All is well in Aquinnah, wind chills in the 30s but daytime temps in the 50s. The quiet is deafening. The shelter in place order is in effect and one of our best hopes for seeing an end to this horrific virus. The cooperative effort of all the towns is impressive as we are all in this together.

Zoom has taken on a whole new meaning. My grandson Noah and his schoolmates returned from their two-week spring break at Falmouth Academy on Wednesday. They will have their full classes on Zoom each day with their teachers. He has spent virtual time with his classmates and cousins by playing Mindcraft each day. He has also spent time in the great outdoors on family walks as well as creating culinary delights daily.

Over the week it will be necessary for me to learn how to Zoom as there are a few meetings over the next week to attend from a distance. Or perhaps I will just opt out and simply telephone in.

Social distancing is interesting. We had a virtual dinner party the other evening with John, Amy and Zach Macey in New Haven, their daughter Ali in Colorado, Amy’s sister Marcie in New Rochelle, and parents/grandparents Howard and Sandy Klebanoff in their winter abode.

One evening we visited with members of Theresa’s Kistner family in California, Pennsylvania and New York. Oh, the technology of it all. Noah and Theresa had a nice long walk on the beach while socially distancing from the Carroll family.

Congratulations to Bradley Carroll, the newest transcriber at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital where she has been employed for the past year. We are grateful for her services on the Tri-Town Ambulance as an emergency medical technician.

Thanks to Aquinnah library director Rosa Parks for her great assistance in finding our many requests for movies. She graciously selected all the latest movies that were not already signed out, as well as a book that I really wanted to read — Michelle Obama’s Becoming. Not one to sit and watch television on a daily basis, I have had more than enough of the news over the past three weeks.

Happy retirement to Linda Baci Fischer as she retires from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital where she has been a nurse over the past three decades. May she and Bert have a long list of travel plans in their retirement.

My sincerest condolences to the family and friends of John S. Alley, Sr. who passed away on March 18 at his West Tisbury home. John and I had been long time columnists for the Vineyard Gazette and had served on the Vineyard Transit Authority Advisory Board together for more than two decades. He was quite the Vineyard historian — if he had only written that book of Vineyard knowledge. We will keep his wife Anna, their son Sam, and their daughter Nicole and her husband Arsen Hambardumian in our thoughts and prayers as well as their four young grandsons Robbie, Henry, Eddie and Mark. John will be greatly missed by missed across the Vineyard where he served the community in numerous capacities.

My sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Noreen Bettencourt who passed away on March 15. Noreen was a schoolmate at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. We shared many great times over the past half a century.

Happy first birthday wishes to Adelaide Lorraine Smith, daughter of USCG BM1 Adam R. Smith and his wife Meghan, as she parties on March 28. Linda Dickson Unczur will observe her special day on March 28. Jannette Vanderhoop and Edward Fantasia share the day on March 29. Peter Vincent, Randhi Belain and Heidi Vanderhoop all share the day on March 30. March 31 is Durkee Day as Steve Durkee celebrates his special day. Michael Dolby will observe a major milestone on March 31.

April 1 is a day of celebration for Linda Fischer, Peggy Yoars, Robin Meader and Allison Barrett. Levi Moreis and Audrey Jeffers share the day on April 2. Genc Brinja, Pamela Knight and Amy Vanderhoop will all party on April 3.