NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(iklean@yahoo.com)

The busier the season, the flakier I get. I forgot I had an early deadline last week because of the Thanksgiving day holiday. My column made it on the internet but not in print. For those of you who missed it, it was my annual holiday wish list. I repeat it here with a few additions: Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Committee on Hunger, the Red Stocking Fund, the Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts of America – mark the memo for use on the Island, Girl Scouts of America – same thing, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, especially Connect to End the Violence, formerly known as women’s support services, the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard and Women Empowered. If you can’t give money, give time. Volunteer at the library, the animal shelter, be a den or troop leader, be a Big Brother or Big Sister. God bless you all and I hope you have safe, warm, and happy holidays.

I hope you didn’t miss some of the fabulous events I listed last week such as the free performance on Sunday at our library by the Peter H. Luce Play Readers. Now Hanukkah is winding down instead of starting up. I hope the kids had a happy one.

Amy Ryan reports Art in the Stacks will feature the life drawings of 
Deidre DeCarion during regular library business hours during the month of December.

A very practical and important event will take place at the library at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12. Representatives from The Resource Inc. will walk you through the paperwork on this community development grant that helps keep your house in order and well-repaired. I’ll see you there.

The to and fro from the Island for Thanksgiving was amazing and the big wind didn’t help. As always, it was a pleasure to see so many of our college kids return, dirty laundry and all.

Nonna and I had a wonderful Turkey Day dinner lovingly cooked and beautifully presented by Teri Praskach. In our Thanksgiving grace we certainly remembered to thank God for Teri. Friends visited during the day, among them Michael Cook, Piper Murphy and her beautiful and talented daughter, Mary Afton. Keep-in-touch phone calls were made and received throughout the day. We were happy, safe, warm and well-fed, too! Hope yours was as good.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along Emily Diamond, Kevin Sullivan, Elise Thomas and Robert MacKay today. Tomorrow belongs to Larry Bird, Knara Mahtumova and Rose Cogliani. Dec. 8 is for Pat Codding, Janey Sobel and Bill Schwabe. Dec. 9 is a party for Joanne Gardella, Christine Honig, Joe Hegarty and Rachel York. Isabel Walker and Eric Claussen celebrate Dec. 10. December 11th Honors go to Crystal Sylvia and Jackie and Carol Tileston on Dec. 11. And on Dec. 12, Michael Holenko, Vamp Campbell, Taylor Ardeen Meadows and Samia Arado take the cake. Many happy returns.