You will be reading this on St. Patrick’s Day. I will be baking Irish soda bread for dinner tonight, to go with Diane Wall’s corned beef and cabbage, actually corned beef with lots of vegetables.
COVID interrupted our annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner, a tradition of almost 40 years. Diane and Howard, Jan and Rich Rooney, Mike and me. Jan and Diane’s parents, Ben and Fudge Paul, joined us when they moved here from New Haven. Charlie and Teena Parton came many years. And as the babies arrived, more places were set at the table. Hilary and Tessa Wall, Janay Rooney grew up providing the entertainment for the evening. They were darling babies, who were doted on and admired, gradually becoming competent musicians, who played and sang to the accompaniment of Howard on his bagpipes.
There were other guests over the years, and sadly, our table has suffered losses, too. But we have continued. Now there are two young husbands and a new baby, Skyler Wallcox. It’s my favorite dinner of the whole year. I hope Skyler will grow up loving it, too, with the enthusiasm and anticipation her mother and aunt still feel. I can’t wait to find out what her interests will be, what entertainments she will provide.
I couldn’t be happier that this St. Patrick’s Day we will all be together again. Long friendships and special traditions are the gifts I treasure.
A friend commented on a previous column that I didn’t have any women in my list of possibilities of younger Vineyarders who have made an impact on the island, as we have lost so many residents of Everett Poole/George Manter’s generation. Here are some notable women who qualify: Cindy Mitchell, Paddy Moore, Laura Murphy, Debbie (Galley) Athearn, Leslie Clapp. That’s just a quick off-the-top-of-my-head group. Hope I will be forgiven for my earlier oversight. I’m sure to hear from my aforementioned friend.
Vicki Thurber dropped off information about an MSPCA Large Animal Rescue Training course to be held on Saturday, March 26. It will be an all-day affair, from 9 to 4, on the Ag Hall grounds. There is a $25 training fee for the sponsor, the Martha’s Vineyard Horse Council. Vicki mentioned several scenarios when horses and other farm animals are injured or lost, when a rescuer would need to know how to approach and help that animal. Vicki hopes that fire/rescue personnel will take this training, along with interested community members. March 21 is the deadline for registering. There are only 40 spots, so don’t wait to register. For more information, please contact Jessica Burnham at 508-627-2744.
Animal Control Officer Tony Cordray wants everyone to know about the Rabies Clinic that will be held this Saturday, March 19, 10 to 1, at the Public Safety Building. The cost is $25. If you have your animal’s previous rabies certificate, please bring it along. It’s not a requirement, but your pet will only be able to get a one-year vaccination instead of a three-year dose. If you have any questions, call Tony at 508-684-8201, or email aco@westtisbury-ma.gov.
Paddy Moore of Healthy Aging M.V. and Juliette Fay of Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank will host a forum for voters to learn about the proposed Housing Bank article coming up at our annual town meeting this spring. The forum is scheduled for Monday, March 21, 3 to 4:15. It will be both in-person and on Zoom. Email Paddy at mooreiipaddy@gmail.com or Juliette at fay.juliette@yahoo.com.
Marsha Winsryg, who has devoted herself to her nonprofit AACDP, the African Artists Community Development Project, is looking for sponsors for two young women who need financial help to continue the diploma programs they have begun. One is studying to become an electrical engineer, the other is in a general farming program. If interested, you may contact Marsha at 508-560-2620 or info@aacdpafrica.com. Your gift will be tax-deductible.
I was walking to my compost pile the other day when I saw one lone purple crocus blooming just outside my garden fence, not a place where I would have planted it. A bird must have dropped a seed. Nature amazes me.
How lucky I am to find an errant purple crocus in my lawn, to hear robins and cardinals chirping, to see spring slowly unfolding. How lucky we all are that we’re safe. I have been watching the daily increasing destruction of Ukraine following the Russian invasion, the cruel and relentless bombings of homes and hospitals, the loss of human life and spirit, a situation both horrific and unimaginable. I can’t imagine leaving my home, my country, everything familiar. I know I am lucky beyond words.