West Tisbury: Up-Island Cronig’s

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—MV Times

Well, it’s been another week of weather. Pleasant and spring-like one day, then back to winter the next. I have seen people in shorts already, then back to wearing down jackets. It’s a good thing we New Englanders like to talk about the weather. It certainly seems to be an endless topic for discussion.

Forsythia is starting to bloom all over town, in wildly bursting tangles or in more sedate, neatly pruned bushes. The early star magnolia in front of the Olsen house is making its annual showing. Patti Linn’s yard has bulbs of every variety and color; hyacinths, tulips, daffodils in drifts of pink and yellow, lavender and blue. Primroses are just budding and showing color;  many gardens have hardy plantings of them. The English primrose, or cowslip, is such a pretty pale yellow, and is reputed to be deer and rabbit resistant.

If you are reading this column early on April 15, a reminder to go vote in our annual town election. Polls open at 7 am at the Public Safety Building and close at 8 pm.

The West Tisbury library had several tables outside in the parking lot this past Saturday afternoon. Tables were filled with books and videos for browsing. It felt like heaven. There were gardening books, cookbooks, fiction and nonfiction, mysteries, children’s books, a selection of every subject you could imagine. After so many months of either ordering a book online or going without, it was an absolute luxury to pick up a book and look through it. Library staff will have these tables set up from noon to 3 pm on Saturdays in good weather.

There is an online art exhibition at the library, based on an interesting idea. The exhibition is called “Table For Two: The Cafe Series,” the work of four artists who are also friends who have travelled together. This show is a collection of paintings, handmade paper sculptures, and mixed-media pieces based on their travels, inspired by the many cafes they frequented. The artists are Kanta Lipsky, Valentine Estabrook, Sandy Bernat, and Tripti Mannina. Hope you enjoy it.

I am thrilled to report that our up-Island Cronig’s will be reopening on April 26. Everyone I ran into at the down-Island store was just as excited as I was to hear the news. I can’t wait to see what all the renovations look like, and look forward to running in for a few things on my way home from work instead of dealing with a huge shopping list and hoping I don’t forget anything. Or that they aren’t out of the one critical ingredient for a recipe after I have driven all the way to Vineyard Haven. I have missed running into Roe Belain and/or Pat Mitchell almost every evening if I was shopping around 5 o’clock; we seemed to be on the same schedule. That was often where I got news for this column, too.

By the way, I heard on the radio this morning that both the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges will be under repair. There will be only one lane open each way. Just something to be aware of if you are planning to go off-island.

It was pleasant enough to sit outside last Saturday afternoon, to drink tea, and visit with Steph daRosa, Iyla Bohan, and Iyla’s “Granny” Mary Bohan, who was visiting from Connecticut. We were all enchanted with Iyla’s new puppy, an Australian shepherd named Tater. Iyla has already trained him to fetch a ball and drop it for her to throw again. She had taught my Abby the same thing when Abby was just a few months old.

A short column this week. Now that I have been to the library, I have a good book to read, so must get back to it.

If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.