This is the first column I am writing on my new MacBook Air laptop computer. It’s tiny compared with my old MacBook, very lightweight. The page and type size are smaller, too, maybe a poor choice, as my eyes aren’t as good as they were when I was younger. It will take some getting used to, but so far, I like it, as much as I would like any computer.
I am not enamored of technology, of needing the newest blah-de-blah, but my old computer could no longer be updated, and I could no longer participate in the wonderful Zoom opportunities I was so spoiled with throughout COVID. So here I am writing on my new, sleek, dark gray, lightweight laptop, and indebted to Megan Mendenhall for setting it up for me.
Watching Megan just clicking away and knowing what to do was something to watch. I’m terrified of doing something wrong and having it blow up, or the screen to go totally black and never recover. Megan was fearless. I will never be fearless. I expect to continue to consider the computer as a necessary annoyance. I know how to do email, write my column, and look at some websites — keeping it simple.
The past week has felt colder to me, the skies grayer. I should probably make daily notes on my calendar so I remember the days correctly, but that’s just the sort of thing I forget to do.
Linda Hearn and I went to the “The Abundance of Color” show at Featherstone, a perfect antidote to gray. Looking at art always lifts my spirits. There was work by some artists unknown to me, and many pieces by friends. Linda has two quilts in the show. There is a large painting of the Aquinnah Cliffs in all their colorful glory by Liz Taft. My favorite painting was by Leslie Baker, a luminous, rich mystery of a painting that would invite me to explore it every time I walked into the room in which it was hung. We had a lovely outing, and it was a perfect excuse to get out of the house. I do wish I had taken notes, however, to mention some of the other work we found interesting. Next time.
“The Abundance of Color” will be on view through March 26. Featherstone is inviting artists to submit work for its next exhibition, “Textures and Patterns,” which will open on April 2.
Don’t forget the daylong Saint Patrick’s Day festivities at the Howes House. You may sign up for one event or for all four: baking Irish Soda Bread with Beth Kramer at 9 am; Food Pantry Bingo (bring a non-perishable donation) at 10 am; lunch at 11:30 am; and painting a watercolor still-life at 1 pm. Call 508 693-2896.
The Climate Book Club will hold its first meeting at the West Tisbury library this Sunday, March 19, at 4 pm. The book to be discussed, “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case For Hope and Healing in a Divided World,” by Katherine Hayhoe, is available at the library. Facilitators of the discussion are Nicola Blake, Sue Hruby, and Amelia Smith.
If you tried to get tickets to see “Ferries Now” at the Film Center, they have been sold out, but a Zoom option will be available. Contact Kate Warner at warner@mvcommission.org.
The Coalition to Create an MV Housing Bank is organizing free ferry and bus transportation to Boston for Housing Bank Lobby Day at the State House on Thursday, March 23. If you are interested, contact Noah Lipnick at noah@ccmvhb.org.
Things are still coming up early, too early for some whose foliage has been nipped by frosts. Purple and white crocuses have made a colorful display on sunny days, and my earliest narcissus have buds. The earliest I remember them blooming was the first week in April. We still have two or three weeks to go, and I won’t be surprised to see at least a few of them opening up before then. I have struggled trying to decide whether or not to uncover my garden beds. So far, I have not, but a string of lovely, warm days will try my resolve to leave old leaves and last year’s foliage for overwintering beneficial insects. The one small bed I did uncover and mulch looks so beautiful. As a person for whom tidiness seems incompatible, at least according to my husband, I do like pretty, orderly surroundings, but there are so many other things to do than endless cleaning that will need doing again in no time.
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
