BRAD WOODGER

508-627-4216

(ibwsgolf@aol.com)

I’ve noticed lately how green nature is — it uses everything it makes. A leaf feeds the soil, a mouse feeds a crow, a sun feeds the plant. I wonder if there’s a lesson to be learned. Somebody should give nature an award or something — make sure it feels recognized.

What’s it like on Chappy in the winter? Visit in November and you might find out. It’s my belief though that it’s the wind that dictates the seasons here. A calm sunny day in February can be far more palatable, exposure-wise, than a rain-whipped September afternoon. And November on Chappy is the most mercurial of all months — mowing the grass on Tuesday, thawing the pipes on Wednesday.

I saw what I thought was a beaver on North Neck, ambling down the road, its back wet from somewhere wet. But it was more likely a possum or a raccoon, both closely related to the beaver in Brad Biology. I don’t remember ever seeing a beaver dam on Chappy. But then again, Chappy is not rife with rivers. Could have been a beaver.

I’ve tried for weeks, okay months, in vain to capture a picture of a woodpecker on my iPhone. Every time I get close enough, they hop to another branch (not unlike the girls at my junior high dances). I hear them — the tap, tap-tap of beak against pine. And I see them — smaller than in cartoons. But capturing them digitally eludes me. I like them all the same, though. They are the busiest of birds, it seems to me. Not as busy as the beaver. But who is?

News of the new electrical conduit under the harbor waters has reached all the way to Vineyard Haven, where I overheard a shopkeeper explain to a patron (with great authority) the intricacies of cable laying. Who knew boiled wool sweater pricing and marine electrical contracting were so closely related in the knowledge circle?

Speaking of the Edgartown-Chappy channel (does it have a name?), I would, in my younger days, swim it after ferry service had ceased for the day. This was most usually an Edgartown-to-Chappy soujourn, though I once was convinced to take the opposite trip, with very unsatisfactory results (no bikinis. Not even any girls. Oh, Brad). I tried the swim a couple times in my clothing but the swim was hard enough without being weighted by an alligator logo. So most often I’d neatly bundle my clothing in a cinched belt and leave it in the dory outside the Old Sculpin, from where I’d retrieve it on my next trip to town. The clothing was always there when I returned to the scene of the crime, save for one time when in place of my clothing was a note that read “Swimming the channel is a foolhardy and ill-conceived venture while sober. While intoxicated, it’s just plain dumb.” I never did discover who had written that note, but I do think that I saw one of the ferry ticket-taking kids wearing my distinctive missing T-shirt years later. I swam the channel two or three times after that note, but the admonishment stayed with me. That, combined with walking barefoot on the macadam straining to see the center line, being sprayed by a carousing skunk, and the sandpaper-brushing sensation of an object against my thigh whilst swimming dissuaded further trips after age 24. And it should be noted these swims were long before this most recent breach and the current, though strong, was not of Herculean strength. Even a child as foolish as myself should never attempt it these days.

Somebody froze a couple quarts of scallops for a January treat. Someone else put their polo shirts in a clear garbage bag, sitting on it to expel excess air, and wrapped it up for next April. May. June. Okay, July. That’s this week’s news.

Thanksgiving is coming soon (news for those of us without calendars). But it probably isn’t too early to give thanks today.

I received a letter in the mail from the CIA. I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m always just a little disappointed that it’s not from the intelligence agency. What they’d want from me, I’d haven’t a clue — but surely someday my unique knowledge will be of use to someone. Or maybe not.

Speaking of the CIA, what follows is the latest CCC news. Thanks again Margaret for delivering it pre-packaged for public delivery.

There will be a potluck at the Community Center on Wednesday, Nov. 17, hosted by Ellen and Bob Gurnitz. Appetizers start at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30. All are welcome. Other Community Center dates to keep in mind: Open House and Crafts, Etc. Sale (CCC 2011 Photo Calendar for sale or pick up) on Saturday, Nov. 27 from 2 to 4 p.m.; ferry captain and crew appreciation potluck, Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.; holiday tea on Sunday, Dec. 12 from 3 to 5 p.m.; Christmas Eve dinner on Dec. 24.