Elizabeth Park Concerts! Neighborhood Meeting, Email Problem Solved, Little Free Libraries, More

CONTENTS 5/16/2020
Elizabeth Park Concerts Online!
Columbia Neighborhood Quarterly Meeting
Email Problem Solved
Little Free Libraries
Online Film Festival Now
Song: For The Longest Time

ELIZABETH PARK SUMMER CONCERTS!
Hooray!!!! Thanks to an incredibly committed community, the Summer of 2020 WILL include an Elizabeth Park Summer concert series thanks to the continued partnership of The Eldridge Historical Society and Bellingham Parks and Recreation! We won’t be able to meet as we have in the past, but we will all be able to safely and distantly socialize from our own homes.

Sadly, you all won’t be able to see each other in person, but that should not stop you from hosting your own “watch party” from the comfort of your own homes.

These concerts will be a mix of Live and pre-recorded, all live-streamed on the Elizabeth Park Concert Facebook page, as well as the Elizabeth Park YouTube Channel. You will NOT need to have either a Facebook or YouTube account to watch either concert feed. But make sure you can turn up your speakers!!

[I will send the roster and links as soon as I have them!]

COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
Tuesday, May 19 7-8pm Online – Zoom Call

Our Neighborhood Quarterly Meeting will be focused on neighbors helping neighbors and beginning a discussion on moving forward towards a zero waste future.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97412452295?pwd=RXU5a2ZPWnNRQUNPcGlzR25JbWNmdz09Meeting ID: 974 1245 2295
Password: 531288
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,97412452295#

EMAIL PROBLEM SOLVED!
The problem was people who had asked to be subscribed to this list, whose subscription went somewhere in limbo. Noah just helped me figure out what was wrong and showed me how to fix it. So a whole bunch of you are likely to be seeing posts for the first time. You can always email me to subscribe or unsubscribe. And if you want to look back at prior posts, go to columbianeighborhood.org, where you can scroll back through time, or search for specific words. If you are subscribing, I would love your first & last names, email address, street address & phone. I NEVER share these, though I will send my own to you! But contact information will be very helpful as we figure out how to get organized for mutual aid as we go forward.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES
I would love everybody’s help telling me the locations of our neighborhood Little Free Libraries. It would be fun to put them on the neighborhood map. For that matter, is there anyone who might install the one that’s been waiting to go in here at our house? I’ve got one that needs a small concrete foundation created and the parts bolted together. I have boxes of great children’s books that I’d love to be able to make available. Love/Fl!p 360-671-4511 cell/text flip@columbianeighborhood.org

CASCADIA INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
Online Now: May 14-17 so that anyone, anywhere can see this year’s official selections. Passes on sale now through the website!  For $19.95, you receive an all access pass to 30 films during the festival’s four days! Support the festival and its filmmakers. Buy your Online Festival pass now. It’s not too late.

SONG: FOR THE LONGEST TIME
Quarantine Edition: from the Phoenix Choir in Vancouver, BC, Canada!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpAKcQufacc

Love/Fl!p 360-671-4511 cell/text flip@columbianeighborhood.org

Neighborhood Meeting, Cooking For Kids, Crocs, Film Fest This Weekend, Film & Song

CONTENTS 5/15/2020
Columbia Neighborhood Association Meeting
Earthquake Animation: 40 Years
Crocs Free To Healthcare Heroes
Local Online Cooking Class For Kids
Film Fest This Weekend
Fawns
Free Puppy Pee Pads
Free Ladder
Landscape Hauling In Own Truck?
Seeking Short Term Housing
Film: How Can I Keep On Singing?
Song: How Can I Keep From Singing?

COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
Tuesday, May 19 7-8pm Online – Zoom Call

Our Neighborhood Association Quarterly Meeting will be focused on neighbors helping neighbors and beginning a discussion on moving forward towards a zero waste future.

AGENDA
1) Welcome
2) Guest Speaker – Sandi Heinrich, Founder – Whatcomhelpers.org
Sandi will share about the program and help people to understand that they don’t need to go to the store or pick up prescriptions if they are elderly or otherwise at high risk… There are healthy less vulnerable people who can do that for them. We are also able to offer assistance with food and other supplies for low income families who need help paying for these items, Especially if they’ve lost their job due to Covid.
3) CNA Treasurer’s Report
4) MNAC (Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission) Update
5) Food Bank Updates – Jennifer Moon
6) Columbia Share Shack Updates/Discussion(if there is time)- Future use of the Share Shack
7) Guest Speaker – Mark Peterson, Sustainable Business and Food Recovery Program Manager, Sustainable ConnectionsHe will be giving a presentation on: Food Waste A Global Issue Ripe for Individual Action: sharing some of the issues surrounding the global issues of food waste and how we as individuals can reduce our own food waste and make a positive impact.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97412452295?pwd=RXU5a2ZPWnNRQUNPcGlzR25JbWNmdz09Meeting ID: 974 1245 2295
Password: 531288
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,97412452295#

EARTHQUAKE ANIMATION: 40 YEARS
This was so interesting!
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article242759941.html

CROCS FREE TO HEALTHCARE HEROES
Crocs is proud to donate free pairs of shoes to healthcare heroes to thank them for their efforts on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19.  We will resume our “Sharing a Free Pair for Healthcare” donations on Monday, May 18th at 12p.m. ET. https://www.crocs.com/

LOCAL ONLINE COOKING CLASS FOR KIDS
Common Threads is offering online cooking classes featuring some of our favorite kid-friendly recipes. Kids ages 5 and up are invited to follow along with our food educators over Zoom to make simple, healthy, and tasty recipes. Parents are invited to join too!

Ingredient and supply lists are posted in the event description on our website – but don’t worry if you don’t have the exact items. Our Food Educators will offer ideas for substitution and creativity. 

Payment is on a pay what you can sliding scale. Please sign up no later than the day before the event. Once you’ve registered, you will receive an email the morning of class with a link to join. The first lesson is coming up on Tuesday May 19 2pm-3pm PST with Ms. Hannah, who will be helped by Ms. Indigo – they’ll be making a colorful kale salad. The next lesson will be on Friday May 22 2pm-3pm PST with Ms. Molly, who will be helped by Mr. Diego – they’ll be cooking up an applesauce that some kids might remember from the 2018-2019 school year. 

CASCADIA INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL
Online, May 14-17 so that anyone, anywhere can see this year’s official selections. Passes on sale now through the website!  For $19.95, you receive an all access pass to 30 films during the festival’s four days! Support the festival and its filmmakers. Buy your Online Festival pass now.

