The usual five-hour road trip from Rew, Pa. to the Massachusetts border took me nine harrowing hours. To call the weather awful would be giving it a compliment. As if the snow, sleet, rain and wind weren’t bad enough the other people on the highway were certifiable. I crawled along at a terrifying 40 miles per hour with cars passing me at least 70 mph. Every time a semi tractor trailer passed by it doused my car in so much slush that I was blinded for several seconds, minutes, yards, miles — who knows?

The Chilmark selectmen will go behind closed doors later this month to discuss the conduct of the town human resource board, following two meetings last month that allegedly involved inappropriate language by board members.

At their meeting Tuesday the selectmen reviewed a written complaint from beach committee member Wayne Iacono about digital recordings of the board meetings last month that were posted on the town website and later removed.

On Saturday, March 9, the Family Center is sponsoring a fatherhood forum hosted by the West Tisbury School. The forum will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard still has two animals available for adoption. Jerry is a little brown Chihuahua who loves people but is a little afraid of young children and would do best in a home with adults or older children. He would make a wonderful companion for a senior citizen who has the time to devote to loving the little guy.

Jessica Anne and Michael Vinson Holtham of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Jolene Adele Holtham, born on March 4, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Jolene weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.

Katrina Brown and David Welch of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Declan Patrick Welch, born on Feb. 28, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Declan weighed 7 pounds, 8.3 ounces at birth.

The Edgartown Planning Board Tuesday approved part of an application to move a Chappaquiddick house threatened by erosion.

The board got its first look Tuesday at plans to relocate a 5,500-square-foot house at Wasque Point owned by Richard and Jennifer Schifter, as well as a 1,150-square-foot guest house and a 1,140-square-foot garage. The Schifter property has been threatened by rapid erosion over the last year; the coastal bluff is now 50 feet away from a stone pool enclosure.

Some of the Vineyard’s wild species deal with winter by leaving – many of our nesting birds, for example, head south, as far as South America in some cases. Warm-blooded critters that stay here year-round – birds and mammals – all rely on some combination of curtailed activity (to conserve energy), exploitation of food sources, such as seeds and berries, that persist into winter, and shelter (to prevent heat loss) in order to survive the colder months. It’s easy to observe some of these species as they go about their daily business of survival.

How do birds survive the winter? It’s amazing, when you think about it, that such tiny animals can successfully survive in our region, with snow often covering up food supplies and temperatures that can dip below zero sapping the energy out of warm-blooded creatures. If it’s warm enough to rain, that might even be worse; wet feathers, as you know if you’ve ever gotten soaked while wearing down clothing, are almost useless as insulation.

For a homeowner, especially one with a fondness for gardening and landscaping, winter is the season for making plans and thinking about the possibilities of the coming year. As you contemplate your yard this winter, here’s a question to ask yourself: “How much lawn do I really need?”

Modern patterns of homebuilding and landscaping tend to make sod-grass lawn the default use for any available space.