In the context of sustainable agriculture, grazing cows can play a valuable role. A lot goes into cow grazing. There are innovative grazing management techniques, such as adaptive multi-paddock grazing, which aims to optimize grazing patterns for both animal and environmental health.

The small herd that spent the past week grazing in Kathie Carroll’s yard as part of a pasture rotation had very little impact on the environment, but do a stellar job as a really creative fundraiser for the Martha’s Vineyard 4-H. The program is coordinated by the Katama Cowpokes and the whole scoop can be found on the MV Agricultural Society’s website. I hope you enjoyed seeing the herd. They were a quiet and non-disruptive guest. They come highly recommended.

We haven’t managed to get Fynn Monahan back for a visit, but Theo Stanley popped to town for a long weekend. Catching up with Tegan Fenner and Brooks Carroll was pretty good incentive, but helping shape and mold cousin Tristan Scott into a newly anointed 21 year old tipped the scale. A weekend of various festivities wrapping up with the traditional summer Sunday gathering and swim at Menemsha Beach with the whole extended Scott-Fischer clan was a highlight. Theo’s mom Malia was pretty pleased Theo was in town, too.

Some years ago, maybe 12 or so, long-time Chilmark seasonal resident Ann Lees, a scientist by training and trade, showed us another side of her talents and wrote her first book of poems, Night Spirit. Just recently, she shared that she has just published a full-length book of poems. It’s called We Are All Seatmates on the Spaceship Earth. It’s available at the Chilmark and West Tisbury libraries, Bunch of Grapes and down-Island Cronig’s. Ann mentioned that Jane Slater has a copy and planned to tell me about it. Sure enough, I heard from Jane, too. How exciting.

Amy Cody and John Furst are thrilled, overjoyed and delighted to share their home with children and grandchildren. Son Arlo and his three-year-old daughter Frida have been in town from California. They were joined by daughter Madeline, her husband Alex, seven-year-old August and four-year-old Rosemary. The group has managed to fill the Pondmark home with lots of giggles and laughter. The group has also managed to squeeze in various outings. The to-do list highlights include: eating chowder, the Flying Horses, Lucy Vincent Beach, Native Earth Teaching Farm, the Texaco touch tank and, of course, boat rides.

Katie Loveluck and her partner Sarah paid a visit after managing to secure a few days off from their jam-packed schedules in Worcester. A few household chores, like mowing the lawn had to be checked off before squeezing in some fun, but they managed to do it all and include a quick visit with me. They’ll be back in the fall for some joyful adventure.

Donnie Lynch, along with his Cuttyhunk Marine team, equipment and barge, steamed across the Sound to replace a broken piling on the transient dock. He made short work of the project and, only after a few short days out of commission, the slips were reopened and back for business.

Speaking of Cuttyhunk, our neighbors put on quite a fireworks display this past Saturday. Shooting off at 9 p.m., I could see them clearly from Menemsha, albeit noteworthily small on the horizon. It was fun knowing so many friends had packed up boat-nics (a new term coined that refers to picnics on boats) and zipped across to anchor up in the harbor to enjoy the show.

Alison Flanders proclaimed she rarely gets to do much fun stuff in August, but hopping on board Jesse Burton’s boat, along with a circle of friends, was a highlight. Plans to block off this day on the 2026 calendar for a repeat adventure are already being made.

Like clockwork, but not on yellow-lined legal paper, Sig Van Raan shares a summary from Chilmark softball. A full compliment of players prompted two high scoring games. After pointed discussion, it was decided in all fairness, that the two notable home run sluggers, Ed Eger and Junior Farrell, should not play on the same team — which may explain why there were high scoring games for both sides.