2006 Just the facts

The closer you look back on 2006, the more you realize it's often the little things that make life interesting. Some random facts :

State House seat races in this year's election: 23. Democrats elected to those seats: 23.

CharlieCards distributed (through Dec. 21): 816,000.

Boston Archdiocese churches ordered closed whose parishioners refuse to leave: 5.

Patching material used to fill Boston potholes: 3,000 tons.

Indoor smoking violations issued at Boston establishments: 22 (through November).

Gallons of antibacterial hand soap purchased by Massachusetts General Hospital: 4,729. Doctors and nurses at the hospital: 6,000.

Miniature pencils used at the Boston Public Library: 10,000.

Adoptions from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center (through Dec. 6): 1,979 cats, 292 dogs, and 566 "other." (By the way, it takes about 600 pounds of dog food and 1,000 pounds of cat food per month to keep the guests happy.)

Fed to the animals at Franklin Park Zoo: 6,868 pounds of bananas and 608,000 crickets.

Visitors to the Arnold Arboretum: 250,000. Trees, shrubs, and vines added to the collection: 739.

Pieces of stained glass taken apart and refitted into Mount Auburn Cemetery's Bigelow Chapel window: 4,700.

Average height of 2006-2007 Celtics player: 6 feet, 6 inches. Average height of Celtics player on Red Auerbach's first championship team in 1956: 6 feet, 5 inches.

Peter DeMaro, Janice O'Leary, and Christine Junge contributed to this report.