Three years after Hurricane Sandy struck the Island, flooding roadways and leaving much of Menemsha underwater, the Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to dredge Menemsha Channel. It will be the channel’s first dredging in more than 40 years.

Ospreys have departed the Island, and most of the migratory birds are settling into their winter homes. Back on the Island and elsewhere, osprey trackers are assessing the raptors’ breeding season.

Without wastewater treatment facilities, Island ponds could be in worse shape. Estuaries suffer from nitrogen overload, coming mostly from septic systems that remove bacteria but not nitrogen.

The deer hunting season is underway this week on the Vineyard. The archery season began Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 28.

This weekend the planets Mars, Jupiter and Venus form a small triangle in the early morning sky. The planets remain close for the coming week.

A woman never forgets her first love or her first fresh lima bean.