You've surely read about "my" island's new farmer's market to open, when the time is right, on the grounds of our historical society. What a great spot for this! Think of it as 42nd Street in Manhattan, "midtown," as the Shelter Island Historical Society is half way between everything on Shelter Island — which is about 7 x  8 miles from Reading, Pa. to Louisville, Ky. to New Orleans. La. to The Greenbriar in West Va. to Morristown, N.J. to Boulder, Colo. to Manhattan to St.Croix, USVI to Sag Harbor, N.Y. ...

"Taste-testing" the earth's latitudes, I finally "settled" for Shelter Island. I was "sold" on "less is better." Shelter Island has less of everything compared to other places including both of its neighbors, the North and South Forks of Long Island. Less residents, less named roads (we have lots of "paper roads"), less year-round restaurants, less clothing and gift stores.  That's what I like about it.  What to me is nice about having less is that one appreciates/is grateful for every little bit of what we do have. 

We have youngsters who sail to win when hardly anyone would think of being out on the high seas. We have youngsters who know how to find scallops either by the commercial means or by donning a wet suit and diving for them. These activities are second-nature to many here. If the life I have described, the essence of this less-of-everything place and this were never-to-be disturbed, Shelter Island would be a different place than it is in reality.

For the pity is that, I have been told, the "police blotter" is the best-read feature in the local newspaper. That's what's so refreshing about Patch. Patch can patch things up; the few things that need patching up. Soon, the negative stuff can stay underground — never see the sun or feel the rain that makes things grow, grow to be taken to the new farmer's market for our tables to be shared in good health and in the broad sense of that term. Next, I am going to blog about the individuals on the sailing team here!