JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark has endured another wintry week with wind, snow and cold temperatures. The wolf moon was the entertainment this week. It was the only wolf moon for 2010. It gets its name from the American Indian traditions and refers to a full moon that occurs nearest the earth in its perigee. This creates the illusion of being larger than usual and closer than usual. We had a couple of evenings when the clouds held off and we were able to enjoy watching the moonrise. I hope you did too. And you folks off-Island wonder what we do in Chilmark in winter!

We send condolences to the Norman Freed family on the death last week of Norman’s brother, Daniel. He was a regular summer resident of Menemsha for several years and continued to visit his family here. Daniel was a Yale Law School professor. His concern for the sentencing part of the criminal justice system was his special interest and over the years he was able to influence many changes including the passage of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. His Chilmark family will remember him as the first of the family to enjoy Chilmark and to invite them all to share it with him. Norman and Diana Freed traveled from their Chilmark home to attend services in Brattleboro, Vt. last weekend.

The Chilmark Democratic Party Caucus will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 9:30 a.m. at the Chilmark town hall on the second floor. They will discuss the upcoming governor’s race in our state and chose delegates to the state convention. Refreshments will be available and it is hoped all those interested will attend.

We send condolences to the friends and family of Dan Prowten, long-time West Tisbury resident and firefighter, who died last weekend in a fire in his home in that town. He was a popular and beloved member of the community and will be missed by us all.

The Chilmark library has finished transferring the movies of the town’s tricentennial in 1994 from VHS to DVD. You may borrow the assorted titles of the movies, Menemsha Harbor Day, Houses Along South Road, Houses Over South and many more. They are a fun look back at how we were and they make a fine record of Chilmark history. You are welcome to take them out on your library card.

Herb and I are happy to have Conrad and Jane Neumann visiting for a week from their winter home in North Carolina where they left behind five inches of snow! Not the usual Carolina weather.

The Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. at the Wakeman Center on Lambert’s Cove Road. Mike Huben will speak on the Hybridizing of Daylilies.

The Family Film Night at the library is Feb. 5, tonight, and the movie is Whale Rider. The movie starts at 7 p.m. and offers free entertainment with popcorn and drinks for all.

Did you ever stop to read the plaque on the stone at the top of Abel’s Hill just before the entrance to the cemetery? I found an item in the town report of 1942 where the selectmen thanked Mr. And Mrs. Howard S. Hart for the presentation of the memorial tablet. It commemorates the site of the first Meeting House in Chilmark. It is still a nice reminder of an earlier time in Chilmark. By the way, the selectmen that year were Roger Allen, D. Herbert Flanders and Benjamin C. Mayhew Jr.

We send condolences to the many friends and extended family of Dan Aronie who died last weekend after years of battle with his illness. He was an inspiration to us all as he managed to continue to contribute to life and to enjoy it in the ways left open to him. He was surrounded by loving friends and family who valued him and supported him. We will miss his positive presence and we will never forget the lessons in living that he taught us. Peace to you, Dan, and to your devoted family and friends.

We send best wishes for a speedy recovery to Brooke Holson of Chilmark who suffered injuries in an unfortunate black ice accident on Middle Road last week. We hope she will be out and about soon.