The time is nearly upon us when many older East End residents pack up their houses and head south for the winter. To Dr. Charles Guida, a practitioner of internal medicine and gerontology since 1996, who also teaches in Stony Brook Medicine’s intern and resident program at its Southampton Hospital campus, The Star posed this question: “Is it safer to be a snowbird?”

The fellow giving out awards following the U.S. Open said tennis players live longer, as if it were settled science, and perhaps that is true — and I hope it is, for I am a tennis player — though three experts of my acquaintance with whom I spoke recently, all knowledgeable when it comes to tennis and golf, were in agreement that should you be wondering on the eve of your retirement whether to take up golf or tennis, you should take up golf, if for no other reason than it’s easier on the body.

At its most basic, estate planning doesn’t need to be overcomplicated — but that doesn’t mean it’s easy, because it’s emotional, with death and dying looming over the necessary conversations.

Studies show that social isolation among older adults can cause health problems, and that active seniors often lead happier, healthier lives. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control, “Social isolation was associated with about a 50-percent increased risk of dementia and other serious medical conditions.” Fortunately for seniors, South Fork institutions such as libraries, theaters, and health care facilities offer plenty of ways to connect with others — with just a few of their many offerings listed here.

The East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, a more than 60-year-old organization, is retooling, restaffing, and, after hibernating during the Covid years, is waking up and ready to engage the business community.

As the clock turned to 6, there was a flicker, then another and another and then, emanating from the Lighthouse tower, came two rotating beams of light to pierce the night sky with a strength not seen since the 1980s. An antique Fresnel lens, long relegated to the position of prized museum artifact, was back in its rightful place, and with it the familiar sweep of light spinning predictably from sunset to sunrise, visible many miles from shore, had returned.

A resolution at a Sag Harbor Village Board meeting last month to appoint members to the Sag Harbor Open Space Advisory Group was approved without discussion, but the group’s ideas could have a visible impact on the village, including at the intersection of Main Street and Jermain Avenue, where it will revisit plans for a traffic circle.