If you are reading this column before 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June fourth, and you are currently on Southport, you have an opportunity to celebrate this year’s Southport Central School’s graduates by greeting them with balloons, signs, and/or cheers as they drive around the island, creating their graduation celebration. The graduates this year are: Abby Amaral, Lilly Burnham, Sarah Harris, Harry Hinckley, Eleanor Marshall, Cameron Payson, Trey Tibbetts and Ella Watts.

The procession begins by Robinson's Wharf and will proceed along Hendricks Hill Road by Newagen and the library. Then turning left onto Route 238 to Cross Road where they will again turn left and return to Robinson’s Wharf. We hope all residents will maintain safe distancing guidelines while standing somewhere along this route to cheer for these children. If you have any questions, please call Principal Lisa Clarke at 633-3132 or lclarke@aos98schools.org

More boats are going in the water, filling the moorings in Cozy Harbor and elsewhere. When I have dropped by Cozy Harbor, the floats are busy, but Cozy’s Dockside and the Southport Yacht Club buildings look lonely. Being able to go out in your own boat is one of the normal activities those lucky enough to own a boat can enjoy relatively safely.

I notice they are rebuilding the dock and float washed away in one of our storms at the yellow house just beyond Robinson’s Wharf. Activity in that area continues with lobstermen and bridge builders, but no sign yet as to when or whether the restaurant will open. I understand the Thompson Bridge may not be ready for use until mid-August. By then we on the east side will be so used to driving Cross Road, we will probably forget we can head straight down Route 238 to get to town.

Notices from the Island Store include one for a found cat. If your gray cat has strayed, you can call 633-3447 to see if the cat has wandered into another home. Other news from the store is that as of Monday mid-morning, you can order one of the new sandwiches, the Gamage, free. Not sure whether Gerry is funding this benefit in honor of his name, or the store is using this way to promote their new menu. Either way at last 10 people will receive a free bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, honoring Gerry. Also, look for a longer article about our Island Store elsewhere in this paper.

When trying to return a package to L.L. Bean, I discovered even though the return label said I could take the package to the post office, Jennette said she could not accept it, and that I would have to call Coastal Shipping. I learned from Coastal Shipping that I did not have to drive to Edgecomb, but that they had placed a large, white box just inside the first entrance door at the Island Store, and that the box would be emptied daily. There are quite a few instruction on the box, so allow enough time to read carefully to make sure your package will really journey to its destination.

Now, I am not advertising, but rather offering comfort to those female readers who under the current circumstances do not want to frequent or cannot find in time an open restroom. A good friend showed me her solution to such a situation that she acquired on Amazon. The container is called Tinkle Bell. Rather than attempt to describe it, I suggest, if you are interested, to search Amazon, using that name. Pictures of the device will immediately pop up. And you will see that it comes tucked into a small, delicately colored pouch that could easily contain eye glasses.

Once again, as new history is being made, I am struck by how remote much of the action and angst is to our lives in Maine. This morning, when we received a phone call from a friend in Atlanta, Georgia, I realized from the tone of his voice how he was grieving over actions and situations around our country. Many of us grieve too, but we do not usually know the people directly involved. We cannot smell the fires, or the death, or hear the shouts of anger and despair. The title of the lead article in the Review section of the New York Times this past Sunday was “How We Broke the World” by Thomas Friedman. Is it true? Have we broken the world?

Well, not here on Southport, at least not yet. So take a deep breath, stay at least six feet away from anyone else, and celebrate our graduates both from Southport and from Boothbay Harbor. Be kind, appreciate what we have and stay well.