KATHIE CASE

508-627-5349

(kathleencase@comcast.net)

The past few days have been the greatest since the wind died down. The apple trees are in bloom and all the trees are either showing their buds or have burst into their colors. It makes me smile and hold hope that summer is near.

Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Morgan Lopez-Mata who celebrated her day on May 10, Gabriel Nunes on May 11, Kathryn Antonsson, Aubrey Ashmun, Charlotte McCarron, and Jason Millen who all celebrated on May 12, Summer Cardoza on May 13, Sheron DeMedeiros on May 15, and Rhanna DeOliveira and Shannon Levesque who celebrate their day today, May 16.

Who could not have asked for a nicer Mother’s Day? The weather was beautiful and it seemed a lot of mothers were smiling.

Donaroma’s had their open house and the dedication of the new Green Shed. Janice and Michael cut the ribbon and declared it open. There were lots of people and snacks prepared by Soigné. Mothers were carrying roses that were given to them from the floral department and there was a station outside the nursery for the kids to plant their own flowers to take home.

Everyone was very happy and even the wildlife mothers made it through the day. We have a robin that has declared a beam on the Green Shed as her own and built her nest there. We have watched her from the first day building her nest as this beam is right by the register. She has acclimated herself to the people who are around all the time but she was a little nervous as Sunday brought in more people than she was used to. But as the day progressed she seem to settle down.

Once again it was a day to see lots of families. My next-door neighbors from where I lived in Vineyard Haven, Doris and Ray Billings, were there along with their son Michael. Doris and I keep in touch and it was good to see Mike as I haven’t seen him in a long time. One of my favorite times with them was the night of the big blackout and we had an oil stove and we could cook and keep warm without the electricity. So they came over to finish cooking their dinner and keep warm.

My favorite story of the open house was when a little girl was walking by House A and her mom, Jen Combra, stopped to talk to Cammie, one of our landscapers. The little girl looked inside and noticed the fountain that was hanging next to the doorway. She stood on her tiptoes and looked in at the water, then proceeded to put her fingers in the water and bless herself. I laughed to myself until she left, then told the story several times to people. I never got her name but I will remember this for a long time.

Summer is coming and the traffic is starting to build. I always hear people say — and I am one of them — how rude those off-Island drivers are. Well, I was going to lunch the other day and spent most of my time trying to get out of the driveway. I waited and waited and found a lot of Island people driving by. Then this nice lady from New Jersey let me out. I laughed to myself on the way home and thought who would believe that some of the rude people may be Islanders. So I learned a lesson myself to try and let people out of side roads or parking lots.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.