The Vineyard's most peaceful and least frantic week of the year is drawing to an end. It's the turning point of winter as spring appears on the horizon, and we have been blessed with appropriate weather, sunny and mild. All but the most stubborn mounds of snow have retreated into puddles, then disappeared.

But ah the quiet villages, the deserted country lanes and byways. Crows caw their urgent messages, chickadees dart about, and mourning doves bob along the ground in their stately way, dressed in formal gray. Visitors from the mainland are few. And this is the one time of year when families can go off-Island with free spirits. The schools were closed this week, and many an Island parent has taken a child or two to northern ski slopes, southern sun, or simply a mainland vacation. Those of us who remain enjoy our reduced numbers, note the closed cafes and coffeehouses, and take a walk on the winter beach by ourselves. Now March is here. Times will be busy again soon enough, soon enough indeed.