Despite all of the twenty-first century gadgetry available these days, all you need to tend to this task is a little paint and some good ol’ fashioned pruning shears. Considering last week was fire prevention week, it seems appropriate for a summarized shout out from fire chief Jeremy Bradshaw.

Please be reminded that road and driveway signs should be both visible and legible for your safety. Freshen up the paint and trim back any branches that may be obstructing them from view. You may easily get a call in to 911, but you want to be sure emergency services can find you. With a more populous community to respond to and many on the department who might not know where to take a right “just past Eric Cottle’s old house” or a “left into Sugarloaf,” you need to take it upon yourself to make sure you are clearly marked.

You can still have a lobster pot buoy or rowing oar as a sign but make sure it is legibly labeled. Trim back all of the branches that may be obscuring it from being visible and, while you are at it, please walk your road and/or driveway to make sure it is wide enough to fit a fire truck down. Clearance of fifteen feet wide and fifteen feet high is standard. This doesn’t mean your driveway needs to be fifteen feet wide, but the brush should be trimmed that far back.

I took an hour to wander my driveway today. Who else has a yard that is littered with thousands of little brown ball bearings? Acorns. Is it just folklore or is there some truth behind an abundance of acorns signifying a hard winter? Like many things, the answer depends upon who you talk to and where you read.

I did read a Farmer’s Almanac article that made me chuckle. It had a list of folklore-ish natural forecasters of a harsh winter that include, in addition to a large quantity of acorns, very thick onion skins or corn husks; woodpeckers sharing a tree; a small rust-orange band on a woolly caterpillar; spiders spinning larger than usual webs; pigs gathering sticks; frequent and halos or rings around the sun or moon.

I digress.

Tim Carroll and Genc Brinja were thrilled to have house guests this week. Genc’s brother Eno and his sweetheart Jesse traveled from their home in Vienna, Austria for a long overdue visit. Eno plays the clarinet with the Vienna Conservatory and Jesse works for the United Nations.

Falmouth Academy juniors, including Chilmarkers Clara Athearn and Oona Carroll, are participating in the first half of a German exchange program. Similar to the longstanding West Tisbury School’s eighth grade United Kingdom exchange program, Falmouth Academy juniors enrolled in German language class pair up with students from Germany.

Josie is paired up with Clara and Amelie is paired up with Oona. Both are completely and happily immersed in everything the Awesome Athearns and the Cool Carrolls have lined up for their two-week stay. In the spring, Clara and Oona will travel to Heidelberg, Germany for their immersive experience. What fun.

Farewell to Melanie Andrews, whose new U.S. Coast Guard assignment takes her to Sitka, Alaska. She and her wife Kaeja, along with pup Tiki, set off on a cross country adventure that took them to Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, the noteworthy and comical Wall Drug and, at the time of my writing, brought them to Seattle. I look forward to continued updates.

Jody Bowen is a short-timer at Station Menemsha. He just received his orders and will be headed south to his new post in the Sunshine State. Be sure to wish him well before he departs in about a month’s time.

Halloween is quickly creeping up on us. If you are interested in spoiling our young kiddos by having candy available, please let me know. I’d love to add you to the list of houses with their lights on. If you feel you might be a little too far off beaten path and want to join in a trick or trunk opportunity, reach out as well. I can give you the scoop.

P.S. In case you were wondering, Reese’s peanut butter cups are my favorite.