May is sliding by to a wet start, warmer and, let’s hope, even sunnier. Ticks ahoy: Check yourselves and your loved ones vigilantly. On one windy afternoon this week at Lucy Vincent, yes walking my dogs, I looked up and tried to decipher what I was seeing over the dunes connected to an inflated kite flying toward me. After I caught up at the landing area, it was none other than paraglider John Gallagher, who didn’t stay up as long as he hoped, having forgotten to bring his gloves along. If you want to see any of John’s flight footage, he regularly posts it on Vimeo. Of course, his “LOBSTR” license plate can give him away as well.

Hellie Newman is busy volunteering to raise funds and goods for a Big Brother Big Sister organization in Ohio. There’s a long list of items they’re looking for to help kids who have one incarcerated parent. Feel free to call Hellie at 508-645-9934 for more information, to send a check made out to Big Brother Big Sister of Central Ohio to Hellie Neumann, P.O. Box 148, Chilmark, MA 02535, or donate online at nextlevelgives.com/vip9.

Congratulations to the newest full-time member of the Chilmark Police Department, a former officer with our town: Chilmark Police Officer Elizabeth Rogers, we’re glad to have you. Also congratulations are due to Rizwan Malik on officially becoming a full-time employee of our town library, filling in the difficult void created by the loss of beloved Kristen Maloney, former head children’s librarian. Malik has been doing a fine job, and I am thrilled he can continue to grow as a member of the Chilmark library community.

On Sunday, outside the dump, drizzle did not keep Emily Boyd (just home from the state gymnastics meet, where she did very well), Elizabeth and Katherine Chvatal (from Oak Bluffs), and Charlotte Scott from setting up a table to sell homemade lemon cheesecake, juice, and lamb snuggles. They raised $48 for the ASPCA. Good going, ladies.

If you need help getting your garden going, then head to the Small Shrubs talk at Vineyard Gardens at 11 am, or Planting Greens and Perennial Herbs from 1 to 2 pm at Middletown Nursery. Both talks are on Saturday, May 13.

Head over to the Ag Hall on Saturday, May 13, from 10 am to 4 pm and enjoy the Martha’s Vineyard Mini Maker Faire, sponsored by our libraries, that includes everything from the traditional (knitting, any type of art, cooking, blacksmithing, making music, etc.) to the nontraditional (writing code, making apps, 3D printing, dancing, etc.). There are plenty of demonstrations, hands-on activities, music, art, games, and more. Free for all ages. You may register to attend either at the Maker Faire or online at eventbrite.com/e/. Learn more on the Facebook event page, or by contacting Rizwan Malik at 508-645-3360.

Peter Norris’s private garden will be open to the public to enjoy his large collection of rhododendrons, Japanese maples, and hydrangeas on Saturday, May 13, from 10 am to 2 pm as a fundraiser for the Garden Conservancy. $7 donation per person. Follow signs on Blueberry Ridge Lane (off North Road). Plenty of parking available. To learn more, see bit.ly/opendaysched.

Chilmark local Annie Cook’s new band, the Devolvers will play its first gig at the Ritz on Sunday, May 14, from 7 to 9 pm. The band includes Annie Cook on vocals, Alain Lucas on bass, Greg Ruszah and Slim Bob Berosh on guitar, plus a new face on the island music scene, Ivan Bozanic, on drums. Guest appearances by various island musicians are likely.

Pizza Nights continue on Tuesdays at the Chilmark Community Church; all are welcome to enjoy some good company.

Have your blood pressure and heart rate checked by a visiting nurse at the Chilmark Library on Wednesday, May 17, between 11 am and 1 pm. Stories and Songs for all ages on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10:30 am.

Save the date for Thursday, May 18, when Evening Under the Stars returns to Farm Neck from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, offering appetizers, buffet, dessert, and a silent auction and cash bar to raise money for Island cancer patients and their families to help with treatment costs. For more information and tickets, call Annemarie Donohue at 508-627-7958.

Nancy Aronie will be filling in for me over the next couple of weeks, while I spend some time studying with Open Ear Center founder Pat Moffitt Cook at a cloistered monastery in Santa Fe, and head to Chaco Canyon to camp with friends for my husband’s birthday.

Have a great week.