Leaves are everywhere — on the trees, the streets, and the yards. The colors are lovely and seem to me brighter than ever this year. But I still have bright purple blossoms on my rhododendrons, and even some yellow blossoms courageously clinging to the forsythia bushes. It is supposed to be the start of winter, but I think the plants are either confused or in denial. But the forecast is for really cold winter weather starting Thursday, so I guess we will all have to face reality.
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum is opening a new exhibit on November 13 titled A Man, A Plan, A Canal: Panama as part of the centennial celebration for the completion of the Panama Canal. The exhibit explores the Vineyard’s connection to the famous project. In conjunction with the exhibition and centennial, the museum welcomes Cape Cod author Chip Bishop to speak about his book The Lion and the Journalist: The Unlikely Friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Bucklin Bishop, now a New York Times bestseller. The book explores the unique relationship among President Theodore Roosevelt, newspaper editor Joseph Bucklin Bishop, and General George Goethals, chief engineer of the Panama Canal. Bishop will speak on Tuesday, November 18, at 5:30 pm in the museum library.
A weekly event at the Oak Bluffs Library is the Knitting for Charity program, which takes place every Thursday, from 2 to 4 pm. Join in and make hats, mittens, and scarves for the Island Food Pantry to distribute this winter. Yarn will be available and there will be some instruction. The Poetry Workshop will be held on Tuesday, November 18, from 6 to 7 pm. Join Sondra and bring poems to share. For all levels, it will be a creative writing exercise.
Please mark your calendar for a special fundraiser for a special person, Rico Holley. It will be held at the P-A Club in Oak Bluffs on Friday, December 12, at 5 pm. Rico has been a dedicated EMT and firefighter for Oak Bluffs for 10 years. He was seriously injured from a fall in October and is receiving care at Mass General Hospital. He is facing a long and expensive recovery, so let’s do our best to help him out. I will be giving you updates as I receive them.
Marques and Sarah Rivers welcomed a son on Monday. Ethan Gunnar Rivers was happily greeted by his parents and his older sister, Kayla. His grandparents are Katie Alley, Marc Rivers, and Eleanor Neubert, and his arrival makes four great grandchildren for myself and my husband, Dennis.
We send Birthday smiles for the month of November to Aidylberg residents Joseph Scanlan and Doris Gregory, and to Woodside Village residents Marjorie Toenges, Phyllis Dunn, Nancy Eddy, Paul Schultz, Judith Andrews, Barbara Dugan, Sylvia Rogers, Ilka List and Mary Gazaille. Belated smiles to Lana deBettencourt on November 7, her sister Deanna on the 10th, and their father Manny deBettencourt who will celebrate the big 60 tomorrow. Smiles to Pat Alley and Barbara Humber on the 15th, Nathan Averill on the 18th, and Jake Ponte on the 20th.
Enjoy your week. Peace.