JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Greetings from Chilmark where the January thaw is much appreciated. The mild weather has stimulated lots of activity in the bird world. I hope the birders had a successful count last week. The resident flock of crows in Menemsha recently spent the day cleaning out our house gutters . . . we think they spotted something green growing there.

Congratulations to new Chilmarker Emily Thomas Boyd who arrived in the early hours of Jan. 1 to be the Vineyard’s first baby of 2008. She is the daughter of Mary Murphy Boyd and Jonathan Boyd. Her Chilmark grandparents are Chris and Barbara Murphy. David and Jean Boyd of Woodstock, Conn., share the honors. Cheers from us all.

Town hall sends word that the last day to register to vote is Jan. 16 at town hall from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Also, the town finance committee has begun the annual budget hearings at town hall. All members of committees and commissions should check the schedule of meetings.

We all send get well wishes to Mary Larsen who returned to her Chilmark home from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital after a fall. We all hope she will be out and about soon.

The Chilmark Community Church suppers will continue on Tuesday nights from 5 to 6 p.m. in the church hall. It is a soup, salad and dessert supper offered to all for a free-will offering.

We will have more evening activities in Chilmark. Frank LoRusso is hosting another winter of cribbage at the Cornerway in Chilmark center, the former Chilmark Tavern for those who remember. Beginning on Thursday, Jan. 17, all are invited to come and bring food, drink and our lucky playing cards to the Cornerway for an evening of cribbage. The hours will be from 7 to 10 p.m.

A recent call from Sally Scott Cook tells us that Sally and Peter’s daughter, Caitlin Cook, and her husband Calder Martin have moved to the Scott homestead on South Road where Caitlin is enjoying cooking in her grandmother’s kitchen. Peggy Scott was a legendary Chilmark cook of a generation or so ago.

Dan and Meg Athearn and their little daughter Clara have temporarily moved out of their house at Bethaven Farm, off North Road, to live in Edgartown while they finish their addition. The one-bedroom house was sufficient for their bachelor Uncle John, but with a growing family, they are adding space. Mark Mazer helped them design and build the shell and Dan and friends will finish it off. Dan has been taking time off from the family’s farm in Edgartown to work with Mark and Peter Huntington and now will commute from Edgartown to feed the 25 cows and work on the addition.

Please remember the flea market at the community center on Saturday, Jan. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You are welcome to call Coco Adams at 508-645-3414 if you wish to set up as a vendor. This is a good time to clean out your attic or cellar. Ethel Sherman will be there with her popular jellies and jams. Ethel is out and about in spite of suffering a painful fall last week. We wish her a quick recovery.

An adult study group will be led by the Rev. Vicky Hanjian on Sundays at the Chilmark Church Fellowship Hall at 9:45 a.m. Church members as well as community members are invited. For more information, call Ann Deitrich at 508-645-9506.

The Chilmark library reminds us that the Sustainable Book Club will meet on Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Vineyard Haven library to discuss Shirley Mayhew’s book, Seasons of a Pond.

The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group will be holding a potluck supper on Sunday, Jan. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs. It is free of charge and open to everyone that wishes to come and share and celebrate a history of survival and support. For more information, please call 508-693-8296.

Menemsha Coast Guard Station’s Chief Steve Barr wishes to thank all the folks in town who contributed the 30 or more donations of food for the station’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. The 21 crew members enjoyed the home-cooked meals for several days. They are all very appreciative.

Word has reached friends in Chilmark of the death on Monday last in Los Angeles of Molly Shugrue. Molly, 26, spent many of her summers living and working on the Vineyard. She was the daughter of Ed and Page Hurley Shugrue and sister of Hillary and Rosie Shugrue. She was the granddaughter of the late Donald and Miriam Hurley of Quitsa Mooring in Chilmark. An obituary will be published in a future edition of the Gazette. Her family and her many friends will miss her.

On Jan. 5, the men’s group breakfast at the Chilmark Community Church had an interesting program about fishing. The 27 men who attended enjoyed seeing the movie Striker’s Passing and listening to Greg Mayhew describe his years as a swordfisherman. Jim Morgan displayed his folk-art constructions of fishing boats, and others displayed their works.

Thanks again to Barbara Armstrong who volunteers her time and talents to type this for me.