It’s rather odd writing this column several days before it will be read. For example, at this moment we are living in a water-colored world. It rained yesterday; it is raining now; it will always be raining. The sky is the same soft, gray as the water and borders are slightly blurred, as though viewed through tears.

By the time you read this, however, I’m fairly certain this shell of cloud will have cracked open, with a return to our regularly scheduled summer programming. There was a post on Islanders Talk the other day — a plea, really, from a woman at home with five young children, wondering what to do on a rainy day. The flood of suggestions in response are a testament to the boundless generosity born of shared experience. Anyone who has looked down the barrels of a rainy day with a pint-sized entourage is bound to be an empathetic sort. Once you get the children out, it’s usually pretty wonderful. It’s the “getting out” part that might break you.

Last Friday evening, Elsa made a storm-stirred cocktail of the water off Lambert’s Cove Beach. Body surfing is a soulful way to spend time with the ocean. No equipment is necessary, so there is nothing separating you from the wave’s power, and outside worries are washed away even after you’ve left the water. It’s such a rare treat to have surf like that on the north shore. The sky looked to be clearing, but overnight the wind brought us more rain instead.

Work has begun on the West Tisbury School field, with a new irrigation system by Bettencourt Irrigation. This is the home of MV United recreational soccer, so it’s a much-trampled field on Saturday mornings in spring and fall plus weekday afternoons. All the good work is made possible by generous Field Fund donors, plus West Tisbury Community Preservation funds and the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

Very exciting bit of library news: the annual Friends of the West Tisbury Library Book Sale will be held Monday, July 26, through Monday, August 2, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the West Tisbury School gym. All proceeds benefit the library. This year, bring your own grocery bags, ideally with strong handles, because most books will be sold by the bag, rather than individually. Masks required.

For local produce, hit up Island Grown Initiative’s Mobile Market on Tuesday afternoons at the Howes House. Place your order online and pick it up at 2:45 p.m., or just come between 3 and 4 pm. I think IGI is just the greatest thing around.

I have been drift jigging on Facebook for West Tisbury special occasions but this was a quiet week. It will take a little while to build up the birthday database. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to celebrate someone in print.