CONTENTS
Whatcom County Deaths
Shared Immunity & Six Foot Distance Question
10 Minutes Every 2 Weeks
What’s a POLST?
Local Medical Mask Project
Interviewer Seeks Interviewee
Whatcom County Dog Owner Survey
Columbia Neighborhood
Brown Water
Ongoing Neighborhood Treasure Hunt
Garden Plants Available
Lost Keys
Quiet Study Room Wanted
Singing Bowl To Lend
Help With My Yard Waste
Editor’s Corner
How To Request A Post
Delayed Blog Posts
Blog Comments
WHATCOM COUNTY DEATHS: 25
SHARED IMMUNITY & SIX FEET DISTANCE QUESTION
These two RadioLab Episodes have some good information that you might find useful for your blog. From Marie Eaton, Community Champion for the Palliative Care Institute
Dispatch 3: Shared Immunity
Folks who have survived Covid may be able to help others.
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/dispatch-3-shared-immunity
Dispatch 4: Six Feet
Maybe six feet isn’t enough.
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/dispatch-4-six-feet
10 MINUTES EVERY 2 WEEKS
Zeke and I actually left home for the first time in weeks yesterday. I read a recommendation that we should run our car for 10 minutes every couple weeks, as maintenance. It had been a lot more than two weeks! So we drove: we looked around to see what was open, and what was in bloom. Did not get out of our car at all. I felt relieved to get back to my own home and garden. I feel deeply fortunate to have a safe space I love, and a kind person to share it with. And generous neighbors who shop for us elders!
POLST
A reader asked, “What’s a POLST?” Ooops! I’ve clearly gotten too close to my subject! (Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) is an approach to improving end-of-life care in the United States, encouraging providers to speak with patients and create specific medical orders to be honored by health care workers during a medical crisis. Filling out this form in advance, with the help of your medical provider, over teleconference, is the kindest thing you can do for your family and for the health care workers at the hospital should you wind up there in shape where you can’t speak for yourself. Other people having to decide on your behalf without knowing your wishes can carry lasting worry and guilt. Please be kind!
LOCAL MEDICAL MASK PROJECT
Scott Jones has been working hard to support our health care workers through the creation, constant refining and production of filtered medical masks.
“We are so honored to have been able to design a mask that is sealed around the face, comfortable, able to handle a replaceable micron filter, and be made by those in your community for your community. Front Line Doctors, Nurses and so many more people need your help. Let’s get sewing!” There are various ways to be involved.
Sewers – kits are ready for pickup at his house.
contact Scott
scott@frontlinemasks.com
You can also see videos, and more instructions at:
http://www.frontlinemasks.com
Thank you Scott and ALL the people out there sewing these to protect our community!
INTERVIEWER SEEKS INTERVIEWEE
This is a note from Jennifer Karchmer, a Bellingham-based independent journalist who covers freedom of the press and reporter safety. I am writing about freedom of the press during COVID-19 and seeking a Wash state resident who gets their local news mainly by radio and/or a listener to KUOW, to talk about this: https://www.kuow.org/stories/kuow-statement-on-live-white-house-coronavirus-task-force-briefings-35a2 Please contact me if you’d like to talk via phone on the record. That means I will take notes and use your name in my article. About 10-15 minutes. Deadline: asap, no later than Thursday, April 16, 2020. Contact Jennifer by email: jenniferkarchmer@gmail.com Website: http://www.jenniferkarchmer.com
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WHATCOM COUNTY DOG OWNER SURVEY |
COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD
BROWN WATER
The City has begun the annual flushing of water mains. You may experience brown-ish tap water at some point in the weeks ahead. Run your tap to clear, or maybe wait a couple hours and try again. Especially if you plan to wash white laundry. Not dangerous.
ONGOING NEIGHBORHOOD TREASURE HUNT
The goal of this treasure hunt is to give walkers, runners, bikers and rollers the fun of trying to spot “treasures” during their travels around the hood. The treasures are big teddy bears and flags.
YOU are encouraged to join in the fun by putting treasures on display and/or by being a treasure hunter. The more the merrier!
Neighbors with children might appreciate a list of where to spot these treasures so they make sure to pass by. If you’d like to be on the list (which is optional), please contact me. Then, I will forward the list to all who contacted me.
