Town Column : Chilmark
By Jacqueline Sexton
Published: October 16, 2008
Last spring we watched with fascination as a small brownish wren busily flew into and out of the space beneath the window air conditioner. Building a nest, obviously. And today, as we dismantled the air conditioners, there was the evidence: thousands of tiny bits of twig or field grass and a little moss skillfully put together into a neat good-sized nest. Where did the derogatory expression "birdbrain" come from? Birds, in Chilmark anyway, don't experience housing booms or housing bubbles. They may be smarter than we are.
Former library director Cathy Thompson is in town for a visit from Lake Forest, reveling in "fresh fish and the salt water," scarce commodities out there in the plains.
Congratulations to John Maloney, whose poem "After Work" was published in a Poetry Foundation publication, as well as in last week's issue of the Martha's Vineyard Times. His most recent book of poems is "Proposal," available in local bookstores, or at the library.
Church-goers and ministers salute Ethel Whitman, who for the last two years has helped with the finances of the summer flea market, and Beth Mayhew, who has done copying and collating of the Sunday worship bulletins for all four Methodist churches for the last two years.
Julie Coleman came from Chapel Hill last weekend to lead the longer Justin Lord Coleman hike-a-thon from her South Road house to Lucy Vincent Beach and back. Her sister, Evelyn Kreyling, led the shorter walk to the Hancock Beach.
A reminder that the Women's Symposium meets this Saturday, Oct. 18, from 9 am to 12 noon at the community center. Speakers will talk on the theme "What If," and there will be small discussion groups and refreshments. All women are welcome.
Monday, deadline day at The Times, dawned warm and sunny and with early reports of light at the end of the tunnel of the financial chaos that spread last week. We're hopeful that the crisis has "bottomed out," to borrow one of the many clichés of the situation, but we plan to look into Warren Doty's pellets for heating stoves anyway.
