THE GRISTLE P.06 + DELICATE BALANCE P.15 + BUSINESS BRIEFS P.22

MUSIC MISSIVELet's get creative P.16

EASY WATCHINGMovies to survive the plague P.18

PANTRY PARTYCooking during a quarantine P.23

Read all about it! P.10FICTION101

c a s c a d i aREPORTING FROM THE HEART OF CASCADIAWHATCOM*SKAGIT*SURROUNDING AREAS

03-18-2020 • ISSUE: 12 • V.15

2

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

D

O IT

2

THISWEEK

WEDNESDAY [03.18.20]

DANCECatapult: 7pm, Mount Baker Theatre (canceled)

GET OUTGroup Run: 6pm, Skagit Runners, Mount Vernon La Conner Daffodil Festival: Through March 31, Skagit Valley

WORDSSue C. Boynton Poetry Contest: Submissions accepted through March 31, open to all Whatcom County residents Creekside Open Mic: 6pm-8pm, South Whatcom Library, Sudden Valley (canceled)

COMMUNITYUndiscovered Feminists of Washington: 7pm, Anacortes Public Library (canceled)

THURSDAY [03.19.20]ONSTAGE Good, Bad, Ugly: 7:30pm, Upfront Theatre (canceled)Saga of the Volsungs: 7:30pm, Sylvia Center for the Arts (canceled) Improv Mashup: 9:30pm, Upfront Theatre (canceled)

DANCEFolk Dance: 7pm-9:30pm, Fairhaven Library (canceled)

WORDS Meet the Poets: 4:30pm-6:30pm, Seaport Books, La Conner (canceled)PJ Beaven: 7pm, Village Books (canceled)

FRIDAY [03.20.20]ONSTAGE Guys and Dolls: 7pm, Lynden High School (canceled) Genre Legends: 7:30pm, Upfront Theatre (canceled)Saga of the Volsungs: 7:30pm, Sylvia Center for the Arts (canceled)

MUSIC Gina Williams: 7:30pm, Firehouse Arts and Events Center (canceled)

WORDSGwen Overland: 4pm, Village Books, Lynden (canceled) Christine Hemp Smith: 7pm, Village Books (canceled)

COMMUNITYLet’s Talk About Race: 3pm, Deming Library (canceled)

GET OUTNorth Cascades Ruck: 8am-5pm, Superstar Hall, Sedro-Woolley Dandy Daffodil Tweed Ride: 9am-2pm, La Conner and beyond Cultivating Dahlias Workshop: 11am, Christian-son’s Nursery, Mount Vernon

FOOD Pancake Breakfast: 8am-11am, Ferndale Senior Center (canceled)Third Saturday Market: 10am-3pm, Depot Market Square (canceled) Meet Your Farmer CSA Fair: 1pm-4pm, Farm-strong Brewing Co., Mount Vernon (canceled)Distillery Tour and Tasting Flight: 2pm, Chucka-nut Bay Distillery Wine Tasting: 2pm-4pm, Seifert & Jones Wine Merchants (canceled)

SUNDAY [03.22.20] ONSTAGESmell of the Kill: 2pm, Bellingham Theatre Guild (canceled) The Music Man: 2pm, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon (canceled) Guys and Dolls: 3pm, Lynden High School (can-celed) Scandalous Sundays Charity Drag Show: 9:30pm, Rumors Cabaret

MUSICGina Williams: 7:30pm, Firehouse Arts and Events Center (canceled)

WORDSAbbe Rolnick: 4pm, Village Books (canceled)

GET OUTRabbit Ride: 8am, Fairhaven Bicycle Trail Work Party: 9am-3pm, Blanchard Mountain

FOOD Langar: 11am-2pm, Guru Nanak Gursikh Gurdwara, Lynden (canceled)

MONDAY [03.23.20]ONSTAGEGuffawingham: Most Mondays at 9pm, Firefly Lounge (canceled)

COMMUNITYWashington’s Undiscovered Feminists: 7pm, Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall (canceled)

FOODCommunity Soup Kitchen: 6pm-7pm, Little Cheerful Cafe

TUESDAY [03.24.20]GET OUTAll-Paces Run: 6pm, Fairhaven Runners

A brief overview of this week’s happenings

At press time, one-woman entertainment industry dynamo Gina Williams still had shows

scheduled March 21-22 at the Firehouse Arts and Events Center featuring the music of Whitney Houston. (canceled)

