It is the early 1950s, somewhere, anywhere, in Canada, and I am standing at the kitchen door on Easter morning in my new Easter clothes. I’m wearing a cotton dress, pastel or with a flowery print. Short white socks, white shoes, a straw hat with an artificial flower. This is the ensemble recommended by fashion forecasters this season.

Over my new spring outfit I add my bulky winter coat. Its sleeves end a full inch above my knobby wrist bones, the hem stops two inches above the bottom of the dress. The coat is necessarily buttoned up against the cold. I will walk carefully to protect my new white shoes over the clumps of dirty snow along the sidewalks. A straw purse to match the hat is slung over my shoulder. The purse holds a coin for the collection plate. I am on my way to Sunday school.

Back to the present day, here on the Vineyard, Easter usually promises more pleasant spring weather than what we have been served. At this writing, I have been attempting to store my winter coat for a nice long eight-month rest. I have shoved it in the back of the closet several times this month, but so far, the air is usually too wet, cold, windy, and just plain raw. Hope springs.

This coming weekend is not only the religious celebration of new life, but also a state holiday. Monday is Patriots Day, when a number of West Tisbury runners will compete (if that’s the right word) in the Boston marathon.

Congratulations and three cheers for Marylee Schroeder, who has run the marathon for more than 20 years, and will be out there again Monday. And good luck to Sam Decker, Chris Cajolet, Nisa Webster, Alyssa Staryk, Donna Creighton and other Vineyarders who earn a heap of kudos for qualifying.

Phyllis Meras invited us the other day for drinks and to meet our new neighbors. They have bought the house across the street from us on the corner of Looks Pond Way. They are Alan Steele and Maggie Mulqueen, who are in the middle of moving here from Wellesley.

Maggie is a psychologist and still sees patients, literally, via the magic of Zoom. They have three grown sons, and have been summer vacationers here for decades. Their new home is their retirement retreat.

Alan is both a doctor and a lawyer, having progressed from treating patients to researching medical and pharmaceutical studies and products in a lab. Then he went to law school for the skills needed to seek patent accreditation for promising new medical treatments. He looks much too young to have done all that, but he insists he is now retired.

Birthday wishes go this week to Norman Lobb, Friday, April 18, and to Jeremy Berlin on Sunday, April 20. Happy birthday Monday to Joyce Albertine, Lily Haynes and Aline Honorato.

No school next week. Free soup, bread and plenty of activities for kids at the library. Bundle up.