John S. Alley>

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

Well, we have had a run of cold weather recently that has not allowed the snow to melt as rapidly as is the usual custom. Ed Konicki reports that the cat dish full of water just inside his kitchen door in Webster froze like a rock twice last week. We could use a January thaw to get us reorganized.

Today is the beginning of a long holiday weekend and skating on Parsonage Pond was in full gear all weekend. Ice also covered most of the Mill Pond, Ice House and Uncle Seth’s Ponds as well, but skating is recommended only on Parsonage Pond. Charlie Kernick last Thursday afternoon took a picture of two cute otters sticking their heads above the ice. There is no school today, Islandwide; it is a staff development day for the instructors, plus Monday is Martin Luther King Day and on that day the schools, post office and all town buildings will be closed.

Town clerk Tara Whiting has not finished mailing the annual census forms to all of you; when you receive your form please fill it out and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. If you own a dog, now is the time to license the pooch for the year. Do so when you return the census envelope; or stop by the town hall and purchase a dog tag. Also the hotly contested special election for the U.S. Senate seat will be held on Tuesday; polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the public safety building in North Tisbury. You may vote by absentee ballot until 5 p.m. today since Monday is a holiday.

Sam Alley returned to finish his senior year at Framingham State College on Tuesday after spending the mid-winter vacation with his parents.

Will and Leslei Monast, of Waldron’s Bottom Road, went down to New York city last weekend for a few days to visit the Blocks and take in the city.

Health agent John Powers reports that there will be a H1N1 flu clinic on Monday from 9 a.m. until noon at the public safety building. Get your shot in the town you reside in, if possible.

Ann Nelson tendered her resignation from the finance committee Monday evening. She regrets the decision but said she found it difficult to give the committee her time.

Judy Hall of Pond Road and Oklahoma City reports that her husband, Malcolm, has been busy planning their vegetable garden and has started growing plants indoors in Oklahoma to bring to the Vineyard. He is growing two different types of okra and will transplant them immediately upon arrival. He reports that Judy just returned from Bethany Beach, Del., where she attended the Carmen Miranda art festival.

Cynthia Riggs of is hard at work on her 10th mystery novel. She has begun to plan her 21st annual Groundhog Day party at the Cleaveland House. Her party is viewed by many as the kickoff of the local political season.

Linda Baughman of Music street and Philadelphia arrives today after traveling to exotic places around the world.

Colleen Morris over at the library reports that in honor of Edgar Allen Poe’s bicentennial year the library will celebrate on Sunday at 3 p.m. The guest lineup includes performances by Kevin Keady and readings by Dan Waters, Meverell Good, Fan Ogilvie, Jonathan Revere, Jill Macy, Wayne Greenwell and others. Refreshments and birthday cake will be served.

Ginger Duarte reports that the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club will hold its first meeting of the new year on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Wakeman Center. Laura Coit will present a program, titled Learning about Life While Designing a Border. For details, call 508-693-5334.

On January 15, 1943, everyone was asked to contribute in some way to the war effort. In addition to rationing stamps, scrap drives and the purchase of war bonds women were also asked to save one tablespoonful of waste cooking fat each day. They were urged to do so by the federal government as it would go a long way toward fulfilling the glycerine requirements needed for the war effort. Each community was assigned a monthly quota in the waste fat collection campaign. The government did not ask for the fats until they were no longer needed for cooking. But after that every spoonful was needed. After the first four months of the campaign West Tisbury cooks had contributed about 85 per cent of their monthly amount. And they consistently met or exceeded their assigned quota of making bandages for the Red Cross.

Happy birthday to: Angela Burbank, Richard Lee and Butch Downs today; Paul Jackson, Jane Rossi and Sibel Suman tomorrow; Dr. Judith Fisher, Dan Serusa, Wendy Benedetto and Calixte Monast on Sunday; Eleanor Dale Neubert, Chris Fielder, and Hannah Maxner on Monday; Debra Swanson, Roy Hope, Andy Estrella, Michael Shea, Liz Branch and Patti Lynn on Tuesday; Lee McCormick, Jena Wingood, Paul Strauss and Nancy Cabot on Wednesday; and Carl Tack, Phaedra Fortes, Nili Goldstein and James Costello on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Linda Baughman and anniversary greetings to Tom Vogl and Katherine Long.

Well that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news please call or e-mail me. We have reached the halfway point in National Oatmeal Month. Have a great week.