Another weekend preparing for a snowstorm. Soup made. Wood in. Wheelbarrows full outside the dining room door. Snow shovels on the porches. Flashlights. Candles. Matches. Books. Water.
Mike went off to the fire station for the night, one of a group of firemen assigned to be ready if there is an emergency. I hope that it will be a quiet night.
Shirley Howell was buried in the Chilmark cemetery on Saturday morning. Rev. Baker had barely begun the service when someone’s dog leaned on the horn in his car. Shirley loved dogs, and she would have laughed along with all of us. It felt like she was there.
There was a gathering afterwards at the Howes House. When we left, I went across the street to see the tribute that Shirley’s daughters had set up on the bench on Alley’s porch. There was a photograph, a lovely bouquet, and a note naming members of the group who had died over the past few years: Shirley Howell. Jennie Greene. Ellen Weiss. Tony Rezendes. John Alley. Cliff Athearn. Jennie Gadowski is planning a permanent plaque memorializing the group. Meeting on that bench was a big part of their day.
West Tisbury Parks & Rec has booked the Martha’s Vineyard Arena for a family skate on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 11 till noon. Admission is free, and all are invited. Bring your skates or rent them there. Hot chocolate will be provided. Please bring a snack or dessert to share. For information, call Peggy Stone at 508 696-0147.
The last free soup and bread lunch of school vacation will be Friday, Feb. 27, 11:30 to 1, at the West Tisbury library. On Saturday, Hugh Phear will lead a “Chain Reaction” activity for kids at 1 pm, and Dave Kish will host a jazz-themed movie, “One Night with Blue Note,” at 3. The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Building Committee will give a presentation about the high school building project on Sunday afternoon, March 1, at 2 pm, and the Climate Book Club will meet at 4 to discuss Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring.” There will be a program with singing, movement, and playful rhythm games for children ages 0 to 5 and their caregivers on Thursday morning at 10 am. Kids and teens, 11 to 17, are invited to an after-hours Nerf Blaster Tournament from 5 to 7 pm. All gear will be provided. Registration is required: Email lhearn@clamsnet.org or call 508-693-3366.
West Tisbury’s registered democrats are invited to the Democratic Town Committee Caucus at 11 on Saturday morning, March 7, at the Howes House, to elect delegates to the State Democratic Convention in Worcester, May 29 to 30. They will nominate candidates for U.S. Senate and all state offices. Sen. Edward Markey is running for reelection, challenged by Rep. Seth Moulton (MA 6 District, North Shore) and Alex Rikleen, an educator from Acton.
I will admit that I have grown a little tired of snow. It has turned a dirty gray along the roadsides, and there is very little of the pristine white expanses that were so beautiful when it first fell.
Some snowdrops had just reappeared where snow melted along the path by our back door, and I was glad to see there were still little white blossoms intact, that they hadn’t been shoveled over by mistake.
I have been reading about Jesse Jackson, who died last week. What a remarkable life he had. I felt privileged reading about his devotion to justice and fairness, his advocacy for equal rights for all Americans. I am so glad I lived through those years when we were hopeful for a more inclusive and equitable future.
