It is the middle of February and the weathermen keep reminding us that last year at this time we were in a deep freeze and we had lots of snow, and our fear was that we may never see the ground until May. But here we are with the grass still showing and rain in the forecast and strong winds. We will see what next week brings.

Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this week. Big balloons go out to Quinn Filiault, who celebrated Feb. 23; Tristan Blair, Feb. 24; Ethan Fournier and Floyd Hershey, Feb. 25; and to Benjamin Belisle who celebrates his day Feb. 26.

One of my friends on Facebook summed up this week pretty well. She said this was the week that looks like the streets of Edgartown got rolled up and put away.

How true that is. I had a meeting in town and there were no cars on the street — not a person to be seen — and I had my choice of parking spaces in the parking lot behind town hall.

The reason for all the vacancy is it is school vacation and many people are either south or north on their family trips. I have seen some great pictures on the computer and everyone looks happy and are enjoying their adventures.

Speaking of family vacations, Jamie Craig and his family are at Disney and he posted an event he and his son Riley attended and I have to share. I am using his actual post as he is the son of writer Philip Craig and I think he puts it into better words than I, so here it is:

“While we certainly had a blast today availing ourselves of everything the Magic Kingdom had to offer, a special moment was found when Riley and I broke off from our group to attend the Flag Retreat in the town square. Disney does an outstanding job retiring the colors, but the event is sparsely attended. But those who do choose to pay respect to our flag gather in the square for the ceremony, and there were a few among us that came to attention and rendered a salute as the colors were lowered. At the conclusion, we somehow were compelled to draw together and meet by the flagpole to greet each other... just a few veterans who found it necessary to shake hands and clap each other on the shoulder. Turns out were all Desert Storm vets, one from the Army who re-enlisted after 9-11 and is now disabled, myself, and a Navy Petty Officer who served on the America while we steamed beside her in the Persian Gulf that year. We had never met before, but spoke as easily as if we had been old friends. Before we parted, each of us took a picture to preserve the moment, and then we went our separate ways. Just three brothers who met today for the first time.”

I hope you liked it as much as I did. A big thank you to all of you who served our country and are still fighting for us.

The Edgartown beautification committee meets once a month to coordinate various projects with the goal of aesthetic improvements to the town of Edgartown. Past projects have included the addition of the street lanterns, benches, and trash receptacles, as well as more broad-based projects such as the garden and Welcome to Edgartown signage at the Triangle, sidewalk replacements, tree plantings, and the renovation of the Donnelly parking lot. This year, their annual budget of $25,000 was used for plantings and maintenance of all the Main street hanging baskets and planters, landscaping and maintenance of the Triangle garden, and plantings and maintenance of the three downtown parking lot planters at the end of Main street, Kelley street, and Memorial Wharf. They are currently seeking donations for other projects throughout the town. Suggestions from townspeople are always appreciated.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.

The Gazette wishes Edgartown columnist Kathie Case a very happy birthday on March 3.

Send Edgartown news to kathleencase@comcast.net.