While other holidays move up and down the week, Easter is always on a Sunday and Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. So this week, everything had to flow around this permanent midweek homage to our many blessings, at which the rare blessing of a postfeast nap is especially appreciated. Before any of us got to put our feet up, however, we had to spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday rushing around the office to meet some early holiday-induced deadlines. By the time you read this, I hope to be sleeping off my exertions of picking the wishbone clean.

The onset of cold weather makes all of us partial to naps. We are loathe to leave the warmth of home and fireplace. Maybe we won’t be venturing outside to hike the ten miles of Al’s Trail at the end of November, but we can attend a showing of colorful oil and acrylic paintings that bring the trail to life, as painted by Newtown Trails organizer Pat Barkman.

To those who do not already know it, Pat is more than an ardent hiker. She is also a skilled artist who has found much inspiration from scenes and wildlife along Al’s Trail. There will be an art show and sale of Pat Barkman’s paintings beginning Sunday, November 27, at Booth Library and continuing until Saturday, December 31. An opening reception will be held this Sunday from 2 to 4 pm, and “everyone is invited,” says Pat. Come see the paintings and enjoy a cup of punch and a cookie or two while you’re at it. That’s more than you’ll get along the real Al’s Trail this time of year.

If you read The New York Times on Tuesday, you may have noticed that Newtown’s own Mark Dennen was quoted in a story on business travel. Mark travels about 5,000 miles a week as a VP with a semiconductor company, and he was upbeat about business travel, as he is about just about everything. “A lot of people complain about the airlines, that the seats are full and everything, but quite honestly they’re paying virtually nothing in fares,” Mark told The Times. “Everybody has that WalMart mentality right now. I travel all the time, and I rarely get stuck.”

More than 500 GE employees and retirees, including Francois DeBrantes, Karen Seras and Connie Sullivan of Newtown, volunteered for this year’s United Way community project, which was helping to build five homes for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Bridgeport.

I bet the Board of Education is tempted to call Habitat for Humanity for a little of its can-do attitude for the Hawley heating, ventilation and air conditioning renovation project. The town seems to be struggling with a plan for proceeding with the project. The confusion continued at last week’s Legislative Council meeting when Hawley staff, parents, residents, and the Board of Education showed up at Booth Library for the meeting only to find out the meeting was actually being held at the Senior Center in Sandy Hook. The confusing start to the much-awaited meeting may have been a bad omen as the HVAC project was voted down by the council later that evening.

Mike Storms is looking for members of the NHS Class of 1996 to plan the tenth reunion. Mike says anyone who hasn’t already contacted him should email him at MikeStorms2000@yahoo.com. Everyone will be contacted once the committee has a plan.

Newtown Postmaster Paul Marciniak says the postal service is assisting in the delivery of phone cards through the Bradley Air National Guard base in Hartford to members of the armed forces during the holiday season. Phone cards help those in the military call home and make great gifts. The postmaster says that even if you don’t know someone in the military, the postal service will make sure they get to the troops. Phone cards in various denominations can be purchased at the post office.

Moviegoers at Edmond Town Hall this past Saturday night must have wondered about all of the glittery garbed young women and men traipsing up to the Alexandria Room. It turns out high-rollers Elisa Van Buskirk and Alana Wenick celebrated their 18th and 17th birthdays, respectively, with a Las Vegas-style casino night for all of their friends. Don’t worry, no one gambled away their college tuition. It was just chips.

Time for me to cash in my chips for this week, but I’ll be back, so be sure to…

Read me again.