Happy Valentine's Day! This unsteady weather may be causing you to have a case of "snow fatigue." Give yourself a pat on the back and some positive feedback, as well as putting a smile on a loved one's face.

Remember the childhood poem: "The North wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will poor Robin do then, poor thing? He'll sit in the barn to keep himself warm, and hide his head under his wing, poor thing." Our reckless robins that flew north much too early this year were far more proactive on a recent bitter windy day. Over 40+ cold and hungry Redbreasts converged onto our holly tree to strip it of the bright red berries. It looked like a gaily-decorated Christmas tree with animated ornaments! John went out and raked the snow off the holly bush for easier access.

For these birds, the situation of finding food is a desperate one, as their normal diet is not available. We saw an eagle being chased by three little birds that frantically turned tail and sped away. The eagle had decided to catch his available "fast breakfast food."

Route 27 has been treacherous with accidents on the days of rain/ sleet/snow. At one point it was reported there were two stalled cars abreast, blocking traffic in both directions, and a school bus was off the road. The schools are running out of snow days, which may cause the school year to end later into the 4th week of June!

In Florida, many communities ban pickup trucks from their residential streets at night. We learned that the hard way when we visited friends and relatives with our pop-up camper! I noticed today, that the majority of vehicles in this community are pickup trucks, most of them equipped with bright colored plows. They are a major asset and necessity for getting out of the driveway and about town.

Now I sit at the computer, watching the deep blue ocean with sassy little whitecaps playing tag in Linekin Bay. It is very windy, 14 degrees at noon, with piles of new snow. Thanks to our dedicated plowman with his pick-up truck, I can get out and about!

Last Saturday during a snowstorm, the Grand Ole Opry performance at the Opera House provided down-home entertainment with fun-loving local talent that warmed up and entertained their audience on a bitter cold night.

You may contact Pat at: (207) 633-3669 or waldman1@roadrun ner.com . For further OP information, go to: http://oceanpointcolo nytrust.org/ or: http://www.brfrbo. com .