NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)

JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

The weekend weather was seasonable with cold mornings. As you have noticed, daylight recently has been arriving at nearly 7 a.m. But that will change Sunday. Please don’t forget to turn your clocks back an hour Saturday night, because when you awake Sunday morning, we will be operating on standard time.

Our congratulations to the World Champion Red Sox and their four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. After the game began, I did not see or hear a single car pass by my house.

The moon passes by three planets in the week ahead, the first tomorrow morning.

There is something in the woods creepier than the ghosts, goblins, and witches that have been wandering around our neighborhoods.

This creeper won’t scare you (unless you have allergies — more on that later.) More likely it will delight you with its brilliant blaze of crimson color and its forest acrobatics, leaping from plant to plant. Virginia creeper is the five-leafed climbing wonder of the woods.

By LYNNE IRONS

You would be hard-pressed to find someone further politically left than me. However, the other day I was potting up some plants and listening to old bluegrass tapes (Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys.) They have a song called Let’s Keep Old Glory Waving and Never Let It Touch the Ground. I was thinking about the American flag and what it means.

A few weeks ago in this column I wrote that other than by contributing photos, I had not ever reported an unusual bird sighting to the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee, the authority for such matters in our state.

Neighborhood Convention

The next meeting of Neighborhood Convention is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 10:45 a.m. at the tribal council headquarters, 20 Black Brook Road, Aquinnah.

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) will host the program, which is titled Keepers of Our Ancient Cliffs.

Please bring a bag lunch. Dessert and beverages will be provided. More information is available by calling Mary-Jean Miner at 508-696-8589.

Receive Degrees

Two Vineyard residents have received degrees from Western New England College in Springfield.

Erik G. Blake of Oak Bluffs, who is the police chief in that town, received a bachelor of science in law enforcement degree with magna cum laude honors.

Margot N. Parrot of West Tisbury received a master of laws in estate planning and elder law degree.

College Students Will Help

Build Island Habitat House

Students from Lasell College in Newton are scheduled this weekend to help Vineyard Habitat for Humanity continue to build a house off Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road in Vineyard Haven.

The organization welcomes volunteers to join with the Lasell students to help construct the house. Habitat invites volunteers to come work on the house Fridays and Saturdays.

The town of Aquinnah, known for being progressive in planning, this week moved a step closer to adopting a townwide energy conservation district.

Town selectmen on Wednesday submitted a nomination to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to designate Aquinnah as an energy district of critical planning concern (DCPC). The nomination was filed by Camille Rose, chairman of the selectmen.