All you snow lovers out there must be ecstatic right now, and the rest of you are getting the best upper-body workout you’ve had in years with all that shoveling. But the real winners in all this are our beloved plow drivers. Y’all are working your tails off, but man, it’s been a lucrative month. Any of those spouses out there who thought that that plow was a bad investment are eating their words right now!
I have the luxury of working from home, so if I don’t feel like finding my car, I just don’t go anywhere. But cabin fever can be a serious motivator. The other day I needed a particular ingredient for a recipe — ham hocks for my Mardi Gras red beans, natch — and they were all out at Stop and Shop. My husband was shocked I would go all the way to Oak Bluffs for this acquisition, then he stopped and thought about it: “You just want to go for the ride, don’t you?” Yes, that is exactly it. A sunny ride along Beach Road, seeing the sand dunes covered in peaks of white, Senge glistening with snowy ice, seagulls dropping their scallops to be broken open upon contact with the cold, hard pavement, and all of this from the seat-heated comfort of my new-old Jeep, with some classic rock on the radio.
Sara Piazza has been loving the snow, according to her Facebook updates, in which she proclaims her unrepentant enjoyment of our cold white bounty. Never one to slow down much, Sara has been snapping incredible photos and keeping the music turned up. In fact, she will be hosting friends and fellow musicians Rose Clancy and Stuart Peak on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 pm for “a rousing evening of music and fun” at her spot, 117 Upper Main Street. So perhaps you nonbelievers should get down there and witness winter worship done right.
We had a surprisingly event-filled weekend for mid-February, with Valentine, Mardi Gras, and life-milestone celebrations abounding. Friday night, I had three stops to make on the social circuit, beginning with Tracker’s open house. I ran into a ton of familiar faces, which resulted in a slew of dinner dates for this week, including the Harbor View’s peel-and-eat shrimp special that is currently happening each Thursday. Patricia Giumarra and I plan to get our hands dirty and our bellies filled, and hope to be joined by Sharon Johnson, if she’s not too busy packing for her epic winter meanderings to Southeast Asia that commence next weekend.
Saturday, we celebrated the 50th turn about the sun for Mark Lima. His sisters and friends planned an Island tour by bus, which made stops at various places relevant to Mark’s life, and at each stop picked up the people with whom Mark shared memories of that place. There was a requisite trip to Right Fork to visit the beloved log at which much of Mark’s summer days have been spent lounging in the sun, and the final destination was of course the P.A. Club, where many memories have been made through the years.
Welcome to Olive Grace Rosbeck, who made her debut Feb. 10. Olive, the most recent addition to our Edgartown populace, joins parents Caitlin and Peter, and big brother Pete, who has been preparing for Little Sis’s arrival for quite some time. Congratulations all around.
Want to know more about the night sky? Join Mark Alan Lovewell for a night of stargazing and a lesson in basic astronomy, Friday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 8 pm at Felix Neck. Beginners will view the stars and planets and discover winter constellations, then warm up inside the Nature Center with hot cocoa and tea. This program will only run on a clear, cloudless night, so call 508-627-4850 the day of the program to check for cancellations or postponements.
Birthday wishes go out this week to Ben Brittle, who celebrates Feb. 19; to Rick Convery, Feb. 21; to Justine DeOliveira and Robb Moriarty, Feb. 23; and to Brooke Avakian and Cory Appleman, Feb. 24.
