Mary Oliver
The wind wags its many tails. And in the evening the piled firewood shifts a little, longing to be on its way. —Mary Oliver
January 30, 2009
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Jan. 30 36 17 .00
Jan. 31 38 22 .01*
Feb. 1 44 19 .00
Feb. 2 48 33 .00
Feb. 3 51 32 .32*
Feb. 4 38 22 .22*
Feb. 5 30 11 .00
…
A Toast to Rabbie
A Toast to Rabbie
If a Scot be ripe for toastin’,
If a Scot be fit for praise,
If a Scot stands high above the rest
For the way he spent his days,
Let’s raise a cup now, all about,
And celebrate the…
Updike Without His Shoes
Major newspapers this week carried obituaries and tributes for author John Updike, who died Tuesday at the age of 76 of lung cancer. A former longtime summer visitor to Menemsha, Mr. Updike wrote the following essay about the Vineyard that was published in Peter Simon’s 1989 book, On the Vineyard II.
Inauguration Diary: One Islander’s Account
E lection Day 2008: Spring out of bed early and zap e-mails to Congressman Delahunt and Senator Kennedy, humbly requesting a ticket — maybe two? — to the inauguration of No. 44. Book affordable hotel room for the nights before and after. Hope that I won’t wind up with an invitation to a ceremony for…
Gazette Chronicle: Talk of the Town
Talk of the Town
From a January, 1958 article by Colbert Smith:
One could well write a whole series of articles about the wintering gossip places for the residents of an Island town. They are legion, these places where people seem just to meet, exchange a few words, and pass on…
Boomers, Your Senior Discounts Are Ready
I’m nearing that arbitrary age when the federal government has determined I am approaching senior citizenhood, and thus entitled to benefits from the slowly and surely sinking social security administration. I should be flattered, or eager to anticipate a great new adventure, akin to getting my driver’s license or the right to vote. But turning…
Letters to the Editor
BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission, along with the towns and other public entities, is very concerned about how to deal with the current budget crisis. Like the towns, we are getting information about the severity of the budget crisis almost daily. The MVC foresees major reductions in…
January Thaw
January Thaw
After weeks on end of snow and ice it was nice to see the grass again this week, if even for a few brief moments when the sunshine followed a rainstorm which followed a snowstorm. So what if it’s not really green — it’s our old friend grass. Hello, we haven’t…
Living – and Buying – Locally
Living — and Buying — Locally
Try buying a souvenir T-shirt these days and you can see through the window that it’s half off, but the store is never open. Need some watertight Wellington boots, however, and you can find them here all winter during normal business hours. There are good Island businesses…
Snow Moon and Spring
Next Monday night’s Snow Moon, a full moon, appears in the zodiacal constellation Cancer, a constellation we associate with spring. Though snow was in the air this week, spring isn’t that far away. More stars of spring start showing up late in the evening, after 11 p.m.
Boys’ Hockey Trounces Cambridge
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys’ hockey team bounced back from a rough mid-season stretch to win big against Cambridge Rindge and Latin at home on Saturday, scoring five goals in the second period en route to an easy 8-0 win.
With the win the Vineyarders’ record stands at 8-3-2 on the…
Selectman Roger Wey Won’t Run for Reelection
Longtime Oak Bluffs selectman Roger Wey said this week he will not seek reelection in April.
Mr. Wey, who has been a selectman since 1994 and has served a total of eight terms over 21 years, told the Gazette he decided not to run after much consideration. “I thought about it a long…
Activist Barbara Bick’s First Novel Considers Women in Afghanistan
Barbara Bick says she is neither journalist nor historian. Despite what she says, she looks at the worlds she encounters with the curiosity of a journalist, the eye of a historian — and always with the passion of a feminist. Rarely has she taken a trip — and she has been to many places most…
A New Home for the Rod and Gun Club
Two years away from its centennial celebration and Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club is already preparing. The club is in the process of rebuilding their clubhouse and they’d like it to be done by spring. The construction of the $150,000 to $200,000 project is getting the support of members and their friends. President Robert…
Anglers Awarded at Surfcaster’s Banquet
Members and friends of the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association got a flavor of a busy season ahead on Saturday. The club now in its 20th year held their annual afternoon banquet at the Edgartown Whaling Church. More than 100 anglers showed up for the luncheon, to sip soda and eat fried chicken. The event included…
Consumer Price Watch
Consumer Price Watch
By SUSAN CATLING
Gas
Prices for regular unleaded gas as of Jan. 27:
Edgartown
Airport Mobil 2.59
Depot Corner 2.599
Edgartown Mobil 2.659
Oak Bluffs
deBettencourt’s 2.579
Jim’s 2.599
Vineyard…
Tisbury Turnabout on Alcohol Petition
In the face of possible legal problems and sharp criticism over their actions, Tisbury selectmen this week reversed their decision to sponsor a warrant article reopening the contentious issue of beer and wine sales in the dry town.
