Many thanks to Jan Buhrman of The Kitchen Porch and Slow Food Martha’s Vineyard for the invitation to the Love Our Farmers brunch at the Chilmark Community Center.

It sure has been quiet in town and today is the start of a long holiday weekend, which should bring a lot of winter guests if the weather is half-way decent. Vacation week for our schools starts next Friday and many of you will be taking a winter break off-Island.

Chilmark greets this day in mid February with bright sunshine and cold temps. However dire warnings are coming our way. You will know how right the weather forecasters are by the time you read this. It would be nice to get rid of some of the old snow and ice that make walking around a chore for some of us. The crisp air is great to breathe and the sky and ocean are a beautiful blue, so life is good in Chilmark. It is necessary to say goodbye to three people who enjoyed life in Chilmark and shared their bright lives with us.

Once again another storm is expected over the next few days. We are just a few short weeks away from spring. Baby lambs are being born around the Vineyard. Hens are beginning to lay their eggs in abundance. The birds are singing praises for their seed. It is really beautiful to experience the newly fallen snow on the trees, houses and roadways — a real winter wonderland feeling, and memories of long ago when these storms were more prevalent. The children enjoy using their sleds and saucers. A few were even able to go ice skating this year on the ponds. We anticipate the arrival of spring, but in the meantime, have a joyful and happy Valentine’s Day filled with love.

The days of shark weighing in Oak Bluffs will come to an end following a vote by the town selectmen this week to grant a harbor permit for a tournament that targets other big game fish.

The new tournament, led by Cape Cod residents Damon Sacco and Christian Giardini, will be held in the town marina July 24 to 26.

So here I am reading my emails and I come across the MV Patch post that asked if anyone in the area felt the earthquake. Now we have to worry about the earth shaking? This certainly has been a winter of all winters. After a day of ice-covered snow, we are now expecting a few inches of rain. I give up.

Happy Valentine’s Day and happy birthday to my daughter Nearess who is here visiting with my grandsons Isaiah and Bailey. She has flown in from California to be with us for a week. Their grandmother will be pretty tired but very happy to have all five of her grandchildren in one place at one time.

A new reality television show to be set in Oak Bluffs is looking for cast members. Casting is open to all ethnicities and ages, said producer Darren Toon, but the show would ideally follow a multigenerational African American Oak Bluffs family and their social circle.

President Grant's visit to Oak Bluffs was interspersed with side trips to the Cape, Hyannis and Nantucket, all aboard the River Queen.

Matthew Dyroff purchased 60 Summer street in Vineyard Haven from Sylvia Lima Cappelli and Anthony Cappelli for $339,000 on Feb. 5.