It was 7:19 when Mike and I left Julia Humphreys’s house Sunday evening. “Look how light it still is,” we both commented on the obvious.
We had been for drinks at Julia’s to meet her new puppy. Her name is Quetzi (pronounced like Betsy but with a Kw sound) short for Xochiquetzal, the Aztec goddess of love and consort/sister of Xochipilli, god of love. Appropriate, as her “big brother,” Julia’s handsome 10-year old golden, is Xochi. They are both total loves.
So is Karen Ogden’s puppy, Myles, a littermate of Quetzi’s. They were there, too, so we all got to watch the little puppies playing, tumbling, rolling, exploring, digging. Not much sleeping, but we saw a little. How wonderful for two friends to have adopted puppy siblings, who will now grow up together.
If you don’t know, Karen is the owner of Positive Rewards Dog Training. She and Julia have trained their older dogs, and often take them to competitions off-Island. They are already talking about training Myles and Quetzi for nose work and other competitions. So far, neither puppy has jumped up on guests, and both are learning their manners. They are being taken everywhere to be socialized and have experiences with people, noises, machinery, cars, all the things they need to become accustomed to. It’s fun to see them navigating their world, learning new everything. Next week, we will bring Nanuk over to meet them.
Congratulations to three West Tisburyites. Garrison Viera, of our West Tisbury Police Department, has been promoted to sergeant. Jonathan Klaren is Chilmark’s new police chief. And Justen Ahren, former poet laureate of West Tisbury, has been named Martha’s Vineyard poet laureate.
West Tisbury firefighters were out for several hours fighting a brushfire behind Co-Housing last Wednesday. It burned approximately seven acres, and came close to several houses. It was such a windy day that we were lucky the fire was brought under control. The Fire Department was called out sometime after 3 in the afternoon, and didn’t get home till around 10 o’clock that night by the time they got back to the stations and got their gear and equipment cleaned and put away. Thanks to all of them, plus firemen from Chilmark and Oak Bluffs who were called for mutual aid.
At the West Tisbury library this week: Saturday, April 1, Cathy Walthers will lead a discussion about book-banning at 11 am. This is in response to some public schools banning books by Howard Zinn, who wrote about civil rights, antiwar movements, and labor history in the U.S. From 2 to 4 pm, the video game club for teens and tweens will meet in the Young Adult Room. And the opening reception for drawings by the late Tom Cocroft presented by his widow, Phyllis Meras, will be from 4 to 5 pm in the Program Room. Sunday afternoon at 3 pm, David Murphy will show slides and speak about the art career of his father, the late Stan Murphy, whose paintings and drawings portray a history of the Island during his life here. Stan painted people and scenes he knew, as well as precise still lives of flowers from his wife, Polly’s, garden. On Monday, April 3, Kanta Lipsky will teach the “Giving and Receiving” of shoulder massage at 11:30 am, followed by soup, bread, and conversation. There will be a Seed Library Orientation at 7 pm for those interested in participating in the Community Seed Library Group. Wednesday afternoon at 4:30, Andy Herr will teach the first session of four guitar lessons for intermediate students.
A special program will be held at the West Tisbury library next Saturday, April 8, at 2 pm. The West Tisbury By-Ways Committee will present “A Brief History of West Tisbury,” a panel discussion moderated by Ann Bassett. Panelists are Linda Coombs, Wampanoag historian; David Foster, historian and author of “Martha’s Vineyard: A Meeting of Land and Sea”; and John Alley, native-born West Tisbury historian, raconteur, and writer of the weekly West Tisbury column in the Vineyard Gazette, in which he features a bit of town history as well as ongoing town events. Plan to come early, as doors will open at 1:30 for everyone to have time to examine the collection of historical maps on display to accompany the discussion.
The Federated Church in Edgartown will host a Forgiveness Workshop this Saturday, April 1, 1 to 4 pm, in the Parish Hall. The workshop will be conducted by the Rev. Susan Waldrop, an interfaith minister and counselor. The program is free and all are welcome, drop-ins and those who preregister alike. It will be followed by healing prayers and tea. If you would like to register, or need more information, please call Susan Waldrop at 973-879-9813, or email swaldrop@me.com.
It’s been gray and gloomy all day today. The fog hovers over our woods. My last amaryllis, with double fire-orange flowers, is blooming in front of the windows that overlook that drab scene. Next to it is a huge magenta flowering geranium I brought in last fall. The combination of those vivid colors against the dull sky makes an interesting visual paradox.
I have been interviewing artists for an article about abstract painting, and looking at the combination of colors, shapes, textures presented by those flowers makes my mind wander through the possibilities for making paintings that range from what I am looking at to some magical transformation that will only come through the exploration of my mind and my paintbrush. I wonder what it might be?