A rimy haze coated our roofs and lawn this morning. There had been a few chilly mornings, but this was a real frost, and the house felt cold. I made a fire to warm it up before Mike came downstairs, fed Abby and Nelson, then settled down in my wing chair in front of the fire. Looking out the window, I watched the frost disappear as the sun rose and warmed the ground.
We should all be grateful for quiet moments like the early morning I just described. Halloween and Veteran’s Day have barely passed, Thanksgiving is only a week away, and Christmas is barely a brief moment after that.
This time of year always feels so rushed. I wish I could enjoy the pleasures of holidays without feeling there was so much to do. The thing is, I love all of it, the cooking and baking and decorations and parties. I just wish it wasn’t so condensed into one very short month.
Linda Alley called to announce the opening of Island Made Holidays on Friday, Nov. 17, at the newly named Gayle Gardens, formerly Heather Gardens, its home for the past several years. The new owner, Tara Gayle, will stock the shop with amaryllis, poinsettias, cyclamen, and wreaths. Twenty Vineyard artisans will have their wares for sale in the shop, which will be open daily from 10 am to 5 pm though Dec. 24.
The following day, Nov. 18, Micah Thanhauser will host an open studio at Merry Farm Pottery, featuring pieces fired in his newly constructed wood-fired kiln. The studio will be open from 10 am to 5 pm. Pam Flam will be displaying and selling her quilts along with Micah’s pottery, and Nina Levin will serve food and hot coffee.
Friends of the West Tisbury Free Public Library will have a pop-up book sale in the Community Room at the library. Dates and times are: Saturday, Nov. 18, 11 am to 3 pm, Sunday, Nov. 19, 12:30 to 3:30 pm, Monday, Nov. 20, 11 am to 3 pm, Saturday, Nov. 25, 11 am to 3 pm, and Sunday, Nov. 26, 12:30 to 3:30 pm. There will be books for adults and children, cookbooks, Martha’s Vineyard books, and jigsaw puzzles.
We have a new children’s librarian. Her name is Hannah Burbridge. Welcome to the West Tisbury library, Hannah.
The Climate Book Club will meet at the library this Sunday afternoon, Nov. 19, at 4 pm, continuing their discussion of “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Beach BeFrienders will be at Cedar Tree Neck Beach on Saturday, Nov. 18, between 9 and 11 am. For more information, call Signe Benjamin at 508 693-9588, ext. 13, or send her an email at signe@vineyardconservation.org. You can also look at the VCS events page.
Sue Hruby, Hannah Beecher, and I have been refining our Thanksgiving dinner menu, an annual ritual of must-have family recipes, and new possibilities we have discovered during the past year. Among the must-haves is the corn pudding recipe I put in the column every year and always bring to the town party. Here it is.
½ stick butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 16-oz. can sweet corn, drained
1 16-oz. can cream-style corn
1 cup sour cream
1 9-oz. box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix
Mix ingredients together and pour into a casserole dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a preheated 375° oven until the pudding is set.
This recipe easily doubles for a large gathering or potluck. Suzanne Hammond gave it to me after a library trustees dinner, and with her permission, I have passed it along many times since. Everyone seems to love it.
At the end of our lengthy conversation that veered off from Thanksgiving and into politics, Sue commented, “Well, at least we have settled Thanksgiving. I guess that’s really all we can control.”
