Daily Five: Can You Adopt This Dog, Mystic Irish Parade Countdown

1. Did you know the first day of spring is this week? I wish the weather would start acting like it. Here is today's forecast, from our friends at the National Weather Service:

• Today: Rain and sleet, becoming all rain after 3pm. High near 44. Breezy, with a east wind 17 to 22 mph becoming southwest 7 to 12 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
• Tonight: A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a slight chance of snow showers between 11pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Breezy, with a west wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

2. Stonington Animal Control has one dog available for adoption, Brandy. According to the listing on Petfinder, "Brandy is a young adult female pit bull.  She is timid at first but very affectionate once she realizes you aren't going to hurt her. Looking for a home with no cats." If you think Brandy is your forever dog, you can contact ACO Rae-Jean Davis at 860-599-7566 or email her at rdavis@stonington-ct.gov.

3. Let the countdown begin to the 10th annual Mystic Irish Parade, which is at 1 p.m., Sunday! Thousands upon thousands of green-wearin' spectators are expected. Here is some great parking information supplied by the parade organizers: "Downtown parking can be found at the 9 Water Street, this is were the parade ends and is signified by the staron the map above. Lots of additional smaller parking lots can be found along the parade route or on the many side streets along the route,please reference the map above for locations of side streets. Parking is also plentiful in the Olde Mistick Village parking lot however it is amile walk from there to the parade route." Remember, if you take photos at the parade, share them with Patch!

4. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal needs help populating his Facebook page with iconic Connecticut images. We've certainly got a lot of those in Stonington, Mystic and Pawcatuck! Here's the info: "Hit us with your best shot! We'd like to feature your favorite views of Connecticut. Please send your photos to photos@richardblumenthal.com. In your email, please provide your name, the photo's location, and confirm that we have your permission to use it."

5. Sign up begins this week for the 5th annual Stonington Weight Loss Challenge, sponsored by the Human Services department. Men and women ages 16 and up can sign up between now and April 4. The first weigh-in is April 17, the challenge begins April 24. It ends June 5. Contact Human Services for more information at (860) 535-5015.