My Chappy column partner Brad and his family have headed west nearly halfway around the world to spend the winter in the warmer climes of the Philippine Sea. Arlene has island roots of her own. They will be away for about four months so Brad is entrusting me with the honor of keeping our readership enthralled until his return.

I will be repeating my reminders for upcoming activities at the Chappy Community Center. Don’t forget the Holiday Tea on Saturday Dec. 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. Bring friends and family for tea, sandwiches and goodies. The kids can take a break from running around outside with a few projects at the crafts table. Please contact Joanne Brine by email at chappygal@gmail.com if you would like to help out with food, set-up or cleanup.

And also keep in mind the annual Christmas Eve dinner on Thursday, Dec. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Please email or call Lynn at the CCC to let her know what you would like to bring or to find out what you need to bring. Phone 508-627-8222 or email chappycc@verizon.net.

In the past we have been lucky to have a musician or two on hand to facilitate some carol singing. This year I thought that maybe we should not leave it to chance and do a little bit of advance planning. Anyone who can play a particular carol on the piano or any other instrument please contact Sally Snipes-Wells at 508-627-8381 or salsnipeswells@gmail.com. I’ll make photocopies of some of the holiday standards to pass around so that we can sing more than the first verse.

I was looking through the CCC website to see what else to bring to your attention and I saw a note that they are seeking a Head Sailing Instructor for next summer. So if you are at least 18 years of age with at least one year of college behind you and you are pretty sure that you can keep the attention of a bunch 8 to 16 year old kids contact the CCC at 508-627-8222 or chappycc@verizon.net. Look under employment opportunities on the website. Talk about a great item to have in your resume!

Remember last winter when all of a sudden some of us found ourselves unable to find someone to plow out our driveways? Remember how surprised we were that so much snow fell so quickly with such short notice? If you want my advice, I’d put down the paper right now and call whoever eventually got you plowed out last year and make a plan before the snow is even in the forecast. There is just one entry under snowplowing in each of the two Island phone books. Keep in mind that even if you aren’t home the fuel truck and fire trucks may need to get there. Your landscaper may be equipped to provide snowplowing. We don’t talk about snow much around here until it’s actually falling from the sky. If you are a snowplow or sander equipped person please put a note on the bulletin board down at the ferry. For those of you who wish for no snow, I recommend that you redouble your efforts because you are competing against my wish. I love snow in spite of the inconvenience. I fall asleep every night with my fingers crossed wishing for a snowy winter. Every kid is born programmed with an extra special appreciation for the phrase “no school today.”

Now is the time to put new batteries in your flashlights. Better still get a brand new LED flashlight. The bulbs are very tough and need just a tiny amount of electricity to operate. I’ve gone out to my truck late in the morning to find that I bumped the switch on a flashlight getting out the previous afternoon and the light is still nice and bright.

When the electric service goes out on Chappy, both my son-in-law Erik and I head down to the ferry to make sure that the back up generators and systems for the ferry ramps are functioning properly. Erik installed automatic propane fueled generators at both of our residences so that nobody would have to mess around with candles or portable generators and extension cords. Since the moment the installation was complete, the power has barely blinked. I credit the burying of the wires and the attentive pruning for the uninterrupted service. You should still go out and buy that new flashlight though.