MARGARET KNIGHT

508-627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

Spring is still in its subtle stages of change here on Chappaquiddick. The moss on the woods paths and in my lawn is turning a satisfying bright green, and the grass looks as if it might join in at some point. The ends of the blueberry and huckleberry bush branches look red enough to burst out into either leaves or flames, and the hazelnut catkins hang decorously from bushes all through the woods. I’ve also noticed the first tiny leaves coming out on the honeysuckle.

This spring brings a new superintendent to the Chappaquiddick management unit of The Trustees of Reservation. David Babson has been chosen to take Dave Belcher’s job. His family owns a summer house here, and he has spent time on Chappy his whole life. He has a good knowledge of the island, so hopefully he knows what he’s getting into by moving here. He’ll be living in the TTOR house at Wasque with his wife, Annalei, and their four-year-old daughter and six-year-old son.

David lives in Island Pond, Vermont — which is an odd name for the town since it’s landlocked in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, not on an island. That town is way more remote than Chappy, even considering Wasque Point. David was an interim superintendent at the Crane Refuge in Ipswich and, presently, has a construction business that uses green building practices. As The Trustees’ Chris Kennedy says, “He lives the whole ethic of being as green as possible.” Since he’s starting at the busiest time of year, it’ll probably take a few months to get his feet on the ground, but meanwhile Chris has urged him to get lots of volunteers involved in protecting the beautiful properties here, which is his number one job.

Edo Potter is happy to report that her sister, Ruth Welch, will be moving to Chappy in May after living in Switzerland for 62 years. Ruth has always loved visiting the island in November after the crowds have left, but now she’ll be living year-round in Webquish house at Pimpneymouse Farm.

Electronics disposal day will take place at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services tomorrow, Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Osprey Festival is also happening on Saturday at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary.

Peter Wells got a message on the Chappy ferry phone recently from someone who sounded as if she hadn’t had any luck making a reservation with the Steamship Authority, because she asked when his next scheduled trip to the mainland would be.

For the past couple of summers the community center has shown the work of Chappy artists in week-long exhibits during the months of July and August. If anyone is interested in signing up to hang their work for a week, please let me know at 508-627-8894, or by e-mailing the address above. Preference will be given to those who haven’t shown yet, but there may be time available for repeat artists.

At the potluck a couple of weeks ago, Will Geresy accused me of sending all my crows to his house to clean out his bird feeders. I told him they must be someone else’s crows because there are still about 30 of them that visit my feeder every day. This seems to be a recent phenomenon — crow feeders; the three of us that were talking have all had this new problem where a murder of crows comes and eats up all the seed. Crow numbers seem to have multiplied in the past few years. Some of them discovered my garden last summer for the first time, and now we’re talking about possibly having to put a net over the whole garden.

With the gardening season beginning, and so much to be done — and frequently so little motivation to do it — I’ll pass on this Spanish proverb I found: Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.