Thank you to everyone who extended so many positive comments regarding my Mother’s Day column last week. I am glad it touched so many people.
The sight of shrubs and trees in bloom, and gardens ready to be cleaned up, and new flowers planted in them is beckoning me outdoors, but due to an un-specific knee injury, I have had to rely on someone else to do this work. I must admit the results of this are most pleasing and beautiful. I must rely on crutches for awhile, and I find it difficult to be a patient patient, but I am trying.
I can tell you some very specific places in town that are not at all friendly to anyone on crutches or who has difficulty walking. Cracks, dips in the sidewalks, opening heavy doors to stores, etc. make me so very grateful that my condition is only temporary and also most sympathetic to anyone who has difficulty getting about for any reason. So count your blessings.Get ready for the Oak Bluffs Senior Center’s first Foxwoods Trip of the season on Wednesday, June 2, and travel with this fun group to Foxwoods for a day of entertainment. The cost is $25 for the bus, and participants are responsible for their own boat fares, lunch, and spending money. Sign up with Rose at the Center where you can also get more details regarding the trip.Maureen and Bill Anderson had special guests over the weekend. Their granddaughters Astoria and Olympia spent some time with them while their parents, Ben Hall and Gretchen Anderson, were in Boston taking in the sights and also watching a Red Sox game. The rain did not dampen the children’s spirits and they all managed to find some interesting things to do in spite of the bad weather.Judi O’Donoghue is a very proud parent as her daughter Ellen is graduating cum laude from James Madison University, where she will complete her graduate work in one year and obtain a Masters in elementary education. Congratulations to Ellen and her parents .Please join Susan Whiting, local birding expert and co-author of Vineyard Birds 2, for a free Vineyard birding tour on Saturday morning, May 22. The number of participants will be limited, so please call the Oak Bluffs library to sign up. Also join us at the library on Thursday, May 20, at 6:30 pm, for a recap of Susan’s birding expedition to the offshore islands of New Zealand.The route for the Miles of Memories Alzheimer’s walk on May 16 has been changed due to construction at the bridges along State Beach. The new route is from the High School to Dodger’s Hole and back .The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital will provide $1,075,000 for community health projects over the next five years. The money will be available to the community through a grant process, sometime in the late summer or early fall. A broad-based citizens planning committee has been working over the last five months to review community data and identify our most pressing health needs. A forum will be held at the Howes House in West Tisbury on Tuesday, May 18, from 7 to 8:30 pm. Another will be held on Thursday, May 20, at the Vineyard Haven Library, also from 7 to 8:30 pm. Your reactions to recommendations and your further ideas and suggestions on priorities would be appreciated. The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group is holding its annual spring gala celebration, “An Evening Under the Stars,” on Thursday, May 20, from 6 to 9 pm at Mediterranean restaurant in Oak Bluffs. MVCSG is in its 24th year helping Vineyarders in two very important ways. There is a support group meeting for cancer patients and their families every Wednesday at 12 noon at the MV Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. The group also provides financial assistance to Island cancer patients in need. Since 2000, the group has given over $250,000 to Vineyard families. MVCSG is run by a volunteer board of directors; there is no paid staff. All monies raised go directly to Vineyard families living with cancer.The Sweet Life Café begins its 4th annual Wine Dinner series to benefit The Yard on Wednesday, May 19, at 6 pm at The Sweet Life Café in Oak Bluffs. Tickets are $95, and include the prix fixe menu with wines. For reservations, call the Sweet Life Café at 508-696-0200We send belated birthday smiles to Aaron Campos on April 29 and Skip Campos on May 4. Smiles to Steve Garvin on May 14, followed by Lester White the next day. Andrew Farrissey, Louise Dahil, and Heidi Jardin all share May 18, and Bob Kinnecom, Keith Crosland, and twins Jaime and John Pacheco will be celebrating on May 20. Enjoy your week.Peace.
