West Tisbury

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One never knows what to wear these days on a morning dog walk. The weather is crispy fall one day and humid summer the next. Talley and Nan prance along, not minding whatever the conditions are, intent on the promised outing.

The tops of the oak trees in our woods are beginning to show a little orange where the most sun hits them. Dogwoods have turned mahogany and hydrangeas a golden yellow. The Montauk daisy has become a shrub that covers half of the bed it’s planted in. It’s quite cheery, though, covered with white flowers that mix nicely with Alma Potschke and Hella Lacy asters, a blistering hot pink and dark purple, respectively. The last roses are blooming, soon to be gone for the season. The sun lowers and leaves fall. Suddenly we see sunsets.

This time of year makes me wistful, as summer chores turn into winter chores, my mind moving inside along with my body. Firewood to be brought in in the afternoons, warm dinners to prepare, washing windows and slipcovers, thinking about painting the living room.

I guess we will all be adjusting to the library moving. It closes this Saturday. Beginning Monday, we will be able to park the car and walk between Cronig’s, Conroy’s, the bank, post office, and the library. Temporary quarters are in Middletown Village, across from Conroy’s. I bet the Charter School kids and residents of Island Farms are going to enjoy being able to walk there.

Books due before October 15 can be returned to the library. After the 15th, please return them to North Tisbury. There will be an outdoor book drop in place by then. The phone number, 508-693-3366, remains the same. The staff, too. There will still be WiFi and laptop computers, inter-library loan, printing, copying, and fax available. New books and DVDs for adults, teens, and children are all there will be room for. The Monday Night Movies will be shown at the Chilmark Library, still with free popcorn. We will adjust.

Don’t forget the plant give-away, 8 am to 1 pm, at the library Saturday, October 13. Bring shovels and a strong back. Buckets would probably be good, too.

I forgot to mention a couple of birthdays last week. Rose Herman celebrated on October 1, and Kathy Logue on October 4. Happy belated birthday wishes to you both.

Kathy Logue spent her birthday in Boston with a group of Regional High School students, including her daughter, Megan Mendenhall. It was Boston Symphony Orchestra High School Open Rehearsal Day. The bad weather delayed their arrival so that they missed the pre-rehearsal discussion, but the program was wonderful. Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture after Shakespeare, by Tchaikovsky and Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium) by Leonard Bernstein were the pieces on the program. Kathy said it was fascinating for them all to see what goes into a professional orchestra rehearsal. A highlight was seeing violinist Joshua Bell, music director of St. Martin’s in the Fields, a recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize, and 2010 Instrumentalist of the Year. After the concert, they went to the Museum of Fine Arts to tour the musical instrument collection.

Paul Karasik says, “Get out your go-go boots and your tie-dyed bandana and get down…to the Charter School Rock Auction.” The Charter School invites everyone to Flatbread Pizza this Saturday evening, October 13, from 6 to 11 pm, for a wild and fab 60s dance party. $25 admission buys pizza and salad for dinner, dancing, and a live and silent auction fundraiser. Great items include a trip to New York City, raised garden beds built to order, a week in St. John, a treehouse built in your yard, and so on — over 100 items.

Sunday morning at breakfast I was thinking that I hadn’t seen Henry Bassett in a long time. Henry, with his brother, Hugh, and grandfather, Bob Wasserman, are summer-and-school-vacation regulars at the airport. Just then they appeared. Bob and Suzi had recently returned from a trip to India. Henry and Hugh are both in school in Boston now. It was a treat to see them all and Sarah Wasserman. Henry has been volunteering at the library, where he has helped scan and pack up books to go into storage. When I spoke with Beth Kramer later in the day, she said, “Henry has been an amazing helper.” And he makes the best molasses cookies ever.