FAWNS
Deer deliver their newborns in the strangest of places! Residents will find them and be concerned about a newborn deer on their lawn, in their garden, under the azaleas, etc. Most call because they think the fawn is in peril and Mom is nowhere to be found. Well, Mom is actually off feeding and helping to keep predators away. Those who call ask what they should do for the fawn … Leave it alone, do not touch, move or attempt to feed it. Here’s the scoop. Deer are NOT like horses. They do not have their legs under them immediately and need time to rest after birth. Horses get up and go that’s the sign of a healthy horse. A healthy fawn will curl up, nap most of the day and move their heads. They have no scent and predators cannot find them unless humans interfere. Mom leaves during the day for 2 primary reasons: to feed, and to keep her scent a distance from the fawn. Mom will come back (unless something tragic happens to her), but don’t expect her until dusk and certainly don’t expect her if humans are hovering around. If you are fortunate enough to have the gift of a fawn please enjoy the experience, respect Mother Nature and let the Mom do what comes naturally. She will move the fawn daily so you may see it in different locations. Please share, thank you.

FREE PUPPY PEE PADS
Two unopened packages of puppy pee pads free for someone who needs them. Great for those of you indulging the “pass the quarantine with a fur baby” strategy like me. Also occurred to me that they could totally be used in lieu of Chux pads for those of you about to have human babies! Text Anna Blick 360-595-8150 and I’ll porch drop.

FREE LADDER
Tall aluminum extension ladder. Older. You haul. Call Fl!p Breskin 360-671-4511

LANDSCAPE HAULING IN OWN TRUCK?
I am an avid gardener without a truck (and without my usual gardening friend’s help), looking for a strong person who would be willing to do the following:

  1. Load some concrete debris and yard waste into their truck and haul it to the dump and/or clean green site
  2. Drive to Bel-Alger Sand & Gravel on Old Samish Road to pick up 3-4 yards of arborist’s chips, then deliver them to my yard and help me unload them (with social/physical distancing to ensure safety).

Please call me if you are interested, so we can discuss day and time, and settle on what you would charge for your time, gas, etc.
Pamela Fuller
Lynn Street
(360)920-6843

SEEKING SHORT TERM HOUSING
A local family is seeking a short-term 2-3 bedroom rental for July/August. If anyone has any leads for them, please email: amandanayfield@gmail.com. Thanks! ~ Krista Mantello

FILM: HOW CAN I KEEP ON SINGING?
An Online Film Discussion Event
Wednesday, May 27 • 7 p.m.

We invite you to view this film now – an evocative look at the lives of settler and indigenous women 100 years ago in Washington State and British Columbia.

It is now available for viewing here. Then please join a Zoom discussion with Clinton film producers Melissa and Young and Mark Dworkin, plus others who worked on the film.

Join Zoom meeting here: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77739962296?pwd=Mk1JVFQ4NkQyOEoyZ1hGak1kUlFDZz09
Meeting ID: 777 3996 2296
Password: singing

Many Whidbey people participated in and helped fund the creation of this film. The settler stories come from a book of prose poems by the same name by author Jana Harris. Women and girls read these vivid portraits of cooks, teachers, mothers and others who helped their families to survive. Indigenous stories were written by Jeannette Armstrong and Mourning Dove, and are read by members of the Penticton Indian Band.

The film was produced over five years with extensive images of the natural world and some re-enactments of the challenging lives of that era. The film won a production excellence award from Women in Film/Seattle, was nominated for the NW Emmy Awards, and was broadcast on PBS stations across the country.

Sno-Isle Libraries
Marysville, WA 98271
sno-isle.org
[I was alerted to this event by a subscriber who lives way down on Whidbey Island! Thank you Chip!]

SONG: HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING?
Here’s where I learned the song referenced above. Glorious acapella harmonies from Gordon Bok, Ed Trickett & Anne Muir, back in about 1975. Ah, Gordon! If the sea had a voice… I spent years trying to lure him out here from Maine to play a concert. He finally came, and has kept coming back occasionally ever since, though he’s been less interested in playing concerts in recent years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dlbF-rcVzs

Love/Fl!p

Curbside Service, Pass The Hat, Film Fest Now, Lots More

CONTENTS 5/14/2020
Curbside Service
Pass The Hat
Found Keys
Help Available
Free Beveled Glass
Shout Out To Food Co-Op
Challenging Housing Need
Looking For Housing
Film Fest Now
It Will Be Ok

CURBSIDE SERVICE
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/coronavirus/article242677566.html

PASS THE HAT
This lovely, utterly local non-profit cares for families at the hardest moments. They provide financial relief after tragic events to families in Whatcom County. Anyone can donate, but only $2 a month. The more of us that donate, the more powerful the help we can share in providing.

pass-the-hat.org

FOUND KEYS
We found two keys on a ring near Carl Lobe Park Wednesday evening. Please call to identify and claim. Dave and Rosalie Carlson, 360 671-2115

HELP AVAILABLE
I can do occasional necessary errands for those who need to stay home due to corona. I have a vehicle. Texting is best (360)540-4847 . Thanks, Arielle Stein

FREE BEVELED GLASS
For free. A box of beveled  glass pieces/all clear glass. Average size- 3 to 6 inches. I have them from a past life when I did stained glass. Would love to see them put to a good use. ~ .Jana Williams on Walnut.  Text if interested to 360-920-5518.

SHOUT OUT TO FOOD CO-OP
My husband and I had a heartwarming experience today at the Community CoOp when we picked up our curbside order. The fact that they are doing curbside is important since we don’t go into any store. We are seniors with underlying conditions. Yay for that, but also we left a tip and the employee said that would go to the Food Bank! To give a tip to the food bank when you’re not making all that much yourself is truly heartwarming.  ~ Carla Martin

CHALLENGING HOUSING NEED
I received a very sad email from a woman searching for Section-8 eligible housing to rent. Her current, long-term rental home has been sold. She has multiple, severe chemical sensitivities and very little money. She is medically fragile as well. If anyone has a lead on a rental for her, please contact Roberta Fargo at beetleful1@hotmail.com and she can send you details on her needs. Thank you! ~ Fl!p

LOOKING FOR HOUSING
My girlfriend and I are seeking housing for the 2020-2021 school year starting August (with some flexibility). We’d love to rent out your private ADU, mother-in-law, basement, or AirBnb to provide some guaranteed rental income in this uncertain time. We are fastidiously neat and quiet. We have one non-destructive dog. Looking for a sweet spot to make our nest while positively contributing to your income! References available. Please call or text, we would love to hear from you. ~ Margot Lewis, (360) 927-4879, Lynn Street

FILM FEST NOW
CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival usually takes place at the Pickford Film Center in April but had to cancel its fourth annual ‘live’ festival of films directed by women.  Instead, CASCADIA is presenting its first-ever Online Festival, May 14-17 so that anyone, anywhere can see this year’s official selections. This means that more people from all over the world will see the stories women tell.

