I am reminded every day how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place, how I return again and again to the same landscapes and appreciate them anew every time. When Mike and I took Talley and Nanuk out to walk this morning, besides being windblown down the path to the beach, I saw dark shapes of violet-gray shrubbery and grasses faded to a pale yellow, barely lighter than the sand along the path and along the beach. The dark shapes joined together, making long horizontals, a sort of structure for a painting in my mind.
It looked like it might snow, as it has all week, a bit every day, a dusting. Then it’s gone, except in the coldest pockets on the north side of our house. As I bring in wheelbarrows full of firewood, I look up, still waiting for a real snowfall to come.
It’s certainly been cold enough. And windy. Even in our woods, the trees bend and shiver.
Good weather for projects at home, then getting out to the library to listen to jazz next Sunday, Jan. 25. Pianist Jeremy Berlin and guitarist Eric T. Johnson will begin playing at 4 pm. They have been playing and performing together for 15 years as the Berlin/Johnson Duo. They will play a selection of jazz standards, original compositions, and maybe a few surprises.
On Monday evening at 7 pm, the library will host their first “Writers Read” evening. Community members are invited to read a short original prose piece, either fiction or nonfiction. Each reader is allotted six minutes to read. They may ask for a critique after the reading. The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. You may sign up in advance or on the day of the program. Please call 508-693-4307.
Laura Edelman is a teacher at the West Tisbury School and a certified children’s yoga instructor. She has designed a series of four yoga classes for tweens and teens that will begin next Saturday, Jan. 31, at the West Tisbury library. Tweens will meet from 10:15 am to 11 am. Teens meet from 11:15 am to noon. The series is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Please preregister at the library, as classes are limited to eight participants. 508-693-3366 or programs@westtisburylibrary.org.
The Martha’s Vineyard Center For Living and the YMCA have teamed up to begin the Thursday Club at the Y for individuals with early to moderate memory issues and their care partners. Beginning next Thursday, Jan. 29, the group will meet from 10 am to noon for socializing, information, and networking. The Martha’s Vineyard Museum will join them one Thursday every month to present a program related to the museum’s collection or a current exhibition. For more information, please call Leslie Clapp at the MV Center For Living, 508-939-9440, or Ray Whitiker at the Y, 508-693-1676. This is a very exciting collaboration, and I hope people will eagerly take advantage of it.
The 2015 town census arrived in the mail, along with forms for our dog licenses. Ours are all filled out and ready with the check to return to Town Hall tomorrow morning. I hope our dogs get good low numbers this year. Don’t forget to check over your census form and get it back to Tara Whiting at Town Hall. You could be removed from the voting list if you don’t return the form.
My first amaryllis is blooming, a bright orange-red beauty called Monaco. Big buds are showing on several others. I love amaryllis. They make such a show and, if they are a gift, I have the fun of waiting to find out what they will look like. The mystery is half of the enjoyment. It’s pretty amazing when you think about all the energy and potential stored in a relatively small bulb.
