Sun, 03/23/2025 - 5:48pm

Ed O’Brien

The Sun rises over Lincolnville (Photo by Lynda Lilywhite)

The Sun rises over Lincolnville (Photo by Lynda Lilywhite)

Saturday felt like the first real day of Spring — it wasn’t exactly warm, but the sun was bright, and the breeze light. The last little bits of icy snow stubbornly hang on in the corners of this old place, but in the garden beds, the first green shoots are pushing through. Crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, and tulips will soon bloom in their regular spots, splashing the dooryard with color.

My wife, Tracee, had made a list. She is not the type of woman who creates “honey do” lists; no, her lists are for herself. She welcomes help, but will rarely ask for it, so I found myself assisting in the packing of her truck bed with yellow bags and recycling destined for the dump, bags of bottles for the bottle shed at LCS.

If you don’t know, over by the tennis courts, there is a shed where you can donate your returnables, the funds used for the 8th grade class trip. They are going to Quebec City this year.

Tracee recently made good on her promise that, once our first child gets their license, she is giving up the minivan in favor of a pickup. After all these years, she finally got a vehicle that she wanted.

So our date on a Saturday morning took us to the dump and on to Home Depot, for a new hose, cleaning accoutrements, a staple gun “which actually works.” I will note that Home Depot on the first sunny Saturday in Spring seemed to draw in a lot of middle aged couples. It is Spring, and there are projects to start.

After Home Depot, we had to grab a few more things at Reny’s, where the shoppers trended a bit older, mostly women north of 60, all chatting with each other like the old friends I am sure they are.

Reny’s really is one of my favorite stores, it just feels so familiar and friendly, and I swear most of their staff have been there forever. Or at least since 1980 or so, when the one in Camden opened up, after the IGA moved out to its new location up the road, and is now known as Hannaford's.

I always have a difficult time following my wife’s line of thinking; her brain works on a whole different level. When it comes to household chores, I need specifics — what clear action do I need to take — while she jumps easily from task to task to task.

In the time I had hauled the shop vac out of the loft and vacuumed a winters worth of sand out of my Honda, she had hooked up all the hoses, located and fixed the gap in the backyard fence where Conrad, our Houdini of a dog, keeps freeing himself, and shored up the chicken yard (the new staple gun worked like a charm).

We worked together to wash the cars, which themselves suggest our differences. Her new big red Chevy 4x4 versus my little Honda Civic, with its manual transmission. Not sure what exactly our choice in vehicles say about each of us, but it must be something.

We got the pellet grill going, after Tracee had taken it apart and figured out why it kept overheating. Another skill I completely lack, and am completely satisfied being the one to cook with it, leaving her to the maintenance.

I happily accepted the next task, to hit the grocery store (Belfast Hanaford — it is bigger, and I am less likely to run into people I know). I don’t generally love shopping, but I make an exception for groceries. In addition, by doing this, I avoided the next item on Tracee’s list, tackling the chicken house itself. In what I am sure was part of a financial arrangement, she enlisted our youngest child, and by the time I arrived home with bags of food for the week, the chicken house had been cleaned out, and fresh shavings were put down for the dinosaurs.

By now it was mid afternoon, and Tracee was headed toward exhaustion, but had decided that new shavings needed to be purchased, and dragged Ma out with her to Aubuchon, the place to get everything small farm related.

My own enthusiasm for choring done, I grabbed a book and headed into the greenhouse, where the afternoon sun had warmed it to a balmy 75 degrees. Sunday’s supper slowly smoked in the pellet grill, and I lost myself in the comfort of a story. Until the text came through. “Your mother is eating POPCORN in my truck!”

I imagined the exchange, my wife attempting to scold my mother for dropping popcorn in her new truck, while my mother responded with the “I do what I want” attitude afforded 80 year old matriarchs.

Two incredibly strong and independent women, both who bore three children, put up with emotional husbands, volunteer for this town, and keep this old farmhouse running.

Could I get more lucky?

Benefit Supper

Next Saturday, March 29, there will be a benefit supper and music at the Lincolnville Community Building, to benefit Lincolnville resident, Kim Moran, whose home burned flat this winter. The supper, with musical acts directed by Rosey Gerry, will run from 5-7. There is no charge, but donations are encouraged. Contact Heidi Perkins, (207) 930-9247, with any questions.

If you are new in town, this is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, and take part in our long tradition of helping each other out while breaking bread.

PTO Book Sale:

Never to be idle long,the LCS Parent Teacher Organization is collecting donations of books in good condition for their first annual book sale on April 12 and 13. Books can be dropped off at the LCS entryway during regular school hours. Reach out at pto.lincolnvillecentralschool@gmail.com with any questions. Proceeds from the sale will go to LCS Library programming and to establishing a Little Free Library at the school.

So Sunday is dawning with a bit more breeze, but the early morning sun is shining. I doubt winter is completely done with us, but that is only to be expected, and should snow arrive again, it will not be here long.

The perennials are emerging, the streams are flowing, and the Spring peepers will not be far behind, reminding us just how many frogs exist among us.

Reach out to me at ceobrien246@gmail.com. Be kind and do good work.

Municipal Calendar

Monday, March 24

Select Board, 6 p.m. Town Office

Tuesday, March 25

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

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Lakes and Ponds Committee, 7 p.m. Town Office

Wednesday, March 26

Planning Board, 6 p.m. Town Office

Friday, March 28