Smell of the Kill: 7:30pm, Bellingham Theatre Guild (canceled) The Music Man: 7:30pm, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon (canceled) Dynamic Duos: 9:30pm, Upfront Theatre (canceled)

MUSIC East Coast Dave and the Midwest Swingers: 7pm-9pm, Thousand Acre Cider House (canceled)

WORDSFamily Story Night: 7pm, Fairhaven Library (canceled)

GET OUTWild Things: 9:30am-11am, every Friday through March at Whatcom Falls Park

Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival: Through Sunday, throughout Blaine (canceled)

SATURDAY [03.21.20]ONSTAGE Guys and Dolls: 7pm, Lynden High School (canceled) Genre Legends: 7:30pm, Upfront Theatre (canceled)Saga of the Volsungs: 7:30pm, Sylvia Center for the Arts (canceled) Smell of the Kill: 7:30pm, Bellingham Theatre Guild (canceled) The Music Man: 7:30pm, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon (canceled) Dynamic Duos: 9:30pm, Upfront Theatre CALENDAR@CASCADIAWEEKLY.COM

The black comedy The Smell of the Kill, which was scheduled to open Fri., March 20 and continue through April 5 at the Bellingham Theatre Guild, has been postponed until further notice.

3

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

1200 11th St, Bellingham, WA360.671.2626 • Open Daily

& 430 Front St, Lynden, WA - Stop by!

VILLAGEBOOKS.COM

We Have PUZZLES & CRAFT SUPPLIES!

Only 99 cents per shipment

for all the books you want.

Village Books Live Events, Book Groups, and Writing Groups have been postponed/cancelled

through March 31. Watch villagebooks.com for updates and other changes.

Shop 24/7 at VillageBooks.com

TIME TO READ!Hot new titles plus those classics you’ve

been meaning to find time for.

SUDOKU, Crosswords, MEDITATION, Cookbooks, Poetry, Activity Books,

magazines & more...

During the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you've changed your daily habits, but still want to support your favorite spots and the people who work there, try one (or all!) of these ways to help.

Support your regular businesses by buying gift cards to use at a later date. Purchase online, or over the phone.

BUY A GIFT CARD

SUPPORT SMALLBUSINESSES

Does your favorite small business o�er online retail? Making a digital purchase is a simple,

straightforward way to support a local store.

SHOP ONLINE

www.downtownbellingham.com

Some businesses might be o�ering temporary services like curbside pick-up or home delivery. Follow their social media or sign up for newsletters to get updates.

CONNECT ALTERNATIVELY

AMAZING BAY VIEWS

AWARD-WINNING DINING

18-HOLE GOLF COURSE

98 SMOKE-FREE ROOMS

Explore More

GAMING | DINING | EVENTS | GOLF | LODGE

1.888.288.8883In an abundance of caution, Swinomish Casino & Lodge has temporarily suspended operations. Please follow us on Facebook and visit SWINOMISHCASINOANDLODGE.COM for updates.

4

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

M

AIL

4

mail

©2020 CASCADIA WEEKLY (ISSN 1931-3292) is published each Wednesday by Cascadia Newspaper Company LLC. Direct all correspondence to: Cascadia Weekly PO Box 2833 Bellingham WA 98227-2833 | Phone/Fax: 360.647.8200 info@cascadiaweekly.comThough Cascadia Weekly is distributed free, please take just one copy. Cascadia

Weekly may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Any person removing papers in bulk from our distribution points risks prosecutionSUBMISSIONS: Cascadia Weekly welcomes freelance submissions. Send material

to either the News Editor or A&E Editor. Manuscripts will be returned if you include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. To be considered for calendar list-ings, notice of events must be received in writing no later than noon Wednesday the week prior to publication. Photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by stamped, self-addressed envelope.

ContactCascadia Weekly: 360.647.8200

AdvertisingSales Manager:Stephanie Young ext 1 sales@ cascadiaweekly.com

EditorialEditor & Publisher: Tim Johnson ext 3 editor@ cascadiaweekly.com

Arts & Entertainment Editor: Amy Kepferle ext 2 calendar@ cascadiaweekly.com

Music Editor: Carey Ross music@ cascadiaweekly.com

ProductionArt Director: Jesse Kinsman jesse@ kinsmancreative.com

Design:Bill Kamphausen

Advertising Design:Roman Komarov roman@ cascadiaweekly.com Send all advertising materials to

ads@cascadiaweekly.com

DistributionDistribution Manager:Erik Burge distribution@ cascadiaweekly.com

Whatcom: Erik Burge, Stephanie Simms

Skagit: Linda Brown, Barb Murdoch

LettersSEND LETTERS TO LETTERS@CASCADIAWEEKLY.COM

NEWSPAPER ADVISORY GROUP: Robert Hall, Seth Murphy, Michael Petryni, David Syre

TOC LETTERS STAFF

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CORONAWe find ourselves in unchartered territories.

