It’s not too late to say thank you to your favorite office professional. According to the US Department of Labor, 4.1 million secretaries and administrative assistants work in the United States, and another 8.9 million people work in supportive administrative positions. Administrative Professionals Week began April 18 and runs through April 24, and while Administrative Professionals Day on April 21 has come and gone, there is still plenty of time to run out and get that bouquet, or just stop by the desk to say, “Thanks for all you do!”

It is also National Volunteer Week through April 24, and as we are all aware, Newtown is chock full of people who give, give, give of their time. This Tuesday, RSVP officials were at the Senior Center to hand out awards to those members who volunteer with the retired citizens program. Newtown seniors alone gave 6,000 hours of time to various volunteer activities this past year. RSVP director Lisa Danzi told seniors that each hour of volunteer service is valued at $27.02 per hour. So just think of the value all of the volunteers in Newtown provide. It is pretty incredible. A big thank you to all who volunteer, in any capacity!

At first I thought that all of the energetic dancing at the Senior Center last Thursday, April 15, was just everyone getting ready for a Maypole dance on May 1, or something. Turns out, it was a statewide senior center dance competition and some of those competitors will be going on to further competition in May at the Monroe Senior Center. Congratulations to Newtown Senior Center members Aggie Jensen, and the duo of Rosemarie and Tony Rigoglioso.

Dr Jeff and Nancy Metzger, and Drs Rob and Diane Wenick had their vacation in Budapest extended a bit, thanks to volcanic ash from Iceland. They made the most of it, though, I hear, with a side trip by train to Vienna where they sampled the Austrian pastries and coffee — and found themselves mired in the midst of the 2010 marathon. Back in Budapest, they thanked their lucky stars that they were staying with friends, and not seeking a hotel room for their extra-long vacation. I wonder if they tried clicking their heels and chanting, “There’s no place like home….”? Lots of other Newtowners found themselves befuddled by the volcanic eruption and holiday plans all helter-skelter, too, rumor has it. For instance, going out for Italian food was a really poor second choice for Karen and Woof Riesterer this past weekend, because they were actually supposed to be in Italy. Their trip waylaid by the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, Karen and Woof joined their friends Joanne and Dick Zang at The Villa in Sandy Hook. Added to the party was their son, Erik, who had flown in from Minnesota to take care of their dogs. Oof dah. (Erik will understand….)

If you like to take a little time each week to reflect on the beauty around us, you might want to consider a trip to Art on the Lake at Kent Lakes, N.Y., this coming Sunday, April 25, where Newtown artists Martha LaMarche and Joanne Keane, and former Newtowner Gwenann Reid Higham, are part of the “Facets: Intellect and Emotion” exhibit of Reflectionist paintings. There’s an artist reception Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4 pm, but if you can’t make that, the show will be open Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, as well. For directions, visit artsonthelake.org.

A group of NHS students, calling themselves “Two Schools One Song,” will be at The Blue Z Coffeehouse, 127 South Main Street, Thursday, April 29, from 7 to 9 pm, selling “Gratitude Rocks” and raising money and awareness to build a school in Cambodia. The group needs to raise $13,000 to fund a school, and began when brother and sister Dan and Jane Sclafani, and their mother Kate, learned about the American Assistance for Cambodia program. For more information on the program visit cambodiaschools.com. To donate to the Newtown effort, send checks payable to “Two Schools One Song” to the Sclafanis’ address at 10 Glover Avenue, Newtown CT 06470. Two Schools One Song is also holding an event at the Rock Ridge Country Club, May 22, to raise further funds. For information on the $50 tickets to the May 22 evening event call Kate Sclafani at 203-426-9729. Donations are tax-deductible, and Ms Sclafani has asked that all donors request a receipt if wanted.

Maybe you have vacationed at, or grew up near Lake Waramaug in New Preston. If so, the Gunn Memorial Museum in nearby Washington is interested in borrowing Lake Waramaug artifacts, photographs, and hearing stories, including those related to lake activities and the inns, cottages, clubs, and restaurants around the lake, for an upcoming exhibit on the history of Lake Waramaug. Call the museum at 860-868-7756 or e-mail gunnmuseum@sbcglobal.net by May 3.

I had sincerely hoped that our useful flying friends, the little brown bat, might have a better survival outlook this spring than what The Bee reported last summer. But winter was not kind to the bats again, with white nose syndrome continuing to spread. In a press release issued this week, DEP supervising wildlife biologist Jenny Dickson said, “White nose syndrome continues to have a catastrophic effect on bats. Just three short years ago, one of Connecticut’s largest hibernacula had over 3,300 wintering bats. This year fewer than a dozen remain — all but one showed active signs of WNS. The outlook for their survival is grim.” The DEP says visits to other winter hibernacula — caves and mines where bats hibernate — revealed similar mortality rates. The white fungus afflicts hibernating bats and seems to spread quickly throughout a colony. The disease alters sleeping patterns of hibernating bats, causing them to use up stored fat reserves before winter ends. The bats are then too weak to survive, or they attempt to re-enter the environment too early in the spring, seeking food, and perish. The DEP wants to hear from people about changes in the number of bats they are seeing or even about bat colonies that once existed and do not return to their previous homes. Call 860-675-8130 or email Wildlife Technician, Christina Kocer at christina.kocer@ct.gov.

I’m off to loll in the springtime sun and ponder next week’s column. Don’t forget to…. Read me again.