Town Column : West Tisbury
By Hermine Hull
Published: November 6, 2008
The dogs and I are still on Daylight Savings Time. We awaken in the dark, plug in the coffee pot, head outside, then settle in on the sofa to watch the sky lighten. I love the quiet morning time. Grace meows at the window to be let in. She settles on the back of the sofa to be petted and to push against my hand or face, wanting attention, as I'm lost in my thoughts.
My birthday was Saturday, a day when I plan to do whatever I want all day. Part of it was spent at a midday party for my birthday partner, Ben Saunders, who turned two. It was a great party with interesting guests, fabulous potluck food, a yard full of toys for the kids, and a beautiful day. After that, I took our big Dodge over to Tom Vogl and Katherine Long's house for a truckload of chicken manure. Fellow gardeners will understand when I say it was my best birthday present. Tom has a little bobcat bucket loader that he maneuvers with great finesse.
Tom and I had an audience for our bobcat adventure. Katherine, Tom's daughter, and granddaughter Pam and Jessie Kende, were all nearby feeding the chickens and watching our progress. Pam and Jessie had arrived earlier that afternoon from River Forest, Illinois, for a long weekend visit. They were planning a birthday celebration (Jessie turned 13 on September 26; Pam's birthday is coming up on November 13). Tom had pizza dough rising for dinner and Katherine had homemade English muffins for breakfast, to be eaten with the "fabulous lox" Pam brought from Chicago. They commented on the "stunning color - every color in the rainbow - red, yellow, orange, at the peak" as they drove from Providence airport. They had a good ride over on the ferry, to be met by Tom.
I had promised to share my good fortune with Leslie Baker, so drove over to her house to unload the first half of the manure pile. Together we went back to my house to finish emptying the truck into my vegetable garden. By then, it was getting dark, time to get cleaned up and ready for dinner out with my husband.
Shortly after we arrived at The Square Rigger, in came Mary and Jim French. Jim is another friend whose birthday falls on November 1. We always run into each other at The Rigger for our birthday dinners. It finally occurred to us that next year we should just go together.
Happy belated birthday wishes to Maureen Fischer, whose birthday was October 26, and Olivia DeGeoffrey, who celebrated her special day on October 30.
Our next-door neighbor, Bob Fischer, spent part of Sunday with my husband, Mike. The guys rented a splitter from Tilton's, their plan being to work together on both their woodpiles. They got all of Bob's done and about one-third of ours. Mike was quite pleased and plans to do it all over again next weekend, but by the evening he was definitely ready for a hot shower, two aspirin, and his drink. Mike commented this morning that Tilton's had four splitters this year, all rented out. I guess lots of us are trying to keep our expenses down by heating with wood.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned a friend who discovered she had breast cancer from her routine mammogram screening. She had surgery and now has begun a series of chemo and radiation treatments. All of her friends have rallied around with love, support, meals, whatever, and we intend to continue. She asked me to thank everyone for all the support. Thank you for letting us help, Cheryl. We are grateful to be useful and we all want you to get well.
There is good news from Town Hall regarding the bond issued for the renovation project. Kathy Logue reported that she was able to get 2.138 percent interest rate for 11 months, after which the bond will be renegotiated. Town Hall is currently jacked up on beams and cribs in preparation for its new foundation. Everything seems to be moving right along.
It's time to go out to the woodpile and stack for a while, then bring in wood for tonight, build up the fire, and think about dinner. Louise Bessire called a little while ago. She and Henry had been here for a few days and left yesterday, forgetting the yellowtail and scallops they had bought for their dinner. She asked me to go over and get it out of the refrigerator and enjoy it for our dinner tonight. So I guess I don't have to think about dinner after all.