We are all in this together, say our appointed leaders. This shared crisis will eventually make us stronger and bring us together.

Sounds like a lot of old cliches, doesn’t it? But then, they wouldn’t be cliches unless they had some longstanding traction.

So, here’s another one, courtesy of John Len-non: “Love is the answer.”

Love takes many forms and serves many purpos-es. It can be intensely personal; the powerful qual-ity of being with, supporting, caring for friends and family. Love has social dimensions, informing our interactions with those we meet, how we re-late, how we behave, how we accommodate each other’s needs, how we listen, how we care.

Love also has political dimensions; the ways we respond to crises like this virus. Governments and other public agencies, at their best, respond with love and human compassion as their prime motivations; looking out for the common good, caring for those most in need.

Love is the answer, in all of its dimensions. Live it. Practice it. Insist that love be your and our main motivation going forward through this current cri-sis, because surely there will be more to come.

—Thom Harron, Bellingham

PLANNING FOR COVID-19Whatcom County and Belligham currently stand

at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in our community. This affords us the opportunity to implement the measures that will be needed in the near future to combat this disease. These include,

1. Testing and isolation facilities for the home-less: What isolation facilities will be made avail-able? Are you looking at the abandoned motel(s) along Samish Way or other venues? What sites are being considered to facilitate testing of the home-less population? Perhaps the Lighthouse Mission could coordinate testing at their drop-in shelter.

2. Increasing the number of hospital beds avail-able: Is it possible to reactivate the PeaceHealth Facility on East Chestnut Street? Are other facili-ties being prepared for the increase in patients requiring intensive care? Are you creating a stock-pile of needed medical supplies and equipment?

3. Closure of all businesses except grocery stores and pharmacies: At what point do you in-tend to implement these restrictions? At what point will you recommend that people remain at home except for essential travel?

I would strongly suggest that city and county governments create a task force of government and stakeholder organizations to coordinate and plan the next phase of our response. I would like to em-

THE GRISTLE P.06 + DELICATE BALANCE P.15 + BUSINESS BRIEFS P.22

MUSIC MISSIVELet's get creative P.16

EASY WATCHINGMovies to survive the plagueP.18

PANTRY PARTYCooking during a quarantineP.23

Read all about it! P.10FICTION101

Read all about it!FICTION

c a s c a d i aREPORTING FROM THE HEART OF CASCADIAWHATCOM*SKAGIT*SURROUNDING AREAS

03-18-2020 • ISSUE: 12 • V.15

THISWEEK

Views & News04: Mailbag

06: Gristle and Views

07: Best of Skagit ballot

08: Last week’s news

09: Police blotter, Index

Arts & Life10: Fiction 101

15: Delicate Balance

16: Let’s get creative

18: Movies to survive the plague

Rear End19: Free Will, Advice Goddess

20: Sudoku, Comics

21: Crossword

22: Business Briefs

23: Cooking during a pandemic

COVER: Illustration by

Angel Boligan

A day after saying farewell to the New England Patriots in a series of posts on social media and ending his 20-year run with the football team where he played in a record nine Super Bowls, quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly set to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 42-year-old athlete’s deal with the NFC South team is worth around $30 million.

5

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

M

AIL

4

phasize that it’s not a question of if these measures will become necessary but when.

—Brooks Collins, Bellingham

PERSPECTIVE ON CORONAVIRUS

I wanted to provide some perspective on this COVID crisis. The nation seems to be in a total panic about something we have little control over. January 21 is when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the United States. By March 12, there have been 1,215 cases confirmed and 36 deaths confirmed in the United States.

The following numbers are approxi-mate based on national data bases:

Since January 21 to date there have been: Approximately 4,590 deaths in vehicle accidents, many related to DUI; approximately 5,000 deaths due to drug overdoses; approximately 13,000 deaths due to gun violence. Seems to me these other deaths could have been addressed sooner, don’t you think?

