Despite the few cool nights, we still have nasturtiums blooming outside our kitchen and my studio doors. The heat is on in the downstairs bathroom, the only room we use our electric heat in, and we have had a few fires in the woodstove to take the chill out of the house in early evening. Just a little kindling and maybe a few logs, nothing like the all-night fires soon to come. The weather continues to be erratic, cold and crisp one day, and summerlike the next.
The Polly Hill Arboretum sent out an email showing witch hazels in bloom just in time for Halloween. The story mentioned the derivation of the name from Middle English wiche or wicke, meaning “lively” and from an old Anglo-Saxon word, wych or wice, meaning “bend” that refers to its use as a dowsing stick. Dowsing to find water was an activity often associated with witchcraft. Many of us were probably scared by the bubbling cauldron of “eye of needle, tongue of shoe, hand of clock that points at two, neck of bottle, tail of coat, and whiskers from a billy goat” tended by Witch Hazel and her broomstick.
Keep an eye out for ticks. They seem to have returned with a vengeance, tiny and ubiquitous. I’ve seen fleas, too, on our cat, so bought new collars for our three animals last week.
According to Tara Whiting, early voting has been a success. 254 early votes were registered as of 4:30 pm on Friday, as well as 245 absentee ballots. One more day of early voting; it ends at 4:30 tomorrow when Town Hall closes. Election day voting in West Tisbury will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Public Safety Building from 7 am to 8 pm.
Last Thursday, the Tisbury Council on Aging brought Teepa Snow, a world-renowned occupational therapist and dementia specialist, to the Island for a workshop given to caregivers both professional and family. The program was in two parts: “Creating a Safe and Friendly Place for a Person With Dementia” and “Developing Activities That Have Meaning and Work.” The information and demonstrations of techniques were so helpful, and Teepa has a way of getting into the heads and experiences of people with dementia, then portraying it to us in a way that makes it clear and understandable. I can’t thank Joyce Stiles-Tucker and her staff enough for the best day. For anyone who is interested, we have some of Teepa Snow’s DVDs at our library, and she has lots of short videos on her website and on YouTube.
Thursday, Nov. 11, Offshore Ale in Oak Bluffs will donate a portion of your lunch and dinner tabs to the West Tisbury Library Foundation. “Dine to Donate” lunch from 11:30 to 3:30 and dinner from 5 to 8.
At the library, a special Lego event has been planned for this Saturday afternoon from 2:30 to 4:30. Build a Lego race car and try it out on a newly built 25-foot racetrack. Legos are provided for builders of all ages. At 5:30, the West Tisbury Library Foundation is hosting a Speakeasy Series “Evening with Peter Kramer” at Sherman and Susan Goldstein’s house. Dr. Kramer is a psychiatrist and author of seven books, including “Listening to Prozac.” Call Beth Kramer for reservations and directions: 774-563-8391.
Come to the library on Sunday afternoon to hear the weekly chamber music rehearsal between 3:30 and 5 pm. On Wednesdays throughout the month of November, the library will screen one episode each week of MVTV’s “Martha’s Vineyard Signs Then and Now” series, from 4 to 5 pm.
Probably everyone on the Island knew Buzzy Blankenship, who died this year. His daughters and friends have established a scholarship in his memory. To that end, they are hosting the First Ever Buzz Fest this Friday, Nov. 4, at the P.A. Club in Oak Bluffs. The festivities begin at 7 pm. There will be lots of music, food, and a silent auction, all for $20 admission.
Don’t be surprised to see farm animals on the lawn outside the West Tisbury Church this Sunday afternoon. Blessing of the Animals begins at 2 pm on Nov. 6. Dogs must be leashed and cats must be in carriers to be allowed inside for this special service. All other animals will be blessed outside.
The church announced that it had raised over $5,000 on the annual CROP Walk, held a couple of weeks ago. This year’s walkers honored Rosemarie Doane, longtime walker and dedicated fundraiser. David Fielder reported that “the day was windy, but pleasant” for the walk. It’s not too late to donate. Checks can be made out to Church World Service/CROP and mailed to Woody Bowman, Box 335, West Tisbury, MA 02575, or you can go online to
bit.ly/cropwalkWTcongo or to crophungerwalk.org and enter West Tisbbury Church on the search line.
A Meditation of Peace will take place at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Chapel this Saturday, Nove. 5, 4 to 5 pm.
The Martha’s Vineyard Partnership For Health is looking for volunteers from each town to become new volunteer class leaders for the “My Life, My Health” program, designed to help people manage chronic health problems and stay healthy. The free four-day training takes place from 8:30 to 4:30 on Nov. 5, 6, 12, and 13. Please contact ksamways@ihimv.org or
Call 508-627-5797, ext. 114.
Sunday afternoon, Mike and I joined a group of friends and trucks to help Stephanie DaRosa and James Bohan move into their new house. Kurt Freund and Blue Cullen were busy tiling the kitchen backsplash, and my job was to take care of Iyla Grace Bohan, now a little over 2 months old. Feeling her little body’s weight against my chest made me remember all the babies I have held and loved over so many years, and I am already totally smitten with her. She finds me very boring, because she looks up at me and immediately falls asleep.
Watching the activity of boxes being packed and carted reminded me of moving into our house 32 years ago, also with much help from some of the same people. Blue helped me paint, and Mike called us “the Skip and Spot Paint Company,” although we are both excellent painters. As young children, Stephanie and her brother, Philip, came to our door in Halloween costumes, as Steph and James will now take Iyla out in her candy corn costume. I guess once one reaches a certain age, everything has memories all mixed together as new experiences unfold, and stories come to mind for all occasions.