Tisbury: Composting food waste

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—MV Times

Heard on Main Street: Friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back. Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives that we may not even notice that we’ve let them fly away.

My heart aches with the loss of Ken Beebe. Whether fishing or enjoying a movie or a picnic on the beach, he brought a lot to the company. He will be sorely missed.

The CDC says that now I can hug my grandchildren. I have high hopes this will not be too long in coming; they just have to find time for a short trip.

When the time changed, I remembered what a hard time our dog had when that happened. The biggest problem for him was when dinner was an hour later than his tummy thought it should be. For nearly a week, he’d sit staring reproachfully at me, sometimes using a quick “yip” to remind me that someone was afraid he’d miss dinner. However, he never had any difficulty getting used to eating early.

Of course, during this whole COVID mess, most of us act like dogs around the house, searching for food at all times and gobbling it up when we find it. I expect we will all lose a lot of pounds when we are released into the real world.

Our Vineyard Haven library offers a Poetry Writing Workshop with Michael West at 2 pm Saturday, April 3. Share your writing. This group will meet for four weeks. For all these events contact amcdonough@clamsnet.org.

Did you know? Every year tons of heads of romaine lettuce and moldy bread are shipped off the Vineyard at a premium. Seriously, there are 6,500 tons of watermelon rinds, citrus peels from fancy cocktails, countless eggshells, and countless lobster shells. You pay for this.

After paying extra for food to be transported across the Sound, Vineyarders send the equivalent of 261 trucks of food waste back to the mainland annually, according to estimates from an Islandwide study in 2017. At the same time, thousands of cubic yards of compost are shipped to the Island to enrich the soil.

At 4 pm on Thursday, April 8, you can learn the benefits of composting your household waste, saving our Island, and your money, with Eunice Youmans from IGI. Contact amcdonough@clamsnet.org for the Zoom link. Chat or just enjoy a fun, casual group on Fridays at 3 pm to Sit and Knit a Bit — or quilt or crochet. Go to vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org.

The artists among us can enjoy a summer of drawing with Vineyard artist Elizabeth R. Whelan. Zoom every Wednesday at 11 am from April 21 to Sept. 1 for free classes in drawing. Each topic will run for two weeks, allowing for follow up on your questions. No need to buy supplies as most techniques can be applied to all drawing media. What are you waiting for? Register with amcdonough@clamsnet.org.

Is there a time limit on how long I can enjoy drawings and photos on my refrigerator door? I hope not, they bring some delightful memories to mind each time I see them.

It seems silly, but while I really love my new front door, I miss the old one. I could change a small wreath on the front door to welcome spring or notice summer’s approach. Sad to say these now sit in the basement, wondering if they will ever see the light of day again because my lovely new door has no way to display them.

The bright sunlight we’ve been enjoying makes the passing of time more obvious. It annoys me when it comes through the dining room window into my eyes. But this time of year the sun seems to change noticeably every sunny day, which makes me very aware of how quickly it is moving around. Or maybe it reminds me how much more slowly I am moving.

Big bunches of birthday balloons go out on Sunday to Linda Unczur and Dale McClure. Kaleena Searle and Kathleen Madeiros party on Monday. Happy birthday to Larry Sylvia and Marco Daniels on Tuesday.

Heard on Main Street: You’re wrong. The Ten Commandments are not a multiple choice.

If you have any Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Kay Mayhew, tashmoorock@gmail.com.