Let’s put this thing into perspective with other crises that we face. Yes, take precautions but let’s keep our heads and work as a community to address this crisis.

I plan to look where I can help my neighbors through this. I’ll support the health care system where I can. Most im-portantly, I will remember those classic words from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Don’t Panic.

—Doug Banner, Bellingham

SUPPORT LOCALBuying local is more important than

ever right now. As people are scooping up supplies and everything they can get their hands on from Big Box stores local businesses are struggling.

If you have not stepped foot into one of your local merchants recently I would encourage you to do so. You will likely see valiant efforts to communicate that they are taking your safety seriously and anxious to provide you service. You may also see that there are far fewer people in there shopping.

These our our neighbors that provide those eclectic goods that make your town a great place. Restaurants, bookstores, en-tertainment, elective spending places, etc. that enrich our lives are being hit hard.

I see some local business offering de-livery and mail service for their goods. Talk with them and see how you can con-tinue to show your support.

These options may cost a little more than buying a thousand of something at Costco, but this will also help ensure that these businesses will still be there when this blows over.

I implore you to find a safe way to continue to support you local busi-nesses. Make someone’s day with a sig-nificant purchase at you favorite shop. Maybe buy a big gift card to show your support even if you don’t need anything

from them right now. Amazon is rich enough and driving sales in that direc-tion does not support the towns and neighbors we love.

We would hate to go into hibernation only to come out the other side with ev-erything we love gone and only have a giant pile of toilet paper from Costco to help fill the void in our lives.

—Rhett Winter, Bellingham

A ROSE, BY ANY OTHER NAMEWhat a pleasure to see the League of

Women Voters’ “52 Women” piece citing Kitty Stimpson’s many contributions to Bellingham, Whatcom County, and in fact to the entire US of A.

For a time during the 1980s I called myself her gardener, working for an hour-ly wage to maintain the beauty of what must have been a full acre of flowering shrubs, trees, and garden beds surround-ing her home on South Hill.

In the early ’80s I was involved in a citizen protest against Chicago Bridge and Iron, the multinational that wanted to build offshore oil-drilling rigs at Cherry Point. Kitty engaged me seriously about my motives, causing me to hone my argu-ments and rethink aspects of the cause. She treated my pronouncements with re-spect, asking intelligent questions to walk all around the subject with me. Our dis-cussions went on for many weeks, as did Whatcom County’s Environmental Impact hearings, before I learned, from Kitty, that her brother was the guy who’d originally sold that Cherry Point property to CBI! Still, I think she was as relieved as I was when another Governor, Dan Evans, helped turn CBI’s Cherry Point project away.

She was a model of civic and cultural involvement to me and to many other women in our town.

Thank you to the LofWV for remember-ing her.

—Susan Wickersham, Bellingham(edited for length)

Marie BjornsonTeam

*Fairway is not affiliated with any government agencies. These materials are not from HUD or FHA and were not approved by HUD or a government agency. Copyright©2018 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. NMLS#2289.4750 S. Biltmore Lane, Madison, WI 53718, 1-866-912-4800. All rights reserved. This is not an offer to enter into an agreement. Not all customers will qualify. Information, rates and programs are subject to change without notice. All products are subject to credit and property approval. Other restrictions and limitations may apply. Equal Housing Lender.

Marie Bjornson - Certified Mortgage PlannerReverse Mortgage Planner, CPA, CMPS , NMLS #111765

360-676-9600 | Marieb@Fairwaymc.comwww.wa-mortgage.com | 112 Prospect StreetLouise and Marie

HOME LOANS AND REFINANCE

A more educated, more motivated, and more confident home buying experience.

After much deliberation, we have decided to close Northwood Casino to the public due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The closure is effective at 1pm, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, and will be in effect until at least March 31. We will reevaluate at that time.

While we have always striven to maintain a clean and safe environment at the casino, we agree with our state and federal governments that it is best for all, and especially those who are immune compromised, to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, and to practice a more severe level of social distancing.

We also had to take the health of our employees into consideration, and are doing everything we can to help support those who will not be able to work during this time.

It is our sincere hope that our guests remain safe and healthy during this difficult time. Please practice safe-distancing and frequent hand-washing, and please stay home if you feel sick.

We hope to welcome our guests back as soon as it is safe -- we’ll miss you, and wish you all the best!

