CONTENTS 02/21/2021
New Format
Columbia Neighborhood Town Hall
House Fire Fund
Bunny Love!
Found Wedding Ring
Glass Shelving
Soup Brigade
Needed
Thank You!
Ingredients
Cooks Needed
Community Conversations
Crisis Intervention Training
Homeless In Whatcom County
Indoor Tiny Homes
Music
Jim And Susie Malcolm
Susan Ellenton
Halfway Birthday
Radio Free Fl!p: Brownie Mcghee
REORGANIZATION
I’m going to try something different. This list started as a Columbia neighborhood email list, which I ran for 15 years or so, with a couple thousand people on it by a year ago. I also had a music list which I ran in various forms for over 40 years, with a thousand people or so. Mostly two different groups. At the beginning of the pandemic a year ago, I began posting what I could learn from trusted sources, trying to to shed more light and less panic. And then my emails started bouncing. I was emailing to too many people, too often, with too many links. I tripped all the triggers for being tagged as a spammer. Subscribers would contact their service providers saying they wanted to receive my posts, but the big companies said no. Some kind and generous folks then built me a blog that could send the emails, and we combined my lists and ran them through the blog. That seemed to work reasonably well except for a lag time of several hours. Neighbors don’t seem to mind getting the music posts, and there are far fewer of them since there are far fewer concerts.
Since November, our local homeless emergency has come to the forefront, and then some! But I had an email from a neighbor today explaining that she could no longer bear to read my emails and wishes I would split my list. I have worried about that! I don’t think I can handle two blogs, but what I am going to try is to put the neighborhood posts first. All of them. Because more than half of my subscribers are neighbors. I will run the Soup Brigade posts after, and then the music. You can scroll past the parts you don’t want, or notice all that goes on in our amazing neighborhood!
And end with a song…
COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD TOWN HALL
Online – Zoom Call
Tuesday, 2/23. 6:30-8pm
Join us for a Neighborhood Town Hall and hear updates and action items from our City Council – Hannah Stone, Mayor – Seth Fleetwood, Whatcom PUD Commissioner – Christine Grant and State Legislator – Alicia Rule
The Town Hall focus is local to statewide updates and actions we can take.
AGENDA
1) Welcome and CNA Announcements
2) CNA Treasurer’s and MNAC Report
3) Get to Know Your Neighbors Activity
4) Neighborhood Town Hall
5) Membership Drive
6) Board Elections
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88332968863…
Meeting ID: 883 3296 8863
Passcode: 088987
HOUSE FIRE FUND
Whoops! I forgot to include a link in yesterday’s thank you from Yoav’s neighbors.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-yoav-recover-from-his-housefire/
BUNNY LOVE!
Winnie is the sweetest bunny! Do you know anyone who would like him? Unfortunately we cannot take him with us and the person who was going to take him no longer can. Text for photos. He’s adorable Jenny 360-630-9363
FOUND WEDDING RING
Found a man’s wedding band ring on a walk near corner of Victor and Washington today 2/20. Probably a size 11-12. There are some very distinguishing parts of it. Let me know if you think it’s yours. 💗 ~ Kate Ferry, Williams Street. Kateferry02@gmail.com
GLASS SHELVING
We have tons of glass shelving from the old JC Penny downtown. There are over 200 pieces and we’re ready to let them go for free. Here’s a list of the sizes. Some are tempered and others are plate glass:
Plate Glass Pieces Number of Panes
3″ x 22.75″ 18
12″ x 12″ 14
30″ x 12″ 2
30″ x 14″ 6
30″ x 18″ 5
14″ x 8.75″ 75
16″ x 8.75″ 80
36″ x 8.75″ 13
49″ x 12″ 18
Eric Mastor, Utter Street. bubbazoo61@gmail.com
SOUP BRIGADE
NEEDED
* Propane parts, tanks, propane. With Texas in crisis, the cost of propane has doubled and availability of parts has plummeted. Our unsheltered neighbors depend on propane for all forms of heat. If you have spare parts, or spare green bottles or bigger bottles to share, this is a good moment.
* Still more hand & toe warmers. We’ve gotten a bunch in, which is great! But especially with the propane shortage, we’re going to need more.
* Men’s jeans, work pants, cargo shorts: size 32, 34, 36.
* Men’s Shoes: size 8.5, 10, 11, 12 & half sizes. Waterproof.
* Women’s bras: size 34, 36, 38 B & C.
* Extra large contractor-weight garbage bags.
* Large & extra large men’s gloves. Not cotton.
* Fruit Snacks, those things like gummy bears (not fruit leather). We’re not focused on healthy, here. We do healthy with hot meals!
THANK YOU!
We have, or have been offered, shelving! This is going to be SO great!!! As soon as shelving is up, I can start picking up or having delivered sleeping bags & ground pads & blankets. We received a huge box of mylar blankets today! And some low-sugar high-electrolyte powder packets for our outreachers to carry in their packs for emergencies. The first batch of sleeping bags is at the store. The next is due soon. We’ll pick them up as soon as we have shelving set up for them.
