Dredging was in full swing in Menemsha Harbor just the day after Christmas! A steady stream of patrons stopped by the food truck, some lucky folks got Menemsha scallops fresh from the Menemsha Fish Market, and the Grey Barn Farm welcomed baby Winter, a gorgeous calf, born just before Christmas. As one year passes on to the next and we correct ourselves to write a “6” where a “5” once stood, take stock, grapple with change, loss, together, apart or alone, ride the wave of life, looking at the unknown of now, the always familiar is morphing each day anew. We enjoyed brunch with neighbors on Sunday, our lives full, yet grateful, every day, every walk, in fog, in rapture, in peace. When I drove past the hand-lettered oak tag sign “Refugees Welcome” on South Road, I had to stop and take a photo to share. Beginning life here as a wash-ashore, and as a first-generation American on my father’s side, I have been made to feel welcome, have had the fortune of gaining elders back in my life, a place I call home, a community that rises up to take care of its own. I do count my blessings.
You can start the New Year with the eighth annual Disc Golf Tournament at 9:30 am, Friday, Jan. 1, at the Barnes Road Disc Golf Course.
Join a free guided walk at Fulling Mill with Land Bank staff on Sunday, Jan. 3, at 1 pm at the Middle Road trailhead. Ends at 3 pm; dress accordingly, rain or shine.
The Healthy Aging Task Force is offering “Powerful Tools for Caregivers” at Windemere on Monday, Ja. 4, from 2 to 4:30 pm. The program will help you care for yourself while caring for a relative or friend, whether you are helping a parent, spouse, or friend; someone who lives at home, in a nursing home, or across the country.
Ladies’ pickup basketball welcomes players every Monday at 6:30 pm, excluding holidays, at the West Tisbury School gym.
Thinking of becoming an EMT? Certification training is available through ACE MV, and begins Monday, Jan. 4, at 6 pm. Learn more at acemv.org. Lots of people have been asking, and I will be offering “Hand and Foot Fitness” through ACE MV for four Tuesdays (visit the website above for more info), as well as teaching MELT Workshops at Howes House for arthritis and back pain. For more info, call Up-Island COA at 508-693-3896.
Soup Supper at the Chilmark Community Church on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm is good for warming the heart and soul. All ages are welcome.
Mark your calendars: A special town meeting will be held Monday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 pm to cover two warrant articles, one to ask voters for $975,000 to purchase the land for a new fire station, and a second to ask voters for about $260,000 for its design and engineering.
And so it goes; another year has slipped away, and we begin 2016! Wishing everyone good health, joy, and peace of heart.
