If the nights are getting too long for your liking and the days too short, take heart as next Monday on Dec. 21, the winter solstice will be the longest night you will have to endure until December 2021. After next Monday, slowly our daylight hours will begin to increase and hopefully our spirits will grow in the longer days.
True to predictions, it did snow last week if briefly, but it did leave our view of the world looking as if someone had taken a sifter of confectioners sugar over the yards and trees surrounding our house. Brief, but a beautiful view we enjoyed while it was there.
The up-and-down and cooler weather did not stop my daughter-in-law Deb Alley from celebrating a milestone birthday by jumping in the ocean. She was joined in this venture by her sister-in-law, my daughter Kati Alley. Brave adventurers.
The deadline for the column of Dec. 24 is Dec. 17, so please send in information that you wish to have included before that day.
Remember when seat belts were first available in cars? It took a while to get used to but most everyone buckles up these days. Well the same thing with face masks that the governor requires us all to wear. We are going to feel like they were always with us soon and if we wear them and social distance, it will protect the wearers and others the most. Please, along with these two things and common sense, help be part of the solution to halting the pandemic.
Although our Oak Bluffs senior center has always been open to all seniors for whatever help is needed or just to socialize, due to the pandemic all activities at the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging are paused. You can still contact the center by phone if you require help with pick-up and delivery of groceries from Reliable Market, mail at the Post Office, or prescriptions. Please contact Rose at 508-693-4509, ext. 3. The Fuel Assistance Program has begun. All Oak Bluffs seniors can get assistance with processing their applications. For help with a pre-existing application, to file an application for the first time, or for any related energy questions, please contact Rose. Even with the pandemic, they are still able to work with you. Christmas is just around the corner. If you are interested in a Christmas meal delivery to your home on Christmas Day, give Rose a call to place your name on the list. This is open to all seniors who would like to participate. The cutoff date is Friday, Dec. 18. No reservations can be made after that date.
Our Oak Bluffs School is offering a Book a Live Tech Support session for parents and students at the Oak Bluffs School. To book a Zoom meeting with the school technology technician, email Genc Brinja: at gbrinja@oakbluffsschool.com in order to be able to assist as many parents, staff, and students as possible. They try to keep meetings within the 30-minute slot allocation. If further assistance is required, a second conference can be scheduled.
There are more offerings from our Oak Bluffs library. On Dec. 19 from 5 to 6 pm, there will be Virtual Cooking with Carolina. Every Saturday night, Carolina demonstrates how to make a new recipe from her home kitchen on Facebook Live. Join in at facebook.com/illuminateob.
The next Online Poetry Workshop will be Dec. 23 from 4:30 to 6 pm. Poetry Drop-in classes are where we read and discuss two or more poems, and then use those poems as models for in-class writing exercises (which are then read out loud, but that is optional). Poetry Drop-in, led by Donald Nitchie, is geared for everyone, beginners and those who have been writing for a while. They typically last an hour and a half.
This holiday season, the Island Wide Youth Collaborative would like to
invite creative children ages 9 to 14 to participate in writing a poem or making a gift for Island elderly. You can spread some holiday cheer and join this project that runs until Dec. 22 by contacting Chrissie Laury at 508-693-7900, ext. 402, or email claury@mvcomunitysevices.org.
We send birthday smiles to Bill Jones on Dec. 21, and Rae Carter, Sandra deBettencourt, Bertie Madeiras, and Marie Fisher on the 22nd.
Enjoy your week. Peace.
If you have any Oak Bluffs Town Column suggestions, email Megan Alley, meganislandmegan@comcast.net.
