And so begins the quietest week of our island year, with many people gone on quests for snow or sun or surf. These days, it’s almost impossible to predict how busy the Island will be during any given time period but traditionally the last week of February is a very slow, restful one. If you’re sticking around, this is a good time to look in on neighbors and donate to the Food Pantry.

Thank goodness for the library, which offers all kinds of diversions. Throughout the vacation week, there will be crafts in the Children’s Room from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 26, there is an adult dance class with Jesse Keller Jason at 10:30 a.m. and an online children’s art class with Val Estabrook at 4 p.m. New participants are welcome at meetings of the MV Quilt Guild, Senior Tech Help, pilates classes with Judy Kranz, and Heather Capece’s art lessons. And on Wednesday, March 2 at 7:30 a.m., join Jason Mazar-Kelly’s Chair Yoga and Meditation on Zoom. Go to the library and pick up a flyer, or go to their website for more information.

Do not miss Jack Ryan’s show in the library conference room. The opening reception is on March 7 and it runs throughout the month of March. It took me a long time to connect the lovely man at the post office with his artwork, which I’ve seen all over the place for years and is refreshingly unlike anybody else’s stuff.

If there is anyone in your household with an artistic bent, the deadline for the Agricultural Fair poster design submission is April 1. The charm and the challenge of this design contest is that the Fair remains so much the same, pushing artists to find a new way of portraying the usual subjects: lambs, hens and juicy tomatoes. I still remember Heather Thurber showing me her gorgeous entry some years back. Heather, if you’re reading this, give it another try!

The whole Island is saddened by the loss of Everett Poole. It feels trite to point out that Chilmark will never be the same. In this case I wish it was just a throwaway phrase instead of the plain truth.

Happy birthday to our Maple, who turns 13 this week. That’s not very old for a person, and not at all old for a tree, and yet it sounds impossibly old when I write it. Thirteen.

Whatever your plans for this week, I hope you’re able to channel the enthusiasm of the golden retriever I saw in the backseat of a car this morning on Old County Road, with a driver who had the generosity to open the rear window. Taste the wind and never mind the destination. Even a trip to the grocery store can be cause for celebration this time of year, with the right mindset.