Veterans Day

Veterans Day begins with a raising of the flags at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 11 at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven.

The parade kicks off at 10:45 a.m. leaving from Our Market in Oak Bluffs and marching to Ocean Park. Following the parade everyone is invited back to the VFW Hall on Towanticut avenue.

At 1:45 p.m. there will be a veterans service held at Windemere at the hospital.

If you’ve ever watched Larry David’s hilarious HBO sitcom, Curb Your Enthusiasm, you’ll know the last person you’d want giving you a ride on Island roads is Mr. David himself. The whole gist of each of his episodes is, “I work hard at being unlikable.” Nonetheless, when Paul Samuel Dolman spent a recent summer rambling around our shores, a nondescript car slowed down, an older, bald guy with sunglasses peered out and asked if he needed a lift.

This past summer a resident walked into Cronig’s to return a beautiful tomato her husband had bought. She was told that the market would happily take it back. When asked why she was returning this perfect looking tomato, she said it was because the tomato had been grown in Chile and not right on the Island.

The incident illustrates the shift in consumer focus from commercial food to Vineyard food. And that shift is creating new opportunities for farmers and fishermen here.

There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into a nice juicy steak, making a mess of yourself with a sublime pulled-pork sandwich or enjoying a thick lamb burger. Your body sometimes craves an extra boost of iron, but on the Vineyard, more often than not, it hasn’t come from an Island source.

Sorry vegetarians, this story is not for you.

My granddaugher, Violet, and I left for Washington, D.C., a week ago for a long planned trip. We drove to Providence and hopped aboard the Amtrak.

Somehow, birds that should not be here sometimes are here. According to the books these birds should be found far away. Then one shows up. The birds, as birders like to comment on occasion, do not read the books.

We’ve got trouble and it is not in River City. Trouble, trouble, trouble right here on Martha’s Vineyard.

Trouble for the botanist, trouble for the homeowner and trouble for our plants and landscapes: trouble, trouble, trouble.

Mike McCormack has beaten off a determined challenge for his job by former state police Sgt. Neal Maciel to be re-elected as Dukes County sheriff.

After weeks of heavy campaigning by both candidates, Mr. McCormack won handily on the night on Tuesday. In total, voters in the six Island towns preferred him 4,509 to 3,251. The third candidate, Warren Gosson, garnered just 405 votes.

With results in from the three largest towns on Martha’s Vineyard, Sheriff Mike McCormack appears to have beaten off a determined challenge for his job by former state police sergeant Neal Maciel.

Mr. McCormack secured a total of 3,081 votes from electors in Edgartown, Tisbury and Oak Bluffs, 573 more than Mr. Maciel.

In other races, down-Island voters heavily favored Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick over his Republican challenger, Charlie Baker — 3,356 to 2,125.

Lyme Disease

A petition to support reform in the treatment of Lyme disease and more adequate testing protocols is at the West Tisbury Public Library. The deadline for signatures is Sunday, Oct. 31.

The petition also highlights the need to support a chronic Lyme disease training program for doctors on the Island. Lyme patients should not have to travel to receive proper treatment.