Move To Blog Today, Medical Worker Housing Help, Masks, More

CONTENTS
Move to Blog Today
Medical Worker Safe Housing
Mask Donation
Zoofari
2020 Ski to Sea Race Canceled
Giant Asian Hornets

MOVE TO BLOG TODAY
Here’s the website address:
columbianeighborhood.org
Surfing The Tsunami
  I’m doing fine emotionally. After all, I have all of you to support me! But my inbox this week has been overwhelmed! It’s been so full I haven’t managed to read everything, let alone respond to each of you. Nor have I managed to add all the new folks requesting to subscribe. But now I have tech help (shout out to my new team!!!). The blog website they’ve built for me is now up and mostly running. My posts are there back to March 4th. We’ll get more of the bugs out as we go along.
  I would love it if you would subscribe to the blog. Subscriptions will be encrypted to protect your info. If you subscribe you will get a short email notice each time I post. And I won’t have to manage your subscriptions and un-subscriptions. If you’re not comfortable subscribing, just check it whenever you want to see what’s new. I will be able to shift from managing two lists, to just one blog that’s “Automagic.” Probably within this week I will stop sending emails to the lists.
  The biggest reason for the move was my list emails were getting tagged as spam for having too many links. Large numbers of subscribers suddenly couldn’t get my postings. And I couldn’t even email them one at a time. Blogging fixes that. You are welcome to share the blog with anyone you want, and I’d particularly love it if you’d reach out to neighbors, friends, and to whoever you heard about my list from, to reconnect the folks who lost me. Please also contact the folks who asked to subscribe in the last couple weeks. I didn’t get them all.
  Comments will come to me privately. New information, requests, suggestions, concerns… Disagreements are important information but I will block mean people. As always I will edit. I don’t post everything. We may be able to figure out a Post Request form for folks to fill out, to get everything formatted for me. If there isn’t a place to do this yet, go ahead and send me email till we get that part running. Make sure the subject line says what your email is about specifically instead of something general, ok?
  (Alert: All my life I’ve figured things out as I went along. Decisions may change.)
  I have had two lists for many years, Columbia Neighborhood Updates (to a couple thousand neighbors until lately) and Fl!p’s Pix For Music (around 1000 subscribers from all over the county). I’ve combined the two for now. Music lovers will see some neighborhood posts, and neighbors will hear about some live-streamed concerts. Eventually I’ll find a way to post those in their own areas.
  This website is a work in progress. I’d love any useful feedback.
Thank you!
  Love/Fl!p
columbianeighborhood.org

MEDICAL WORKER SAFE HOUSING
We got four offers! And a bunch of people with thinking caps on. I’ve distilled them and got them to Nate. Thank you all!!! We’re going to need every one. Other neighbors suggested that there may be people with motor homes or campers that would be willing it let nurses use them. Others wondered if local motels and hotels can help. Keep those offers coming. There are many medical workers who will need this help. And we are making a difference!

MASK DONATION
[From the hospital]
We’ve finalized a process to accept community donations of supplies, including hand-sewn masks, which we will actively promote to the public beginning this week. Beginning Tuesday, March 24, we are accepting donations in person of N-95 masks, eye shields, goggles and gloves at the 
    ▪    Grabow Therapy and Wellness Center, 3217 Squalicum Parkway in Bellingham.
    ▪    If dropping off in person, place your items to be donated in the trunk/back hatch of your vehicle. Do not exit your vehicle. A PeaceHealth caregiver will remove the items and place them in our donation bins. If you have more than 100 of any item, please take your items to the drop-off location for the Whatcom County Unified Command Center, 4233 Guide Meridian, Suite 101.
    ▪    For those people offering to help by hand-sewing masks, we now have instructions and a how-to video. Once completed the masks can be delivered as per above.
https://vimeo.com/399324367/13cd93f150

ZOOFARI
Place a stuffed animal, statue of animal, or plastic animal somewhere in your front yard. Or draw an animal and tape it to a window. When families are walking or biking they can try and find as many animals as possible. You might use binoculars!
  Doreen Standish

2020 SKI TO SEA RACE CANCELED
Check their website later for more info.

GIANT ASIAN HORNETS
As if COVID wasn’t bad enough, these are just what we need! Four reported sightings of Giant Asian Hornets near Blaine and Bellingham. The stinger of the Asian giant hornet is longer than that of a honeybee and the venom is more toxic than any local bee or wasp. Typical beekeeping protective clothing is not sufficient to protect you from stings. If you find a colony, do not attempt to remove or eradicate it. Report it to WSDA immediately.
There are several ways to report: 
    •    Report using the Hornet Watch Report Form
    •    Email PestProgram@agr.wa.gov
    •    Call 1-800-443-6684
Here is what to include with your report, if possible: 
    •    Your name and contact information
    •    The location of the sighting/attack
    •    Date of sighting/attack
    •    Photograph of the hornet or damage
    •    Description of the hive loss/damage (if no photo is available) 
    •    Direction the hornet(s) flew when flying away
https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets  
Sincerely,
  Dan Dunne
  360-389-6627

Love/Fl!p