Edgartown Library is raffling off a basket of Valentine treats on Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $3 each, two tickets for $5, or ten tickets for $20. The tickets make nice Valentine’s Day gifts themselves, and sales will support the library expansion program.

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

*melted precipitation

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 34º F.

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 cheer

That Rabbie Burns has brought to the world

Now for two hundred, fifty years.

Nay, no poet was ’ere as fecund or fine

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.

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 Palin and McCain. 11pm: Oh, the audacity of hope!

11/11/08: Book flights there and back. Spring for the fully refundable airfare, in case of . . . whatever.

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 to their everyday pursuits.

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 62 feels more like having to register for the draft or being eligible to join AARP.

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 grants and other income, and is prepared to reconsider our budget as we get more information.

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 seen you in awhile.

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 committed to serving Islanders’ needs, but the state of the economy is making every retailer’s challenge greater. We are all shopping less, so we all ought to shop strategically when we do.