INGREDIENTS
We’ve got beans! Canned black beans and garbanzos, dried pintos, black beans, white beans, lentils (orange, ivory, and I think green/brown), split peas. And bacon and onions to make them oh so nice! I’ve got grains: white rice, brown rice, barley, oatmeal. I’ve got pasta. I’ve got shredded cheddar, sharp and mild. And mozzarella. Real butter. One more bag of chocolate chips if you want to make some cookies. I’ve got cornmeal for loaded muffins. Fresh celery & carrots. Freeze-dried veggie flakes and tomato powder. Canned tomato chunks. I’ve got way too many eggs! Come get these eggs and do some baking: muffins, cookies, strata…
COOKS NEEDED
I’m low on cooks after tomorrow, and run out completely after Wednesday. Email, text or phone me to figure out a day to cook dinner for 25, or even for 10 or 15. Every bit helps!
flip@openaccess.org, 360-671-4511. Thank you!!!
NAMI WHATCOM
Is hosting 2 upcoming community conversations online
CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING
Thursday 2/25/2021 6-8pm
Renee Balodis-Cox, LHMC, MA, MS A certified trainer in Edgework methodology, will teach effective ways to approach and respond to those in crisis, particularly those suffering from mental illness and drug abuse. You will learn strategies for safe, positive, and helpful responses to situations that can be dangerous. We hope the training gives you more confidence and compassion in dealing with those in crisis. CEU s available online
register online here
HOMELESS IN WHATCOM COUNTY
Monday 3/1/2021 6-8pm
Hear from a panel of frontline providers, ask questions
register online here
INDOOR TINY HOMES
MUSIC
Nancy’s Farm presents:
JIM AND SUSIE MALCOLM
Live in concert by Zoom from Scotland
Harmonies, banter, images, slideshows…
Sunday Feb 21, 2021 @ 2pm PST
Traditional and contemporary Scottish folk songs with guitar and harmonica, including some old favorites and selections from their forthcoming album
Suggested donation $15
To register please email: susie@jimmalcolm.com
(please mention you are registering for the Bellingham WA concert.)
Zoom codes and donation links will be sent to all who register.
If we can’t be in the same room
then let’s be in the same Zoom
SUSAN ELLENTON
It’s almost a year since my new album Learning to Listen went to press, immediately followed by the double whammy of Covid and my frozen shoulder adventure. Now, Learning to Listen is number nine (can you believe it?!) on the North American folk radio charts and it’s time to celebrate!
Monday, February 22 at 4:30 Pacific time, we’ll be live streaming from our living room to yours. That’s the first set. I’ll be singing piano songs from the new album, telling stories and harmonizing with Robert because, that’s what we do!
Then, Thursday, February 25 the 2nd set starts at 7:30 Pacific time. We’ll build our set list for the second set from your requests!
These concerts will stream on Youtube as part of the 2021 Folk Alliance Unlocked conference. Follow these links anytime to YouTube and click on the video to set a timely reminder to be automatically sent to you.
Here’s the links:
Monday Feb 22nd at 4:30 Pacific Time https://youtu.be/40wIFF080to
Thursday Feb 25th at 7:30 Pacific Time https://youtu.be/N3uD4AFD-ZQ Come share the love! We’ll save the comfiest chair for you!
to hear Learning to Listen, the new album, visit
HALFWAY BIRTHDAY
I wrote this to a friend who turned 50 today. There’s a lovely ritual I was taught, especially for this year of life: Pick up a pack of 50 tea lights (or be gifted with a set from a friend.) Do your research, journaling, note-taking before you begin. It could take weeks or months to prepare. When you’re ready, alone or with beloved witnesses, lay out your candles in a spiral. Light the center candle, and as you do, say an event or memory, or sing a song from the first year of your life. Continue year by year to the present. If you missed your fiftieth year, you can always choose to do it later.
RADIO FREE FL!P: BROWNIE MCGHEE
I’m pretty sure this footage was recorded in Seattle when I was a teenager. Folk musicians I knew brought amazing players to town, and recorded them with a musician’s eye. You can actually see what he’s doing with his hands! And Brownie is telling stories from his life and from his heart. Three songs tonight, recorded live in the 60s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIu3v2GFSqo
Love/Fl!p 360-671-4511 2518 Cherry Street flip@columbianeighborhood.org
If you’re willing to share your phone with me, personally, I would love that, and would not share it further without your express permission. Nor would I ever exploit it. You might put mine in your phone so if I were to phone you, you’d know it was me. I’d also suggest adding flip@openaccess.org to your contacts because that helps keep my emails from going to your junk mail.
If you want to ask me to post something, just email me. If it’s urgent, phone. If it’s a real emergency, call 911.