The pros and cons of living in a small Island community year-round are hotly debated, but I am forever in one camp. There is almost nothing I dislike about being on Martha’s Vineyard in the fall and winter. The hiking trails and beaches are wide open and that killer natural beauty I’m always writing about is just one big backyard to play in (if you, ahem, have the time!).

Yes, but what do you DO all winter, people ask? (Other than the obvious things, like work!) We see our friends, for one thing. We gather together after a summer when everyone is too busy to give more than a passing wave at the grocery store, and we catch up, and, well, trade notes. When your friends are farmers, fishermen, cooks, gardeners, landscapers, artists, craftsmen, yoga teachers, carpenters, and small business owners (usually two or more of those things, since everyone does more than one thing to cobble together a living out here), you have funny conversations about what everyone is doing to make a go of it.

I was reminded of this yesterday when we hopped across the street to the Ag Society (the Fair grounds) for the third annual Living Local Harvest Festival, a very cool free event that promotes sustainable living. Our conversations with friends went something like this: “How many turkeys are you raising this year?” “Where do you get your baby chicks?” “How are your hens laying?” “How many of those herbal soaps did you sell this summer?” “How’s the marketing going for your new sea salt?” “Can you donate extra garden veggies to the school?” “Are you scalloping this winter?” “Have you tried that compost tea?” “Did you do the seaweed tasting?” “Are you selling your wool this year?” “How’s that book going?”

The generous exchange of information is part of what makes living in a small community so wonderful. And watching friends get creative with their businesses is inspiring. And I think, too, there’s a little bit of reassurance in knowing that no one has it all completely figured out, but that everyone is going to keep trying, no matter what. And in the mean time, we’re going to eat well, let the kids have a great time, take care of the animals, and enjoy being outside.