Today at 2 pm, the Edgecomb Historical Society meets at the Town Hall, to examine our collections in the loft. Come join us!

Parents Alert! Call the Edgecomb Eddy School, 882-5525, to sign up for screening for either Kindergarten (child must turn 5 by Oct. 15) or First Grade. Kindergarten screening will be May 2; First Grade screening will be on April 29, beginning at 12:30 p.m.

The Edgecomb Eddy School PTC is auctioning off the Old Eddy School's Cedar Works set of playground equipment to benefit the new school. Minimum bid: $1000 (lists at $4500.) Bids can be placed with Ann Poole, 633-2228, or Lisa McSwain, 633-4965 no later than May 1. The playset must be removed from the old school property by June 1. The set includes two climbing structures, wavy slide, monkey bars and many other features. Wander over to the Old Eddy School to see it in place, or for digital photos, send an e-mail to ann@woodenbobbins.com.

Bob and Cindy Brown's Circumnavigation of the Nation, Part 1: Left the Lily Pond area Dec. 26 in 16 inches of snow, so first hour of the trip was getting out of the driveway. Heavy traffic all the way down the eastern shore to Florida. After thawing out on the west coast of Florida, they went across US 10 by way of Fort Pickens, and the air museum in Pensacola, toured the home of Jefferson Davis in Biloxi, Mississippi, across Louisiana bayous to Texas. Visited Space Center Houston - a big disappointment; an oil rig off Galveston which has been converted into a museum - highly recommended! Another unexpected pleasure, the Houston Ship Channel boat tour. Down to Corpus Christi, toured the Fulton Mansion (home of a buddy of the Texas King family) in Rockport, the Aransas wildlife reserve and the Padre Islands; along the Rio Grande to camp in Big Bend National Park, admired the King Ranch (pared down to 845,000 acres from an original 1.2 million!), but dismayed at the state of that legendary river, now a mere muddy trickle! And aghast at the stark contrast, easily visible, from prosperous America over to desperately poor northern Mexico. Tune in next column!

Barry Johnston woke up one morning a couple of weeks ago to find that someone had nudged Spring along by adorning fence posts and mailboxes along Cross Point Road with artificial flowers! "Thanks!" he says, on behalf of all his bored-with-winter neighbors, "Just the lift we all needed!"

Super Sign of Spring Department: "Tex" Blake reports the arrival of her grandchild Isabella Blake Parlin of Jefferson, on March 15! Weighed in at 7 pounds 2 ounces. Welcome, Isabella! Tex was observing a lone hen turkey out her kitchen window as I spoke with her.

She also wants y'all to know the Edgecomb Flea Market hopes to open Saturday, May 17, weather and field conditions permitting. If you want to set up a table, call Tex or John for a reservation at 882-7295.

As threatened last week, I will remind everyone: The Edgecomb Town Meeting will be Saturday, May 17, from 10:00 am until done, at the Edgecomb Eddy School auditorium, followed by Dedication ceremonies for the new school at 4:00 pm. Elections, however, as usual, will be at the Town Hall the day before, Friday, May 16, from 1:00 to 7:00 pm. There will be a quiz next period.

Enjoyed a poem by Suzanne R. Stronghart who lives Sheepscot-side, on page 2 of the Coastal Journal for April 10. Hope she won't mind if I sign off with the last few lines of it:

"This is the Nature of War this
Last Day of March.

Earth is mud. Earth is dust.

Mix mud with dust. Make productive soil.
Commonground we can call

One World."

Waxing poetic from 234 River Road, 633-2978, bonesukl@midcoast.com. This column appears in The Boothbay Register, The Lincoln County News, The Wiscasset Newspaper, and at www.Edgecomb.org.