It is the Easter season. For believers, it is a time for reflection, faith, worship and family.

In East Boothbay, many of the faithful will attend a sunrise service at Ocean Point. Somehow, standing on the shore while listening to the readings from the Good Book seems good for the soul.

It is not a lavish New York City-style Easter celebration. Somehow, it just feels right to feed the soul and body on an Easter morning. All are invited.

One of the region’s iconic figures will not be attending. Ms. Pigette tells me she has no quarrel with faith, the faithful and the teachings of the Good Book. She does oppose the usual Ester menu.

It seems she approves breakfast fare like toast, pancakes, and syrup. And she thinks it is great that many families gather for Easter dinner.

She does get a little squishy at the idea of serving bacon and ham. We all can understand her objections.

Like our other main holidays, like Christmas, New Year’s, Independence Day and Halloween, Easter has been commercialized to a fare-thee-well. We are bombarded with TV ads for Easter bonnets and Easter outfits. There are ads for Easter eggs to decorate, hide and hunt, chocolate bunnies with floppy ears to chew, and jelly beans to crunch by the handful. There goes the diet.

Easter time is also a time to celebrate the change of season. That means it just might be time to put away the snow shovels, the snow blower, get the grill out of the garage and begin the usual spring garden chores.

One sure sign of spring is when our local supermarket puts snow shovels, ice melt and ice scrapers on sale.

The last remnants of glacier-like ice on the Penny Lake woods trails have given way to gooey mud and deep sinkholes waiting to suck your boots from your ankles. There is a reason Mainers talk about the five seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter and mud.

We saw rain and sunshine over last weekend, and the weather wizards tell us the computer models say we will get lots more in the coming weeks.

Aside from the mud, I see the traditional signs of spring all over the neighborhood. Tulips and daffodils are poking their snouts through the garden’s leaves and leftovers. The male red-winged blackbirds have returned. You can hear them trilling and twittering in the marsh grasses as they ready a suitable nesting site for the return of “the girls.” We see hen turkeys running in a pack pursued by strutting Toms.

Best of all, our favorites, the osprey are back from the Southland.

At least one pair face a rebuilding project as state DOT workers pulled down the nest that for years has squatted on top of the Southport swing bridge.

Never fear, if the osprey want to live on the bridge, they will. Keep an eye out and you might see them decorate the top girders with limbs and twigs. It won’t take them long to weave a new nest to host momma and her clutch.

Despite government opposition, I suspect the osprey prefer to live on the bridge as it offers a splendid view of the neighborhood. This allows them to keep an eye on the occasional visiting bald eagle looking for lunch.

Despite all the noise we hear from our alleged leaders in the nation’s capital, the local populace is beginning to focus on hometown issues. We see yard signs urging the election of a new board of harbor selectmen. The early morning chatter in the Baker’s Way coffee shop has turned to questions about zoning.

This winter, much has been made about protecting the working waterfront and this is good. However, I seem to remember some good neighbors complaining about the noise, the traffic and smells created as other good neighbors worked to earn a living from the sea and shore.

The good news is that the pages of my favorite newspapers, the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper, are filled with ads offering summer jobs.

Yes, our U.S. Constitution guarantees certain rights, including a free press, but it does not subsidize the press. That is up to advertisers and those who purchase the paper.

So to all the dear readers who have spent a few moments slogging to the end of this offering, I offer a heartfelt thanks.

And, let me add, on behalf of all of us here at your hometown newspaper, may you all have a very happy and joyous Easter.