By purchasing a festival pass you help CASCADIA honor its commitment to its 2020 directors and its audiences and send the message to women filmmakers all over the world that you believe, like CASCADIA,  that women’s stories need to be seen and heard. The films are bold, powerful and inspiring.

Passes for CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival’s first Online Festival May 14-17 are on sale now through the website!  For $19.95, you receive an all access pass to 30 films during the festival’s four days! Please support the festival and its filmmakers this year and buy your Online Festival pass NOW!

IT WILL BE OK
I was moved by this.

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/plane

Neighborhood Meeting, Columbia Dashboard, Thanks, Stuff To Share, Tap Dancing On Roller Skates

CONTENTS 5/13/2020
Columbia Neighborhood Quarterly Meeting
New Neighborhood Dashboard
Elastic Thanks
More Elastic
Strong Shovel Person Wanted
Bought Too Much!
Extra Yeast
How To Post
Tap Dancing On Roller Skates

COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY MEETING
Tuesday, May 19 7-8pm Online – Zoom Call
Get it on your calendar now. I’ll send the link again next Monday. You can search (control or command F) previous blog posts any time at https://columbianeighborhood.org/

NEW NEIGHBORHOOD DASHBOARD
https://carin-wa.com/dashboards/neighborhood/columbia-neighborhood/
Click here to find trusted sources and interactive utterly local information!

ELASTIC THANKS
Thank You beautiful Columbia neighbors! Your response with elastic and ideas of how to make masks without elastic has been completely over the top!  I have enough now to make the masks I have cut and ready. A huge thank you to everyone who reached out, so quickly, with help. I feel really held and I just love our community. Many thanks, ~ Cat Enright, Utter Street

MORE ELASTIC
I see a second message on your blog asking about an elastic source for masks. This is where I recently bought elastic to finish masks for my family. It came fairly promptly. Good luck! ~ Myra Ramos

https://www.etsy.com/listing/786776446/elastic-cord-for-masks-black-stretchable?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=&ref=sc_gallery-1-2&plkey=6172373279b3d83e0af2e03a0676fcde53a3a050%3A786776446&pro=1&frs=1

FOUND EARRING
5/12 Found an earring on Park St. near W North on our walk tonight. Large, thin, gold, vertical eye shape.   ~ Kelly Booker, Park St  360.920.8811

STRONG SHOVEL PERSON WANTED
Large overgrown yard requires a strong and quick worker to shovel out dense weeds. Once weeds are gone you will lay down ground cover cloth and new beauty bark..I can provide the tools. $20 hour. Will pay extra if you have access to a truck for a dump run. ~ Elsa Caron ecaron8888@gmail.com 360-650-0400

BOUGHT TOO MUCH!
36 sq.ft. of grey 3-sized concrete pavers (Belgard/Dublin from Northstar Landscaping) available. Asking $75 which is less than 1/2 what we paid for it last week. Pavers are conveniently stacked on the parking strip at 2116 Williams St. so you can come by and have a look at them. Below is a picture/sample of what you can do with your spare time. You haul. Call:Frank 360 325-3690 if interested.

EXTRA YEAST
I was gifted with some extra yeast for baking bread. Contact me if you’d like to share some of it. ~ Flip@columbianeighborhood.org

HOW TO POST
If you want me to post something, just email me at flip@columbianeighborhood.org  or call me, especially if you’re on a short timeline. It’s still taking sometimes a full day to get messages out, so leave me some lead time. Find a lost pet, phone me, not text, ok? 360-671-4511 Text or phone

TAP DANCING ON ROLLER SKATES
Gene Kelly tap dancing on roller skates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klW2VI8BZ54

Love/Fl!p
flip@columbianeighborhood.org
360-671-4511 Text or phone

Neighborhood Meeting, Map Your Neighborhood, How To Post, Lots More

CONTENTS 5/12/2020
Columbia Neighborhood Association Meeting
Map Your Neighborhood
Nurses Week
Help Offered
Needs Elastic For Masks
Dog Pee Problem
Scott Katz New Song
How To Post

COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY MEETING
Online – Zoom Call
Tuesday, May 19 7-8pm

Our Neighborhood Quarterly Meeting will be focused on neighbors helping neighbors and beginning a discussion on moving forward towards a zero waste future.

AGENDA

1) Welcome

2) Guest Speaker – Sandi Heinrich, Founder – Whatcomhelpers.org

Sandi will share about the program and help people to understand that they don’t need to go to the store or pick up prescriptions if they are elderly or otherwise at high risk… There are healthy less vulnerable people who can do that for them. We are also able to offer assistance with food and other supplies for low income families who need help paying for these items, Especially if they’ve lost their job due to Covid.

3) CNA Treasurer’s Report

4) MNAC (Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission) Update

5) Food Bank Updates – Jennifer Moon

6) Columbia Share Shack Updates/Discussion(if there is time)- Future use of the Share Shack

7) Guest Speaker – Mark Peterson, Sustainable Business and Food Recovery Program Manager, Sustainable Connections

He will be giving a presentation on: Food Waste A Global Issue Ripe for Individual Action: sharing some of the issues surrounding the global issues of food waste and how we as individuals can reduce our own food waste and make a positive impact.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/97412452295?pwd=RXU5a2ZPWnNRQUNPcGlzR25JbWNmdz09

Meeting ID: 974 1245 2295
Password: 531288
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,97412452295#

MAP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
I am delighted to report that I found Dr Mary Schoenfeldt, a disaster preparedness expert who lives in Marysville. She has amended the Map Your Neighborhood block-at-a-time disaster preparedness program for Covid. I’m busy studying right now. One of the cool things Mary did was activate dog walkers. You’re out there anyway with your dogs, you can help keep an eye out for neighbors who might need help. As we organize our blocks, we’ll ask vulnerable folks to post an OK sign in their windows, which can be turned around to become a HELP sign. Write your phone number on the side that says Help, so it can be read from outside your house. Dog walkers: if you see a help sign, call that number to see what help the person needs. If you can’t get an answer, call 911. Pretty simple; pretty effective!

And the Herald just ran this on Earthquake Preparedness because that’s still important too.

https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/article235710562.html

I would love to get every single block in our neighborhood to meet and organize themselves, and I am willing to help! Love/Fl!p flip@columbianeighborhood.org 360-671-4511 Text or phone

NURSES WEEK
is celebrated annually from May 6th and culminates today, May 12th, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. I can think of four gifts particularly appropriate for our nurses this year. 1. Adequate PPE 2. A raise. 3. Cancelling their student debt 4. Respect. They are finally getting some of the last.

