A Letter from the Publisher - Issue 119

Rockland, Maine

Let There Be Light!

As far as I’m concerned the Maine equivalent to “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” is “It’s not the cold, it’s the dark.” From November on, it’s too damn dark. (The stars are nice, though.) Daylight Savings Time began on March 11 this year, and I say hurray for that. I’m sure there are those who find this shift a hardship, and I feel your pain, but…. I’ll be leaving work in the daylight. I’ll be skiing in the daylight. I’ll be fishing in the daylight. I’ll be doing outdoor chores in the daylight. I’ll be sailing in the daylight. You get the picture; I’m tickled to be in the bright outdoors after being in an office all day. You can only do so much while wearing a headlamp. April and May bring spring to much of the rest of the country, but these months can bring “too much” to us in Maine: too much snow, too much rain, too much wind. But at least we’ll be dealing with all that too much in the daylight. With this light come the first of the flowers, the first green shoots in the garden, the first songbirds. Soon this light will bring the first newly launched boats. It’s the boat nut’s version of photosynthesis (boatosynthesis?), and it makes my sap run. The first bright days make me almost scream to get out on the water. I’ve learned that a small boat that can be easily launched and retrieved is the best for this time of year. I’ve got a new pea pod to try. So let there be light.