We Want To Do Our Part To Keep Washington Safe

9750 Northwood Road • Lynden WA www.northwoodcasino.com • 877.777.9847

LYNDEN

BIRCH BAY

DRAYTONHARBOR

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA1599

55

BLAINE

ALDERGROVE

BELLINGHAM

8 AVE

E BADGER RD NORTHWOOD RD

GUIDE MERIDIAN RD

N

DEAR READERSThis is a very difficult moment to be an

Arts & Entertainment newspaper.Our very mission is to connect readers

with public events and entertainment readers may enjoy, and the majority of our advertising and revenues support that promotion. We pride ourselves on keeping the community informed. All of that is in jeopardy with the threat of the coronavirus crisis (COVID-19).The majority of our revenue has

vanished overnight, and many of the businesses and providers we support are in distress. The collapse of this healthy and robust entertainment community has been abrupt—and frightening.We appreciate your support. And please

join us to wish we all remain healthy and that those who are suffering get well soon.

6

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

V

IEW

S 6

OUR COMMUNITY is gripped by an unprecedented challenge with the outbreak of COVID-19. As the pan-demic evolves, we have moved from initial awareness to confirmed local presence to a robust regional re-sponse. Locally, the Whatcom County Health Department is the lead agency. The City of Bellingham has joined the Health Department, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management, Peace Health and local Tribal leaders in a Unified Command.

Unified Command is a nationally utilized management structure that brings together the leaders of all in-volved organizations to coordinate an effective response. Our commu-nity is concerned about more than public health. The Unified Command is working to address comprehensive issues including financial impacts to local businesses and workers who are temporarily unemployed, serving people who are experiencing home-lessness, providing childcare and nutrition, and more.

While the City of Bellingham is an active participant in addressing these countywide issues with the Unified Command, we are simulta-neously working to address issues specific to city operations and services. Priorities specific to the City of Bellingham include ensuring public health and safety, assisting in the protection of our communi-ty’s most vulnerable, and position-ing Bellingham for economic and community recovery.

The city’s paramount duty is en-suring public health and safety. I have directed staff to prioritize po-lice and fire services and water and wastewater services. In response to mandates made by Governor Inslee to limit group gatherings, the city is currently physically staffed with

only essential employees to provide these prioritized services.

I have directed that City Hall re-main open with only the Finance cashier and the restrooms open to the public. All other front counter staff have been directed to work remotely. Additionally, all non-essential meetings and events have been cancelled or postponed through April 30. A list of cancella-tions and postponements is avail-able on the city’s website.

When it comes to protecting our community’s most vulnerable, those individuals in the highest risk cate-gories (over age 60 with underlying health conditions) should remain in their homes if at all possible for their own protection. For those members of our community who are unsheltered, I have directed city staff to work with Unified Command to stand up an emergency, short-term shelter to create more room for social distancing and to provide access to care.

To avoid displacement from eco-nomic hardship I have directed my staff to prepare near-term protec-tive measures including an expan-sion of our existing residential rental assistance program and consideration of an emergency or-dinance to provide protection for renters who are unable to pay rent due to loss of income because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

It is important that the City of Bellingham be poised to lead our

community in recovery efforts. I have been in contact with the Governor’s office and Congressman Larsen on the economic impacts this outbreak is having on our community.

I know that recent actions to close bars, restaurants and other places of social gathering will cre-ate an enormous economic burden for business owners and employees. Our state and federal government will be leading the efforts to pro-vide economic relief to businesses and workers affected by this clo-sure, but the City of Bellingham will continue to push for the funding we need and provide input on funding prioritization and allocation.

Please remember local businesses and nonprofits by purchasing gift certificates for later use and mak-ing donations if you can.

We are actively advancing solu-tions as fast as we can. As we con-tinue into this uncharted territory, I will do my best to regularly commu-nicate with you. Every effort we are making today is in support of slowing the spread of this virus so that we do not overwhelm our nation’s intensive care facilities, reserving life-saving care for those most at risk.

Bellingham joins other commu-nities around the nation to do our part to adhere to recommendations made by public health officials. Our community’s success will be deter-mined to the very greatest extent by how we individually adhere to their precautions. I commend those in our community who are taking this threat seriously and helping their neighbors. We will get through this together.

Seth Fleetwood is mayor of Bellingham.

