As I write this, it is beautiful outside. On my walk this morning, I delighted in the cooling breeze, blue skies, and sparkling waters surrounding Gay Head. I was on my way to bring Jeanne Taylor a jar of sauce that I’d made the night before, which included the tarragon she had given to us a few days before. It is the season when our gardens have begun providing enough abundance that we are all ready to share. Jeanne shared squash, cucumbers, tarragon, and cilantro with us. We have extra basil, parsley, and garlic we can share. It is a summer dance that I look forward to every year.
Last week our town lost a bright light with the death of Gary Paraboschi. Gary, the husband of our beloved Barbara Wallen, was a poet and a musician. He was also part of the book club that meets monthly at the Aquinnah library, sitting patiently listening while the rest of us rattle on, and then, only if asked, setting us pondering with a pithy comment. The town will not soon forget his poetry readings, nor his performance with Isaac Taylor of the Aquinnah Boogie Woogie at the Aquinnah Variety Show in May. Rest in peace, Gary. I’ll miss you.
On Thursday, July 24, at 5 pm, the Aquinnah library is hosting Matt Pelikan of Biodiversity Works to speak about the butterflies of Martha’s Vineyard. He’ll talk about the ecology, identification, and conservation of butterflies here, and teach you how to help local species flourish. It’s free, and all are welcome. Then on Thursday, July 31, at 4:30 pm, teens ages 13 to 18 are invited to a pizza party and discussion of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which is available as a novel or as a movie (either of which you can get at the library).
Bill Lake, a prime mover of the Aquinnah climate action committee, has announced good news. First, the replacement of the EV chargers at the town center and at the Cliffs is now done, and the chargers are now available. And the select board has approved the last step toward qualifying Aquinnah as a Climate Leader Community under the state’s Green Communities program. Last, the Aquinnah Police Department has added an EV to its fleet.
I am not sure what the Corridor Overlay District Project actually is, or who is funding it, but Aquinnah residents are invited to fill out a survey that is part of a visioning process about our town center. You can access the survey by going to Town Hall and scanning a QR code. Two meetings were held last week as part of this process, and I couldn’t attend, but I’m hoping some more specific information gets sent out soon for those of us who weren’t there.
I have never been prouder of the moral backbone of the people in my country. From coast to coast, chefs and scientists, teachers and musicians, veterans and farmers, environmentalists and sailors, philanthropists and medical workers, people of all faiths and ages and backgrounds are speaking out to protect those principles and practices that are necessary for a moral and functional democracy. I heartily recommend the Americans of Conscience Checklist (americansofconscience.com). Reading through their dispatches will lift your heart and give you courage.
Birthday greetings are due to some great folks: Julianne Vanderhoop celebrated on the 19th; Hugh Taylor celebrates on July 24; Joan LeLacheur gets to blow out candles on July 26; Max Decker on July 27, Vera Dello Russo on July 28, Hollis Smith on July 29, and Jamie Vanderhoop on July 30. I must say, this is an outstanding group of much-loved and extraordinarily valuable people.