“In the early days of this health crisis I am feeling both shell-shocked and a sense of wonder. Looking out my window, the sun is shining, the flower buds are swelling and everything seems the same. But it isn’t, is it? Yesterday our neighbor and his young son brought over a 17” trout the latter had caught two hours before. This sweet boy stood on our porch, blond and purple hair blowing in the wind, and eyes bright with a fisherman’s pride. He was holding the fish horizontally, so we could all wonder at its beauty.

“He’d also caught two even bigger fish, but he thought this one was the right size for my husband and me. (Actually, I will be freezing half!) His dad had already gutted and cleaned it. This may be local fisherman etiquette. It is hard to be sure. All our neighbors are such good folks. So what has changed? I could not give him a hug, and that makes me feel unbelievably and incredibly sad.

“Yes, these times are hard but much good can come out of it. Families will slow down enough to become closer. We’ll never take a hug for granted. Children will be grateful to go to school. Friendships we value will deepen. We will forget to check political party affiliations as a condition of friendship. Yes, after all the suffering has ended, some good will come out of it.”       Written by Elizabeth Madrigal

Rosauers is offering gift cards to shoppers to be distributed through RSD’s Family Resource Center. Last week Ridgefield shoppers donated 49 gift cards to support families in our community – that’s over $1,200 in groceries for those who need them. Ask at the checkout and they can help.

It’s great to see so many people pulling together during this emergency.

Spring is bursting out all over! Soon our local pollinators will be flying around transferring pollen. Did you know that without bees and other pollinating insects we would have no food? Honey bees are declining because of two mites that infect them so we need to do everything we can to support our bee population.

You can help by putting up nests for native bees. One is the mason bee, shown below.

Mason bee

Mason bees come out earlier than honey bees and they do not sting. They look for narrow crevices to lay their eggs. It’s fascinating to read their story. I have a sheet describing the bees and how to take care of them. Email me at kathywinters179@gmail.com and I’ll send you a copy.

Empty bees nests ready for this year’s occupants

This is one way to store the tubes. Wood blocks also work.

SNOPES SAID THIS INFORMATION WAS INCORRECT, BUT MY FEELING IS IT CAN’T HURT! Deep breathing and drinking a lot of water is always good.

A friend sent me this, and I thought it was well worth passing on. It gives us something positive to do to combat the Coronavirus, and even if it’s not valid, what can it hurt to drink more water during the day? Stay well.

The new NCP coronavirus may not show signs of infection for many days – then how can one know if he/ she is infected? Latest information is that the incubation period may be up to 28 days before the symptoms of COVID-19 are evident. By the time a person has fever and/or cough and goes to the hospital, the lungs are usually 50% fibrosis and it’s too late! Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning: take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stuffiness or tightness, etc., it proves there is no fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicating no infection. In critical times, please self-check every morning in an environment with clean air!

Everyone should ensure your mouth and throat are moist, never dry. Take a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Why? Even if the virus does enter into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through your esophagus and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acids will kill the virus. If you don’t drink enough water more regularly the virus can enter your windpipes and into the lungs. That’s very dangerous.

And remember – drink lots of water.

I welcome input from people about items of interest to FYI readers. Please send them by email (to kathywinters179@gmail.com) at least three days before the event. For some reason my email carrier does not always forward information in a timely manner.

I almost always look at email before 10am, so if your message comes through after that I may not see it until the next morning or even the day after by which time it may be too late.

If you’re attaching a photo it should be in jpg format. PDF’s don’t seem to work. Text should be send as a Word file or in the body of the email.

Carley Meuchel has lived in Ridgefield for 26 years and she is an inspirational speaker/author helping to equip the disabled community to live to the best of their potential. Cerebral palsy left her with limited lower mobility; however her disability hasn’t stopped her from living life to its fullest.

Carley has written a book about her journey, The Wheel Truth, in which she hopes to inspire and equip others to stay positive despite the struggles in life and business; as well as teach the able-bodied community how to share success with us.

Here’s what Carley has to say about how she came to write the book:

‘Starting a business is not easy. Having a disability and starting a business is twice as hard. It took me forever to decide to move forward. The more I thought about it, the more it became clear I had to be open to the possibility that my life was more than my disability and my circumstances.

The truth is I just had to get started. There are so many people willing to help, but I had to speak up and say, “I need help.”
I built a friendship tribe and a business tribe and am living a life with no regrets. I’m on my path to realizing my goals and my dreams.

You can find me here, on Facebook (The Wheel Truth) or on my website carleymeuchel.com’

Someone left this beautiful arrangement of quince blossoms on my front porch yesterday. What a wonderful surprise!

I’d like to thank whoever did it. Was it you?

Today is the deadline for new voter registrations and address updates online!

