Dee Dice has been selected to present a workshop at the 38th Annual New England Adoption Conference: Tales of the Journey: Past, Present and Future. Ms. Dice’s workshop will focus on the realities of single parenting.

Let’s Move

Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard, a community health initiative funded through the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and the Farm Neck Association, will be starting a free, small pilot program that will run for three months from March 13 to June 12. The committee invites people who may be concerned about their weight and that of a child to contact us. The committee plans to assemble 10 teams of three people who are concerned about their weight.

T he sterile smell hits me once I walk through the doors. The carpeted floor and hand sanitizer canister aren’t the only things that greet my family and me upon our entrance to the center. An old lady who sits everyday by the door welcomes us, repeating “Hi” to all the visitors, even though none of them are ever hers.

February Days

A spell of warm days has melted the snow. The grass, although looking like someone just recovering from the flu, dull yellow and bent over, is a welcome sight. So too is the sun, spending a bit more time with us now. The hens are beginning to lay more eggs thanks to the extended daylight. Young children are waking earlier too, stirred by the light.

New Beginnings in Menemsha

It has been seven long months since the investigation into the Menemsha fire began by top federal and state experts, including the state fire marshal, the United States Coast Guard and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. And now the investigation has ended, not with a bang but something far more open-ended: The cause of the fire that destroyed the Coast Guard boathouse and forced the evacuation of the village of Menemsha last July cannot be precisely determined.

Herbal healing, the art of healing naturally and without expensive drugs, is the subject of a new series of classes by Vineyard herbalist Holly Bellebuono.

Ms. Bellebuono is the proprietor of Vineyard Herbs and the soon-to-be author of upcoming book Everyday Herbal from Shambhala Publishers in Boston, due out in spring of 2012.

But that’s a whole year to wait in order to study up on which herbs to take for which ailment. And besides, a book, no matter how good, can’t compare to the live version.

The state of Massachusetts again leads the nation in methods to bring itself and eventually the nation out of the current recession. While the feds have been threatening to terminate unemployment benefits and meddle with the social security fund (please Washington, if you are going to borrow, then you need to return loans, with interest, like everyone else), Massachusetts has reaped enough of a tax surplus to start handing out free million-dollar fishing piers.

More than 200 Martha’s Vineyard high school students were winners this past weekend at the 12th annual high school science fair. Though prizes were awarded only for the top exhibitors, every student walked away knowing science can be both fun and rewarding.

Winter Break Kid Camp

The February school vacation is coming up and for those wondering what to do with all those rambunctious kids at home all day, there is hope.

The YMCA is offering a weeklong vacation camp, Feb. 28 through March 4, for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The day camp will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and includes lots of swimming, arts and crafts and games.

For more details and to register, call Apryl Anastacio at 508-696-7171, extension 105.

The Eagle Has Landed

The Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the Stars and Stripes and the only square-rigger in U.S. Government service. Currently, it is celebrating its 75th anniversary of offering generations of Coast Guard Academy cadets, and more recently officer candidates, a unique leadership experience at sea.

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Lt. Cmdr. Jorge Martinez, the executive officer of the Eagle, will be the featured speaker at Sail MV’s winter dinner/lecture series.

The cost for the evening is $20.