Yet another sure sign of spring is the opening of our ponds. Some are now done by machine, while others are still done, as they say, the old-fashioned way.

For a number of years, Johnny Hoy would dig the opening to/from James Pond with a shovel. Although ponds are opened for numerous reasons, the James Pond opening offers a wonderful opportunity for the herring to spawn.

This year, Johnny put a request out asking for a few folks to join him with boots and shovels to expedite the process. He arrived Monday morning, presumably expecting maybe a handful of diggers, but was joined by the cavalry. They group made short work of the project and all got to participate in a truly unique experience. The hand dug narrow channel quickly evolved into a wide and fast flowing cut. The herring will be happy.

Kirk Safford was a lot of things, but most of all he was the man that brought a never-ending smile to his bride Kristine’s face. Although we all knew him in varying capacities, many of us knew him as the tremendous helping hand at Larsen’s Fish Market.

Kirk’s death leaves a hole in the extended Safford/Scheffer/Larsen family, but the memories will ease some of the pain. A celebration of Kirk’s life will be held Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m. at the Chilmark Church with a gathering at the community center to follow.

Emily Boyd has returned from her European Minnesingers adventure. Singing intertwined with friends, glorious sites and an opportunity to get stamps in her passport from Germany, Austria and France were all moments for a great big thumbs up.

Teen Hollis Oliver has dabbled in paint for a while now, but he’s really honed his skills while attending Featherstone. His piece, “weightless,” is on display along with 38 other artists at the show titled “Take Flight: A Look From Above” and available for viewing daily from noon to 4 p.m. through April 28. It’s a beautiful piece perfected in John Holladay’s adult acrylic class.

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a birthday spectacular. For Scott McDowell, his birthday started out like every other day. He leashed up pup Ozzie and headed for a Menemsha Beach stroll. Spotting sea glass is always a goal — typically a small piece of brown or green and occasionally a perfectly tumbled piece of blue. A birthday wish was to find a marble and, although odds were minimal, luck was on Scott’s side. Voila! A well worn red marble got tucked in his pocket and taken home like a prized magic decoder ring found in a cereal box.

Happy 74th, Scott. May strolling through your 75th bring spectacular sunsets, meandering beach walks and a whole lot of marbles.