NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)

You can’t tell me you’re out there with nothing going on. This is the time of year I especially expect to hear from Islanders about births, visitors, vacations, achievements. True, I missed reminding you of the Big Chili contest, but as usual it was packed and successful. Now, call me. I miss you.

KATHIE CASE

508-627-5349

(kathleencase@comcast.net)

It was 50 degrees today. The sunsets have been beautiful, scallopers have been out reaping their harvest and people are working outside in T-shirts. I went to visit at Donaroma’s on Monday. One of the girls was working on the antique store window display and pointed out daffodils starting to sprout. Just think, spring is around the corner.

Dean’s List

Zachary Coutinho, a senior studying management at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H., has been named to the dean’s honor list for the fall semester.

MARGARET KNIGHT

508-627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

Henry’s Lucky Number

Joyce and Tom Dresser of Oak Bluffs are pleased to announce the birth of their seventh grandchild. Henry Richard Held was born Saturday, Jan. 28 in Los Angeles, Calif. Henry is the third child of Amy and Brian Held. Henry’s siblings are Molly and Dylan Held.

HOLLY NADLER

508-274-2329

(hollynadler@gmail.com)

There is only one man in Oak Bluffs who would request to see my washer and dryer, and that man is Ron DiOrio. Ron came to dinner last Saturday night along with his significant other and partner at the Craftworks gallery, Paula Catanese. Becca Rogers and Jaye and Tom Shelby were also in attendance, and the meal served was 100 percent vegan, right down to the red lentil-carrots-coconut soup, so eat your hearts out, all of you who couldn’t make it over that night.

High School Science Fair

The regional high school science fair is next Saturday, Feb. 11, beginning at 9 a.m. at the high school. The fair is organized by science teacher Jackie Hermann with more than 100 students presenting their projects.

Everyone is invited, you don’t have to be a parent or a judge, to check out the great scientific minds of our not-too-distant future.

Judging takes place from 9 to 11 a.m. and includes both on and off-Island judges. The fair opens to the public at 11 a.m. Awards are announced at noon.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to call this a winter. Last week’s impressive snowfall was gone overnight and the temperatures have been almost consistently balmy. I have bulbs poking up everywhere, mostly crocus and daffodil. I have yet to notice my snowdrops in bloom but they are on the north side of some trees. My quince is covered with buds that have begun to open. I already have some forsythia in the house. I forced a bloom from them last week.

We ran away. The reason was the 15th annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Fla. Now, Flip likes to look for birds, but fishing is his real passion. So when we first heard about this festival 16 years ago, run by a female commercial fishing boat captain, I had no problem convincing Flip to attend.

George de Mestral stuck with it.

For more than seven years, he worked on developing a material that “would rival the zipper in its ability to fasten.” Clearly, he was a stickler for perfection, though not more so than Mother Nature, which provided the inspiration for his invention.