HELP OFFERED
I’m happy to help store runs and/or any other things people need who are staying home.  ~ Michael Little,  917-573-9471, mlittle05@gmail.com

NEEDS ELASTIC FOR MASKS
Can anyone, please, help me find elastic for masks?  Everywhere seems to be sold out still and I’ve used up all my elastic and the elastic of my friends.  I even harvested some from camisoles!  I am happy to pay you or make you a mask (I have 5 different fabrics).  I would really love to keep making these and maybe you have some old 1/4 inch elastic you are ready to pitch!  Or you know where I can buy some myself! Text me please if you can help (360) 920-5297.  Thanks so much. ~ Cat Enright, Utter Street

[I have five Singer sewing machine needles, new packet, if anyone wants them – Fl!p]

DOG PEE PROBLEM
When you allow your dogs to urinate on our bushes, they’re killing them. Please be respectful of others property. ~ Elaine Wood

NEW SCOTT KATZ SONG
Scott is an old buddy from Guitar Camp, and his new song is classic Scott – dry, slightly self-deprecating, “more honest than we are supposed to be in public” humor, till you get to the very end. And then I’m all in. Thanks, Scott!

https://youtu.be/P6JRKkYvcdM

HOW TO POST
If you want me to post something, just email me at flip@columbianeighborhood.org  or call me, especially if you’re on a short timeline. It’s still taking sometimes a full day to get messages out, so leave me some lead time. Find a lost pet, phone me, not text, ok? 360-671-4511 Text or phone

Love/Fl!p

Donations Changes, Food Share Boxes? Big Maple Is Gone, Ask The Doc, More

CONTENTS 5/11/2020
Neighborhood Dashboard
Donations Process Changes
Food Share Boxes?
Big Maple Is Gone
Ask The Doctor
End Of Life Planning
Seeking Summer House/Pet Sit Or Short Term Rental
Editor’s Corner
Donations
Song: Caladonia

CHECK THE NEW NEIGHBORHOOD DASHBOARD
Our neighborhood has been gifted with a website on which all of us together can collect and share information. It’s now live. You can click on the link. There are forms to fill in so we can all update information. This will be more and more useful as neighbors fill in information. Noah & Jonny can modify the dashboard if we need more or different information categories. Please take a look!!!

https://carin-wa.com/dashboards/neighborhood/columbia-neighborhood/

WHATCOM UNIFIED COMMAND DONATIONS PROCESS CHANGES
The novel coronavirus that produced COVID-19 has been in the news for more than 100 days. Our community experienced its first local loss to COVID on March 19. Earlier that week, Whatcom Unified Command (WUC) was activated to mitigate and prevent the spread, support the community’s most vulnerable populations, provide for first responders and healthcare workers, and to enable continuity of essential services. Almost immediately, WUC established a Donations Center to receive and distribute vital materials. Just as swiftly, citizens responded to meet the need.

“This community is amazing,” said Wally Kost, WUC Logistics Section chief. “The outpouring of response in the first month of the pandemic got us over the hump.” Kost said that initial needs included funds to activate the WUC facility, including software and materials, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and first responders.

Since that time, regular supply chains have been reestablished for healthcare and other agencies for PPE and other needs. As well, initial competition for supplies locally has diminished as more normal purchase patterns resumed. As a result, the WUC Donation Center will be decommissioned at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 17.

While the Donations Center will close, a series of ballot boxes designated as drop-off sites for hand-sewn masks remain open, including a new location in downtown Bellingham.

• Bellingham County Courthouse, 201 Grand Avenue
• Deming library, 5044 Mount Baker Highway
• Blaine Library, 610 3rd Street
• Lynden Library, 216 4th Street
• Ferndale City Hall, 2095 Main Street
• Sudden Valley, Security Gate One

To make a donation, please email WUC_Donations@co.whatcom.wa.us.

Food Share Boxes?
I know of a couple free library type boxes that have become food give/take boxes in the Birchwood neighborhood.  But I was wondering if we have any such boxes here in our own neighborhood.  I have some food items I’d like to donate from time to time to such a sharing place.  ~ Christy Mann

BIG MAPLE IS GONE
Crews took down the huge old maple tree at the foot of Meridian Street at Broadway today, as was announced here last week. I find it heartbreaking, but also a relief that our Parks Department researched carefully and and took a long time to conclude that it was at the end of its life-span and would have to be removed. There will be a new tree as part of the Plaza renovation. I watched this video of the removal, which shows the decay at the heart of the old tree. I was happier with the cheery music turned off.

https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article242661376.html

ASK THE DOCTOR
Question:
Dear Dr. Lombard,
Years ago I saw two ICU nurses give the Realities of Advanced Medical Interventions talk. I left promising myself I’d do my advance directive right away. I didn’t. One excuse after the other. After watching your video, I need to apologize for not giving a tinker’s dam what my lack of planning could potentially do to those nurses, to you, to your frontline colleagues, to first responders who all do so much for us now at greater risk to themselves. Covid-19 changed my attitude.  I got my advance directive done last night with help from your video and slides. 

I don’t have an Ask the Doctor question about my healthcare choices, but would you be willing to share some thoughts on the importance of us doing our advance care planning as it relates to medical providers doing their job and their well being? It could enrich our conversations as we get through these trying times. My family would be more willing to listen to a medical professional than to me. 

Thank you. 

Answer:
Thanks for asking how this impacts us as healthcare providers. My motivation for becoming involved in Advance Care Planning advocacy has its roots in my experience of taking care of critically ill patients whose loved ones struggled with life and death decisions because they had not had the important conversation about end of life care. It was the pain that I saw on their faces but also continuing care and interventions to patients that I/we knew had very little chance of survival. I recall feeling that we were desecrating the spirit of the person lying there who could not say, “Please, stop all this and just make me comfortable.”

In a communication with Micki Jackson, one of the ICU nurses with whom I worked and who started the “Realities” presentations, I think said it best: 

“I think for me, the big motivator to present Realities is to help deal with the moral distress I witnessed in families and experienced myself in the ICU setting. What was offered to patients by the health care community was often not realistic in terms of the patient’s chances for a meaningful survival. Life was prolonged and everyone suffered. No one knew how to just tell people in simple, heartfelt words that there was nothing more we could or should do, and that comfort and peace should be the goal. Too often we embark down the road of ‘do everything,’ knowing people had no clue what that meant, and it likely wasn’t going to mean a return to any former meaningful life or health. I feel that by helping to educate people in my community, I have somehow atoned for my part in what is wrong in our system.”

