It looks like an abstract expressionist painting outside my windows. The burning bush I planted 40 years ago, before they were discouraged as invasive, has provided an ever-changing palette of color every fall. I have watched the first pink blush on a few leaves deepen to a rich coral red that spans much of our south-facing view. Looking at it that way, it loses the broad outline of a shrub, of branches and leaves, to become a waving, sprawling mass of lines and colors. I have drawn and painted it many times over the years, and it never fails to please my eye.
The weather has been cooler. Sweater weather. Flannel sheet weather. We haven’t had a fire yet, but we have talked about it. Nelson has been spending more time inside, amenable to a lap provided especially for him. Mine has proved acceptable. I admit, with gratitude, that there is nothing nicer or more comforting than a warm, purring cat on one’s lap.
Judy Crawford told me the sad news that Tad died last week, after his long illness. He and Judy had continued to make an appearance at many events around the Island almost to the end of his life. It was always a treat to see them, to see Tad enjoying himself among his family and his friends of a lifetime. “He was the love of my life,” Judy said. That was apparent to all who knew them.
This coming Saturday is the Harvest Festival at the Ag Hall, from 10 am to 3 pm. Martha’s Vineyard Community Seed Library will have a table set up during those hours. You can stop by for advice on how to collect and save seeds, to drop off seeds you want to share, or just to see what it’s all about. The seed library cabinet will return to the West Tisbury library, its customary residence, that evening.
Other library events include: a meeting of the Climate Book Club on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 4 pm; they are reading “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants,” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The LGBTQ+ Book Club will meet on Monday afternoon at 5:30 pm to discuss “In the Dream House,” by Carmen Maria Machado. Both books are available at the library. Sign up for these events at wt_mail@clamsnet.org. No sign-up is required for the drawing group, also on Monday at 5:30. Ann Ducharme and Caroline Drogin will lead the group. It is open to draftsmen and -women of all ages and skill levels. Drawing materials will be provided, although you are welcome to bring your own.
The Island has rallied around in support of the Jewish community here in so many ways. Beside private conversations with friends, members and ministers from Island churches attended a special community service at the Hebrew Center last Friday evening. It was daunting to see a police car parked out front and a police officer standing at the door, or walking around the building.
The Rev. Cathlin Baker spoke and prayed with us at a special service last Sunday afternoon. I apologize to all of the others whose names I don’t remember. I forget so much these days.
I took a break from the news to attend a writing workshop arranged by Kanta Lipsky at her home last Saturday afternoon. She had invited Kathryn Kay, an author and writing coach, to work with us. Kathryn used such creative and interesting prompts and exercises, that sparked unexpected responses from all of us. Some of us were writers; some had never written anything, some had never considered writing. Everyone wrote wonderful stories. We found that we were a most congenial group, and we hope to continue.
It really was stimulating. I had never written fiction or dialogue, and it seemed impossibly difficult. We had to choose a character from a list, write a description of a room from that character’s perspective, and the group had to guess who we were. That was fun. Then we had to write dialogue about an object from the perspective of our character having a conversation with someone else. Those were just two of our tasks.
There are sounds coming from my kitchen as I am writing. Mike is installing my birthday present, a new kitchen faucet. It makes me laugh to think that a new kitchen faucet has taken the place of the flowers or jewelry I would have liked in the early years of our marriage. It’s an old story, the year Mike gave me a posthole digger for our first Valentine’s Day together, and I cried when I saw the bouquet of roses that Danny Mayhew had sent to Judy. That was so long ago.
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
