Many years ago, Jeffrey Madison joked that you could describe one aspect of our Island as made up of “mice, lice, and mold.” True that. Right along with the breathtaking beauty, kindly souls, good music, et cetera, that’s what we’ve got. This is the time of year when all living critters are looking for a warm place to burrow, and that includes the mice and rats as much as it does us humans.
A little over a month ago, about two weeks before Thanksgiving, my refrigerator suddenly stopped working. A rat or a mouse or more had built a nest underneath the fridge, cozy against the motor, fortified with whatever it is that they get from chewing on electric wires. We cleaned out their mess, Isaac repaired the wires they had chewed, Charley wrapped the back of the fridge with strapping tape to keep the nasties out, and we were back in business.
Then, four days before I was to cook for 18 people for Thanksgiving, my oven died. I frantically called the stellar folks at MV Gas Appliance Repair, but they were unable to get to me until after Turkey Day. I managed to get the dinner together anyway, thanks to the oven at Isaac and Noli’s house across the way. On the Monday after T Day, the repair team sadly let me know that the rats had burrowed up inside the side walls of the oven, and eaten wires that were not accessible. It was time to get a brand-new stove. Which we did. (We took advantage of the disaster to have the house rewired to accommodate an electric stove, taking yet one more step toward independence from fossil fuels.)
This morning, as I was about to bake challah bread, I opened the storage drawer that is built into my beautiful brand-new stove. Inside the drawer: a pile of stove insulation. There is only one thing that would create that pile — a rodent. We were lucky this time, however. They hadn’t gotten to the wires. The stove still works. Isaac and Charley went on a hunt to look for any possible entries to our house that we hadn’t already plugged. We are probably going to be OK.
The whole sorry tale, small and unimportant really, seems simply to add to the heaviness of this bizarre, heart-wrenching, strange time. There is yet another family in our community facing the emptiness and disbelief, rage and profound grief of having lost one of their youngsters. Yossi Monahan. Dear Yossi. We send so much love to his mother Anya and to her partner Spa, hoping that our love will provide some comfort.
The march of time, of life, goes on, of course. Children are still filled with the hope and song that holidays bring. Good church members still prepare baked and handcrafted items for their church holiday fairs. The Salvation Army folks are out with their red kettles, making it as easy as possible for people to share what they can with those in need. Menorahs are being lit every evening, a reminder that even against terrible odds, good things do happen. Families are gathering to hold each other, to eat together, to give each other the humor and light that comes with love. I’m holding onto beauty, and holding onto the absolute knowledge that the people of the world want peace, and that love will get us through somehow.
Going to the beach and looking at the ocean always helps. Take some time to go to the beach and quietly absorb its beauty. And on Dec. 16, at 2 pm, go to the Long Point Wildlife Refuge (winter entrance) with the Beach BeFrienders and express your appreciation of all that loveliness by helping with beach cleanup. After the cleanup, they’ll have hot cocoa and stuff to make crafts (along with whatever treasures you find on the beach). It’s a free event, and open to everybody. Please register in advance, if you can, at thetrustees.com/events.
Remember to hug each other. Don’t spend dollars you don’t have. Eat nourishing food. And let the goodness that exists sustain you.
If you have any Aquinnah Town Column suggestions, email Kathie Olson, aquinnahcolumn@gmail.com.