Dear Readers,

Today is good news day, and a chance to let our faithful summer visitors know what we have been doing while they are basking in the warm breezes of the Southland.

On Monday, the bright sun was streaming into the front windows, the deck was clear of snow and the turkeys have left the backyard for parts unknown.

Best of all, the temperature outside is about 50 degrees warmer this morning than it was last week.

Once again, the Patriots have muscled their way into the Super Bowl. The radio sports yackers are in a swivet as they celebrate the Pats 45-7 victory over the Colts as an event preordained by the Almighty Himself.

The Seahawks and the Lady Seahawks, our Boothbay Region High School basketball teams, are on a roll, although some sports wags (you know who you are) hope both teams will steam into the state tournament without a stumble. We all remember last year.

Gasoline, which cost about $3.51 a gallon last year, now is being sold for $2.14. That means if you put 15 gallons of regular in the family bus, you will save about 20 bucks.

As for the furnace, most of us heat with oil, and the state fuel office says heating oil is selling for $2.63 per gallon. That is about $1.20 less than last year. The state says it takes about 900 gallons of fuel oil to heat our homes for the winter.

If the price of gas and oil hold steady, it might provide a nice boost to the family budget.

In Augusta, the legislature is back in town and filling the hopper with all sorts of goofy bills, most of which will never see the light of day.

Gov. Paul LePage is proposing an overhaul of the state government and the state tax system. One thing we all are watching is a LePage proposal to cut income taxes (yea), but that may mean our property taxes will jump to make up the difference (boo).

Most expect the governor to hector his opponents on both sides of the aisle, but he will still have to deal with the legislature. This year's version has the Democrats running the House while the Republicans run the Senate. S o you can bet no one will get 100 percent of the items on their wish list.

The best bet is that they will yell at each other for a while, then cut a deal as the clock winds down on the 2015 session.

Locally, we are still housing state prisoners in Two Bridges Regional Jail, the facility we share (and fund) with our neighbors in Sagadahoc County. Last time we checked, the state pays us less to house a dangerous state offender than it costs to kennel your pooch. Something is wrong here, and we hope LePage, the legislature and our local officials will be able to come to a meeting of the minds.

No one likes to pay taxes, but someone has to pay for the roads and other state and municipal services, and the officials in Augusta still has to balance the budget. Stay tuned on this one.

The Hannaford supermarket in Boothbay Harbor is being remodeled. They are even providing helpers to aid customers having trouble finding their favorite items.

As much as some folks complain about the store's limited inventory, we are all glad it is still open and the chain's managers are willing to spend money on improvements.

We are blessed to have a handful of daring business owners keeping restaurants open year-round. I am sure they would all love to have you visit them for a meal.

The same goes for other year-round stores. If I have my preference, I will buy something from a local merchant, even if an item is a nickel cheaper at a big box store located some 30 miles away.

Over at the Boothbay Harbor Country Club, the big yellow machines are pushing a lot of dirt around creating a new entrance, while the concrete workers are pouring the foundation for the new clubhouse.

Meanwhile, the old Kenniston Hill Inn looks just fine sitting on a lot across the street from its old location.

So far, the winter of 2014-2015 has been pretty good.

Keep your fingers crossed.