March arrives...

It's March and what appears to be the beginning of Mud Months in Maine.

We have had several days of "warm" weather - high 30's, even low 40's.  Cloudy damp days, drizzle or sleet-ish precipitation off and on during the day, turning to snow showers in the evenings.  We awake to find a slight cover of new snow on the deck, which melts away during the day.  We're making plans for adding paving stones to what an overly generous description might call the "path" between our back deck and the driveway.  Currently the "path" is basically mud, and to get from the house to the car, we - and I include Ella here, who seems not to want to get her feet muddy - try to walk along the edge of the backyard where there is still some leftover snow piled up.  I think I may soon need to get out my rubber boots.  I have a feeling they will be getting a lot of wear.

Meanwhile, life proceeds.  An art gallery in nearby Belfast is holding a show during March for local artists.  Anyone living within 30 miles of Belfast (we live about 25 miles from there) could enter up to 3 works of art, paying a registration fee of $5 per work.  David entered 3 of the cigar-box guitars he has been making.  The show openings were this past Thursday and Friday evenings.  If works are purchased, the gallery takes some percentage of the sale price, of which they are donating a substantial portion to a local food bank, I think.  We attended one of the openings and I took some photos.  First, a couple showing  2 of David's guitars hanging among other works:

Next, the third of David's guitars hanging below the only other musical instrument submitted to the show, a fiddle:

Finally, a close up:

This afternoon we plan on attending a local "Meet Your Farmers & Fishermen Fair" where local farmers and fishermen will have information available about CSAs (community supported agriculture) and similar "shares"of fishermen's catches.  

I'm including below a link to this week's column in The Free Press by Eva Murray.  (She's the writer living 23 miles off shore on Matinicus Island.  I mentioned her in an earlier post; David and I have attended a local "reading" where she read from her latest book about one room schools.)  I love this latest column in particular because it conveys such a feeling of what I have found Rockland in particular, and Midcoast Maine in general, is like to live in.    

http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?ArticleID=24681&SectionID=50&SubSectionID=72

Okay, got to go put more suet in the suet cage.

Here's to blue skies and peace.