A memorial service for Edo Potter is tentatively planned for Saturday, June 2. The time and location are yet to be determined. Edo passed away at her Pimpneymouse Farm home on Jan. 24 at the age of 91. She and her sisters were a long-lived bunch. Her oldest sister Ruth almost reached her 92nd birthday. Her little sister Hope sadly died at the comparatively young age of 81. From what I know, all three were active and lively well into the final year of their lives. They leave behind a whole crowd of relatives. The one positive aspect of a funeral is getting to see all of that person’s friends and family gathered together. I’m often surprised to find out how far reaching and varied their connections and attachments were.

These past few weeks here on the island have seen a rollercoaster of temperatures. The repetitive thawing and refreezing has given us a nice long time to appreciate mud season. I had been waiting for nearly a month for the chance to grade my neighborhood dirt road. The road bed has been either frozen rock solid or melted into a slippery thick pudding. Either way it was deeply rutted. Finally, I figured that my only recourse was to spread new dirt over the worst parts. It’s always a good idea to add dirt to a dirt road. It’s all about drainage. The roadbed needs to be higher than the surrounding ground so that rain water can run off without flowing along the road. Any spot that even the shallowest puddle forms, the soil will get splashed out by tires. A nicely crowned dirt road with deep gutters alongside is a thing of beauty. For timid drivers, it may actually seem a bit precarious. That’s how you know when the grading has been done right. Oddly, a dirt road will get puddles at the crests of hills. It’s just in that three or four-foot section were the road gets level as it changes slope.

In my short sweet life, so far, I have concluded that happiness in general depends on just a few very basic elements or functions. The number one most universal is containment. Whether it involves liquids, gases, electricity, livestock, pets, belongings, emotions, information or just about any item or substance that shouldn’t get mixed in with others. Humans have developed an amazing array of bottles, barrels, bins, pipes, tubes, conductors, fences, barriers, philosophies and theories to accomplish containment. In 99.9 per cent of instances, containment seems to involve water, either keeping it in or keeping it out.

Chris Kennedy, superintendent of The Trustees of Reservations, reports that the route to town “by the beach” is in pretty good shape. Just keep in mind that conditions change quickly and dramatically. During stormy high tides, seawater washes over in several places. If you haven’t driven on Norton Point recently, you should drive it in daylight before venturing out there in the dark.

Send Chappaquiddick news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.