Could the weather get any crazier? Oops, I shouldn’t ask that because then you know it will. I think a lot of us on the Island expect to go from winter right into summer sometime around June 16. This is not so much spring as mud season.

So glad my young friend, Quinn Retmier is okay. But her car is not. Quinn had a run in with a deer on the Edgartown road near Smith Hollow the other morning at 7 a.m. Another thing we need to watch out for on Martha’s Vineyard.

Two of the most fabulous people in their fields have passed. It troubles me to say so, but I am so glad we had them both to enjoy and appreciate for a good, long time. The actual King of Rock and Roll, Chuck Berry, died at age 90 last weekend. How much fun I had at every show I was able to attend. What an artist, what a showman. The first time I saw him was at the Westchester County Center. After that I was lucky enough to be in the audience at several shows in Manhattan, often at the Fillmore East. Who could forget him on television, the Ed Sullivan show and other venues? He made for a happy rock and roll upbringing. Roll over Beethoven.

I grew up reading columnists in all the New York papers and admired them so. The standout was Jimmy Breslin. Jimmy died at age 88 last weekend. He spoke for the people, Queens accent and all. Jimmy never drove, he pounded the pavement and used subway tokens to get him to his stories. One of the absolute funniest evenings I ever spent was in 1968 when Norman Mailer was running for Mayor of New York city and his buddy, Jimmy Breslin, was running for City Council President. They came to NYU to discuss their platform. Their motto was “Power to the Neighborhoods.” I believe they came in second to last in that race that John Lindsay, our “Fun” mayor won. But it made for a very entertaining evening. Rest in peace. You both did so much for us.

I am giving you a week’s notice to line up for Saturday, April 1, a most important pet day on Island. The rabies clinic will be held in two locations this year. The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, behind the Vineyard Veterinary Clinic on the Edgartown Road, will have three doctors, each working a one-hour shift from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. No appointments are necessary. Dogs must be leashed, cats and ferrets must be in crates. The cost per animal is a reasonable $20. Meanwhile, two doctors will each do an hour shift in at the West Tisbury Fire Department from 10 a.m. until noon. Same price, same rules, I’ll see you there.

Another date I want you prepared for is April 5. The Martha’s Vineyard Partnership for Health with ACE MV is offering a free one-hour diabetes and sugar overview about managing your daily sugar intake. Pre-registration is required at ACEMV.org.

Working backwards from the dates you need to know, our wonderful Neighborhood Convention will hold its April meeting on Tuesday, April 4 at the Bodhi Path Buddhist Center. Bring a sack lunch.

Our Vineyard Haven Public Library has some neat plans for you. Anyone is welcome to attend the monthly Friends of the Library meeting, held on the fourth Saturday of every month except for December. The meeting will be on Saturday, March 25 at 10:30 a.m.

The library is also giving you a heads up on the next Great Decisions Discussion Group. It will begin on April 6. The course is free but requires pre-registration for the count of materials needed. Register online at vhlibrary.org.

May I have the envelope, please? The movie presented in the program room at our library on Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. is Jackie...no, wait, it’s Moonlight! The movie of the year was written and directed by Barry Jenkins. It is a most telling study of a young man growing up in a rough section of Miami.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along my darling grandson, Corbyn Clark-Garza on March 24, which he shares with Ellie and Greta Hehre, and Babette Benoit; March 25 belongs to Jim Hart, Olivia Lee Singh and Mick Mortimer; March 26 is a party for June Manning, Ari Raynayn Siegler, Shirley Robinson, Liz Owens, Anne Bennett and Barbara Ivert; March 28 smiles on Mike Hebert and Mary Campos; March 29 is for Deb Stuart and Sandra Apericida Gomes; and on March 30 Eric Clapton and Abigail Chappell take the cake. Many happy returns.

Send Vineyard Haven news to iklean@yahoo.com.