Downed trees and limbs have been cut up and removed or just piled where they fell, but mostly things are returning to normal after the storm. Maybe a nor’easter is coming mid-week. We’ll see. Be nice if it blew all the leaves off our lawn and back into the woods, or at least under the shrubbery to rot where I need them.
Porter is reminding Mike and me how active a little kitten can be. I have begun to think of him as “The Blur” who shoots across the room at warp speed, eventually to collapse and sleep until his energy is restored and he flies into high gear again. Sue Hruby stopped by for tea and a visit, but really to play with Porter and the newest toy she brought him.
Earlier in the week, Leslie Baker was flinging around his favorite feather toy, sending him wildly from chair to floor, under the sofa, up the chair again, over and over. I think she had as much fun as Porter did. She told me something funny, but probably true: if everyone had a kitten and a feather-on-a-string toy, we would have a better world. There would be no wars; everyone would be happy, or at least too busy laughing and playing with the kitten to cause any damage. An idea for Paul Karasik: a cartoon of some war room with all the generals playing with kittens and feathers.
On that note, I had a call from Janet Norton asking me to mention that the Animal Shelter has lots of kittens needing homes. Some nice older cats, too, but loads of kittens in all colors and varieties. They also have a six-year-old Lhasa Apso named Sarah, who would be the perfect lap dog for someone who is home a lot. She barks when left alone, so needs to feel secure. Sarah came in with her daughter. The younger dog has been adopted, but not Sarah. They had never been separated, so Sarah is missing her and needing a constant, loving companion.
To raise money for care of the above-mentioned kittens (remember they need food/shots/feather toys, etc.) Cattrap is hosting a benefit at the P-A Club this Saturday night, from 5:30 to 7:30. Dinner will be “gourmet Italian,” according to Lee Dubin. Tickets are available at the Animal Shelter, Healthy Additions, and Good Dog Goods. Call Lee, 508-696-3869, for more information.
Karen Ogden and her Australian shepherd, Austin, and Julia Humphreys and Xochi, her golden retriever, have achieved their NW1 Canine Nose Work Titles at Masterpeace Dog Training Trial in Dighton. Of the 49 teams competing, 29 correctly located the scent source in each search element within time: vehicle, exterior, interior, within three minutes, and container in two minutes, thirty seconds. Julia and Xochi took First Place in Vehicle Search. Austin, whom Karen adopted from the then-MSPCA in Edgartown, was awarded the Harry Award for Most Outstanding Rescue Dog. Both are now preparing to compete in up-coming NW2 trials. Take a look at www.nascw.net, the website of the National Association of Canine Scent Work.
I finally made it over to the new temporary library in North Tisbury. It is remarkable how much the staff has managed to fit into such a tiny space, but it feels welcoming and organized. For anyone who hasn’t yet realized how amazing our library staff is, come and see what they have accomplished.
Unfortunately, being in a smaller space — or, as we like to call it, cozy — activities are being spread out across the Island. Knitters will continue to meet Monday evenings at 7 pm in North Tisbury, but Monday Night Movies have been moved to Chilmark, still at 7 pm with free popcorn. Nelia and Amy will continue the popular Mother Goose on the Loose story times for children 0-3, but truly on the loose — in different locations. Please note the following on your calendars: Mondays and Fridays, 10:30 am, the old library on Music Street; Tuesdays, 10:30 am, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services; Thursdays, 10:30 am, Oak Bluffs Library on 11/15, 12/6, 12/20, and 1/3 and at the Vineyard Haven Library on 11/29, 12/13, 12/27, and 1/10. Thanks to everyone who is loaning us space during our construction project.
No movie, story, or anything else, this coming Monday, November 12, when the library will be closed for Veteran’s Day. Schools and Town Hall will be closed, too.
I was happy to hear that Caroline Flanders passed her Bar Exam, although I had no doubts. She will be sworn in on November 27 at a ceremony in Boston, then she will officially be a lawyer. Caroline will be practicing here in town, in George Brush’s office. Glad to have you so close to home, Caroline. You are amazing and I wish you great successes. Congratulations to Frank, Jean, and Oscar, as well. I bet you are all very proud.
News from Joanne Scott of a vacancy on the Affordable Housing Committee. If you are interested, please call Joanne at 508-696-5955 or Jen Rand at 508-696-0102.
By the time you are reading this, the election will be over. And I hope the next one will stay over until at least 2016. Whoever is elected, I hope our country can rally behind our president and move forward together. Mike and I saw David McCullough on 60 Minutes earlier tonight. He spoke about the divisiveness and vituperation of politics past, that it has always been so. I guess it puts things in perspective, but I wish we could all get along for some higher purpose than scoring points with donors and ideologues. Remember, I was a flower child in the ’60s. Make Love, Not War. Or hand out kittens and feathers on strings.
