Today marks the beginning of the school vacation week for Vineyard students and many families will also take a vacation from the winter boredom. If you thought it was quiet last week, be prepared as it will feel like virtually everyone has left Dodge. We have been busy with snowstorms. This week’s blockbuster started last Saturday and continued most of Sunday, forcing cancellation of church services. The storm, with howling winds drifting snow and bone chilling temperatures, dumped at least 12 inches making it a mess to clean up on Monday.

The SSA cancelled the late boat on Saturday, all day Sunday and half of Monday. The temperatures have been brutal and for good measure it snowed about three inches more on Tuesday. We are on a pace to make this winter’s snowfall the most the Vineyard has seen in 100 years. Richard Olsen, highway superintendent, has done a superb job keeping town roads open, but he says he has used 150 tons of road salt and 450 tons of sand in the last three storms. The most important thing is that we did not lose is electricity. Thank you, NStar, and all of the folks who trimmed the trees that were near the power lines.

We are about to celebrate another obscure holiday. Next Friday is National Pig Day and will be celebrated by those of us who are left remaining on the rock. Daylight Saving Time begins in just over two weeks and Ash Wednesday was last Wednesday so we are now in the Lenten season. Seafood Sam’s in Falmouth opened for their season that same day. Old timers would say the back of winter has been broken. I hope so because mine nearly is — enough already.

Emily Gadd of Bozeman, Mont., has been reading about our constant storms and called from her backyard to say they are enjoying temperatures in the 60s and they could sure use that extra snow. Well, Emily, folks out your way can come get it at no charge!

Old friend Mary Fischer passed away last week in Falmouth. At one time many years ago we both worked at Humphrey’s Bakery, she made cookies and I waited on customers. One day she told me she was bored with the recipe to make molasses cookies and felt it needed to be perked up. After consultation with her, I suggested she double the amount of molasses it called for in the recipe. She made them and I bagged them when they cooled and proceeded to sell every package before Bart Humphrey, the owner, returned late in the afternoon. He inquired about the molasses cookies and I told him I had sold every bag that Mary made. He said, great, now I will have to pay her to come back and make more of them. Our condolences to her sisters and brother.

On Valentine’s Day Sarah Moreis and Mauricio Rodrigues Jr were married in my house during a raging blizzard. It will be a day they will always remember. Congratulations!

Amy Hoff over at the library reports that during the school break the library will be screening family films daily at 2 p.m. and offering family crafts daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cabin fever? See a movie and visit some friends!

Mary Jo Bruder reports that on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. the poetry cafe hosted by poet laureate Arnie Reisman will take place at the Vineyard Playhouse. He will be joined by poets Rose Styron, Brooks Robards and Annette Sandrock. Admission is $10 at the door and includes a beverage and a slice of pie

History Note: On Feb. 21, 1945 the weekly meeting of the Congregational Church Youth Fellowship Society was held at the home of Albion and Mary Alley on Edgartown Road, and the Rev. William Thompson led the discussion. The subject of the evening was drinking alcohol. Three more young people in town joined the group, Robert and Jane Austin of Music Street, and Daniel Bryant of Edgartown Road. The next meeting was held at the home of Benjamin Kidder and the subject to be discussed was race relations. Mary Alley served home-baked refreshments after the meeting.

Happy birthday to Charlene Kelly, Levi Flanders and Robert Osmers today; Lila Fischer, Richard Johnson, May Baldwin, Gaston Vadasz and Lila Fischer tomorrow; Samantha Church, David Bowman, Richard Patterson and Roy Cavanaugh on Sunday; Ellen Wolfe, Sally Segall, Stuart Gardner and Lukas Higgins on Monday; Frank Polagruto, Brenda McMorrow, Ernie Mendenhall, Kevin Carr, Tom Ronan and Diane Wall on Tuesday; Steve Gallagher, Alison Welles, Kelly Arruda and Susie Bowman on Wednesday, and to Katherine Athearn, Ann Nevin, Mason Fischer and Natasha Taylor on Thursday. Belated birthday wishes to Nick Pohl, Doug Fortes, Jackie Baer, Angie Smith and Wendy deGeofroy.

Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s edition. If you have any news, please call or email me. Have a great week.

Send your West Tisbury news to: alleys@vineyard.net.