MARGARET KNIGHT

508 627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

Spring has been especially active this past week, weather-wise, with lots of rain and wind. On Monday night I was talking on the phone with another Chappaquiddicker, and I could hear stereo wind whistlings — through the phone from her windows at the same time I heard mine. The wind whipped up some white caps, even in Caleb’s Pond. Actually, I even thought I saw whitecaps in the big puddle at the post office parking lot. The heavy rains have filled the swamps and ponds, so that the tip of Varian’s white rock in Brine’s Pond is barely showing above water.

The pinkletinks are finally singing at full volume. The sound of their nighttime chorus makes the spirits rise; it’s a sure sign that spring is here to stay. The osprey are back at their nests along Cape Pogue. The nest on the osprey pole along the road to my house is still empty, though. It was built by the pair whose nest was removed from the electric pole in the spring. They built the new nest but had no young last year.

Another sign of spring is the annual town meeting which will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at the Whaling Church. At the meeting, the library board of trustees will make their case for a $195,000 restoration project for the historic Carnegie Library building. The board applied for funds to the Community Preservation Committee, which reviewed and unanimously approved the amount back in December.

Pat Rose is the new chairman of the Edgartown library trustees. This winter, the fund-raising program she began in 2007 passed the $10,000 mark in funds raised for the campaign to build the new library. Now the total is over $10,500, all the result of recycling cans and bottles — more than 200,000 of them — at five cents apiece. Pat is looking for help with the recycling project, now that her work as trustee chairman will keep her even busier. She has set up collection bins at sites around the Island and is looking for volunteers to pick up the recyclables at the various locations.

In other library news, Felicia Cheney wants to let people know there is now a new selection of older movies, including lots of great musicals.

The warrant for Tuesday’s annual town meeting can be found online at the town web site: edgartown-ma.us. The annual election is on Thursday. The 2008 town reports are now available at the town hall.

The Chappaquiddick Community Center will again be the site of the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Vineyard History Tours and run by Liz Villard. Any families on Chappy are welcome; the hunt will begin at 2 p.m.

Liz will also be the host of the next community center bimonthly potluck, held on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. All are welcome for appetizers and dinner, and a chance to visit with your neighbors or catch up on the local gossip.

Pat Rose and John Ortman recently returned from a trip to Hong Kong. They cruised from Los Angeles, making one stop in Honolulu, docking at the same place that Pat had sailed out of when her family returned to mainland U.S.A. in 1959 after living in Honolulu. Pat said it was very nostalgic for her.

They stayed in Hong Kong for five nights, with a hotel room that looked out on the harbor. John said the British influence is still very strong — the harbor clean and spectacular, and high tea was served. He was impressed with the number of stores and shopping malls — more than anywhere in the world! The city, being duty-free, is based on commerce, and high-tech buildings line the harbor. Naturally, Pat and John shopped and went sightseeing, but the Chinese opera was not happening, nor were any horse races happening at Happy Valley. They took a tour which included a trip up to Victoria Peak, but the fog was so thick they couldn’t see anything. Pat says, “It reminded us of foggy days when we can’t see Chappy from Edgartown!” They dropped off to sleep early every night because they walked so much. Pat said they enjoyed their trip but were glad “to get back and see our own little harbor again.”

The Island Grown Initiative has been supporting each town to create a school garden. Lily Morris has been part of the team helping Edgartown School to visualize their garden, which will be built on Saturday, April 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. Materials and labor are being donated, and any help on Saturday will be appreciated. The school garden will be a part of the school, acting as an outdoor classroom. Seedlings will be started in a few classrooms and transplanted to the garden in May. There will be a family garden party and health fair on May 14, which will be a time to see what the school is up to and to hopefully connect with people who might have interest in being part of the summer gardening.

Peter Wells plans to have the On Time III out of the water at Packer’s in Vineyard Haven for the next couple of weeks while he does some spring maintenance. Meanwhile, we’ll get to ride the almost new On Time II which received so much attention this past winter.