A Peaks Island Conumdrum

It's Easter weekend, the rain and thunder have passed, the fog has descended but somewhere to the west, the sun is trying to shine upon us all.

Yet, the annual Peaks Island dilemma has descended on me; to put the shovels of winter's snows away or leave them out for one last potential winter storm. That is the annual question which has no definitive answer. If you believe in the "butterfly effect" as I do, then making an incorrect decision will have a large impact on someone somewhere. I definitely remember one Easter Sunday driving back to Connecticut from Massachusetts and sitting perfectly still on the Mass Turnpike with no one going anywhere while 18" of snow filled the highway. It was nice just standing around chatting with your neighbor watching some light snowball fight breaking out while everyone just sat there until the plows cleared the way.

In New England and especially in Maine there is never a statewide news broadcast announcing the end of winter and the beginning of spring. There is always that overlap between the two when the first warm days spread over us bringing us the delusion that winter has ended. And always, year after year, there seems to be one last blast of cold along with a day of snow/sleet/hail/freezing rain to let us know we jumped the gun again one more time.

I always figure if I leave the shovels out that one last winter's day will pass us by but if I make the decision too early to put them away we'll all pay a price. Now, how can I impose that on my fellow Islanders so if you're out walking and pass a house with the shovels still out there on the back porch and it's sunny and 55 degrees, just give a wink and a nod for you'll know why they're still there. Happy Easter everyone!!