Tidbits and factoids nourish community in service projects

The national Day of Service on Jan. 19 was a day of fun and camaraderie for those who joined in some of the projects happening on Orcas Island.

Getting things done

About 25 volunteers of all ages showed up at the Orcas Island school to work in the garden just down from the school’s historic maple tree.

It was kind of hard recognizing old friends disguised in our hats and workclothes, but we moved the compost pile and weeded and cultivated the rows in preparation for spring plowing.

Teacher Anne Ford McGrath explained that she and fellow teacher Pam Jenkins like to take their classes out to the garden, but they have a hard time supervising 20-25 kidds at a time, so they could use some help with that.

Community Foundation Executive Director Hilary Canty, event organizer, brought some great gooey chocolate-y cookies for snacks, and Madie Murray, Farm-to-Cafeteria program advocate, brought lattes and sandwiches later on. Orcas Island Education Foundation is funding a Farm-to-Cafeteria position, which the school board is expected to approve at their meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Orcas Island School District board president Janet Brownell mentioned that the state Basic Education Task Force report, which came out last week, lacks needed funding proposals, but said that it did recommend raising the levy lid to 30%, which would help the Orcas school district right away.

Mia Kartiganer asked “What are the risks in taking on the post mistress?” and I told her that the truth is the best defense against slander.
(Originally I’d written that Mia had “asked if I was being sued by the Post Office for my article decrying their lack of accountability in delivering the mail.” Mia corrected my original words, see Comments below.)
Barbara Bentley (pictured above on the left) described her husband, Glenn Prestwick’s combined research-entrepreneurial work in developing natural chemical injections for arthritis relief and healing. Bentley is a biology professor, and her explanations are an ideal model of translating scientific ideas so the layman can understand them. She described the effect of Glenn’s research in promoting healing tissue without adhesions in abdominal surgery as similar to developing one-sided “scotch” tape.

So imagine my surprise when I scoped out a biography by Barbara Bentley, subtitled, “My Life with a Psychopath” at the Natilus Book Awards office, before I realized there could be more than one Barbara Bentley in the world.

But I digress. The Orcas Barbara Bentley had the highest praise for Orcas Island medics who came to her aid when she fell and broke her arm last fall.

As we worked, the sun came out and made a perfect day in the garden — a Goldilocks day, not too cold, not too hot.

In the afternoon, I went to the Historical Museum, where they were also gardening, and helped plant bulbs and weed. (See photo in Jan. 18 post “Upcoming week”). Jean Dickerson gave me a bit of education about the bulbs we were planting — Lord Alfred hybrids from 1889, and John Willis told me of his cousin’s politicking in Kodiak, Alaska, where I used to live. Margot Shaw took pictures and Andrea Cohen invited us into the museum for muffins, tea, coffee and peanut-butter-and-jam brushchetta.

The hot drinks were most welcome as the fog rolled in and the natural wind tunnel of North Beach Road chilled the bones.

After thawing out at home, Patty Monaco and I went to Kaleidoscope where Director Amber Paulson had invited service volunteers to help with the kids. We got there in time to sing “Yankee Doodle” and “Dixie” with Kaleidoscope teacher Margie Crowe and delightful, second-grader Delaney.

Then Patty came back to my home with me and helped me prepare “Memory” from “Cats” which I’ll be singing at the Orcas Idol auditions this Saturday night at the Grange.

I heard on the radio that Martin Luther King Day had been named a Day of Service back in 1994, but to my knowledge, that aspect of it was never promoted until this year.

Hilary Canty, Executive Director for the Community Foundation, suggested that the community join together for a project once a month. I’d like to see more young kids at the historical museum and more boomers and seniors at the school.