Heard on Main Street: Some days, you’re the dog; some days you’re the lamp post.
I had a rough week last week. On Monday I drowned my cell phone in the pool. On Wednesday I battled the “new, improved” site to pay my Tisbury tax bill. At least checks still work.
Then I went out and fell in my driveway on Thursday. That was a shock. I wasn’t hurt much and managed to get up. But that was the first time I had fallen outside since I was a kid so it really scared me. I am okay. A little Tylenol seems to be improving leftover aches and pains.
Fortunately, bad things seem to come in threes. So I decided I had nothing more to worry about, at least for now.
It was good to hear on the news that Tisbury was no longer the only town in the commonwealth to be a COVID high risk. That doesn’t mean you should not be careful, but it does allow us a little more freedom — if we dare take advantage of it.
I don’t miss the ramp but found the traffic on Beach Road just as awful as it could be. Maybe by the time summer is here, it will be easier to travel on that road.
“Summer on the Bluffs” was recommended as a new Island book. It is a good story and educational, at least to a white girl. I didn’t appreciate some of the Island references.
I learned a new word — “colorism.” That is defined as “prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone.”
Professor Lori Tharps wrote a book called “Same Family, Different Colors.” She says, “Skin color matters because we are a visual species … [it is] the most obvious criterion in determining how a person will be evaluated and judged. In this country … dark skin is demonized and light skin wins the prize.” The U.S. offers “Black, white, American Indian, and Asian and Native Hawaiian.” With our diverse population, we already go well beyond these skin colors.
Another book I read, not fiction, covered issues a Black woman may have to deal with simply in doing her hair. I never imagined such things and so was surprised to learn a lot more. I abhor racism and try to comprehend what being Black can be in today’s world.
The Tisbury School held a Memorial Day ceremony with the entire school gathering at the flagpole on school grounds. Flowers were also delivered to the sea by students Avery Mulvey and Tayna Silva.
During the summer, the children’s room at the Vineyard Haven library will be open to one family group at a time for 15 minutes, and appointments are suggested. It is nice to be able to go in and browse some of the books now, though I was happy to do that in the garden as well before they opened.
The M.V. Garden Club invites you to the Blooming Art Show in West Tisbury next weekend, with a few COVID twists. The show opens next Friday, exhibiting the work of 34 Vineyard artists paired with a floral display.
All artwork will be for sale with a percentage of the sales to the club. Friday and Saturday hours are 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. There is an admission fee of $10 and a limit of 10 visitors at a time with masks and social distancing required.
Big bunches of birthday balloon wishes go out today to Cody Chandler and Claudia Nelson. Monday belongs to Madeline Fisher, probably working in her Fisher Gallery on the Edgartown Road. Tuesday wish the best to JB and Fredrick Nash.
Monday is Flag Day: remember to proudly fly the flag.
Heard on Main Street: Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
If you have any Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Kay Mayhew, tashmoorock@gmail.com.
