NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvvgazette@yahoo.com)

Martha Dunham had an exciting week. Her son, Crawford, and wife, Leslie Scott, arrived on Tuesday, April 19 from Durham, N.C. They had taken the flight from Raleigh just the day after the terrible storms. They showed up with Martha’s new granddaughter, Pavlina, who was adopted from Ukraine a year ago April; this was the first time Martha has seen her, although she has a lovely picture of her in her house. This was the first meeting for all the Dunhams, except Big Steve, who met Pavlina last August when he and his friend B.J. toured the states and went to North Carolina. You know how easily young people learn English. Martha says Pavlina’s English is perfect now, including the idioms. Martha’s sisters, Pat and Nancy, came from Northampton to visit their new grandniece. Martha had 10 people for supper every night from Tuesday through Friday. Since everyone was leaving early on Easter Sunday, Martha had the Easter egg hunt in her house, in the rain, on Saturday. She is exhausted but with good reason, very happy.

My Lhaso apsos, Silvio Joseph Gardella and Lil’Bit Gardella, had a fabulous spring vacation and Easter week. Cheyenne and Monique Cormier were off from school and wanted the dogs for sleep overs. This entailed some dressing of them in doll clothes and some Easter egg food coloring on their white parts. I certainly enjoyed it as it gave me a chance to spend quality time with my dog Haley who is almost 16 and on her way out. I ran into police chief Dan Hanavan at the voting booths Tuesday and reminded him of how he saved me and Haley from the swamp at Veterans Memorial Park several years ago. He is as handsome as ever, and I am as grateful as ever.

The West Tisbury Congregational Church is offering a workshop titled Planning for a Graceful Exit, open to all, especially seniors and boomers who are taking care of seniors. It is useful for many of us on Island. The workshop is Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Call Paddy Moore at 508-693-1627 for more details.

Our library is active as ever. On Tuesday, May 3 at 5:30 p.m. Stacey Stowers is offering a class titled Cooking Raw Foods. Is that an oxymoron? Go and find out. Also on that day, the children’s story hour is at 10 a.m. for infants to two-year-olds, and three to five-year-olds at 11 a.m. Enjoy Mother Goose on the Loose with Colleen. Chess club will be held as usual on Tuesday nights from 6 p.m. To 7 p.m. for six-year-olds and up. Board games for kids will be on Thursday, May 5 from 3:30 to o 4:30 p.m. Wait, we’re not done! The library offers a very educational talk titled Pollution Solution: Safeguarding Our Waterways on Wednesday, May 4 at 7 p.m. Steve McKenna and Kate Venturini will be the speakers.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along Stephen Dunham the younger and Marci Nichols today. Tomorrow belongs to Ronilton Oliveira and twin Andie Williamson. But May 1 is for other twin, Ellie Williamson, along with Megan Stiller, Marina Natichioni, Kristen Claussen, Barbara Murphy, Lindsey Ben David and Mary Muckerheide. And on May 4 Anna Duarte and Jonathan Spencer Norton take the cake. Many happy returns.