THE GRISTLE

VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF CASCADIA WEEKLY

viewsYOUR VIEWS THE GRISTLE

BY SETH FLEETWOOD

Unified CommandCITY GATHERS RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS

AN EVOLVING CRISIS: The economy of Cascadia was upended this week as hundreds of small local busi-nesses closed their doors as a means to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Many of these businesses operate on a very thin margin in-deed; and some may be gone for good, a huge loss to the local community.

Governor Jay Inslee joined a growing number of governors ordered a partial shut down of their state economies to limit the spread of the coronavirus. On Monday, Inslee announced an emergency proc-lamation that mandates an immediate two-week closure of all restaurants, bars, and entertainment and recreational facilities, as well as additional limits on large gatherings. The new orders go into effect immediately and remain in place until March 31, earliest.

The announcement comes after the recent spike in numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state and across the country, and touched off a firestorm of concerns in the local economy among business owners and their employees who may be facing weeks of closure.

“While the number of lab-confirmed cases in Whatcom County are relatively low, there is evi-dence of increasing spread of COVID-19 in our com-munity, Whatcom County Health Dept. spokesper-son Melissa Morin warned. “There is currently risk to all community members of being exposed to COVID-19, which is increased in a public setting or large gathering.”

“If we are living a normal life, we are not doing our jobs as Washingtonians,” Inslee said at a press conference. “We cannot do that anymore. We need to make changes, regardless of size. All of us need to do more. We must limit the number of people we come in contact with. This is the new normal.”

Inslee made the announcement in Seattle with King County Executive Dow Constantine and other local and health leaders via streaming and telephone to practice social distancing measures.

“This is bigger than all of us, and I am fully confi-dent that Washingtonians will rise to this challenge to get back to a normal state of our life as soon as humanly possible,” Inslee said at a news conference. “But all of us have to recognize for the next several weeks, normal is not in our game plan.”

Inslee said he recognized that “enormous eco-nomic implications and social disruptions” will oc-cur because of the closures, but he said that in the coming days work would be done to minimize those challenges.

“But today we know we are doing this for a simple reason, to save lives of our loved ones in Washington,” he said. “Hours count. It’s not that weeks count, hours count. So we need very strong measures to reduce the extent and pace of this infestation.”

Inslee announced the two-week ban on any food or beverage service, regardless of location, that provides or allows on-site consumption. The ban will not apply to grocery stores and pharmacies, but includes restaurants, coffee shops, bars and taverns, and other places where large numbers of people gather. Takeout, delivery and drive-thru food and beverage services are not banned under the proclamation.

7

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

V

IEW

S 6

PEOPLE & PLACES, BEST... Artist _____________________________

Attorney ___________________________

Band ______________________________

Bartender __________________________

Realtor ____________________________

Trail ______________________________

News Story _________________________

ENTERTAINMENT, BEST... Place to Hear Live Music ______________

___________________________________

Theater ____________________________

Gallery ____________________________

Music Festival ______________________

Place to Play Cards/Slots _____________

___________________________________

Place for a First Date _________________

___________________________________

SERVICES & COMMERCE, BEST... Salon/Barbershop ___________________

___________________________________

Clothing Store ______________________

Auto Repair ________________________

Grocery Store _______________________

Local Bank/Credit Union ______________

___________________________________

Auto Dealer ________________________

___________________________________

Bike Store __________________________

Gym ______________________________

Tattoo Shop ________________________

___________________________________

Yoga Studio ________________________

Massage ___________________________

FOOD & DRINK, BEST... Tap House __________________________

Deli _______________________________

Coffeeshop _________________________

Asian _____________________________

Sushi ______________________________

Brewery ___________________________

Lunch ____________________________

Vegetarian _________________________

Happy Hour ________________________

Breakfast __________________________

Pizza ______________________________

Bakery ____________________________

Italian ____________________________

Mexican ___________________________

Margarita __________________________

Patio ______________________________

Fine Dining _________________________

Seafood ___________________________

Bloody Mary ________________________

DIRECTIONS: Include at least 10 categories Ballots due: Friday, April 10, 2020. Mail to

Cascadia Weekly, PO Box 2833, Bellingham WA 98227-2833 or vote online at

www.cascadiaweekly.com/bos

Name ______________________________________ City ____________________________

Email or Phone _____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

OF S K A G I T 2 0 20

BEST

Cascadia Weekly is distributed at over 500 locations in Whatcom,

Skagit and surrounding areas.

