Art skills, life skills: There is a lovely turquoise block print of a headshot of what appears to be a heron standing along the shore of a body of water in the current art show on the walls of the cafe at Rising Tide Co-op in Damariscotta. It is an attention-getter – and it was created by a student in a fifth and sixth grade class at Chewonki Elementary and Middle School in Wiscasset as part of a printmaking unit focused on coastal Maine’s salt-marsh ecology.

Singing in community: There is a lovely, no-cost event that takes place the fourth Saturday of each month at 6 p.m. at Sheepscot General in Whitefield — a community singing circle. Led by singer-guitarist Dan Townsend, who is a member of local band Well Seasoned, the singing circle, as a recent press release put it, invites “anyone who enjoys singing with others.”

Checking out Czech Republic: As some of you know, I was out of the country recently for nine days visiting my son, Benjamin, and his family in Germany. I returned to work this past Monday – somewhat jet-lagged, but happier for the opportunity to have gone on my trip.