Today was finally a warm day, and the sun actually shone down. Easter Sunday for those who celebrate.

Growing up in a secular Christian family, Easter tended to be about the Bunny. I guess I just imagined a giant rabbit who would sneak into the house, maybe via the chimney, like Santa, and hide chocolate eggs and jelly beans all over place.

I remember leaving him a thank-you notes along with a couple carrots, one sharpened to a point so he could fend off the cats.

In the morning, one carrot would be chewed to a nub by big buck teeth, and the note would be signed with a dusty paw print, along with REAL bunny droppings. Proof.

Now there is a rumor that the bunny droppings may have been collected by a certain patriarch during his walks in the woods, and the paw print was made by a cat’s paw dipped in fireplace ash, but I dunno.

Easter in this climate means it is not unusual to have snow on the day.  I recall building a snow bunny with jelly beans for eyes. The early childhood Easter when we visited my grandpa up on Washington Street in Camden, to find the fresh snow of his back yard littered with colorful plastic eggs, without a track in sight. More proof of bunny magic. Or an old man chucking plastic eggs out his back door.

Whatever you believe, Easter announces Spring. Eggs and chicks and bunnies, the rebirth of the world after the cold sleep of Winter. 

I may or may not have been outside at dawn this morning, where colorful plastic eggs were found scattered all across the lawn and garden. The ground was spongy after all the rain, which was collecting in the roots of the perennial plants, preparing to burst forth. Several eggs were found hidden on that central garden plot, the one where only flowers and strange herbs grow, where the ashes which are all that remain of my father were spread. 

I go to church occasionally now, and I know the story and the miracle that it reveals. But, I’m sorry, it is also about the Easter Bunny for me — the Bunny and the fathers who help him…

Return of the Beach Store

I was a little late to the party, the reopening of the Beach Store. It was back in business over a week ago, once again slinging some of the most fantastic pizzas and sandwiches to be found on the Midcoast.

Matt Hohnan’s business was devastated by is winter’s floods, and now sports a new floor. Matt has purchased new equipment to replace what was lost, and is now the owner of a spiffy looking industrial bread mixer. I am a bit of a kitchen nerd, and I will admit I’m a little jealous.

Matt wasn’t around when I stopped by to pick up my pizzas Saturday night (pepperoni/pineapple, a combination passed down from my in-laws), but his employees were happy to show me the new equipment, and clearly pleased to be back at work. And I was told they have a contingency plan for the next flood. The dough mixer will survive.

So show your support for this local business. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with their selection of pizzas and sandwiches, and the necessary accompaniments of chips, beverages, and home-baked treats. They are open 7 to 7, Monday through Saturday. And they are just cool people.

Roadside Detritus

As what little snow we got this year has disappeared, and the plants are yet to spring to life, it is therefore glaringly obvious to those of us who walk our highways and byways just how inconsiderate those who drive our roads can be. Now I am sure the offenders are probably from some other town passing through, but man, there is a lot of trash piling up. Now my wicked little pup is happy to snap up a banana peel or half an egg sandwich (I protest, but she is often too quick for me, and has a sharper nose for road treats), but the cans, liquor bottles, coffee cups….

My Ma, getting her steps in by walking to work at the Lincolnville Historical Society, recently collected nine empty Bud Light cans and two empty 12-pack boxes in the Hollow, a tiny fraction of what is out there.

DON’T drink and drive, and throw your empties (soda or ice tea) in the back seat or truck bed, like a civilized human. If you must imbibe, save the Fireball nip for when you arrive safely in your own driveway. 

And that is what I have to say today. I hope everyone managed to get outside, if only for a little while. Visiting my in-laws in Dresden, there were a ton of very happy song birds in the trees. There are rumors of another storm this week, but I choose not to think about that as I type this in the late afternoon sun.

Pick up some litter from the side of the road, try a pineapple and pepperoni pizza, and as always, be kind, and look out for each other.

CALENDAR

Monday, April 1

School Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. Lincolnville Central School

Tuesday, April 2

Library open 3-6 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Meeting 12 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Wednesday, April 3

Library open 2-5 p.m. 

Friday April 5

AA Meeting 12 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Saturday, April 6

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Sunday, April 7

United Christian Church, 9:30 a.m. Worship, 18 Searsmont Road

Bayshore Baptist Church, 9:30 a.m. Sunday School, 11:00 worship, 2648 Atlantic Highway