I suppose that I should be writing about turkeys, but you have had your holiday meal, so I will just remind all of you that the turkeys on Martha’s Vineyard are not wild. They are a cross of domestic turkeys. One flock started at Elisha Smith’s farm in Edgartown and the other at Craig Kingsbury’s farm in Vineyard Haven. No doubt individuals from each have interbred. A true wild turkey is very wily and wouldn’t be caught on someone’s back porch.

In the interest of supporting local farms, I purchased a turkey from the Good Farm.

By LYNNE IRONS

In the interest of supporting local farms, I purchased a turkey from the Good Farm. Violet and I had been enjoying those particular turkeys. They were in the big field on Music street. One day we stopped and watched three “wild turkeys” leading all the white domestics around en masse. Crows continued to land, probably to steal grain. The three brown turkeys would chase them away. I loved seeing the birds on the pasture in the sunshine.

It is nuts that we went from feast to famine.

Last year, you may remember, there was a bumper crop of acorns that fell in your yard, on your windshield, and, if you didn’t seek cover, on your head! The overabundance of acorns, called a “mast” year, made for slippery walks in the woods, but very happy and well-fed wildlife.

What a difference a year makes!

At her Vineyard Haven art gallery, Louisa Gould hurriedly unwrapped a framed acrylic painting of cherries in a bowl by artist Maya Farber.

“Isn’t that sweet?” she said, admiring the $200 painting. Unwrapping artwork makes her feel “like it’s Christmastime, almost,” she said, as she gets a close look at the art for the first time.

Open the doors to the Agricultural Hall on a Winter Farmers’ Market Saturday and the warm atmosphere immediately embraces you. A few steps in, familiar faces gather fireside on benches sharing stories and hearty food, while Kevin Keady and Don Groover provide the background music in the great room filled with local goods.

Turkey Burner Day

The YMCA feels the pain of your extended stomach. So much turkey, potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts (maybe?) and on and on. So what’s a beached whale supposed to do? Burn turkey, burn.

Free of charge, the Y is celebrating its second annual Turkey Burner Day on Friday, Nov. 25. What this means is you can sample all the Y has to offer, from the pool to exercise equipment and exercise classes, for free. The free child watch is also available.

Yes, there is no excuse.

World Dinner, Dance

On Saturday night, Nov. 26, the place to be is the World Dinner and Dance Party to benefit Media Voices for Children and the Kenyan Schoolhouse.

Media Voices for Children is an

Island-based Internet news agency for children’s rights. The goal of the organization is to raise public awareness about the impact of poverty and globalization on the world’s children via video, interactive media, documentary films and organizations.

Photo Contest

Who you calling an amateur photographer? Time to step it up and show the pros, not to mention naysayer uncle Joe, that your photos have game.

It’s the annual Martha’s Vineyard Magazine photo contest, a chance for professionals, almost pros, and even young Trudy (can you believe she’s 16 already?) to strut their stuff.

For Fairies and Trolls

This holiday season it’s time to think about the fairies. After all, come the cold winter months they certainly need homes, not to mention another warm log on the fire. Think how long you’d survive in a skimpy tutu and wings.

Don’t forget the trolls, either. They may be ugly but they’re not all bad. Especially the little ones.

Old Sculpin Opens

The Old Sculpin Gallery will be open for a brief show of artwork by Nina Gomez Gordon on Nov. 25 and 26 from noon to 5 p.m. On view will be paintings spanning over 17 years, including abstracts, figure studies from life, and landscapes, many works never before exhibited. Ms. Gordon earned a BA in Fine Art from Bowdoin College, and also attended Maine College of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for painting and sculpture. She currently publishes the Vineyard Fine Art Directory.