Once again I am sitting here listening to the sound of plows and sanders going by the house, clearing the street and parking lot so that the parents and children can go safely to school after a two-hour delay. This has been quite the winter.

Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Meghan Delphous who celebrated her day Feb. 1; Kazara Aldeborgh, Amy Naughton and Aiden Rogers who all celebrated Febr. 6, and to Shilah Trott who celebrates her day today, Feb. 7.

With all this snow, people have been very busy shoveling. I have to give a big thank you to Mark Blodgett and Danny Townes who have been busy keeping the sidewalks clean. Danny shovels the sidewalk on Pinehurst to the corner where the crossing guard is, and Mark shovels from the corner of Robinson Road to the school. I know there are people who appreciate this as there are a lot of parents who walk their kids to school in all the different weather conditions. People from off-Island and who are not familiar with the Island always ask what we do in the wintertime. My response is always, “It is what you make it.” Some people like to hibernate after a long, hard, busy summer. Then there are lots of activities you can get involved with. Then there are the friends that you get together with in the winter, as we did with Peter and Nancy Shemeth. A few of us went their home and enjoyed a great clam boil. I think it is the weather and the lack of getting cherrystones or steamers during these months that make the boil taste so good. It was a great night with great friends and great food.

The Relay for Life committee is now activated again for its upcoming event. There are many ideas flowing from the committee and it sounds like people will be busy and should enjoy themselves while walking for a great cause.

If you would like to help or have a team for the relay, you can go online and email relay for life at ashley.wills@cancer.org. Last year they raised over $70,000 and, of course, would like to out do that figure. There are lots of activities during the walk and lots of people to talk to so come and support the survivors’ lap and then the lighting of the luminaries in memory or honor of those who have cancer and who have lost their battle. It is worth the time.

Wednesday, Feb. 12, Slow Food Martha’s Vineyard presents Genetic Roulette at the Edgartown Public Library at 7 p.m. This film explores the health dangers of genetically modified food, the impact on our food system and on us. It provides compelling testimony to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.

Slow Food Martha’s Vineyard is showing Genetic Roulette as part of its Slow Food MV – GMO Free initiative. One of Slow Food MV – GMO Free’s immediate goals is to support GMO labeling legislation in Massachusetts. There are five GMO labeling bills currently in committee — two of them are cosponsored by our own Rep. Timothy R. Madden. According to the statewide group, MA Right to Know GMOs, we only have until March 2014 to get the GMO labeling bills out of committee at the State House, otherwise we’ll have to wait until the 2015-16 legislative session to try again. With 30 new GMO crops in the pipeline, there’s no time to spare.

Additionally, Slow Food MV – GMO Free seeks to educate and inform Islanders, especially those in the food producing and food supply chains — including farmers, feed suppliers and garden centers. Slow Food MV – GMO Free hopes to engage members of the community in discussions about the benefits and obstacles to becoming GMO-free, so that as a community we can find solutions to growing and raising clean food on the Vineyard. The screening of Genetic Roulette at local libraries is one way that Slow Food Martha’s Vineyard hopes to initiate these discussions.