After a very long winter, spring has arrived on the island in a flurry of crocuses and daffodils. Covid-19 has meant an island life even quieter than usual, with most people staying home throughout the winter except for necessary forays to the grocery store or medical appointments. We will look back on it as a winter of cancellations–no potlucks, no church services, no holiday parties with half the island crammed into someone’s living room. But it has also been a time of neighbor helping neighbor, whether it’s lending a hand with shoveling, checking in to see who needs a pickup at the grocery store, or driving a friend to a medical appointment. Although there have been no services at our little white church, volunteers continue to ring the church bell at noon every Sunday, just to signal that we are here and available for help if anyone needs it.
Fortunately, life is slowly returning to normal. Most residents are now vaccinated and many are once again heading to the mainland for lunch at one of the open restaurants or for the simple pleasure of wandering around Reny’s. Construction is booming and before long summer people will be rumbling across the bridge that connects us to the mainland. There are no “good” places to wait out a pandemic, but if it has to be done, there are certainly worse places than on a small island in Maine.