Edgartown: Parenthood

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I feel a sense of contentment this evening as I write. My boy has been away all weekend for his annual Naval Sea Cadets Flagship Competition, over on the Cape. Several cadet squadrons gathered at Camp Edwards, where they took part in various military training type competitions, such as firefighting, marksmanship, and honor guard. Riley came home with a couple of medals and a heck of a cold! I’m just happy he’s home. Now both my cherubs are within view. Like most parents, I feel like part of me is gone when one of my kids is away. Every time they go, I know it’s one step closer to the inevitable, as they take off into the world and their lives. I am proud and sad about that prospect at the same time. If our kids only knew how much who we are revolves around them. I guess we all find that out once we have our own kids, right? There’s no other way.

Happy birthday wishes go out to Holly Mercier, who celebrated on April 29, Matt Cutter on April 30, and Amy Coffey on May 2. I hope you had fantastic birthdays!

On May 9 from 7 to 9 pm at the Agricultural Society Hall, the public is invited to learn about the importance of native pollinators such as bumblebees, valued not only by farmers for crop pollination, but they keep plant communities healthy and productive. The speaker at this event, which is sponsored by the Conservation District, Polly Hill Arboretum, Island Grown Initiative, and the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, is Linda Rinta, a farmer, beekeeper, and member of the Xerces Society. Linda will describe the decline in the honeybee and native bee populations, putting critical pollination services at risk for crops such as cranberries, blueberries, apples, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and squash. We used to have as many as 400 species of native bees in our area; however with loss of open meadows and fields, overuse of pesticides, and loss of adequate nesting areas, bumblebees and butterflies have decreased.

This is something that every farmer, every gardener, no matter how small, can do something about. With very little effort, miles of pollinator habitat can be planted, one yard at a time.

Linda will discuss what steps can be taken to promote native bee populations, both from the perspective of conserving endangered populations such as the rusty patched bumblebee and by increasing native bee populations in the immediate vicinity of farms and gardens to increase harvest through their pollination services. For more information, contact Bill Wilcox at dukesdistrict@yahoo.com or 508-693-4239.

The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group invites you to its annual fundraising gala “Evening Under the Stars” on Thursday, May 18, from 5:30 until 8:30 pm at Farm Neck. The evening includes appetizers, buffet dinner, dessert, and a silent auction and cash bar. All the money raised goes directly to Island cancer patients and their families, to help with various costs of their treatments. For more information and tickets, call Annemarie Donahue at 508-627-7958.

On Friday, May 5, the Island Wide Youth Collaborative in partnership with the Immigration Resource Center of the Community Action Committee of Cape Cod and the Islands will bring expert legal advice to those on-Island needing help with immigration issues. An immigration attorney will be in the office from 9 am until 3 pm, and is available to provide advice and assistance with forms. Please note, an appointment is required to speak with the attorney. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 508-693-7900, ext. 400 (English-speaking), or ext. 410 (for English- and Portuguese-speaking).

The American Red Cross will be holding blood drives this week at two locations on two different days, for your convenience. On Thursday, they will be at Alex’s Place at the YMCA from 1 pm until 6 pm, and on Friday, May 5, they will be at the high school in the lobby of the Performing Arts Center from 9 am until 2 pm. I encourage you to donate. You just might save a life.

This year’s Martha’s Vineyard March for Heroes will take place on May 27, starting at 6 am. This 26.2-mile rucksack march is an annual event, though it was previously referred to as Carry the Fallen MV. The name of the event was changed to reflect changes in the event, most notably that they are raising money this year for local veterans’ organizations. What could be better than that? For more information, visit their Facebook page at bit.ly/mvmarchforheroes. You can also donate to the cause by visiting their Go Fund Me page at bit.ly/gofundmvmarch.

Vineyard Gardens is offering free garden lectures and workshops on Saturday mornings at 11 am. This week’s offering, on May 6, is “Cool-Weather Annuals.” Learn about cool-weather annuals and their growing conditions. This workshop demonstration will be led by Chris Wiley at Vineyard Gardens. All lecture attendees receive a 20 percent coupon that must be used the day of the lecture. Vineyard Gardens Nursery is located at 484 State Road in West Tisbury.

As I sign off tonight, it is to put on my other hat, as editor for the school yearbook. The deadline is Thursday this week, and my eyes are crossing looking at so many pictures and details. It never ceases to amaze me that I take somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 pictures a year for the school, and I still find myself digging for candids for the book at the end. Wish me luck! Have a great week.