Signs of spring: Claudia Coffin called me to alert everyone that nomination papers are available for town elected offices: one selectman, two planning board members, and one school committee member, all three-year terms; one town clerk, one town treasurer, one tax collector and one road commissioner, all one-year terms. The deadline for returning nomination papers is Tuesday, March 31, by 5 p.m. The signatures of no fewer than 25 (and no more than 100), registered Edgecomb voters are needed.

The Lincoln County Animal Shelter has seven hounds of various persuasions to place in friendly forever homes. Red tick, blue tick, a foxhound mixed breed, two plot hounds, and a Jenny Walker hound. What is a plot hound? I expect LCAS is glad it doesn't have any of the 73 guinea pigs that mysteriously bloomed from an original five, who are now at Kennebunk's Animal Welfare Society shelter. LCAS recently joined forces with Damariscotta's Animal House, for an event featuring several Edgecomb shelter animals.

Bravo Boulevard: Karen Brown, Hannah Elder and Arden McSwain are all on UMaine-Orono's fall semester dean's list. Johanna Neeson is on Lincoln Academy's debate team, which recently came in first overall at the Maine State Debate Meet at Lewiston High School. Johanna, a junior, placed second at the junior varsity level for Lincoln-Douglas style debating. Meanwhile, on the teaching end of things, Susie Stephenson has recently presented a session on rug-hooking for Spectrum Generation in Damariscotta. Hurray for you all!

Oh, and on March 14, when Nancie Atwell sets forth to Dubai to the Global Education and Skills forum, when the winner of the Varkey GEMS Foundation's Global Teacher Prize, we will all wish her a safe journey and the best of luck.

Meanwhile, back on Cross Point Road, the Center for Teaching and Learning will have a second open house Sunday, March 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. Come and find out what Nancie Atwell and her staff and family have achieved since CTL was founded in 1990! Call Scott MacDonald, head of school, at 207-882-9706 to find out more, or visit www.c-t-l.org.

Get out on the trails for a guided walk with the Boothbay Region Land Trust's Nature Hike series meets throughout the year and visits a different preserve each time for a moderately paced hike averaging two miles in length. On Tuesday, March 3, starting at 10 a.m., you can explore the Zak Preserve, on the boundaries of Edgecomb and Boothbay, entrance on Route 27. This series of hikes is free, and advance registration is not required. Go to BRLT's website or call them at 207-633-4818 for more information.

So, blizzard #2 missed us, seemed to go all around the Midcoast. But here we are, all still surrounded by huge mounds of shoveled and plowed snow, and trackless wastes of white spreading from our icicle-fringed windows, while people are up on roofs breaking up ice dams and raking off the heavy snow. The upstairs bathroom window at 234 River Road looks like prison bars. Encouraging tropical zephyrs to swirl around 234 River Road, 207-633-2978, and jocam@tidewater.net.