Ask about our Media Kitsales@cascadiaweekly.com

THE GRISTLECollege and higher education cam-

pus dining halls are banned from providing on-site dining, but may provide take-out and delivery op-tions. On-site food service and other related activities are permitted for childcare services and school-based food programs.

In his order, Inslee also included en-tertainment, leisure and non-essential services such as theaters, gyms and fitness centers, libraries and art gal-leries. The order could prohibit events of crowds of 50 or larger.

Other states have also moved to implement similar measures. Califor-nia Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday called for all bars, wineries, night-clubs and brewpubs to close in the nation’s most populous state. The governors of Ohio, Massachusetts and Illinois also ordered bars and restau-rants to shutter.

Local governments continue to scramble to respond to the public health crisis, taking steps to ensure the most vulnerable populations re-ceive care.

Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood signed a proclamation of local emer-gency on March 12. Ferndale Mayor Greg Hansen followed with a similar order March 15.

“We have been operating under a state of emergency at various levels for over two weeks,” Hansen said in a press release. “Issuing this proclama-tion now is really an administrative step to allow the City to be more re-sponsive and effective at meeting this crisis,” said Hansen. “This declaration will allow the City to expedite the pur-chase of needed supplies, change rules related to the use of sick leave, utilize online options for public meetings, change hours of operation at City Hall, or institute flexible work schedules for employees who need it.”

“Local and regional case and contact investigations indicate that people are being infected without contact to a known case and in people without a travel history,” Morin confirmed. “This and other evidence tells us that there are far more underlying cases in the community than the known lab-con-firmed cases.”

“I am proud of how Washingto-nians have stepped up and worked together,” Inslee said. “I know we still have long days ahead, but I know that together we will prevail and be a stronger state as a result. We will get through this together and life will return to normal, but the steps we are taking now will help us get back to normal sooner.”

8

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

CU

RR

ENTS

8

03.12.20

THURSDAYBellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood declares a health emergency in response

to the presence of novel coronavirus in Whatcom County. The mayor’s office believes the proclamation will allow a nimble response to the changing situation presented by the COVID-19 outbreak as departments can enter into emergency contracts and take other actions quickly. The city is also cancelling non-es-sential events and meetings involving more than 10 people through the end of April. The City of Mount Vernon has also declared a health emergency. [COB]

Bellingham City Council agrees to continue meeting as scheduled but will only conduct essential city business at their meetings. Presentations and non-essential items are postponed through the end of April. The Council will reevaluate the situation at the end of March to see if this timeline should be extended. [COB]

Gov. Jay Inslee expands his order to close schools in selected counties to include all K-12 schools statewide for the next six weeks. Inslee said the virus in Washington has reached a tipping point where long-term school closure is within the public health’s best interest. With the levels of testing available, officials are seeing the number of confirmed cases within the Puget Sound area double every five to seven days, and Inslee said he doesn’t expect this to slow down any time soon. Schools will not reopen until April 24. [Office of Governor]

Lummi Nation recommends residents cancel their plans to travel outside Whatcom County. The Lummi Heath Dept. reports they have seen cases within the Lummi community where people who travel outside of the county have returned after possible exposure to COVID-19. [Lummi Nation]

03.13.20

FRIDAYAfter several weeks of delay, and the collapse of U.S. markets, President

Donald Trump declares a national emergency—“two very big words,” the president said. “This will unlock additional resources and authorities for states like Washington on the front lines of this crisis,” Gov. Jay Inslee announced in response. “I am hopeful the president’s actions today will provide the as-sistance I asked for to help the workers, businesses, families and communities that are being impacted across Washington state.” [Office of Governor]

“Those of us from states where COVID-19 is hitting early know that more resources, tools and flexibility are critically needed right now,” U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said in a statement. “This declaration will free up more than $50 billion in federal resources for states and local communities fighting

The

Week that WasBY TIM JOHNSON

MARCH12-15

the COVID-19 outbreak on the front lines. It will allow Washington hospitals more flexibil-ity to care for COVID-19 patients and expand critical testing to meet the medical needs as a result of the pandemic.” [U.S. Senate]

A short but intense 60-day legislative session ends with lawmakers taking action on a number of the governor’s priorities, in-cluding more than $170 million for services

to address the state’s homeless crisis. The Legislature also provided funds for crucial transportation needs; approved changes to a Boeing tax incentive that will help the state avoid international tariffs; took some steps on legislation to address climate change; and passed bills that will improve social equity statewide. [Washington State Legislature]

