I feel we have come to a point during this pandemic where we, well, most of us, know how to safely celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and the good things that are offered to us on the coast of Maine.

In meteorological terms, we have just passed the dead of winter – usually from Jan. 10 to Feb. 10 when the weather is traditionally the coldest (according to weathergamut.com) – and, personally, I have come to accept that it is winter (a hard thing for me to do each year) and will now enjoy the snow scenery and not grumble every time it snows. Robert Mitchell’s photo this week of Hendricks Head Light and the snow-covered landscape shows us just one example of the beauty of this region, even in winter. Take a walk (watch out for the ice below the snow!) and take in the scenery.

Boothbay Region YMCA has just released its winter program guide for March 1 through April 24 and has begun submitting a regular column to this newspaper highlighting what is going on there as we move toward spring. Each of the listings of programs, whether it’s in the pool, in the gym, on the track/tennis courts, etc., explains the precautions being taken and what protocols need to be adhered to, to safely hold the programs. Good to see they are springing to life again.

Groups, organizations and people are planning for better things come spring and summer. Planning doesn’t hurt and though plans may change and events may once again be canceled, it is nice to hear that life is proceeding, however cautiously, to return to some normalcy. You can read about some of these positive efforts in this issue – and hopefully in the issues to come.

In order to return to “normalcy,” we must continue to be diligent about staying safe. Hopefully the COVID-19 vaccinations will ramp up in the coming months and our celebrations of life’s events will be even greater.