I don’t know about you but the time change has my mind and the day completely out of sync. I’m rising before the sun and then ready for my pajamas by about 5 p.m. That little hour shift has never affected me like it seems to be doing now.

Tom Ruimerman and Janet Weidner made a trip to western Virginia to lay their eyes on and visit with son Andrew and his bride Kimberlie.

Although the foliage in the Blue Ridge mountains was a-okay, the highlight was seeing a couple of their favorite humans.

Both Jill and Ted Berhard made overnight visits to their house on Carroll Lane. Quiet getaways and the ability to embrace a little solitude and a break from the norm certainly can do a body good. I trust they both returned to reality feeling a tad rejuvenated.

Genevieve Flanders celebrated her birthday with a visit from her sisters Allison and Sarah. They tromped down woodland trails and hiked pond shorelines and laughed a whole bunch, all the while reveling in just being together in Vermont where Gen and husband Zachary Tong make their home with Sophie the wonder dog, who also recently celebrated a birthday.

Claire Ganz is coordinating a lovely remembrance in honor of Lia Littlefield Kahler. It is scheduled for Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. at the Chilmark Church. If you recall: for a number of years Lia coordinated a series of performances titled December Offerings of Music and Light as a way to find some light in a period of darkness.

If you would like to contribute or participate in some way, please reach out to Claire. In addition to pulling together volunteer performers, Claire also shares that there will be a supper reception to follow. So, if you cannot sing, then please volunteer to bring a dish to share. What a wonderful way to keep Lia’s vision alive.

The MVRHS girls soccer team took on Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School last week. Their win led them to the playoffs, where they faced a powerhouse of a team. Although they ultimately suffered a 2-1 loss, Chilmark kids Ella Keene and Delilah Oliver, along with all of their teammates, played well and hard. There was quite a sea of purple in the stands cheering them on. Proud dad Kevin Oliver even sported a pink jersey in support of Delilah, who is affectionately known as Pinky. The Keene clan also traveled in support. Cheering the hardest were grandparents Ann and Hal Noyes.

Mary Gibbons typically spends two weeks in Menemsha in August but she made a spontaneous visit to Menemsha this past week as she toured a dear friend named Anna around on her first New England visit. Anna, who lives in Sweden, hosted Mary and her 10-year old grandson Ben this past summer. The group had quite an adventure moving a reindeer herd through the Arctic Circle. Be sure to ask Mary about it when she’s back next summer.

I watched it working the Menemsha marsh for nearly an hour. It was about the size of a blue jay and seemed to travel at near-lightning speed. I finally managed to snap a couple of photos that weren’t a total blur and sent them along to two reliable sources. Both Soo Whiting and Albert Fischer confirmed it was an American kestrel. It is the smallest and most colorful falcon in North America.

I was totally fascinated by this tiny little raptor, likely to the point that folks who saw me standing in the middle of the parking lot found my behavior a tad bit odd.