

Speaking of foxy, I have to thank the woman who found a necklace last week at Treadwell Pool. Once again, you can bet that I was enjoying the hot weather too much to jump in and swim, but I did overhear than one young lady left her necklace hanging on a hook in the changing room. Thanks also to Alex, a lifeguard who answered her cellphone after work hours to relay the news. Anybody could have taken the silver and shell necklace and dropped it into a purse then walked away. But one person was kind enough to bring that jewelry to the lifeguards who placed it in a drawer. That woman deserves to know the secret about that piece of jewelry: That necklace was a gift from one mom to her daughter, and she won’t be so careless or forgetful again.

We are wishing the best to Christopher David Mahmood, son of Louis Mahmood, Sr, and Christy Mahmood of Newtown. Christopher has recently shipped out from the Bangor Kitsap Naval Base on his first strategic deterrence patrol. Chris is a 2004 Newtown High School graduate who joined the Navy two years ago, and he recently reached the rank of Machinists Mate Third Class.

I’m always up for making new friends, and so is Kevin Barrett. He would like to hear from fellow Newtown residents who find themselves working too many hours during the week and therefore have a hard time meeting other residents during their downtime. Kevin is trying to start a club for fellow men who want to just socialize whether by playing some cards, having a few drinks, going to a movie, whatever, on weekends. “We just need to relax, and this may be a way for some people to do this with a group of people they may not have otherwise met,” he said. Plans will be made by group decision, but he needs to hear from other people to get this idea off the ground. Interested? Give Kevin a call at 426-3309.

Well that’s it for me this week. I’ve made enough references to napping and relaxing that I’m going to go curl up with a good book — remembering that The Friends of Booth Library’s big Book Sale returns to Reed School beginning his weekend — and take a catnap that will last about one week. I hope you’ll wake me up in time to… read me again.