The Midcoast's recurring strings of dark, chilly and often rainy days this spring have made the sunny Saturdays of late all the more welcome. Timing can be everything, for sports, fundraisers and more. Wiscasset Speedway's season started late, and ask any gardener or farmer how this spring has gone, and you, as we have, may hear it has been less than stellar.

The Garden Club of Wiscasset lucked out for its plant sale last Saturday and, fingers crossed at press time, the ones Morris Farm and Midcoast Humane have planned for this Saturday will also. The National Weather Service was predicting partial sun and 60-plus F.

What to do when the sky isn't blue? Put the ray in gray with these bright spots to visit on a dark day:

Wiscasset Public Library’s books can take you anywhere, maybe someplace warm, and to any time, fiction or non-fiction. Reading has no travel delay. And it can pass the time if your trip is delayed: The library on High Street opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and closes at 2 p.m. Saturday; 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Think Wiscasset Community Center, too. WCC sells day passes and family day passes Director Lisa Thompson said are popular year round. Call 882-8230 for prices and other details. But if you want to go on a Saturday, this Saturday, May 18, is the last chance til after Labor Day. Thompson said to help with costs, the center will be open weekdays only, starting Memorial Day weekend.

Unfortunate for users to lose Saturdays this summer, but kudos to the town for trying to help taxes be affordable.

And how about getting a jump on the dump, or transfer station as we call them now, because they are. A rainy, raw day may be no day at the beach, but it can free you up for one if you use it to run errands.

Week’s positive parting thought: Rain doesn’t have to be a bane if you use it to make gains.