The peacocks are back at Pimpneymouse Farm after a long winter of wandering the wilds of Chappaquiddick. The pair of birds, known as the Peabodys, arrived at the farm last June via a friend of the Potters from upstate New York. All went well until the fall when the Potters let the birds out of the pen so their friend could get a glimpse

The rain, sun and warm temperatures of this past week helped Chappaquiddick return to normal after last Friday and Saturday’s blizzard. The ground is visible once again, the power is on and the ferry is running on schedule. It was quite a storm, though.

Chappaquiddick has had more snowy days recently than we’ve seen in several winters put together. The snow hasn’t amounted to much, though. Last weekend a perfectly dry fluffy snow was just enough to cover all flat surfaces, creating a sort of Etch A Sketch record of all of winter’s living, moving critters.

We are saddened to receive word of the passing of Franny Barnard. Her obituary describes a full life and family tree with many new branches. I always enjoy hearing of the earliest years of a person’s life. Without knowing all of the details we can still gain a perspective on Franny’s youth by reviewing a few of the events of those days.

With the failure of a previous plan to try to stem the erosion that threatens a Chappaquiddick house and a severe tropical storm headed up the East Coast early next week, the Edgartown conservation commission Wednesday approved a new emergency plan of action for the property.

Comcast’s final offer requiring individual Chappy homeowners to pay $3,800 up front to receive cable service is the best evidence that the corporation has no intention of servicing our island. So we continue to be part of the 19 million Americans where high-speed Internet is not available, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Has Comcast negotiated with transparency with the all-Island town committee dealing with this issue? Edgartown’s Pam Dolby doesn’t think so. She has asked Comcast for “some type of proof that this project will cost $1.58 million.” Comcast spends billions in deals with NBC Universal, GE and other acquisitions, but plays financial hardball with us. Chairman Brian Roberts, in a recent interview about his corporation, said, “What do we stand for? What are our values?” I think we know. Bob O’Rourke Chappaquiddick

The weather seems to know. Now is the time to rain. Now is the time to mark the passage of one season to the next. Seasons on Chappy follow less the Roman calendar than they do the school schedule. I was young once (though from my picture in last Friday’s Gazette one might not believe it. My personal take on it is that I look as though I was rudely transported from the cozy confines of my coffin in Romania to the Big Camp kitchen. If you look closely, you will see bats behind me). Back then, school started well into the first week of September.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank has signed a contract to purchase 41.1 acres on Chappaquiddick, including some 900 feet of shoreline on Cape Pogue Bay.

The acquisition will be added to its existing Three Ponds Reservation, bringing the total contiguous land area to 357.7 acres.

In an announcement on Monday, the land bank said the land, at the end of Jeffers Lane, would cost $4.95 million. The sellers are Judith Self Murphy, E. Baldwin Self Jr. and Karen Self Osler.

In researching The Chappy Ferry Book, author Tom Dunlop asked his fellow Islanders what they thought was the most spectacular thing to hit the boat in its 200 years of operation

“I’ve gotten some good answers: a whale, a meteorite,” Mr. Dunlop said in an interview this week. “To a man and to a woman they stop and stare at me when I say, ‘No, an airplane hit it.’”