Snowy Sunday

A blanket of snow with light flurries greeted us this morning, just enough to make walking on the cobblestone streets a little tricky when we went downtown to church and to create this beautiful frosting on a Main Street windowbox. With many of the shops and restaurants closed on Main Street during January and February, year-round Nantucketers really appreciate those retailers who brave the off season weather, keeping their doors open. This has been an especially difficult winter on the island with three high school students committing suicide over the past 11 months. The third such incident took place on January 8 and since that time a team of mental health experts has been dispatched to the island to help teachers, parents, students and the community-at-large deal with the issue. When the weather is especially bleak and the sun has chosen not to shine for days on end, I'm especially appreciative of the many Main Street windowbox displays that decorate and delight from January through December. They're a positive diversion in light of the difficult times of late.