Calverton: Riley picture day and science fair coming soon

I hope you all had the opportunity to take last Friday off, when it was 77 degrees! I spent the entire day outside, happily absorbing the warmth. It felt so great to be toasty from the sun. My daughter Jamie came home for the weekend and we spent some time with our newest little sweetheart, Julia, who, at 3 months, is amazing. We also watched the incredible moonrise Saturday night and were totally in awe. Our honeybees on the farm have wintered quite well, with only a few hives not surviving. All in all, our bee guy, Ernie, is very happy with the little critters. I simply love going to the hives and seeing them return with their treasures. Sometimes they land on you, but they’re gentle and make you smile. One of our most loved friends, the chipmunk, is back. He climbed out one day sooner than last year and is enjoying his treats.

Riley Avenue Elementary School is planning its annual science fair, which will be held on Thursday, April 7. Once again it promises to be a lot of fun. Each fourth-grader will submit a project. The rest of the students have the option to submit individual ideas and every class does a class project. Since there are so many great things to see, projects from students in grades K-2 grades will be on display from 5 to 6:15 p.m. and works by students in grades 3 and 4 will be on display from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Good luck to each and every one of you. Who knows, our next great scientist might be among our students.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade that was put on by the first-graders was a huge success. Some really amazing floats were made by these children. Great job, everyone.

Spring picture day at Riley will take place on Wednesday, March 30. May they all come out perfect.

The Riverhead Rotary Club’s annual spaghetti lunch and dinner was better than ever. We all enjoyed the tasty food they prepared and the friendliness, smiles and fun that always makes you want to come back year after year. A great job by a great group of women and men.

A very special hello to former Riverhead resident Wendy Drumm, who now lives in Tennessee. Wendy reads the News-Review faithfully and lets me know just how far ahead her growing season is compared to ours. We miss you, Wendy, but are glad you still read all about us up here.

You can now plant your peas, carrots, lettuce, and onions. Pansies can also be planted, as well as tulips, daffodils and other bulb plants. It is still March — which I find hard to believe ( I guess last Friday put me in May mode) — so don’t let tender annuals tempt you just yet. There is time, so be patient.

Well, I hope we all have sunny, warm days ahead of us. Take care, be safe and I shall talk to you next week. Bye.