A SPIT IN TIME
Saturday is Groundhog's Day, or as we call it on Nantucket, Quahog Day. The rest of America may await the weather determination of Punxsutawney Phil, but we on Nantucket put all our bets on Quentin the Quahog. Aspit to the left from Quentin means an end to winter, while a spit to the right means more cold temperatures, more freezing wind and more indoor time with the kids.

As the mother of two boys, I could come up with a game and a craft that involves spitting, but I'm not sure it's something even I should encourage. Since Quentin's main purpose is spitting, however, I had to delve into the deep recesses of my brain matter to come up with something that didn't involve an explosion of saliva or some wet matter. What do quahogs spit out? I doubt it's saliva. On second thought, maybe I don't really want to know what it is! Let's just deal with the quahog shell and forget about the spitting.

The scientific name for the Massachusetts quahog is Mercenaria Mercenaria. Quahog shells were historically used by the Native Americans for making money, and beads made from the purple part of the shell were the most valuable form of currency.

Quahog shells can be found in good supply on the Nantucket beaches. The best place to find them is either on the harbor side or the Madaket side of the island. The Creeks will usually provide a couple of good specimens and has easy parking so your little one doesn't have to walk too far. To get to the Creeks, drive down Washington Street to Washington Street Extension, go past Sayle's Seafood and park to your left beyond the Great Harbor Yacht Club construction. Take a plastic bag or washable reusable canvas bag to collect your shells.

Once you get a couple of quahog shells, jump in the car, turn up the heater and head for home. Make sure you put the bag of shells as far away from the heater as possible, either in the trunk or the back of the car. Think dead fish and heat and you get the picture, or rather the smell.

When you get home put the shells in a plastic bowl that you will not be using again. Add some hot water to cover the shells and a good dose of bleach. Let them sit in this mixture for a couple of hours at least. This is a good time for lunch and then convincing your child to take a nap.

After the shells have been defishified (no, that's not a word but I like it anyway), take an old toothbrush and scrub off any extraneous matter. Rinse the shells with warm water and a little soap and then dry them off. Now you are ready to let your toddler create a masterpiece!

For the youngest set, lay out some newspaper and bring out the finger paints. Let your toddler experiment with painting on the quahog shell, both inside and out. Let the shell dry completely and then attach a magnet to the shell with a hot glue gun. The placement of the magnet will depend on where the front of the masterpiece ends up according to your toddler. If you've misplaced your hot glue gun, you can always turn the shell into a nice centerpiece by placing it on a simple plate in the middle of the table.

For the kindergarten set, a quahog shell can be turned into a candle. In addition to the quahog shell, you will need some sand or rice, some tea lights, paraffin wax, a glass measuring cup and a microwave.

Pour about an inch of sand or rice in a bowl big enough to hold the shell. Place the shell inside up on top and stabilize it using the sand or rice. Remove the tin case from the tea light and pull out the metal disk and wick together. Place this in the middle of the shell. Cut the tea light and the paraffin wax into small cubes and place it in the glass measuring cup. Heat on high for about 3 minutes, check the mixture and then heat for another 2 minutes until the wax is fully melted. Slowly pour the melted wax in the quahog shell, making sure the wick remains upright. Let the wax solidify.

If you have made out well with your quahog shell hunting, your child can make a candle for each family member. Let your child set the table (or rather tell your child that setting the table is part of the fun of this craft), putting a candle at each place setting. When the power goes out because of the latest blizzard, your family can eat dinner by candlelight, watching the glow from their very own handmade quahog shell candle, dreaming of summer

days and beach cookouts. I