The weather remains unseasonably warm. We are in a red-alert drought, despite a damp mist during one night last week. Rain is predicted for the end of this week, so maybe you will be watching raindrops outside your windows as you read this column. A cup of tea would be nice, too.
I want to write about my friend Ginny Jones, who died last week. I met Ginny when I moved to West Tisbury, although her name was familiar from letters to the editor that often appeared in the paper. We lived near enough to run into each other walking our elderly black labs. We both frequented the library, town hall, the Post Office, which was at Alley’s in those days. We got to know one another.
Ginny was a repository of island lore and propriety, someone I could always count on to correct me when I had crossed some line of decorum, or misspoke or miswrote some fact. Neither of us had any tolerance for alternative facts, even before it became fashionable.
We both loved murder mysteries. Ginny would regularly arrive at my house with a bag of mysteries by English authors with whom I was unfamiliar. What interesting discoveries. Also, of hellebores, and learning about new varieties of those beautiful plants when she invited me over to show off her latest discoveries.
My phone regularly rang or my inbox beeped with some article she had forwarded. She read news from around the world, and shared different perspectives. I learned about sources for knitting wool and patterns, sightings of shorebirds, Island and town news, local and world politics, Albert Fischer’s latest photographs, West Tisbury history, boatbuilding, sailing adventures, pond openings, smelling the changing weather.
Ginny respected the way the Island was when she was growing up. She respected traditions, and did her best to maintain and protect them. Her long tenure on the planning board is testament to that. She believed what she believed, what was right. It was her North Star.
Driving home one afternoon last week, I thought that I hadn’t seen or spoken with Ginny. I thought about stopping by. There were groceries in the car, I had things to do, I had to get home, I would call her later. I missed my chance. I never think anything will change, that anything or anyone will be nevermore.
It seems careless to continue on with the column. I don’t mean to diminish my friend’s passing. Please don’t read it as such.
Several representatives of committees that formed after last April’s visioning weekend met with community members at the library last Saturday. Water resources, communication, business district, multi-use pathways, and the village center were discussed. Planning board administrative assistant Jane Rossi put together an excellent West Tisbury Community Visioning Report, available in town hall and the library. More information sessions are planned, so read what has been done so far, and be prepared to participate in shaping our town’s future.
Here is the corn pudding recipe I promised to put in the column in time for Thanksgiving.
Hermine Hull’s Corn Pudding
½ stick melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 16-oz. can of creamed corn
1 16-oz. can of whole-kernel corn, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 9 oz. box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
Preheat the oven to 375°. Mix everything together, and pour into a casserole or baking dish.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, till the center is set.
I usually double this recipe for a crowd or a potluck. It’s easy to make, always comes out, and everyone loves it.
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
