Here’s a thought…
“When is the time we all get to eat cake? I don’t want to miss it!”
ANONYMOUS
Tuning out the pandemic | Keep Your Hand On Your Heart by Mia Vermillion
-- from your community -- Our musical community reaches out during an unscheduled pandemic to share their tunes. Because music soothes, centers, distracts us. KEEP YOUR HAND ON YOUR HEART | Mia Vermillion If you have local music you wish to share, send us an MP3 file to editor@theorcasonian.com. Keep ’em
Children’s House keeps playfulness at the fore
-- from Ady Walker for Orcas Island Children's House -- With schools closed to slow the spread of COVID 19, Children’s House continues to support children and families with what we do best -- play. We felt we could help and provide novelty, levity, and hands-on learning materials for children
Guest Opinion | A plea to step up, today
-- from Eleanor Hoague -- We have all been enduring the very real hardships placed on us by the Coronavirus pandemic. Our interactions with other people have been severely limited; we have lost the opportunity to go to sporting or artistic events, or to enjoy a good restaurant meal; in
Food Bank OICF GiveOrcas grant has been fully funded
-- from Orcas Island Food Bank -- Our OICF GiveOrcas Grant Has Been Fully Funded!Thank you, thank you, thank you!As of yesterday, our $25,000 grant request was fully funded by many generous donors like you. We are truly grateful. This grant will help us continue to provide the foods and
New report indicates distancing efforts working and must continue
-- from State Emergency Operations Center, Camp Murray -- A new report suggests physical distancing efforts are working to slow COVID-19 transmission in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties more successfully than earlier anticipated, and individual and household efforts are having a positive impact. The measure of how many new infections a single
Remaining rooted: A sense of place
-- from Brandon Cadwell and Erin Wygant -- When we’re faced with uncertainty, we seek a sense of rootedness. How do we ground ourselves? We might ask, “What is it that gives me a sense of place?” For some, it’s the sweeping views of the OlympicMountains beyond a driftwood-strewn South
San Juan County outlines COVID-19 property tax relief options
-- from San Juan County Communications -- In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, San Juan County Treasurer, Rhonda Pederson, has encouraged those who are able, to pay the full year in April to offset those who will have difficulty making the first half payment. If you have been financially impacted
Mortgage and rental assistance available to Orcas Islanders through OPAL
-- from OPAL Community Land Trust -- Using donations made to the Orcas Island Community Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund, OPAL Community Land Trust is helping islanders who are unable to pay their mortgage or rent. This emergency assistance program is for any islander who has lost income due to COVID-19.
Why are our conifers dying? Master Gardeners schedule online workshop
-- from San Juan Master Gardeners -- Dead and dying conifers have proliferated throughout the Salish Sea area, especially with cedars and hemlocks, causing concern for many property owners. This webinar will talk about why so many trees are dying right now and how to recognize when there’s a problem
Novel Coronavirus | One month in
-- from Hilary Canty for Orcas Island Community Foundation -- The Orcas community response to the Covid pandemic continues to be remarkable. In the first month, thanks to the generous donors who contributed to the Community Emergency Response Fund, families are being housed, fed, and comforted during this time of
Tuning out the pandemic | Tennessee Blues by Bruce Harvie
— from your community — Our musical community reaches out during an unscheduled pandemic to share their tunes. Because music soothes, centers, distracts us. TENNESSEE BLUES | Bruce Harvie If you have music you wish to share, send us an MP3 file to editor@theorcasonian.com. Keep ’em coming! Your community loves your
HOT TOPIC #16 | An insider’s look at the San Juan County COVID Response Team
COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders -- from Brendan Cowan, Department of Emergency Management -- The first thing you need to know is that there are abbreviations for everything. From EOC (Emergency Operations Center) to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to IC (Incident Commander),
These bees a good thing
-- from Dianne Macondray for Master Gardeners -- Screenshot Mason bees are now emerging at the Orcas School and will soon be emerging at the Friday Harbor Middle School, and on Shaw Island, thanks to bee cocoons and nesting materials donated by Master Gardeners. Activities related to food production are
What is COVID-19’s impact on Eastsound water useage?
-- from Paul Kamin for Eastsound Water -- During the first three weeks since Governor Inslee issued a Shelter in Place Order on March 25, there has been a noticeable impact on water use on the Eastsound Water system. The below chart compares 2019 and 2020 water use from March
Inslee announces strategies to reduce number of incarcerated to address COVID-19
-- from Governor Jay Inslee's Office -- As the COVID-19 outbreak continues in Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee announced ... steps to protect the health of incarcerated individuals by focusing on the early release of vulnerable populations, including nonviolent individuals who are due to be released within the coming weeks and months. “This
Pandemic poetry | Praise Song by Barbara Crooker
Praise Song Barbara Crooker Raise the light of late November, the thin sunlight that goes deep in the bones. Praise the crows chattering in the oak trees; though they are clothed in night, they do not despair. Praise what little there’s left: the small boats of milkweed pods, husks, hulls,
