This week Isaac and Noli spotted a rare albino Northern cardinal in our yard here at the tip of Aquinnah. The beautiful, all-white bird came and sat on our bird feeder thrillingly long enough for us to get a photo. It is said that the chance of seeing this is 1 in 30,000, and that sighting one brings good luck. Lord knows I’m all for that.
Last week, the Aquinnah Select Board held a meeting in the Town Hall to discuss updates on funding for our schools. A good-size crowd assembled and heard an outstanding presentation by Sam Hart, Superintendent Dr. Richie Smith, and Amy Houghton, who presented on behalf of our school committee. I’m glad that the meeting was respectful, and it was clear that the overwhelming majority of our residents understand the need for a new high school.
Thursdays, starting on Nov, 13, Laura Jordan Decker is offering singing and performing classes for children ages 7 and up. Singers will choose their own song to develop for the stage over the course of the eight-week session, ending with a performance for family and friends on the last day of class. The cost is $250 for the session, with payment plans and a sliding scale definitely available. Please reach out to Laura for more details at laurajordandecker@gmail.com.
The Up-Island Council on Aging’s monthly Aquinnah luncheon will be this Wednesday, Nov. 19, at noon at the Aquinnah Town Hall. The next day, Thursday, Nov. 20 at noon, the Aquinnah, West Tisbury, and Chilmark police departments will join them in hosting Friendsgiving. This is a chance to share a meal and come together as a community with our first responders. Please phone the council at 508-693-2896 if you have questions, or just to let them know if you will be attending either or both events.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, from 6 to 9 pm at the P.A. Club, there will be a silent auction and karaoke party fundraiser to support the M.V. Regional High School Minnesingers. Entry is free (pay what you can), and the event includes a fantastic silent auction, a mini-performance by the Minnesingers, karaoke fun and light bites from Quitsa Kitchen. Drinks will be available from the P.A. Bar. The event is to raise funds for the Minnesingers’ performance tour to Italy in the spring.
On Nov. 3, at the age of 99, one month shy of his 100th birthday, Peter Weiss died. A pioneering attorney who championed human rights and peace in the world, Peter was funny, a lover of life, and never a cynic. As an activist, he urged all of us to use our knowledge and skills for social justice. Our world is a better place for his life and work. His roots on the Vineyard were deep, as he and his family have spent summers on Lighthouse Road since the 1960s, and his daughter Tamara raised her twins in Chilmark. We send deepest sympathy to his wife, Cora, their three children, Judy, Tamara, and Danny, and to their five grandchildren.
This week we celebrate Tiffany Vanderhoop’s birthday on Nov. 18. Happy day, Tiffany! She and I share the same birthday, although certainly not the same year. It seems that as my body ages and slows down, time itself goes quicker and quicker. Not wasting that precious time means celebrating, creating, reading, napping, loving, really noticing, participating, remembering, helping, and sometimes just sitting and allowing my mind to wander. Sometimes it takes courage, for sure, but still and all, I’m grateful to be alive in this beautiful place, with so many and so much to love.
