Norman Reed (letter, Vineyard Gazette Nov. 23) rues the loss of a hat in an election bet on Mitt Romney. He also fears a far greater loss, the form of government designed by Ben Franklin and his fellow delegates in their secret meetings in Independence Hall.

Rule number one: An islander does not ask another islander over for dinner. We already know far too much about each other to open ourselves up to the possibility of revealing what few mysteries there might be left. So aside from the occasional potluck supper, there isn’t much social life. The suppers tend to be pretty quiet, with one faction on one side of the hall and the other faction on the other side. If you like casseroles, Rice Krispy treats and a knot in your stomach, you’re in for something special. Conversation is kept at a pretty low burn . . .

I first wrote about Connie last January in the Oak Bluffs town column. Something unusual, actually supernatural, had happened between Connie and me, back in that frosty month, and I had to share it.

Constance MacAllister was a friend of mine, an older woman who lived with her daughter, Gwyn, also a close friend, in a drafty Victorian house only a few blocks away from me on Samoset avenue.

Water. It is a key to life. At times it is our ally. Other times it is our adversary, as was the case for many during and after Hurricane Sandy. The lesson was clear: we have only one choice — to work with water, not fight it. Many individuals and organizations have been involved with the longstanding challenge to address water quality issues on the Vineyard. It is perhaps the greatest challenge we face as a community in the coming years.

On a cold, gray November morning the warm sounds of Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and John Hiatt pour out the of radio at 92.7 on the FM dial, punctuated by a report on the Steamship Authority (calm seas, boats are on time) and the morning movie quote. Periodically the sound of jingle bells comes on and the deejay stops to announce another winner whose name will be added to the raffle of a giant stocking filled with merchandise and gift certificates, set to take place just before Christmas.

As a sparkling, almost balmy Thanksgiving weekend drew to a close, cold air moved in to chill the bones, a reminder that winter is indeed on the way. Daylight comes to an abrupt end by late afternoon now, and the edges of the sky are brushed with the colors of twilight: pale gray, lavender, translucent white. The ocean, too, has lost its summer hue and taken on shades of deep winter gray.