On the Vineyard everybody knows somebody in Boston. Over the past week, in the aftermath of Monday’s bombing during the 117th Boston Marathon, flags flew at half-mast across the Island in honor of the victims of the attacks as Vineyarders took time both to reflect and to offer help to those in need.

The Vineyarders who participated in the run were unharmed.

The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard is happy to feature a very special cat this week. Her name is Rosie and she is a beautiful black and white tuxedo cat. Rosie needs a home badly. She was the companion of an elderly lady who loved her dearly. She is an indoor cat and needs to be an only cat. She is quite shy but craves attention and purrs beautifully when given any attention. The shelter is confident that Rosie will blossom when she is adopted into a loving home.

When the weather begins to turn warm, Doris Clark begins her search.

There are two televisions at Tropical restaurant in Vineyard Haven, one tuned to CNN, the other to Brazilian soccer. Construction workers pack the place around noon, load up their plates with veggies from the salad bar and barbecued steak and chicken. Parents bring their kids, who like the idea of deciding what to put on their plate, even with the usual parental guidance.

“I like talking to people,” Tropical co-owner Johnnatans Costa said. “I love my job.”

Karen Berube was born 63 years ago in Oak Bluffs. She lived with her family in Edgartown and moved to Vineyard Haven after second grade. It was a time when town pride reigned and you only traveled off-Island to pick out school clothes for next fall. Today, Karen lives in Edgartown with her husband of over 30 years, David. They both agree they were aware of each other in high school but didn’t connect until 1976. Their first date was a clamming trip and they married in 1982. These days Karen travels from Edgartown to Boston once a week for chemotherapy.