With thanks,

Bill Lombard

END OF LIFE PLANNING
Making your own choices, and letting both your family and your medical providers know your choices, is a huge gift to others, and is a way of taking charge of your own life during these uncertain times. What better time than the present?

Dr. Bill Lombard’s Realities Of Advanced Medical Interventions Video:
https://vimeo.com/398065453

Dr. Lombard’s Realities Powerpoint Slides
https://tinyurl.com/sxq22em 

The Realities Of Advanced Medical Interventions – Glossary
https://tinyurl.com/texoxcf

After reviewing this info, if you need clarification on an aspect of a medical intervention before you tackle completing your Advance Directive, email micki98226@aol.com and she will contact Dr. Lombard, who has agreed to clarify wherever possible. Please DO NOT ask for personal medical advice.

SEEKING SUMMER HOUSE/PET SIT OR SHORT TERM RENTAL
Are you planning tentative summer travel plans? Do you need a house/pet sitter while away? Or someone to water your garden? If so, we would love to help. 

My partner and I (former Columbia residents) are now educators working abroad. We will be visiting family in Washington State from ~June 7-July 31. We come with lots of pet-sitting experience and solid references from previous sits in Bellingham and abroad. Our original house sitting plan may be disrupted by covid-19, and as such, we are seeking alternative arrangements to stay in Bellingham. Based on previous experience (for the benefit of all) we would ask to video chat in advance to make sure your home/needs are a good fit, and vice versa. Ideally, we would prefer a swap (we provide care for your pets/home in exchange for a place to stay). However, we are also open to the prospect of a short-term rental. 

Please contact me by email if you have any questions, leads, or would like to contact our references. 

Breeanna Caudill
(formerly of Jaeger street)
Email: breeannacaudill@gmail.com 

EDITOR’S CORNER
I have sent or will send donations to the following local organizations from our stimulus checks. A couple people have asked. These are just my opinions. There are thousands of urgent needs we can help meet.

Food Bank

Whatcom Community Foundation

Chuckanut Health Foundation

Homes Now

Community To Community (C2C)

Farmworker support

Checks for C2C can be mailed to:

  Community to Community Development                         203 West Holly, Suite 311                                                       Bellingham, WA 98225

SONG: CALADONIA
Written and sung by Dougie MacLean. I learned this at Guitar Camp from a couple ‘Hamsters back in the 1980s – a love song to a place, and a story of going home. I have been very aware of being home this last stretch of time. I’ve never managed to capture in a song the sweet wind off deep water, the green hills and soft grey skies of Bellingham but I promise you, the green is worth the grey. Even in a hard time, what a joy and comfort to spend it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP8A9rtg0iI

Love/Fl!p
360-671-4511 text or phone
flip@columbianeighborhood.org

Neighborhood Dashboard! White Nationalists, Palliative Care Correction, Cats, Mother’s Day Song

CONTENTS 5/10/2020
Columbia Neighborhood Dashboard!
Little Free Library Follow-Up
Palliative Care Institute Webinars Correction
Keep Your Kitties In At Night
Mothers Day Song

COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD DASHBOARD
Our neighborhood has been gifted with a website on which all of us together can collect and share information. It’s now live. You can click on the link. There are forms to fill in so we can all update information. This will be more and more useful as neighbors fill in information. Noah & Jonny can modify the dashboard if we need more or different information categories. Please take a look!!!

https://carin-wa.com/dashboards/neighborhood/columbia-neighborhood/

You can also go to my blog site. The dashboard is in the right hand column. You can also scroll back through time to find earlier posts.

ColumbiaNeighborhood.org

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY FOLLOW-UP
Someone has messed with at least one local Little Free Library, adding white nationalist information. It’s not overtly hateful but obviously points to the white nationalist ideologies. Please help check on local boxes, and other locations, remove such nastiness, and send me photos & locations if you would. Both the local police, and apparently the FBI & Anti-Defamation League would like copies, or the originals. If you send me photos and locations I will get those to the authorities. You are also welcome to report the materials yourselves. If anyone notices suspicious activity, please pay attention and report to the police. We are not helpless in the face of hatred. flip@columbianeighborhood.org.

PALLIATIVE CARE INSTITUTE WEBINARS CORRECTION
Time corrections:

BRINGING THE NATION BACK TO HEALTH
Thursday, May 14, 12:00 – 1:30 pm PDT

PROACTIVE PLANNING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
Wednesday, May 20, 12:00 – 1:30 pm PDT 

KEEP YOUR KITTIES IN AT NIGHT
I suspect we’ve got wild animals learning to hunt. Just got another report from Tulip Court.

MOTHERS DAY SONG
I wrote this for my dear neighbor Bea Doran for her 50th birthday – at least 15 years ago! She’s still an amazing neighbor. This goes out to all the mothers, and all the parents & grandparents & step-parents – to everyone caring for our children. As my friend Bob Franke wrote in his wonderful song Boomerang Pancakes, “It may not be one of the things I do best, but it’s the best thing that I do.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxvpAxJtQxI

Alert: White Nationalist Tracts, Palliative Care Webinars, Real Cooperation, More Risk Assessment, Shopping?

CONTENTS 5/9/2020
Alert: White Nationalist Tracts
Palliative Care Institute
    Bringing The Nation Back To Health
    Proactive Planning In The Time Of Covid-19
Real Life Lord Of The Flies Is Much Better
Revisiting Risk Assessment
Shopping?

WHITE NATIONALIST CARDS PLACED IN LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
When I was dropping off books at the little free library on Victor today I found someone had left white nationalist/racist propaganda cards in the library. My kids saw them and we had a very interesting conversation on the walk home. I wanted to warn others that this is in our neighborhood. I think it’s Victor and Washington. It’s the double cabinet with the metal Globe (I think) on top.  Thanks, ~ Megan Ball

PALLIATIVE CARE INSTITUTE WEBINARS
The Palliative Care Institute at WWU is collaborating on two webinars in May related to COVID-19. Both are free and open to the public.

BRINGING THE NATION BACK TO HEALTH Thursday, May 14, 12:30 – 1:00 pm PDT
You’re invited to join us for an in-depth virtual exploration of how COVID-19 has affected our communities in several key sectors. An expert panel including WWU alumni and faculty will help answer the question: What will it take to bring our country back to health? 

Panelists will share how they are addressing the pandemic, particularly in the healthcare field, how to prepare for coming waves of COVID-19, what the pandemic has exposed about health disparities, and anticipated societal impacts of the aftermath. They will offer strategies for coping with the illness along with scenarios for what may be next.

