Perhaps Helen Brunner’s life is just one endless series of inspirations, where everything is magical and amazing. One rather thinks, of course, that the Juilliard-educated mother of four who pioneered Suzuki training in England, simply sees her life that way. And her music students are at the center of it, whether those are Island children, to whom she offered a free (and magical) hour of personal instruction on Sunday, or her own grandchildren and others playing Vivaldi, Bach and other (amazing) pieces as the London Gold Group.

In the nearly two decades since I’ve been writing about Island ghosts there are a few I’ve kept mum about. I did this for two reasons. The accounts were so scary they seemed implausible, and I also didn’t want to implicate people and properties. Even if I used pseudonyms and pseudo directions, these ghosts guaranteed that their hosts could never sell their homes or even invite anyone over for coffee.

Casting Ballots for the Funny Bone

Fed up with the punditocracy doing the yellathon thing day after day? Tired of watching fellow humans go frothy with the rightousness of their own ego? Whatever happened to the color gray, anyway? Or humor?

Well, this Saturday the air is being taken out of the gasbags — all of them, be they Democrat or Republican.

Combine your love of literature and music by spending the evening with vocalist Stephanie Miele as she sings Broadway ballads inspired by children’s literature.

Yes, there are quite a few.

Richard Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Kern and Lerner and Loewe have all whetted their creative fires by igniting the child within.

Examples include C’est Moi from Camelot, Many a New Day from Oklahoma, and Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man of Mine from Showboat.

A Musical Sandwich

Grab a slice of Haydn next week with your packets of roast beef, ham and swiss. Don’t see the connective tissue there? Well, that’s because one never really knows what will be uncovered when pulling back the curtain on our neighbors’ lives.

Calling all would be seamen and women, the Coast Guard Auxiliary wants you.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. The Auxiliary directly supports the Coast Guard in all missions except military and law enforcement. It supports the boating public through its programs in public education, boating and marine safety, homeland security and vessel safety checks among many others.

Eat Your Fill

Fall giving you that, my-stomach-can’t-be-satisfied feeling? Well, how about treating yourself to an all-you-can-eat local roast pork and chicken dinner on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. The food will prepared by Local Smoke with sides by Morning Glory and the Scottish Bakehouse.

And if your stomach is still growling for more? There’s dessert by Tisberry Frozen Yogurt and smoothies prepared with local Mermaid Farm yogurt.

Walk With Ghosts

Get in the spirit of Halloween by visiting various Island spirits — ghosts that is. Yes, they are out there and have been haunting Martha’s Vineyard for generations.

A non-believer? Well, checkin with the experts at Vineyard Ghosts Walking Tours to get the skinny on who has said boo to whom plus the why, wherefore and ramifications of said spooking.

Lama Tsony at Bodhi Path

The Bodhi Path Buddhist Center welcomes Lama Tsony during the week of Nov. 2.

On Tuesday, Nov. 2 and Thursday, Nov. 4 he will be leading the meditation practice from 6 to 7 p.m. at the center located at 21 Laurand Drive across from the airport in West Tisbury.

On Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 7 he will be holding meditation retreats running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

Suggested donations for the weekend sessions are $30 to $40 per day.

The bird sightings for the Island are confirming the prediction that there will be many winter finches flying south this fall/winter. Allan Keith shared with me a winter finch forecast for 2010-2011 which explains about the key crops that affect the finch movement. If white spruce, white pine, hemlock, mountain ash and white birch have poor seed production the finches will head south to find more feed.