Heard on Main Street: If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
None of us feel too certain about how much to worry about the coronavirus. I heard some good advice suggesting you take just a little more care — washing hands, covering coughs or sneezes, and be prepared to stay home for two weeks. That means keep your cupboard stocked, and reorder most prescriptions, to be sure you have your meds. Also, be careful to call a doctor or hospital rather than spread the disease by going to the doctor or ER if you are ill.
The Vineyard Haven library has adult crafters, 12 and up, making charms and jewelry by casting UV resin on Saturday, March 14, at 3 pm. Resin can embed items in metal bezels and create an enameled look on jewelry. Materials will be supplied while they last.
You can learn about the Secret Lives of Lobsters at 2 pm on Sunday, March 15, with Jelle Atema, a biologist who will explain underwater signals by marine life relating to food and love. All this at the Vineyard Haven library. You can also read “The Secret Life of Lobsters” by Trevor Corson. I have to admit this topic is something I had never thought of.
The ad offering jobs to help with the 2020 census brought back some old memories. I did that in 1980, in a large county in Maryland. It was interesting, to say the least. We were each given a bulky, stiff, black plastic briefcase labeled U.S. Census in big white letters, and a handful of blank forms with instructions. We were assigned to track down folks who had not returned the census form.
Often the reason was the house or apartment was empty; no one was living there. But there was the teenage runaway who was living with her boyfriend, and did not want her parents to find her. It took a while to convince her the law is that no person could see the data on the form for 70 years. By then the grandma she was concerned about would be gone, so she filled out the form.
Sometimes the census wasn’t returned because someone else was living there, not the name on the form. We took the old form and gave them a new one, even helping them fill it out. There was a brief form and a long form; sometimes the person at that address just did not want to fill out a long form. Another felt deprived because he wanted a long form. I think we were to give one long form for every 10 short ones.
The supervisor assigned us to other towns, not where we lived. While I found that interesting, my husband was concerned for my safety, which I found annoying. He convinced me to leave a list of where I went each day.
One address was an apartment in a town with a well-known racetrack. After I knocked on the door, I could hear laughter. A man opened the door and, though he wasn’t sure what to do, invited the census taker inside. I entered a short hallway which ended at a large open space. Several men were seated on sofas and chairs around a large, circular table, which was covered with money, piles of cash. A few rifles were apparent, leaning upright near different men. I was convinced my husband would never find my body.
Another man carefully explained the apartment could sleep eight, and was rented by a national bus company. They were drivers. They planned to count the cash for deposit, and then go out to supper. The bus drivers found the whole thing hilarious. It was a good story, but I remember that I only got paid if I completed a new census form.
How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Of course, you visit the Vineyard Haven library for the documentary “The Queen of Ireland.” Ireland’s most famous drag queen and self-styled accidental activist, Pandora (“Panti”) Bliss, was a figurehead in the fight for LGBT rights in Ireland and the campaign for marriage equality. Rated R.
You can make sure your documents are in place in case of accident. Or you may want certain healthcare wishes honored. Dr. Robert Laskowski has a short video and a workshop involving paperwork to help you next Thursday, March 19, at 10 am at our library.
Islanders Dance is a free winter series at our libraries. Islanders Dance is at 1:30 pm Sunday, March 22. This session at our library will feature the cha-cha!
The 2020 U.S. Census is expected to begin this week. Keep an eye on your mail for the initial notification letter, and be sure to fill out your Census form online, or by phone or mail. The online and phone versions are available in 13 languages, including English and Portuguese, and the mail-in version is available in English and Spanish. All responses are strictly confidential. The Census will determine about $16 billion in federal funds to Massachusetts, so an accurate count is essential. The Census also affects political representation at the local, state, and federal levels, including the redrawing of legislative districts. For more information, or to get involved in your community, contact Keith Chatinover, chairman of the Dukes County Complete Count Committee, at kchatinover@gmail.com.
In my work with the 1980 U.S. Census, I discovered I had more success in the early evening. Big bunches of birthday balloon wishes go out today to Mark Daniels and James Taylor. Tomorrow, wish the best to Kevin Voyer. Jay Segel and Jib Ellis party on Sunday, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg will be celebrating 87 good years. On Tuesday, birthday greetings go out to Austin Chandler and Bow Van Riper.
Heard on Main Street: Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.