Presenters:  Dakotah Lane, MD, Health Director for the Lummi Nation; Frank James (’73), MD, Health Officer for San Juan County and the Nooksack Indian Tribe; Richard Veith (’69), MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington; Rachel Clark (’13 ), MD, Resident in Montefiore’s Primary Care/Social Internal Medicine in the Bronx, and Liz Mogford, PhD, Professor of Sociology at Western Washington University. The discussion is free of charge and will be moderated by Marie Eaton, PhD, former Dean of Fairhaven College and current Community Champion for the Palliative Care Institute at WWU.

Register at http://wwu.imodules.com/controls/email_marketing/view_in_browser.aspx?sid=1710&gid=2&sendId=1347522&ecatid=9&puid=db3f9823-2f0a-4447-8495-6c2c47ba1aaa

 PROACTIVE PLANNING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
Wednesday, May 20, 12:30 – 1:00 pm PDT
In a time when so much feels out of our control, pro-active planning for medical care will allow you to communicate your priorities, to empower those who love and care for you to be strong advocates for you

Presenters:  Sharmon Figenshaw, Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest &  Hilary Walker, Advance Care Planning Coordinator, PeaceHealth Medical Group. Moderated by Marie Eaton, Community Champion, Palliative Care Institute, WWU

The Proactive Care Planning in the Time of COVID19 Webinar Webinar will explore:

  1. What is proactive care planning – three key things to consider and why is it important?
  2. The role of Physician’s Order for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) in planning
  3. Resources available to you to keep the conversation going and complete the related documents!

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/2992164054155657/

 REAL LIFE LORD OF THE FLIES IS MUCH BETTER

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&#Echobox=1589017302

REVISITING RISK ASSESSMENT
Here is my beloved Dr Betsy Brown’s take on the article about risks that I posted yesterday.
https://betsybrownmd.substack.com/

Last night I listed this link to a story about the transmission of the coronavirus and how to cut down on your risks. I want to revisit it because it is so very helpful in explaining what is risky and what is not. Knowing these details can make all the difference in preventing infection, but also relieve fear and anxiety. Knowledge is power. Another reason I want you to read it is because we are in this for the long haul, while waiting for a vaccine or more effective treatments. Having this knowledge can help you enjoy life more while we are in this phase, so important! The two elements you can control to limit exposure are proximity and time. Masks help, being outdoors is better, amount of time matters. A brief interaction is not risky, a longer interaction in a closed space is not such a good idea.

We can do this. We can help each other through this challenging time. Knowledge and kindness are the answers.

SHOPPING
We’re running low on several items. If anyone is headed for the Coop, Haggens, or Winco, might you be willing to bring us a few things? ~ Fl!p   360-671-4511

———

I may send more later, depending on what comes in, but wanted to get this out immediately.

Love/Fl!p

Virus Risk Assessment, Construction Safety, Coyotes, Lots More

CONTENTS 5/9/2020
Risk Assessment
Beaches Closed To Recreational Shellfish Harvest
Columbia Neighborhood
Fountain Plaza Construction Safety
More Flour
Update On Masks At Goods
Mask Maker Shout-Out
Hop-Through Produce Saturday
Coyote In Lynn Street Yard Thursday Morning
Siding Or General Contractor?
Neighborhood Pottery Stand, Free Clay Art Kits
Looking For A Couple 5-Gallon Buckets
Editor’s Corner
Spare Sewing Machine Needles
Not Exactly A Recipe
You Can Close Your Eyes

VIRUS RISK ASSESSMENT
This looks pretty useful.
https://erinbromage.wixsite.com/covid19/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them

BEACHES CLOSED TO RECREATIONAL SHELLFISH HARVEST
Paralytic shellfish poisoning biotoxin has reached unsafe levels in molluscan shellfish in Drayton Harbor. Recreational shellfish harvesting is closed on all beaches from Birch Point north to the Canadian Border, including all of Point Roberts. Shellfish sold in restaurants and retail markets have been tested before distribution and are safe to eat. Check http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/biotoxin.htm or call the DOH Biotoxin Hotline at 1-800-562-5632 before harvesting shellfish anywhere in Washington State. ht/t https://salish-current.org/

COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD

FOUNTAIN PLAZA CONSTRUCTION SAFETY
Improvements to Fountain Plaza resumed this week. As part of the preferred design concept selected through a public process, the big maple tree at the corner of Monroe and Meridian will be removed. Tree removal work will start Monday, May 11. If you plan on coming by the site, please stay on the opposite sides of the streets for your safety and the safety of the workers. Also, please make sure to keep moving to avoid any public gatherings. The decision to remove the tree wasn’t easy. Parks and other City departments spent a lot of time talking about it and coordinating with neighbors and the business district. A certified arborist assessed the tree to determine the long term outlook and help weigh out options back in 2018. The arborist noted heart rot, hollow center, and a life span for another ten or so years. Parks will remove and replace the tree as part of the reconstruction process to avoid future damage to the brand-new plaza. Salvageable wood will be stored at Squalicum Creek Park for future potential projects or artwork. The replacement tree selected is a large, urban-tolerant disease-resistant tree with a distinctive form and texture in a location allowing room for it to grow, thrive and become a part of the next generation of the plaza. The City is also partnering with the Fountain Business Association on the installation of a mural on the side of the building adjacent to the plaza. Please see this link for more information.

https://www.cob.org/gov/projects/Pages/FountainPlaza.aspx

Gina G. Austin, P.E., MSC, Project Engineer
City of Bellingham – Parks Development Division
Phone: (360) 778-7000 / Fax: (360) 778-7001
Email: gaustin@cob.org

MORE FLOUR
Cash and Carry (now SmartFoods on Ohio) has always had flour (organic too) and I just went to Costco today and they too have flour again. ~ Kamarie Chapman,

UPDATE ON MASKS AT GOODS
I plan to drop another 30 off Saturday  by 9am. Information on sizing: There is a little kids size and sm/med/lg. Note Me, my 10 year old and my 49 year old partner all prefer wearing a size small. All of these sizes can do the trick as long as you size the elastic appropriately. Most people seem to prefer medium so I will be supplying a lot of that size. Please hand wash or machine wash your mask before you wear it! Doing a simple hand wash and hang dry before you adjust the size, will work. I leave the knots relatively loose so they can be retied. If you have questions, please feel free to email me!  I am almost out of elastic and it is really hard to find right now so if anyone has a spool of 1/4″ elastic they would like to donate or sell to me I would appreciate it. Take care and thank you for your support and for caring for yourselves! ~ Sarah Guenther lil.bird.salon@gmail.com

MASK MAKER SHOUT-OUT
Debbie Dykas lives over on Illinois Street. She has made over 200 masks just herself. She donated a bunch to the cancer center, naval base, local medical offices, any neighbor who asked her for one. And she still going strong, sewing nearly every day. Thank you Debbie!

