We decorate with rocks, using them to landscape, cover driveways, mark parking spots or protect our grass from cars. We paint them — usually white but sometimes yellow — to attract further attention. Smooth purple rocks are sparingly gathered from a purposefully unnamed up-Island beach.

I need to do some repairs under the ferry ramp on the Edgartown side. The recent run of extremely low tides and then the four-day northeaster have caused scouring beneath the retaining wall that separates Dock street from the ferry slip. In order to get the repairs done in one day, we need to start early and work late.

Here we go waiting for spring. My crocuses are up and blooming and the daffodils are up and budded. They have been snowed on and now rained on. My friend who keeps me updated on the wildlife aspect of spring, Jan Norton, called to report that she and her husband Floyd heard two pinkeltinks. I hope that means warmer weather is on the way.

Chilmark is enjoying the bright sunshine of midweek as I write. The skies are clear and the sounds of the hammers are in the air . . . always my first hint of a milder season to come!

Spring is getting near. We have changed our clocks for the season and the longer days of light have been a welcome relief. Families are still returning from their vacations. The red-winged blackbirds have been around for about two weeks and their friends have welcomed them in a chorus each morning. Thoughts of spring cleaning have been on our minds. Daffodils appear ready to sprout and the temperature has reached 50 degrees this week.

Two artists, Ray Ellis, 91, from Edgartown and Joshua Chase, 10, from Hudson, will be featured this morning on the Today Show. The two are new best friends. Joshua earned the attention of talent scouts when pictures of his paintings were submitted by his mother, Chantel Chase, to the television program’s nationwide search. One of the signature paintings is an interpretative copy of Mr. Ellis’s painting Moonrise over Edgartown Harbor which includes a sloop and a ketch sailing towards the Edgartown Lighthouse.

From charter members to recently diagnosed patients to caregivers, over 50 people attended the annual Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group celebration of survival and support on Sunday night. The potluck dinner was held at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs.

On Tuesday, March 19, daffodils from the American Cancer Society will be available from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Edgartown Stop & Shop. The cost is $10 per bunch and all funds collected go directly to fund cancer cure research and programs that help individuals battling this disease.

Offered by Tea Lane Associates
With sweeping views over Menemsha Pond, Gay head lighthouse, the Vineyard Sound and Menemsha Harbor, this is one of the largest homes on the bluff.

Not too long ago, though not recent enough that I can remember what year it was, I lived in a cabin on my cousin’s land. During construction a giant boom truck lifted the recycled building into place, using a hole that was gouged into the roof to elevate it to its new foundation. New shingles were put on by the square, and pine flooring was added as well, along with a bathroom. Over time every new inhabitant would add something. To save space, there was a loft perched above the living area with a small wood stove beneath.