A different kind of town meeting happened last weekend. Under a tent, in the open air, on the grounds of the Tisbury school. This could be a new trend. Perhaps add barbeque?

There are three Nancy Gardellas on Island now; a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. The esteemed director of the Martha’s Vineyard chamber of commerce is the blonde, I am the brunette and my sister-in-law, the redheaded Nancy Gardella, is visiting from Fort Myers, Fla. Nancy arrived with her 20-year-old son, Jonathan Gardella, all masked smiles. And Nancy brought the most thoughtful hostess gift! She brought a huge amount of toilet paper and paper towels.

This worked out very well. On the day they arrived, I tripped over my dog, Silvio, when he snuck up behind me. I took a hard, bloody fall and had to be taken to the emergency room. Calamity Nancy! The only bright spot of my day was that my doctor helped me stop crying and made me laugh. His name is Adam and he is incredibly handsome and kind. I do think his advice for me not to play contact sports for six weeks was not necessary but I’m sure he wanted to be thorough. Thank you to all the great staff at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

Jonathan has made the dean’s list at his Florida Southwestern State College. He is majoring in music and brought his violin with him. With any luck, you’ll catch him busking somewhere downtown. Jon loves lighthouses and has already been to West Chop to get his first picture of the season.

So many of you kind people have offered to bring me supplies. I thank you but, with another Nancy Gardella here and a great visit with some supplies from the beautiful Karen Gerlach, I am all set. I’ll see you all when the bruising and swelling goes down.

Good news for our town: The Pie Chicks will soon have their own retail shop and bakery just down the road from Cronig’s. It takes the worry out of dessert.

Interesting news from my hometown back in the Old Country: black bears have been roaming some streets and one spent some time in the city parking lot. I always wanted one for a pet. Guess that bus has gone by.

Speaking of buses, it is with sadness that I report it looks like we won’t have the VTA 10A bus on the West Chop route this summer. This is a great loss for my neighborhood. I do hope something can be worked out.

Congratulations to all our elementary school and high school graduates. The signs and parades for you were fabulous.

With great sadness, I must say that Seth Gambino, owner of La Choza on Main Street, was with his faithful dog, Bosco, when he passed Sunday night. Bosco was over ten years old. He and Seth had a great day together; they played, walked, napped, had supper and treats. Bosco went to get a drink about 11 p.m. then passed out and died in Seth’s arms. Rosemary and Seth Gambino are well-known for loving and treating their dogs like royalty. Bosco’s Gram was also there for him. Seth has posted wonderful photos of Bosco and Jasper. Now they are reunited and running free.

The birthday bandwagon pulled along with three dear friends of mine on June 16; Brian Conway, Carlos Medina, and Bunny Alfano Wilson’s granddaughter, Finley Wilson, turned two on Tuesday. Many happy returns. And happy Father’s Day to all who deserve it.