The most remarkable aspect of the about-face was the fact that alcohol sales proponent Jeff…
Bills Await as Aquinnah Stalls Special Town Meeting Again
There was a lot wrong with the warrant for an Aquinnah special town meeting planned for Feb. 3, but a posting error was the official cause for a last-minute cancellation.
The decision, made at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday, further postpones votes on some $20,000 in town housekeeping measures outstanding since last fall, and…
Businesses Play Musical Chairs
It’s off-season on the Vineyard, traditionally a slow time for business. And at this stage no one knows what the summer will bring.
But changes are under way in the down-Island business landscape this winter. Some merchants have responded to the faltering economy, cutting back hours of operation, holding aggressive sales and reducing…
Sophomores Speak Out
On Jan. 20 Barack Obama became President. It was the first time since the election of President John Kennedy that the young people really got into the election. Last week the Edgartown sixth grade came to our global studies class. We all talked about Barack Obama and about what we hoped would happen during the…
It’s Boom Time For Bone Setter, Plower, Plumber
Dr. Raymond (Rocco) Monto talks about this treacherous, icy weather in different terms from most of us. He calls it his orthopedic stimulus package.
When your work involves repairing the strains, sprains and breaks which accompany frozen ground, these are busy times. He reckons business is up at least 25 per cent.
Absent the Comforts of Home
Sitting among the other people using the computers at the Vineyard Haven library on a bleak, icy day this week, Jon and Rick blend right in. The only hints of their difference are a couple of small piles of possessions nearby.
These men are homeless, and for them, the primary purpose of coming…
Martha’s Vineyard Commission Budget Comes Under Fire Over Salary Hikes
With all eyes on government budgets this year, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission last Thursday unanimously approved a $1.17 million budget for fiscal year 2010. The budget represents an 8.8 per cent reduction in overall spending from last year and an increase in town assessments of just under one per cent.
The commission’s budget…
Finance Leaders Call on Town Workers to Give Up Pay Raises
An association of all six Vineyard finance committees this week called for every Island public employee to forego an annual cost of living increase amid the growing national economic crisis.
It is unclear how the request from the Martha’s Vineyard Finance Association will play out as each Island town wrestles with its budget.…
Congressman Brings News of Stimulus Spending Home to the Tenth District
Hours after adding his vote to an $825 billion federal stimulus package, Massachusetts Cong. William D. Delahunt was on the Vineyard yesterday to provide an economic backdrop for the bill to a group of Vineyard town and regional leaders.
Though much of his message was bleak, Mr. Delahunt offered hope in the form…
Corrections
Corrections
In a story in last week’s Gazette about the NAACP Martin Luther King Day brunch, Laurie Perry-Henry was identified incorrectly. She is president of the Martha’s Vineyard Chapter of the NAACP. Also the story carried an incorrect date for Lincoln’s birthday; the correct day is Feb. 12. The Gazette regrets the errors.
Aquinnah
JUNE MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
The Aquinnah special town meeting scheduled for Feb. 3 has been postponed until a later date. The selectmen are anticipating a meeting to be scheduled in late March or early April. We’ll keep you informed.
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-9239
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
At the Oak Bluffs School Christmas Bazaar, I noticed a run on twins in our youngest population. Apparently the up-tick of fertility drugs has generated extra babies, and who among us would be so churlish as not to agree that the only thing cuter than…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
Another week of winter has passed leaving Chilmark much as she was and still is; bored with all the wet and wind and still happy to have sunshine every now and then. The weather this week was definitely not worth talking about!
