They say the weather on your birthday is a reflection of how you behaved during the course of the previous year. Mother Nature was really disappointed with me as she threw us one heck of a fastball northeaster our way. I apologize to all of you who endured lengthy power outages, downed trees, hurricane force winds, swamped boats and more. I think it may have been all my fault.

Please know I am truly humbled and very thankful for all of you who found a moment amidst the chaos to shout out cheerful birthday wishes.

The weather settled and brightened just in time for Halloween. Trick or treating kicked off at a festively-decorated Menemsha Crossroad fire station. A handful of fire department members decked out in costume were ready to dish out treat bags stuffed with sweets to each Chilmark kiddo that arrived in costume. Fall decorations of pumpkins, cornstalks, hay bales and assorted gourds made the perfect backdrop for family photos. Thank you to Dan Athearn for dropping them off.

Trick or treat opportunities for our town’s littles were not only in abundance, but well-decorated and “staffed” by excited givers. Thank you to Beetlebung Farm, Marie and Danny Larsen, Claire Ganz, Julie Flanders, Margaret Maida, Warren and Nan Doty, Linda Thompson, Kathie, Chris, Kendra, Oona and Emme Carroll, Judy and Ted Mayhew, Janet Weidner, Tom Ruimerman, Becca Kaplan, Debbi Zetterberg, Stanley Startzell, the Oliver family, Annette Cingle and Scott McDowell, Colin Ruel and Nettie Kent, Barbara and John Armstrong, Marshall, Bradley and Brooks Carroll, Ella Oskan, Ann and Hal Noyes, Don and Robin Smith, Ed Greenebaum and Joan Caulton, Debby Packer — who went all out with homemade whoopie pies — and the crew at station Menemsha.

Brody Schilling departed station Menemsha this past week after a New England adventure with his Mom and gram. After a month’s vacation at home in Louisiana, he is headed to Coast Guard Cutter Argus, home ported in Los Angeles, Calif. Brody was awarded the Coast Guard Achievement Medal for both his support on missions and the dedication he showed toward his shipmates. His smile, positive attitude and lovely southern accent will be missed.

Owen Singer is kicking around town for a couple of weeks while he lets his eye heal from a recent surgery. He laid low, as per doctor’s orders, but as soon as the all clear was given, he took to the water — both fishing and surfing.

Caitlin Cook is hosting small in-person Body Snack classes at her 195 South Road studio in addition to Zoom group classes. Pilates, weights, zero balancing and more are in her repertoire, so check out details at bodysnack.net.

Irene Ziebarth reports there is now a collection box at the town hall for used ink cartridges. The League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard collects used inkjet cartridges and sends them to a recycler, keeping them out of our landfills where the plastic cartridges could take a thousand years to decompose. Contact Irene at (202) 680-8076 or ireneziebarth@gmail.com with questions.

The Chilmark School advisory council needs new members. At the moment, the group meets via Zoom once or twice a month and is working toward developing a school improvement plan. Anyone who is interested should contact principal Susan Stevens at (508) 645-2562.

Kent Healy may have called West Tisbury home but his heart and knowledge was spread islandwide. At age 89, he has left us to fend for ourselves, but not without the ability to tap into the vast expanse of information he embedded within our minds.

I will miss his smile, gentle voice and his practical nature. He was a gem of a human and I will always be able to close my eyes and hear his voice in my head saying something like, “Let’s see if we have a problem before we worry about coming up with a plan to fix it.” It was an honor to call him friend.