Lots of leaf peepers have been visiting town from other areas of the country to take in the golden glow of October in Connecticut. I met one older couple from away who marveled at how kind and solicitous people seem to be in Connecticut –– a complete contradiction of the reputation Yankees have of being cold and taciturn.

“Tell me more about these kind and solicitous people,” I asked, wondering just who they had been talking to. “Oh, they seem to be everywhere, wandering around shaking hands and looking deeply into our eyes asking if there’s anything they can do for us,” they replied.

“Oh, those aren’t people,” I told them. “Those are politicians!”

They threw the front doors open at Lexington Gardens on one of those recent warm October days, allowing just anyone to wander in –– including politicians. This act of hospitality drew an unwelcome guest, however. A skunk wandered in the front door, looked briefly around, and turned left into the gourmet food section of the store. Needless to say, gourmet foods suddenly lost their popularity among the other shoppers in the store at the time. Store owner Tom Johnson directed people to the back of the shop, while the polecat sashayed around looking for bargains. Eventually, it left through the open front doors… “without buying anything,” Tom quipped.

Margot Hall wants to assure everyone that she is not retiring from her job as probate court judge. It seems that she has been getting comments from acquaintances about her plans to leave her post to spend more time with her family. “My children are grown and Bob sees enough of me already,” Margot responded, adding that she apparently has been confused with school board member Margaret Hull, who recently resigned from the Board of Education.

Nancy and Paul Doniger adopted a retired greyhound named Jade three years ago and say she is a wonderful pet, affectionate and good-tempered. They want everyone to know that more than 150 recently retired greyhounds from the Shoreline Star Racetrack will be available for adoption at an open house on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. The kennel is at 236 Evergreen Street in Bridgeport. For more information call 888-GO-DOG-GO, ext 342.

Carol and George Mattegat have learned that their son William, a career soldier, is being sent to Iraq. William and his wife just arrived in Germany when he got his new orders and will be shipping out soon. He was stationed in Bosnia during the conflict there, and now he will again be in the center of the military’s current action.

Everyone knows that Howard Lasher loves to read The Bee –– so much so that he gets it delivered to his office in Manhattan. Lately, the post office has been delivering all the papers for subscribers in Howard’s lower Manhattan neighborhood to him. He gets the whole bundle –– five papers –– I guess because Howard’s name is on the top paper.

Visitors to Newtown must think the town is living in a time warp. The banner for the October 4 Health Fair is still floating lazily over Queen Street.

Herb Rosenthal says he always feels right at home when he visits The Bee office. That’s because the smell of popcorn from The Bee’s popcorn machine is just like the Edmond Town Hall movie theater’s popcorn machine, which sits just outside his office doors.

When I’m driving in the parking lot at the Misty Vale Deli and General Store at 51 Berkshire Road, I no longer feel like I’m involved in lunar exploration. Until a few months back, the parking lot there was unpaved, and had become quite rutted, so much so that it seemed like four-wheel drive was needed to traverse the area. Now with new pavement in place and parking stripes painted on the lot, life is a lot simpler.

Reed Warner, son of Neil and Diane Warner, was recently a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The show will be aired in January, according to his mother, and, she noted, “He did win some money, but it wasn’t a million.”

The unseasonable thunderstorm that hit the area late Tuesday morning brought with it many lightning strikes, resulting in an electrical outage at Canaan House at Fairfield Hills, where town offices are located. For about one hour, the electricity to the building was out. Telephones did not function and computers did not work, according to Conservation Official Steve Driver. But after the Connecticut Light and Power Company made some repairs, electricity was restored and the lights came back on in the building by midday.

Speaking of lights, Diana Johnson says she is looking for volunteers to help get the strings of lights ready for the tree lighting ceremony at the Ram Pasture. Volunteers will be working on Monday from 9:30 am to noon in the old boardroom at the Booth Library, screwing thousands of bulbs into the strings. Anyone who can stop by and help for even an hour would be welcome. “We’re always looking for volunteers,” Diana said. “It’s good for the program and for the community.” It’s also good for your forearms.

Time for me to turn the lights out here, but I’ll be back next week, so be sure to…

Read me again.