Welcome, Kayo
Welcome, Kayo
Maralisy S. Lobo and Josmar M. Oliveira of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Kayo Braganca Siqueira Lobo de Oliveira, born on Jan. 20, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Kayo weighed 10 pounds, 3 ounces at birth.
Announcing Nevah
Announcing Nevah
Emily Maine Cavanagh and James Fitzgerald of Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Nevah Maine Fitzgerald, born on Jan. 22, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Nevah weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces at birth.
Bank Art Exhibit
Bank Art Exhibit
An exhibition of Lisa Vanderhoop’s photography and giclée prints opens today at the Chilmark Sovereign Bank and continues through February.
The wildlife and nature images were shot on the Vineyard, Africa, the Galapagos and Costa Rica. Ms. Vanderhoop’s humorous Vineyard Sea Dog valentine cards also will be for…
Arboretum Grounds Man to Attend National Forum
Thomas E. Clark, collections and grounds manager of Polly Hill Arboretum, has been selected by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to attend a national forum, Feb. 19 and 20 in San Diego, Calif., called It’s Alive! Petals to Primates: Preservation Challenges of Living Collections.
Mr. Clark is one of more than…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Bird Rescue
From my office I can hear a bird hit the glass sliders in the bedroom. Some sound worse than others. In no instance is it a pleasant sound. Stella, our boxer, always hears them too and comes to find me, with a look that says, “Did you hear what I just heard? Come on, let’s…
The Mice Do Play
This is no longer just a game of cat and mouse.
The mouse is in the house, and the cat isn’t earning her keep. While I appreciate my feline’s finesse in catching mice, I am not crazy about her choice of where to leave them. Luna (the cat) will receive no trophy for…
Persian Rug Sale
Persian Rug Sale
Celebrating the Art of Iran, an exhibition and benefit sale of authentic Persian tribal rugs, is now open in Vineyard Haven.
Sales will benefit Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, Community Services, Affordable Housing and other Island charities,. Visitors have a daily chance to win 50 per cent off any…
Speed Networking Puts Women Face to Face With Solutions
What do women talk about when they get together at a bar?
Anyone who answered romance, weight or clothing ought to have looked in at The Wharf this week, at an event held by the Martha’s Vineyard Woman’s Network.
Big Crowd, Big Flavor at Big Chili
The WMVY Big Chili Contest drew more than 1,400 people to Oak Bluffs on Saturday, people who ate generously to raise more than $16,000 to help the Red Stocking Fund.
A Call to Young Artists
A Call to Young Artists
The theme of this year’s Island Book Cover Art Contest, open to all Vineyard sixth grade students, is Island lighthouses. This will be the 19th annual cover competition sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce.
Here are the requirements: entries must be drawn with a…
Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival Seeks Poster Designer
The Martha’s Vineyard Film Society is turning to the Island’s artistic community with a competition to design the poster for its 2009 Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival, set for September. The winning poster design will receive a cash prize of $250, two opening night film festival tickets and a two-person membership to the film society.…
New Series Brings Jazz to the Masses
Jazz afficionado Leslie J. Stark is offering his popular jazz appreciation series at Featherstone Center for the Arts again this winter, with classes meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in February and March
Chapter 37: Snow and the Beer
In this year-long serialized novel set on the Vineyard in real time, a native Islander (“Call me Becca”) returns home after two decades to help her eccentric Uncle Abe keep his landscaping business, Pequot, afloat. Abe has a paranoid hatred of Richard Moby, the CEO of an off-Island wholesale nursery, Broadway. Convinced that Moby wants…
Final Results of Christmas Bird Count: 129 Species Are Tallied
This year’s Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Count was held on Jan. 3. Ninety-three people participated in the count, with 55 individuals divided into 13 to 15-person field teams, and 38 people watching their bird feeders.
A total of 82,794 individuals and 129 species were recorded: 119 species and two subspecies on count day,…
Hello, Tiffany
Hello, Tiffany
Angelica and Silomar Balbino of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Tiffany Belo Balbino, born on Jan. 21, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Tiffany weighed 7 pounds, 8.6 ounces at birth.
