This is Chunk, the Golden Retriever who went missing on an Ocean County beach only to be rescued 16 days later. He's home with his family now and continues to be an extremely good boy. / Photo courtesy Marie Puzio Zangara

New Jersey, have I mentioned lately how gorgeous you are?

I mean, sometimes, things get crappy out here -- old favorites fade away, we find new ways to hurt each other, and tragedy comes like a horror in the night. Life can suck.

And then all of a sudden it's late June, and every hydrangea bush in the state decides to bloom at once, the garden begins putting forth fragrant basil and little yellow tomato flowers, the zucchini and blueberries swell and darken, and a dog named Chunk emerges, soaking wet, from the salty Barnegat Bay to remind us it's good to go home.

The wayward Golden Retriever went missing on a trip to the beach with his family and was gone for 16 days before a group effort involving a pair of runners, a fisherman who tried to help and got a bite instead (I'm sure Chunk is very sorry) and, finally, two state troopers in a boat, reunited him with his very worried family.

Fortunately, the fisherman didn't hold the bite against Chunk. He plucked the pooch's collar from the water, called the number he found on the tags, and soon, Marie Puzio Zangara was on her way to bring Chunk home.

“(Chunk) loves to swim and play and fetch a ball — that’s pretty much his favorite thing to do,” Zangara said.

Same, Chunk. Same.

Was that the biggest, most consequential news NJ.com journalists brought you last week? Probably not. But life in New Jersey isn't just about corruption and crime and people being problematic. It's also figuring out which beach is best, helping folks get their refrigerator fixed, and seeing which town is getting the good fried chicken. (Sadly, not mine.)

Our subscribers help make all of that happen. You're one of us, right?

Also this week, a milestone in the fight against COVID, Internet commenters use their powers for good, the Isley Brothers are celebrated, what a blood shortage means, and even more good news for dogs:

BIG, AND TRUE: On Thursday, for the first time in 11 months, no one died of COVID-related causes in a New Jersey hospital. We've lost so many, and some people -- nearly all unvaccinated -- continue to get sick. But that one very good day counts, so let's accept it with gratitude.
COMMENT CRASH: Internet commenters get a lot of flak, and usually with good reason. But here's a story about one comment on a Reddit thread that set off a chain reaction of giving so strong it crashed the charity's site. We love to see it!
FOR THE LOVE OF YOU: Jersey's own Ron and Ernie Isley spent some time in Teaneck and Englewood, which each honored the Isley Brothers with streets named Isley Brothers Way in recognition of their achievements in music, the arts and making the songs all your favorite rappers sampled from. Respect.
BLOOD SHORTAGE: If there's any good news to be found in a worst-in-decades blood shortage, it's the knowledge that a.) it's a sign of folks following up on those elective procedures they put off for COVID, and b.) you have the power to help fix it. Please give blood if you're an eligible donor.
DOGS REJOICE: Depending on what kind of neighbors you have, I'm either happy or sorry to tell you there's a fireworks shortage happening. Professional pyrotechnics shows should be OK, but those multi-packs you're seeing in stores now likely won't be replaced once they're snapped up.

Finally, last week we talked about a situation in Randolph, where the school district was struggling with its holiday calendar. First, they replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Then they removed all holiday names from the calendar to avoid having to decide between Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. People like to be mad at stuff.

After an uproar and a four-hour meeting Monday night, they reversed course: Columbus Day stays, and too bad for Indigenous Peoples. That'll fix everything!

P.S.: A dangerous intersection, a young driver with a history of traffic violations, and a family looking for answers. A heartbreaking read, worth your time.