A Tuesday in February in Menemsha starts like most of the Island — serene. But more so.

The air smelled of straw, sawdust and livestock at the agricultural fairgrounds this Saturday, and the bahs ands bleets of sheep mingled with shouts of excited children.

Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School students astounded judges and spectators alike with project presentations at the 26th annual Science and Engineering fair this Saturday.

Silence is simply the absence of sound, as darkness is the absence of light, and so it follows that nothing can really be quieter than quiet.

The Katama Cowpokes are one of several Island 4-H clubs meeting regularly. The group met this past Sunday at the Ag Hall with Carol Soule to practice brushing, bridling and yoking their cows.

We are about midway between winter solstice and vernal equinox. The sun rises now at about six minutes before six, some twenty minutes earlier than at solstice, and sets at almost five. That's about fifty minutes more light at end of day than when winter began.

Winter birds are settled in on the Vineyard, and feeders are busier in January as birds look for reliable sources of food in snow and cold temperatures.

Burns Nicht commemorates Robert Burns, the 18th-century poet regarded as the bard of Scotland. It is held each year on Jan. 25, his birthday. The anniversary has been honored on Martha’s Vineyard for 38 years, hosted by the Scottish Society of Martha’s Vineyard.