Chilmark never ceases to amaze. Let me review this past week. There were the usual snow flurries, a heavy rain and the familiar gray cloud cover, all speaking of the coming spring. But life went on in unusual ways. First there was the tiny deer feeding on some wind-tossed branch in the middle of the day and in the middle of the Menemsha Crossroad. I fear for its survival instincts. Then there was the brave tom turkey who had ventured down D.H.’s Hill to join the group of turkey hens who have browsed the lower part of the hill all winter. He also chose the middle of the road to perform his tail display. The hens kept eating so I guess he has work to do on the presentation. The new work shack for the harbor master and more has been put on the bulkhead with finishing work to begin soon. And this morning I spotted a huge American flag flying at the Menemsha Texaco, just in time for the winds of April to fully unfurl. Life is getting ready for a more outdoor experience.

Then there was the power outage this morning. It turns out it was a planned outage by NStar in order for them to complete some new connections. I was told it was a 12-minute outage, however, it seemed to last longer than that at my house!

Barbara and John Armstrong entertained at a family birthday party on Sunday for her dad, Jim Morgan, who turned 90 that day. Jim is a well-known and well-loved member of the Vineyard community and we all send him warm wishes for a good year to come.

Rhoda Diamond celebrated her 93rd birthday surrounded by family at her Chilmark home. Rhoda is a busy and valued member of the Chilmark community and we all send her good wishes.

By way of correction, it was the Chilmark pound, not pond, that the late Peter Darling always kept in order. The pound is along the roadside in Quitsa. It is a stone enclosure with a rail fence entrance. The pound was a place where stray animals were placed so owners could retrieve the wondering critters. Most agricultural towns had pounds. We also have one on the North Road. Aquinnah has them, too. The highway superintendent keeps ours cleared and Peter was a faithful volunteer during the summer months in keeping it neat.

We are happy to send congratulations to Owen and Erica Maloney of Chilmark whose daughter Leona Shae was born on March 29 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Her grandparents are John and Kristin Maloney of Chilmark and Paul and Leslie Finger of Andover. Cheers from us all!

The selectmen will hold the fourth public forum on the Squibnocket Beach project at the community center on April 9, at 6 p.m. For more information you may go to the town website or to town hall. A vote will be called for at town meeting on April 28.

The Chilmark library will offer a lecture and slide show about horseshoe crabs and their importance to the natural world and the work of modern medicine. Fred Hotchkiss and Susie Bowman will present the program on Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m. At the library.

Chilmark’s town clerk reminds us that the last day to register to vote on April 30 is on April 8. Her office will be open for registrations from 2 to 4 and 7 to 8 p.m. on April 8.

The Chilmark tax collector wants to remind us that the date for paying real estate taxes was April 1 and any day afterwards.

The Tisbury Senior Center is presenting a forum on emergency preparedness on Monday, April 14, at 1:30 p.m. Please call them at 508-696-4205 for more information. All are welcome.

The Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group will host an evening of food, music and auctions on April 12 at the Chilmark Community Center. The fundraiser is to purchase the necessary seed for shellfish in ponds across the Island.

We send best wishes for a speedy recovery to Pat Jenkinson of Chilmark who has recently undergone major surgery at a mainland hospital. We wish him well and want him to know that his waterfront friends in Menemsha are thinking of him.