Once again, Mother Nature pulled a fast one on us.

Last week, she pulled the clouds away and let the rays of a warm spring-like sun begin melting the glacier at the bottom of the driveway. On Route 27, Lester Spear's crystal ice palace began to sag a bit. Almost like magic, a flock of finicky finches swarmed the back deck feeder; squirrels, big and little, grey and red, challenged them for the seeds, as a pair of eagles soared overhead.

On Monday, reality set in. Those of us who put the puffy L.L.Bean jackets in the back closet had to fish them out again. Brrrr.

Sure, we know our long winter is nearly over. Yes, we began our spring chores by turning the clocks forward and switching out the smoke detector batteries. But no, come Monday, we woke up to find Mother Nature has not banished Old Man Winter from the neighborhood – yet.

As the snow-covered fields morph into mud and ice retreats from the pond, we know it won't be long before the spring peepers begin their froggy love songs.

Best of all, there is hope on the horizon for more than the forest critters. For the first time in a year, we have reason to smile.

More than 300,000 of us – more than one in five Mainers – have gotten vaccinated against Mr. COVID-19.

Here in Boothbay Harbor, where LincolnHealth has set up a clinic at the YMCA field house, more than 4,200 of us received the first of two shots of vaccine. About 2,000 got both.

According to a Lisa Kristoff report in my favorite newspapers, the Boothbay Register and the Wiscasset Newspaper, few have had a bad reaction to the vaccine. A sore shoulder and a bit of a headache are a small price to pay for the chance to escape the clutches of Mr. COVID.

Our national leaders pledge to have enough juice on hand to vaccinate most of us by the end of May. We hope so, as that might mean we could be able to resume our lives without fear of catching the bug.

The White House's current occupant says he has hope that this year’s July 4th holiday will be a milestone, a time when we can gather in the back yard, open the grill, incinerate some burgers and welcome the family. Best of all, he said we might be able to gather, lose the masks, and hug the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.

On this peninsula, much of our livelihood depends on tourists longing for our gorgeous geography, succulent seafood and famed hospitality. We see a few signs of hope on that front, too. Scott Larson and his Midcoast Hospitality group have put out the help wanted sign looking to hire workers to help tourists enjoy his top-shelf properties: Newagen Seaside Inn and the Linekin Bay Resort. He is not the only business owner looking for help. Restaurants, both those that tried to stay open and those that locked the doors, are sweeping out the kitchens and cleaning the grease traps in anticipation that tourist dollars will visit and keep them afloat.

Don't forget to check out the help wanted ads in this newspaper, too.

Also, schools across the nation may be able to open. Opening classrooms will bring joy to both teachers and parents who spent the last year inventing and re-inventing the ways to educate the next generation. I suspect their efforts to teach/learn via laptop will pay big dividends in the future for us all.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Congressional Democrats passed a nearly two trillion dollar COVID relief package. They say it is designed to help the nation, states, municipalities and all of us. At least that is what they say it will do.

The 600-page long COVID relief bill is tough to unravel for an ordinary Joe like me. They say millions of us will get a check, and we all could use a few extra dollars.

Last summer, Republicans kept mum about the national debt as they passed a massive tax cut for fat cats. Today, they complain that a relief package designed to help ordinary folks is too expensive.

Florida Republicans can't make up their minds either. Senator Rick Scott urged states to refuse the federal dollars as Gov. Ron DeSantis said his state didn't get enough federal bucks.

Who is right? Who will benefit? You can get an opinion from anyone, so I guess we will have to wait and see.

Best to all. Stay safe.