The other day, I stopped to wish Ms. Pigette a Merry Christmas.

She thanked me, returned the favor, then ordered me to fish her smartphone out of the packed ice that had imprisoned her feet. I don’t know how she acquired a new iPhone 11, and I don’t intend to ask her about it.

She sort of thanked me with a snort and immediately called the Maine Department of Transportation to complain about the snowplow drivers who sent cascades of ice and mud in her face.

Now, as she holds up a mailbox on the side of the only highway off our peninsula, it stands to reason that she might get pummeled during a snowstorm.

Still, I am sure she gave the phone-answering person at MDOT a piece of her mind.

And I am sure she got as much satisfaction from them as my neighbor gets when he complains that town public works plow drivers create a near solid ice dam across the bottom of his driveway. Things happen.

Sometimes, we get all bent out of shape at the little things and forget all the good stuff.

When Mother Nature dumps several feet of snow on us, the state and local snowplow guys are up way before the sun clearing the roads so we can get to work or school.

In our neighborhoods, we are fortunate to have them. We are also lucky our town leaders have provided them enough first-class equipment to do their job. It doesn’t hurt that we have very few roads that require plowing. It is not like a city where there are lots of side streets that never see a public snowplow.

I explained that to Ms. P. She was not impressed and answered with a double snort.

“So, smart old news guy, when are you heading for the southland to escape the snow and ice? Are you going to the Islands, or Hilton Head or Key West?”

When I told her we were spending the winter in beautiful Boothbay Harbor, she gave me another double snort.

“Why would you stay here, in the cold when you could kick back on some tropical island digging your toes in the surf or tossing a fly at bonefish? Better yet, you could board one of those giant cruise ships and spend a few weeks kicking back, eating a lot and drinking way too much.”

“Ya,” I said. “I saw the news reports about folks getting sick on cruise ships. And I have a great deal of respect for the Atlantic Ocean in wintertime. No, not for me.

“As for bonefishing, that sounds like fun. Maybe I will try it sometime.

“No, Ms. Pigette, I am perfectly happy to spend the winter here. You remember I spent most of my life in a large city. It was a nice city with lots of stuff to do. We had many good friends and still keep in touch with them, but there is just something special about living on the Maine coast.”

She just shook her head –and that is a feat for a pig who was carved out of a hunk of wood.

“I think I might like to go to a spa for a couple of weeks. You know, breakfast in bed, massages after lunch and a lovely pinot before, during and after dinner,” she said.

“No. Not me. Not my style. I am more the eat local kind of guy. I explained we had a lovely birthday dinner at the Thistle Inn the other night. And the inn was packed with folks from away eating after visiting the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Aglow light show. People were smiling and happy, and no one mentioned politics. If you want to know why I like it here in the winter, just go to the Thistle for an evening and enjoy the smiling patrons and staff.”

Then I told her about the best thing I had seen all winter. It was when the local chamber of commerce partnered with Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library to welcome old Santa Claus and his bride to town.

After arriving by boat, Santa sat in the library and invited the wide-eyed kiddies to tell him what they wanted for Christmas. As they left, they and their parents did not know they were about to get a surprise.

“You see, the library staff had wrapped and sorted books for all. They handed out 133 books to 133 smiling children, and no one ordered them to do that. They just did it because they love kids. Isn’t that what the Christmas season is all about?

“That, Ms. Pigette, is why we are staying home for Christmas,” I said.

“OK, OK, I get it,” she said.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.