Date: Fri 24-Nov-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

Mountain-Thanksgiving

Full Text:

MOUNTAIN FOR 11/24

Is there no one around who still believes in spoiling animals? If used to be

that we pets didn't have to be such beggars; table scraps were considered part

of our rightful compensation. But these days, everyone is concerned about

balanced pet nutrition and perfect pet behavior, so tables scaps are a thing

of the past. These days, trainers, pet shrinks, and various other experts on

behavior modification are paid to come in to keep us critters in our place,

curled up decorously by the hearth.

I'm sorry, I try to do my bit to fit in with this image of a perfect world,

but when there are so many good smells coming out of the kitchen, it's very

hard to keep myself off the kitchen counter and out of the giblets.

Marie Sturdevant is back at work in the first selectman's office this week

after surgery on her left thumb. Marie has to undergo a similar operation on

her right hand and originally considered doing both at the same time - that

is, until she started thinking about how difficult it would be to function

with both hands in casts for weeks. I suppose she went with her left hand

first so she could still wield a fork for Thanksgiving.

Over in the town clerk's office, Sue Shpunt told about the continuing saga of

her son, Jeremy, who is a student at Southern in New Haven. Last winter Jeremy

and his roommates lost many of their possessions when the apartment complex's

hired cleaning staff mistakenly emptied the boys' apartment between semesters

and threw everything away. At least Jeremy still had his computer because he

had taken it home with him over the holiday break. But his luck ran out this

month. A thief broke in and stole it.

Newtown Police Sergeant Henry Stormer called The Bee this week to announce

that he and Lois had a baby girl, Meghan Elizabeth, on October 15. Meghan is

the Stormers' third child. Their daughter Britanny is 7, and their son Austin

is 4. At first Henry reported that Meghan was over 12 lbs when she was born,

but overcoming the temporary confusion (brought on by sleeplessness, I'm sure)

he quickly amended that to be a more reasonable 8 lbs 2 oz. I guess Henry was

thinking about the size of the turkey they would be having for Thanksgiving.

After going over all the required details for the birth announcement, Henry

was asked whether he wanted to add anything else. "Well, I suppose I could ask

people to send money," he said. "Or if they don't want to do that, maybe they

would be willing to come over to the house to take the night shift with the

baby."

Advertising sales representative Bill Ross showed up at The Bee Monday morning

wearing his new and unusual Russian suspenders honoring the Beatles. He was so

proud of the braces that he took his jacket off to show everyone that the

Beatles were stamped on the leather piece in the back. No one could see what

he was talking about. We didn't want to tell him that perhaps he was wearing

the Emperor's New Beatles Braces. Bill soon figured out the problem. His wife

Jen had helped him put them on that morning, and between the two of them, they

had put them on inside out.

Even though The Bee didn't run a "Farthest Away" contest this year, many of

our readers took the newspaper on vacation with them anyway. (Since people

enjoy it so much, it looks like the contest will be back for 1996.)

INSERT PHOTO HERE

Lynn Roodhuyzen brought us this photo of herself and our Labor Day issue taken

in the mountains of Tibet in September. Lynn was traveling in that far-off

land learning what she could of the language and customs of the Tibetans. I'd

like to thank Lynn for taking Top of the Mountain to the mountains on top of

the world.

Beryl Harrison finally caught the last of the library cats - the seventh one.

The latest grey tiger was spayed on Monday and has joined another tiger and a

long-haired black cat at the Harrison home. Beryl and her husband, Jack, are

trying to slowly socialize them. But until that time, they are relegated to

the laundry room and bathroom. They seem to be fine hiding behind the washer

or toilet, said Beryl. But when the washing machine sprung a leak, the three

of them tried to squeeze behind the toilet. "It was a stack of cats _

something you would see in a Dr Seuss book," said Beryl. "It's too bad Steven

Kellogg doesn't like cats."

A big old black tom with a cauliflower ear used to hang out at the library,

but Beryl thinks someone must have taken him in because they hadn't seen him

for a about a year. When he did turn up recently, she had him neutered, put a

flea collar on him with a note that asked any new owner to call the library.

"I just want to make sure he has an owner," said Beryl. But maybe the adoptive

parents are afraid they'll get socked with a vet bill (which isn't the case).

Well, the two greys and long-haired black cats can be adopted by calling Beryl

at 426-4533.

Now that the Harrisons are housing feral cats, the Platt's Hill Road area is

just filled with wild animals. Last night Jack said he heard a coyote. That's

the kind of news that sends me a little closer to the hearth, which is where I

plan to stay until I come up with a plan for the perfect giblet heist. I'll be

back next week, when you can...

Read me again.