Aquinnah: Council on Aging, Polished Dental, candidate forum, beach grass, and Earth Day
I’m down with some kind of stomach bug, which isn’t any fun at all. There’s something about not feeling well that fights against any creative endeavors, and I confess that I had to drag...
Aquinnah: Early spring, town library, ‘Food, Inc. 2,’ CPR training, and beach grass
The weather is giving us a bridge, a chance to lose our winter fur or feathers, days that aren’t warm yet, but that aren’t frozen either. This is a time to plant seeds in...
Aquinnah: CERT volunteers, positive media, food pantries, egg hunt, and First Light Café
My friend Carla Cuch and I are part of the Aquinnah Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Our volunteer assignment is to oversee a daytime shelter, if it is ever needed, in case of an...
Aquinnah: Joan LeLacheur, Council on Aging, volunteers for IGI, and Chilmark School
I’m one of those people who don’t feel fully dressed unless my ears have earrings dangling from them. One of my most precious pairs of earrings was purchased from my friend and neighbor, Joan...
Aquinnah: Town clerk, Council on Aging, new apartments, ACE MV, and Chilmark School
You may recall that last week was the presidential primary election. I am a registrar here in Aquinnah, and had the joy of watching a steady parade of people coming in to do their...
Aquinnah: Garden Club, Meat Ball, Soup Social, beach grass, and Nancy Aronie
Last week was one of the quietest weeks of the year around the Island. School was out, skies were mostly gray, and, with winter doldrums hovering about; many folks fled the Island in search...
Aquinnah: Grateful for SSA, Tech Pro for seniors, ACE MV, and special anniversary
Charley and I had to go off-Island last week and I want to say thank you to the employees of the Steamship Authority. Getting our reservation was easy. The ferries going and coming were...
Aquinnah: Winter walks, waddling ducks, war in Gaza, and community work
Today the sun is shining and everything looks sparkly; sparkly, that is, unless you look at the driveway, filled with snowmelt mud. It is a balmy 40° out there; sparkly, that is, except for...
Aquinnah: Stop & Shop, school field trips, ‘Saving Moms,’ and Polished Dental
Charley and I did our weekly down-Island get-the-errands-done journey today. We went to the bank, the library, the grocery store, the pharmacy, and Morning Glory Farm. The grocery part of the journey included a...
Aquinnah: Variety show is coming together
Right this minute I’m looking at a cloud-free, sun-filled landscape. The bare trees are proudly showing off their bent limbs, there are robins in the yard pulling out worms, and the bullies at the...
Aquinnah: Black History Month, Polished Dental, Island Health Care, and ACE MV
February is Black History Month. It’s a time to educate yourself on history, and to inform yourself about what is happening right now. At 10 am on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Oak Bluffs...
Aquinnah: Wintertime quiet, creative flow, and Aquinnah Variety Show
Even with the wind howling, this is actually the quiet time of year here in Aquinnah. Many of us see our work slowing down (or stopping) for the season. Visitors are infrequent. Gardens are...
Aquinnah: Flooding, emergencies and CERT, baby seal, and Tri-Town Ambulance
Last week I found myself in the terrifying position of driving my new-to-me vehicle through a rushing river, complete with waves. I wasn’t in the wilds of Montana, I was on Beach Road in...
Aquinnah: Outermost Inn, ice skating, Howes House, and library positions
I write this column on Sunday mornings, and this Sunday morning feels special. It’s a rainy Sunday in January. Is there any more blissful moment? The world is quiet. There is no way we...
Aquinnah: New year tidying, song of hope, Howes House, and town library
We’re taking down our Christmas tree. Packing away beloved ornaments, many of them silly creatures like a cloth cow in fancy hat and high-heels, a wooden hedgehog on skis, another cloth cow in housedress...
Aquinnah: Yossi Monahan, Philbin Beach cleanup, and gratefulness
The place on Philbin Beach where the stream meets the sea is becoming one of those spirit-lightened places. For a long time, locals have gathered there to celebrate birthdays, to mark anniversaries, and to...
Aquinnah: Holiday preparations, reusable gift wrap, and Wishing Tree
Although this is a dampened holiday for sure, we are nonetheless preparing for the pending arrival of all our immediate family. Son Alex and his wife Madalena are arriving with their three little ones...
Aquinnah: Mice and rats, home repair, holiday spirit, and Long Point cleanup and crafts
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...
Aquinnah: Holiday Fair stories, town sprucing up, Howes House, and holiday crafts
Sunday morning, Dec. 3, and I’m writing my column from behind a table at the Aquinnah Artisans Holiday Fair at the Aquinnah Town Hall. Saturday, yesterday, saw our Town Hall packed with holiday shoppers...
Aquinnah: Bird feeding, Artisans Holiday Fair, children’s art show, and foster parent recruitment
Outside, there is frost on the ground, and the cold world is clear and sunny. I’m inside at my workspace, watching a wonderful mystery of sorts unfolding at the bird feeder. Charley and I...