What an experience this last week has been. Snowbound for most of last week, I was feeling as if I were in another world consisting of absolutely no color but white. Being forewarned, I felt I was well prepared with food, water, flashlights, battery lanterns, and wood for my wood stove in case I lost power, but one important item I had forgotten. My snow shovel was safely stored in the woodshed, and I was about two feet too short to get through the snow to reach it. It wasn’t as if I planned to shovel miles of snow, but it would have worked much better than the broom I had to use to push snow away from my doors in order to open them. Tuesday night, grandson Matt came by in attempt to plow me out, but the snow was too high and too heavy to move. He quickly shoveled a path to the front door and a space for my lab Molly to get to, and said a Bobcat was needed to clear the driveway. My kids and grandkids kept a check on me and brought me groceries, which were needed, as I was housebound until Thursday night when Marc Rivers of SOS Services came with his Bobcat and I was FREE! So I stayed home, but had plenty to occupy my mind, between looking out at the snow and my nonelectronic “toys,” books and a jigsaw puzzle I dug out of the corner of a seldom-used closet. I am still working on the puzzle, and it has replaced television as my source of entertainment.
Our library will hold an author’s talk with Al Woollacott on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 pm. He will read from his book, The Immigrant. A question-and-answer session will follow. Refreshments will be served. And here is a sweet treat for the kids: the Valentine Cookie Decorating for Kids program. It will be on Saturday, Feb. 7, 10 am to 12 noon, and they may make a special cookie for someone. All ages are welcome to attend. The Graphic Novel Book Club meets Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 7 pm, when they will discuss Pyongyang by Guy Delisle.
Remember, back in the day, when ham and bean suppers were the primary fundraising events for many organizations? Well, here is your chance to enjoy them again. The First Baptist Church in Vineyard Haven will be serving ham, baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread, dessert, and a beverage. Takeout is available, and there will be a free-will offering. This great supper will be held on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 6 pm.
The Oak Bluffs School seventh grade ski trip was postponed due to the blizzard. It has been rescheduled for Feb. 9, starting at 5 pm, until Thursday Feb. 12 at 6 pm.
Here are a few programs that might be of interest to many of you. It’s the big T (tax) time again, and the AARP Tax Aide Program, which provides trained volunteers to offer you assistance with filing annual federal taxes, will be starting up. Volunteers will be at the Oak Bluffs Library on March 3, March 27, and April 1. Call Rose Cogliano at 508-693-4509, ext. 3, to make an appointment. The volunteers are also offering assistance in other towns, so call local Councils on Aging in your towns for more info.
Our Y is offering a new program called the Memory Café. It is a social club for people experiencing memory loss who want the opportunity for social connections and friendships. Itwill meet Thursday mornings, starting today through June 25. For more info and times, call the Y.
We send birthday smiles to Maureen Anderson, and Bella Pasqualino today, Kelly Irene Pacheco on the 6th, Chloe Hoyt, Marc Rivers, and Sally Scott on the 7th, Adam Barmakian, Nelson deBettencourt, and Richard J. Mavro on the 10th, Juanita Suarez Espino and Cody Pachico on the 11th, and Melissa Kalagher and Simone Davis on the 12th.
Please drive carefully through these wintery episodes, and keep your eyes on your neighbors, checking on the housebound to make sure they are safe and warm.
Enjoy your week. Peace.