NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(iklean@yahoo.com)

Hacked again! Who would ever say anything bad about my colleague Holly Nadler? It was lovely to have my first phone call this morning be from Holly, but awful to hear that I have been saying terrible things about her on Facebook, even to the point of posting a video about the errors of her ways. My advice: don’t open anything that comes from me! I divorced Facebook two months ago. The last time I was hacked I tried to change my password on the vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com account and seem to have lost it entirely. That is why you will see posted on this column’s heading yet another address to reach me with your news. I need the help of some young techies to figure this out. And, no, I did not summer at the Olympics in London; I did not get mugged, and I did not send you an e-mail requesting funds to return home. There is more creative writing out there than you might imagine.

Sorry to have missed you last week. My mother chose the day I submit my column to visit the best bed and breakfast on Martha’s Vineyard, the new hospital. She is fine but she fell on my back deck and had a lump the size of an egg on her noggin. Once again, our thanks go out to the terrific EMS response, our very handsome (that doesn’t hurt) police force and EMTs. Jeff Pratt, who has known Nonna for years, was exemplary. The staff at the hospital were all helpful, kind and fun. Mom is particularly entranced with Dr. Zack. We shall gather all the names and let you know. Nonna probably would have stayed on since the accommodations are so much better than at my house, but she needed to get out by the next day to meet her seven Harley rider friends for dinner. Considering the rainy weather and the fact that the man with the three-wheeler was unable to attend this year, I did not let her go on her Harley ride. Can you just hear the response if I called the EMTs again to say Nonna had fallen for the second day in a row, this time from a Harley?

John and Betty Roberts report that they had a fabulous month here in July with their entire family. The Macrays came from Seattle — Dawn, Dennie, Julie, Sam, and Elra. The Gonzales family arrived from Salina — Keith, Deidre, Grace, Luke, and Claire. The McGarahans — Amy, Neil, Jack, Leo, and Lucy—had a shorter trip, arriving from Lexington. The Blacks travelled from Bryn Mawr—David, Sarah, Owen, Eliza and Graham. If you went food shopping in July and saw the shelves at our stores depleted, you know why. The Robertses had their beaching, their partying, visiting and catching up. Same time, next year.

The heavy rains on Wednesday forced the postponement of Illumination night to Thursday. As the fair also began Thursday, some of you were confronted with some choices in evening fun last night. Too much at once! I always say the fair brings a change in weather, for the better, and that’s how I felt waking up on Thursday.

Indefatigable Rose Abrahamson began her Studio Views show at the Shaw Cramer Gallery on Tuesday. I hope it is still there because I couldn’t attend. Yesterday Denise Labadie’s art quilts were mounted at Shaw Cramer. I’ll see you there.

As far as art goes, be sure to stop in at the Island Art Gallery and wish happy birthday to Uta Kloss, who celebrated this week. In other art news, don’t miss the annual Chicken Alley Art and Collectible sale at our thrift shop on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The show owes its founding to Olga Hirshhorn. The proceeds benefit our Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. Nonna and I will see you there.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along Mike Zenick, Gail Partridge, Renata Kinaki and Paige Stuart today. Tomorrow is a party for A.P.Iacovello, Cheryl Schrader, Melissa Dolby and Michael Donovan. August 19 shines on Helen Szanto, Amanda Louise Bernard, Jeff Pratt, Bill Clinton and Woody Woodward. August 20 is for Rocky McElhinney and Laurie Hatt. August 21 belongs to Christian Beal and James Johnson. And on August 23, Jessica Brown, JoJo Wild and Deral Meadows take the cake. Many happy returns.