HOP-THROUGH PRODUCE IN COLUMBIA
Saturdays 9-1 at 2526 Kulshan street.
Rabbit Fields Farm Skagit Valley organic produce, already bagged. Prices range from $5.00-30.00 Or pre-order online: https://rabbitfields.com/

COYOTE ON LYNN  THURSDAY MORNING
On Lynn near W Illinois at 5:30am. It went back and forth in the front then into our backyard and down the ravine. We have a chunky indoor/outdoor cat luckily she was inside!!!  ~  Teresa Botts, Lynn Street
[We’re definitely keeping Vortex in from dusk till late enough in the morning that lots of people are out and about.  Coyotes, raccoons and owls gotta eat, but preferably not my cat.~ Fl!p]

SIDING OR GENERAL CONTRACTOR?
I am in the process of getting bids to have my house siding replaced. If anyone has recommendations I would be very grateful. ~ Miriam Cisternas, miriam@mgcdata.com

NEIGHBORHOOD POTTERY STAND
AND FREE CLAY ART KITS
With the Bellingham Farmer’s Market closed to crafters right now, we’ve gone rogue! We’ve set up a walk-up pottery stand on our street, selling our pieces that are cosmetic ‘seconds’ – pottery that has a blemish or small flaw or maybe we just didn’t like how it turned out – at half price (or better!) of normal cost. We’re putting out around a dozen pieces each day, from about 8 am to 8 pm. Sometimes I’ll post on Facebook or Instagram a picture of what is on display. We’ve got hand sanitizer at the booth, and payment is on the honor system with Venmo, or there’s a phone number to call or text us to come out for other payment methods.

I’m also restocking our Clay Art Kits as fast as I can! These kits contain some information, a small took kit, and 2 lbs of clay for building and squishing. It’s great for anyone who needs a little hands-on art or something for the kids to do. We aren’t currently ‘firing’ or finishing your creations, but Burnish Clay Studio has resumed drive-by drop off and pick up, and they can bisque fire your art. The Clay Kits are free to pick up and are at the Pottery Stand.  We’re on Vallette, between W. North and Jefferson. Our phone is 360-303-0282. ~ Megan & Jeremy Noet, Blue Water Pottery

https://www.facebook.com/Bluewaterpottery

LOOKING FOR A COUPLE 5-GALLON BUCKETS
I’m hoping someone in the hood has buckets they do not need.  If so, please contact me at penny.chambers@gmail.com.  Thanks! ~ Penny Chambers, Victor Street

EDITOR’S CORNER

SPARE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES
I have a package of 5 singer needles. Any mask makers need them?

NOT EXACTLY A RECIPE
More of a meander. I made Don’t-Waste-It soup! We had some stewing beef in the freezer. The leeks in the garden were beginning to sprout – time to harvest them while they were still edible. Use up what’s here. So I excavated the last cup of barley from the back of a cupboard, borrowed a couple carrots, and played with our new Instant Pot for the first time. Chopped a couple onions. Pulled out some mire poix Zeke had sauteed and frozen a month or so ago. A little salt on the meat, which Zeke sliced across the grain when it was half-thawed, and sauteed in a bit of saved bacon fat. Big handfuls of oven-roasted garlic cloves. Good thing that Zeke and I both believe in garlic as an ingredient not a flavoring! Lots of ground cardamom and a little bit of ground cloves, two bay leaves. Some turkey broth and way more white wine (cheap box stuff from the Grocery Outlet) than I would usually have used (I don’t drink but I do cook with it). Lid on, and pressure cook! Half an hour later, check the barley. It had been in the cupboard a long time. Not soft enough. Another 20 minutes. YES. Chopped lots of parsley & chives from the garden to add some bright green. Sent a potful of soup across the street so Bea wouldn’t have to cook dinner. Ate way too much – I could go to bed now but I’ve gotta get the Update out. Plenty of soup left for tomorrow and maybe a few servings to freeze for I-Don’t-Wanna-Cook days. I may add some sauteed mushrooms from the freezer to the leftover soup for tomorrow. Time to eat down the freezer a little so there’s room for fresh stuff. Comfort food. No photo: the left-overs aren’t worth showing off. I’ve been eating 3” squares of homemade pizza (from the freezer) for breakfast: no tomatoes for this girl, so pesto, parmesan, mozzerella, feta, artichokes, black olives, and LOTS of roasted garlic. I oven-roasted a pound and a half of peeled garlic last month. I’ll need to roast again soon. Zeke and I are eating salad and stir fry from our own garden already. (Gotta get more Pok Choy – the first batch bolted. I’m still learning to garden.) I love staying home even though I miss making music with my friends. I kinda feel like I’m still here with all you readers. Thank you so much for that! (If anyone is headed for Haggens or the Coop this weekend I’d love a few items…)

YOU CAN CLOSE YOUR EYES
James Taylor & his kids sing in close harmony. I needed a little comfort today. How about you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNjHk9Y36u0&feature=youtu.be

Love/Fl!p

Four Deaths Yesterday, Sewing Machines Needed, Fountain Plaza Tree, Lots More

CONTENTS 5/7/2020
Four Coronavirus Deaths Yesterday
Donated Sewing Machines Needed
Update From An Epidemic
Co-op Curbside Pickup Expanding to Weekends
Flour & Yeast
Columbia Neighborhood
Fountain Plaza Tree Farewell
Masks Available
Hop-Through Produce In Columbia
Trigger Warning: Animal Violence
Free Plants
Columbia Kids Ready To Work
New Homebuyers
Graduate Student Needs Living Space

FOUR CORONAVIRUS DEATHS YESTERDAY
They are the county’s first deaths related to COVID-19 since April 28 and bring the total number of deaths to 31.

https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/coronavirus/article242571121.html?

