Abby started shaking as soon as she heard the first rumblings of thunder Saturday evening. She looked outside, then paced back and forth between Mike and me. One tends to notice having 65 pounds of vibrating golden retriever in your lap, no matter how much she is loved.
We were happy for the rain, though, and the respite from watering for a day or two. When I took Abby out later, the smoke, heat, and humidity of the past week had been washed out of the air. It was a lovely night.
MA Vote by Mail postcards arrived at our house last week, with a request form for an absentee ballot for the upcoming Sept. 1 primary, and the Nov. 3 midterm election. Fill out the form at the bottom of the mailing if you would like your ballots mailed to you. Make sure to return the card to Tara Whiting-Wells, our town clerk, by 5 pm on August 25. If you are registered with a party, that party’s ballot will be mailed to you for the primary election. If you are unenrolled, you must choose which party’s ballot you want sent to you. If you forget to indicate a party, another postcard will be mailed to you. You may also submit your application online: voteinma.com.
Even easier is voting in person. Forget the absentee ballot request, and come to the Public Safety Building to vote early, or on the date of the election. For information, contact Tara at 508-696-0148, weekdays between 7:30 am and 12:30 pm.
The library has lots of special programs for kids, tweens, and teens, especially during these summer vacation days. Learn how to make potions this afternoon (July 23, if you are reading this online or in time in the printed MV Times) from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. On Friday at 3 pm, Laura Hearn will teach young adults and grownups, ages 12 and up, the art of dryer-ball needle felting. Supplies will be provided, but space is limited, so please preregister at wt_mail@clamsnet.org. There will be another tween/teen crafting program on Tuesday, July 28, 3:30 to 4:30 pm, also with supplies provided. Crafts and art supplies are always available in the Children’s Room.
Also at the library, this Saturday, July 25, pianist Judy Merion will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” and “Sonatine” by Maurice Ravel. The concert will begin at 3 pm. Wednesday, July 29, 4:30 pm, Carol Rocamora and Lee Wolf will present “Trends and Highlights of the New York Theater Season.”
The biggest news is that the Friends of the West Tisbury Free Public Library’s 66th annual Book Sale will begin next Thursday, July 30. You have probably noticed the tent in the West Tisbury School parking lot; that is where the sale has been for several years. Hours are 9 am to 3 pm. The sale will run through Monday, August 3. Books are full price Thursday through Saturday, half-price on Sunday, and free, although donations are welcome, on Monday. It is a highlight of every book collector’s year.