If you don’t have a teddy bear, I’d love to share my brown butcher/kraft paper with you. I made my bear by googling a simple outline of a teddy bear, drew it on the paper, cut it out and taped it to our front window. If you’d like some paper, please contact me. I have lots of extra. To reduce the risk of passing on germs, I’m leaving the paper isolated in my garage for three days before I use gloves to put sections of paper on my front porch for pick up. My email address is evans4kids@comcast.net ~ Claire Evans, 3028 Tulip Street. Can you spot the bear and flag?
GARDEN PLANTS AVAILABLE
The sunny weather and COVID-19 restrictions have created the opportunity for some deep gardening jobs. I now have some lovely plants ready to go to new homes. Please contact me to arrange to have the plants left at the end of my driveway. As some will not be in pots I don’t want to leave them out there for days. Here is the list of what’s been dug up:
White phlox — sun. Mildew-resistant plants.
Variegated Molinia — nice, medium-sized grass. Sun. Spreads slowly, not invasive
Pulmonaria — flowering now. Doesn’t like the sunny spot it got assigned. Requires no extended mid-day sun (not negotiable)
Etoile Violet’ clematis — tall, deep purple clematis. Likes sun. Needs to be cut down each spring (blooms on new wood). Needs regular water and feeding. Contact Chris: call or text 360 296 9548 or email at catfarmbham@gmail.com
LOST KEYS
I lost my keys while riding in the neighborhood today. They are attached to a large safety pin looking key chain. Thank you so much!! ~ Claire Allen, Monroe Street clairethamesallen@gmail.com
QUIET STUDY ROOM WANTED
Looking for temporary *quiet* study room in our neighborhood to rent for Spring quarter beginning now through June 19. Need high speed internet access (requirement of college). Preferably with separate entrance and bathroom would be ideal and is a non smoking room. Due to closed campus, I will not have access to library or the lab and need a quiet space without interruptions. Looking for a place close to home so I can walk or bike if possible and spend less time commuting and more time studying ~ Jill Schmitz, jwatters020@gmail.com
SINGING BOWL TO LEND?
I am looking to borrow a singing bowl for the next couple of months for some mindfulness video lessons I am creating for my students. If you have one, would you be willing to lend it to me? ~ Molly Westring, Walnut St. mollywestring@gmail.com
HELP WITH MY YARD WASTE
I have 4 bags of (dry) leaves and 2 roughly 20 gallon buckets of weeds/roots/yard waste. We have no means of transporting this to the dump and are looking for a neighbor who would be willing to take any (or all) of this off our hands (to the dump or your personal compost). I am happy to cover the cost of the extra weight to your trailer/vehicle + disposal fees. ~ Savannah Atwell, Corner of Utter & Washington St. Savannah.atwell@gmail.com
EDITOR’S CORNER
HOW TO REQUEST A POST
Our neighborhood is waking up again! I’m both getting lots of post requests, and lots of questions about how to ask for a post now that I have a blog. The most helpful way to request is to email to flip@columbianeighborhood.org – with the title of the post as the subject line. You would make my life a whole lot easier, both when I’m setting up to post, and again if I have to search for your post later. Make sure you include a way for people to contact you. Thanks!
DELAYED BLOG EMAILS
I don’t know why, but my blog post email notices don’t go out out for hours, and sometimes days. after I try to send them. I’m using WordPress. If anyone has information about how I can get posts sent out sooner, I’d love to hear. I usually manage to get the day’s post up before 5 PM (not always, and I have taken a couple days off lately). You can always go directly to the blog and read it there. The day’s entry is in the main window if you scroll down. Just enter this in your web browser:
columbianeighborhood.org
BLOG COMMENTS
I try to check the blog comments daily. I don’t post comments, just email the sender if needed. (I’ve noticed that comments on my blog include more harshness towards me personally than most emails.) Email gets to me faster, but both ways work. My brother says I’m a Known Technophobe. Thank you for your patience while I learn new skills!
COSTCO?
If anyone is going to Costco for themselves (or the Food Coop for that matter) I’d love it if you’d be willing to shop for me. We’re running low on a few things. Not desperate, just looking ahead. ~ Fl!p 360-671-4511
Love/Fl!p