DONATED SEWING MACHINES NEEDED
Additional Sewing machines can be donated at the Makerspace next to Dick’s Sporting Goods at Bellis Fair. They are open from 12-5 pm, M to F. Access is through the back door from the parking lot. Please tape your name and phone number to the machine in case we have any questions. I will cover the cost of tuning up donated machines and then deliver them to new sewers. Requests from new sewers looking for machines can be made to Rud@RudBrowne.com

UPDATE FROM AN EPIDEMIC
I read what Betsy has to say every night, and almost always come away uplifted and a bit more hopeful. This one was particularly reassuring.

https://betsybrownmd.substack.com/p/may-6-2020

WEEKEND CO-OP CURBSIDE PICKUP
Order online with curbside pickup for groceries, produce, deli to-go, and more. It’s a safe and simple method to shop for your groceries and Co-op favorites such as our housemade deli salads and baked goods. The number of pickup times is limited, and pickup is only at the downtown store on Forest Street. Order one morning and pick-up the next afternoon. I try to place my order early in the morning so I make it into the limited spaces.

https://communityfood.coop/curbside-pickup-order-form/

FLOUR & YEAST FEEDBACK
The Bellingham Food Co-op is reported to have flour in bulk most of the time.

——

In response to the flour scarcity, I have found one source that has both flour and yeast. Although the flour is not organic, it is in 25 lb. bags and is bleached, white flour. They also have at times had unbleached white flour in 10 lb. bags. The real score is that they have 1 lb. bags of baking yeast. The store is called Apple Market and is in downtown Mount Vernon. Our Co-op, (Skagit) is still sells flour and has ‘curbside pick-up’ and also senior hours. I haven’t seen their site yet, but you can do your order online. I’ve picked up rye flour and caraway there. You can’t ‘self serve’ from the bulk area, but one of the employees will bag up what you want. (That service is possibly not available online). ~ Dorothy Defremery, Skagit

COLUMBIA NEIGHBORHOOD

FOUNTAIN PLAZA TREE FAREWELL
The big maple tree is coming down this coming Monday, May 11. If you want to tell it goodbye, you’ve got a few days to do that. The decision to remove the tree wasn’t easy. Parks spent a lot of time talking about it. They had a ISA (International Society of Arborists) certified arborist come help determine the long term outlook for the tree, to help weigh their options, back in 2018. The arborist noted heart rot, hollow center, and a life span for another ten or so years. So Parks will remove it as part of the reconstruction to avoid future damage to the brand-new plaza. Salvageable wood will be stored at Squalicum Creek Park for future potential projects and/or artwork. Site preparation started yesterday. The replacement tree selected is a large urban-tolerant disease-resistant tree with a distinctive form and texture in a location allowing room for it to grow, thrive and become a part of the next generation of the plaza. The City is also partnering with the Fountain Business Association on the installation of a mural on the side of the building adjacent to the plaza. See this link for more information.

https://www.cob.org/Documents/parks/Projects/Fountain%20Plaza%20Open%20House%20Results.pdf

MASKS AVAILABLE
Everybody will need at least two masks, and maybe more as our society re-opens. Jane Bryce has sewn a stack of them and would like to make some available. She would like you to donate to the food bank, homeless or children’s meals. First come, first serve, but she’ll set up a wait list as well. She’ll check her email once a day: harmoniousgardens@gmail.com

HOP-THROUGH PRODUCE IN COLUMBIA
Saturdays 9-1 at 2526 Kulshan street. RABBIT FIELDS FARM, Skagit Valley organic produce, already bagged. Prices range from $5.00-30.00 Or pre-order online:

https://rabbitfields.com/

TRIGGER WARNING: ANIMAL VIOLENCE
We found a dead cat in our fenced-in back yard this morning. It was obvious there was a fight because there was fur and flowers scattered around the yard. The cat was our next door neighbor’s. Advice to cat owners would be, keep your cat inside because once they’re outside they become part of the food chain. ~ Carol Blaney, Walnut Street

[Another cat. My heart hurts in sympathy with the cat’s person. That’s two in two days, plus one more that may have had a tangle of some sort and survived it. I keep Vortex inside from dusk to well after daybreak. I wait till there are plenty of people around so that wildlife has retreated for the day. In years past, there have sometimes been new coyote puppies down in the ravine who are being taught to hunt at this time of year. Also, if your pet isn’t chipped, it’s a good time to have it done. Every vet in town will read chips for free if you find a lost pet. Love/Fl!p]

FREE PLANTS

  • Day lilies- smallish flowers, deep rusty color
  • Vinca- a few
  • White Japanese Anemones
  • Love in the Mist
  • Pink Panda strawberry plants that act as a ground cover or in a hanging basket, spreads easily but also easy to remove, they do produce small strawberries that are incredibly fragrant but not overly fruitful

Plants will be off the curb east of the telephone pole. I would be willing to give away more plants if anyone wants to walk around my garden with me. It is time to reduce the crowding. ~ Lorraine Affek, 2325 Eldridge, text/call 360 220 0470

COLUMBIA KIDS READY TO WORK
My daughters are looking for some work to do around the neighborhood! They will mow your lawn, weed eat and blow away the debris. Or would you rather they pull weeds from your garden? Or walk your dogs? Going out of town and need your garden watered or dog watched?

Price is negotiable and anytime of day works for us, since they don’t have school. They do excellent work, but they want to earn more than the scraps that mom and dad pay! Plus, these little over achievers finish their schoolwork and chores and still have lots of free time to fill, so please give them more to do! You can text 360-325-3940 if you’re interested!

Also-they will be masked and gloved and stay 6 ft away from you to get instructions. We prefer Venmo or zelle for payment, so there isn’t an exchange. You can also leave a check in your mailbox though for payment. Just pay whatever you think is fair for what you need them to do. They will be happy with the amount and more importantly, the work to do! Thanks, ~ Bo and Beth McGinty, Williams Street

NEW HOMEBUYERS
My partner and I are looking to purchase our first home in Bellingham. We’re looking for a 2BR or 3BR home in the Columbia neighborhood, or anywhere within bike-commuting distance of downtown. A fixer upper is fine with us, and in fact, preferred! We’re both WWU grads and we have lived in town for over a decade. We put years of TLC into our current rental, including creating an amazing garden, and we can’t wait to do the same in our own home. If you or someone you know is thinking about putting a house on the market this spring, please consider reaching out to us first!  ~ Virginia & Kyle Cleveland

GRADUATE STUDENT NEEDS LIVING SPACE
A person who will begin her graduate studies in Geology at WWU in September needs a place to live. She is moving here from Flagstaff AZ, has a Teaching Assistant position lined up. She is reliable, neat, personable, respectful. She prefers a neighborhood location, not a big apartment complex environment. Her budget is $600 – $650/month, but may have some wiggle room. She doesn’t have pets.  If she could have her own place, that’s preferable.  But would be willing to share, if she had her own room.  She intends to arrive in Bellingham in mid- to late-August for her TA training and general acclimation to The City of Subdued Excitement. If you have ideas or can help, please contact Micki Jackson, micki98226@aol.com, 360 201 7840. Thank you!