Sandy Whitworth at the Tisbury Senior Center sent me a glowing report of the free April walk in Tisbury led by Susie Bowman of Felix Neck. The idea is we don’t even know and appreciate what flora and fauna we have here. Now with cooperative weather — finally! — you, too, may join the next walk on Monday, May 19. Please call Sandy at 508-696-4205 so they can plan enough cars to get everyone to the Tisbury Land Bank. There are early plants and flowers, budding trees, and chirping baby birds to appreciate. I’ll see you there. Wanda Denton has arrived from her West Hartford home to stay with daughter Laurie Marotta on Lenny’s Loop. Wanda helped Laurie celebrate her May 3 birthday in Connecticut, then crossed the Big Water to watch spring appear here.

Confidential to Lyn K: I am just finishing a very interesting short story fiction by Violet Kupersmith called The Frangipani Hotel. After that, for body and soul, I have lined up Anne Lamott’s Stitches. Nonna is reading Growing Up Black edited by Jay David.

From the Out of My Mind Department: This is not one of my crazy out of my mind thoughts but something I read in Tuesday’s newspaper which is making me lose my mind. A young Brit in her 20s was on a flight, very drunk, got smoochie with her seatmate and retired with him to the bathroom. The two made so much noise the flight crew broke the door down and escorted them out. After the woman’s drunken and abusive diatribe she was shackled to her seat for the remainder of the flight. All this with her parents on the same plane! All this on, of all carriers, Virgin Airlines! Some people will do anything to get in the mile high club. This brings me to the realization that May is Good Manners Month. What would Miss Manners or our own Elaine Carroll say?

Abigail McGrath who runs the wonderful Renaissance House wants you to know the program has openings for four full-time Island residents. This is an annual artist and writers retreat sponsored by the Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation for artists in need. Both women were writers of the Harlem Renaissance. If Holly Nadler and I attend this summer our greatest challenge will obviously be Silent Wednesdays. Submit a piece of your work to Renaissancehse@aol.com to be considered for the program.

Happy Mothers Day on Sunday to all. You deserve a good day even if motherhood is being a guardian, a foster parent, a scout leader or one who drenches love over dogs, cats, horses and even more exotic animals. Unfortunately, this Mother’s Day is tainted for me by the knowledge that over 300 mothers in Nigeria are missing their daughters. They are going to have a rotten Mother’s Day and it is time to get down our marching boots and protest posters. I thought I was getting too old for this but it must be done. We stopped a war, we legalized medical marijuana, we rallied for same sex marriages. It is clear what our next target is. I saw Alden Besse at Cumby’s this morning and asked him to keep me informed — where can I sign up and show me what to do.

Don’t forget to exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, May 13.

Anniversary bouquets go out to John and Nancy Gardella on May 10. She’s my sister in law. She doesn’t work at the MV Chamber of Commerce. Tim and Susan Anthony celebrate on May 11.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along with Christopher Collins, Whitney Kelly, Darcy Jewett and Matheus dos Santos today. May 11 is for Jim Jannace, Tristan Klein and Mary Anne D’Alessandro. May 12 honors Jyl Manning and P.J. Fleming. May 13 is a party for Jim Cooley, Terri Hayes, and Judith Campbell. May 14 shines on Emily Tarbegh, Becky Esposito, Dan Koch the Younger and Leo Convery. And on May 15 Jeff Sylvia takes the cake. Many happy returns.