Boy Scouts will be caroling in downtown Ridgefield tomorrow night (Tuesday) from about 6 to 7:15. Their route will take them from the library to the Ridgefield Living Center, up Pioneer to 4th, down 4th to Division, then on Main to Depot and 1st Avenue. Then they’ll go back to the library for hot chocolate and cookies.

If you see them and come out and wave they’ll stop and sing to you.

The City of Ridgefield is currently accepting applications for Parks Board and Planning Commission members.

The Parks Board is comprised of seven volunteer citizens who advise the City Council on parks planning, parks acquisition, and parks operations and maintenance within the current and future city limits of the City of Ridgefield. The application may be obtained by contacting City Clerk at 360-887-3557, julie.ferriss@ci.ridgefield.wa.us or online: https://ridgefieldwa.us/…/Application-for-Appointment-to-Pa…

The Planning Commission is comprised of seven volunteer citizens who advise the City Council on planning, development and growth issues for the community. The application may be obtained by contacting City Clerk at 360-887-3557, julie.ferriss@ci.ridgefield.wa.us or online: https://ridgefieldwa.us/…/application_for_appointment_to_pl…

Applications must be received no later than 5:00PM on December 6, 2019.

I am replacing my California King-sized down comforter. The down is in good shape, but the fabric covering it needs to be replaced. There’s plenty to make another large comforter, or pillows, or… If you have a use for the down, please give me a call.  360-887-2160.

There’s still a chance to mail in your ballot today. No postage is needed.

Be a good citizen – vote. People in third world countries understand how powerful their vote is and often stand in line in order to vote. I can only hope you feel the same way.

One of the things I like best about living in Ridgefield is the way people have an idea or a dream and then act on it. For example, Frank Shuman had the idea of starting a Main Street Program in Ridgefield. Look what’s happened with that!

Another example from a long time ago – Allene Wodaege and the Cispus Outdoor School, now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Allene was also instrumental in getting Overlook Park built as well as other projects around town.

Bill Bauman started the Green Bag Food Project in 2018 and he tells the story below.

Collecting the green bags full of groceries

The Green Bag Food Project (also known as Ridgefield Neighbors Food Project) started in early 2018. The first collection was in the Wishing Wells neighborhood in February, 2018. We gathered 280 pounds of food.
If you’re not familiar with us, we give willing food donors a green poly shopping bag and suggest they purchase one extra item per week at the grocery store. Then, on the 2nd Saturday of every even month, we come by and pick up the full bag and leave an empty bag for next time.

During 2018, each collection was bigger than the previous and we ended the year having gathered 9,344 pounds of food. The food is donated to our local food pantry, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and the Ridgefield Schools Family Resource Center.

Our last collection was October 12th. We gathered just under 4,100 lbs of food! Our running total for 2019 is 13,470 lbs so far — and we have one more collection on December 14th. Since the Project began in Ridgefield, we have gathered 22,814 lbs of food — that’s 11 tons!

Our thanks go to all the food donors and Neighborhood Coordinators who help make this project a success!

We CAN make a difference, one can of food at a time.

THANK YOU RIDGEFIELD!!

All Saints Episcopal Church has recently begun advertising on my blog. I asked them to do a short write up about their work, and this is what they sent:

Whether your family has lived in Ridgefield for generations or you’re new to Clark County, finding a spiritual home for many families is often a priority. Located a few miles south of the Fairgrounds (the corner of NW 99th Street and 21st Avenue), many Ridgefielders have found that home at All Saints Episcopal Church. Within the traditional elements of Christian faith, All Saints also offers the non-traditional. Members worship and practice their progressive values with inclusiveness, compassion, kindness and love – all core elements immediately evident with a little more information about this parish.

The Rev. Joseph Scheeler, known locally and affectionately as “Father Joe,” is also the drum keeper for Traveling Day Society. He is a gifted storyteller with a great sense of humor, an over-supply of compassion and understanding, and an ability to inspire those on their personal spiritual journey as they maneuver the obstacles in their path.

At All Saints Episcopal Church, children are cherished and always welcome at any event or service. This is further evidenced by a playground, soccer fields, Sunday School offerings and a nursery. This love starts with a sponsored nonprofit, Babies in Need. Its mission is to provide needed items for newborns – layettes, car seats, diaper supplies, quilts, etc. – to help the 25 to 30 babies born each month whose parents are undergoing a very rough patch.

All Saints also sponsors Traveling Day Society, whose members drum for community at public events throughout Clark County. Traveling Day Society provides music and services to hospice patients and their families (always free of charge), as well as immersive Native cultural educational events in local elementary schools. If you would like more information on All Saints Episcopal, Father Joe is happy to meet you. Or if you’d rather, simply show up and introduce yourself! All are welcome.