I am writing this on the Saturday morning prior to the election, so have nothing yet to share about that historic day. Stay tuned.
Earlier today I could be found walking behind Town Hall, learning about the planned food forest there. It was a lovely morning, with a lovely group of folks. We heard from Mary Sage Napolitan, who is drafting a plan for food forests in every town on the Island. She was an open and encouraging person, with a wealth of information about plants native to the various ecosystems on the island, including here in Aquinnah. Present were representatives from the Aquinnah Cultural Center, the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah, chair of our select board Juli Vanderhoop, members of the town parks and recreation committee, Noli Taylor of IGI, and miscellaneous other citizens of Aquinnah like Charley and me. Kids were romping on the playground and clambering up trees in the “forest.” It was a morning of hope and visioning; a grounding (if you will excuse the expression) in community, and in the beauty of our surroundings, in this uneasy time.
Monday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day. I was born in the midst of World War II, as my dad was serving on the front lines in France and Germany, fighting against the Nazis. He was a gentle man, born to a pair of humano-vegetarians from the Ukraine. At the time he signed on, he was the father of two, with his third on the way (me), but he felt that he needed to do what he could to stop the spread of that particular insanity. He seldom spoke of the horrors he lived through, but he mourned the men of his battalion who were lost, and stood against war ever after. I salute him on Veterans Day, as I salute the boys who graduated from high school with me who signed on at the beginning of the Vietnam War. They served with extraordinary courage. They signed on with the hope that they were doing some good somehow, but not all of them came home, and of those who did, none of them came unscarred. If you are a veteran, or if you know a veteran, praise them for their courage, and be grateful that they came home. And then spend the day praying for peace and an end to war.
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 pm, there will be a town meeting at the Town Hall. It isn’t a long agenda, but it is important. Among other budgetary items, there is a request for a new police cruiser, a request for a new dump truck for our highway department, and various requests for transferring of dollars from one place or another to fund necessary work, or for holding things together until grant dollars come through for our lighthouse. You may be election-weary, folks, but this is essential business that must be dealt with, and it is your chance to participate in the decisionmaking. See you there.
I don’t have any birthdays on my calendar for this week, but I missed saying Happy Birthday to Nanawusuwee Vanderhoop Powell on Nov. 5. If you have a birthday or anniversary to be reported, please please let me know. If you aren’t on my calendar, I can’t cheer for you!
If you have any Aquinnah Town Column suggestions, email Kathie Olson, aquinnahcolumn@gmail.com.