While others struggle in a crisis, What-com County Sen. Doug Ericksen proudly an-nounces he has submitted a bill that would entirely negate the work of the 2020 Leg-islature. It is widely expected the Ferndale Republican’s fatuous bill will achieve noth-ing. [Washington State Legislature]

03.15.20

MONDAYFerndale Mayor Greg Hansen declares a

state of emergency related to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. The proclamation allows the City of Ferndale to modify policies and pro-cedures so that the city can move quickly and efficiently to address the issues arising from this virus outbreak. [City of Ferndale]

A student at Western Washington Uni-versity has tested positive for COVID-19. According to a WWU campus advisory sent Monday, the Whatcom County Health De-partment confirmed the 20 year-old woman lives off-campus in Bellingham. As of Tues-day, five cases of the virus were reported in Whatcom County. [WWU]

LAST WEEK’S

NEWS

COVID-19 CONCERNS

“Don’t come.” British Columbia’s health officers issued a stark warning to would-be visitors thinking of traveling north from the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: “Don't come.” Health Minister Adrian Dix and Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry urged Americans to stay away from the province minutes after Prime Min-ister Justin Trudeau said Canada would close its borders to all foreign citizens except those from the United States. Washington is one of the states hardest hit by COVID-19. As of Monday, the state had seen 42 deaths and nearly 800 cases in regions only a few hours away from the northern border.

NORTHWEST PASSAGES

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the state-wide vote in Washington’s vote-by-mail Democratic presidential primary, maintaining the narrow lead he’s held over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders since last week. Biden’s victory means he won five of the six states that voted last week—Washington, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, and Idaho. In Washington, Biden led by more than 21,000 votes after more than 2.2 million votes were counted, and was winning in 25 of the state’s 39 counties. Of the state’s 89 pledged delegates, only 31 are allocated based on the statewide result. The remaining 58 are determined based on the results of the state’s 10 congressional districts.

9

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

CU

RR

ENTS

8

FUZZ BUZZFINGER-LICKING BADOn March 4, Bellingham Police learned a man was at a downtown restaurant touching prepared food after licking his fingers.

FICTION 101On March 6, Bellingham Police found a burning notebook that had been set ablaze inside of a Portapotty.

BARE NECESSITIESOn March 6, prosecutors dismissed charges against four athletes from the university’s track team, who were charged with public indecency after running na-ked on campus in January. The runners were placed under arrest after a witness told police she saw them running naked near the Wade King Student Recreation Center. When questioned by police, the runners were apologetic, and said they ran naked as part of a dare. After their arrest, the runners were suspended from the track team. “We realize that perhaps proceeding forward wasn’t in the best interest of anybody,” a public defender confessed to the judge.

On March 7, Bellingham Police took a naked and incoherent person to the hos-pital for evaluation.

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCEOn Feb. 22, a Blaine resident told police that while walking her dog, an unknown man reached out from underneath a ve-hicle and grabbed the woman’s leg. The woman’s dog then bit the man’s arm. The woman then walked up to a U.S. Border Patrol agent to report the incident. Of-ficers did not locate anyone in the area suffering a dog bite and no one called to report being bitten.

REMOTE SEEINGOn March 7, Bellingham Police checked on a local man who had been calling Spo-kane County 911 dispatch and making comments that he is a Remote Seer and could see other activities. Due to the number of calls made to that 911 center, Bellingham officers were asked to check his welfare.

HIGH VOLTAGEOn March 15, Bellingham Police checked on an intoxicated transient who was harassing power-line workers. Officers deescalated the man.

On March 16, Bellingham Police assisted

an intoxicated bicyclist who had collided into a power company service truck.

ROAD RAGESOn Feb. 24, a Blaine business owner called police to report a man was acting strangely on his property and thought the male was possibly high on drugs or had a mental illness. “The suspect ran away, flagged down a car, and drove off before law enforcement could speak with him,” police reported.

On Feb. 24, Blaine Police learned a man was causing a disturbance on Peace Por-tal Drive. “The man, known to police to have mental health issues, was shouting loudly at passerby's and blocking traf-fic,” police reported. Officers spoke with the man, who agreed to go home and stay out of the roadway in the future.

On Feb. 26, Blaine Police learned a person was standing on the side of the road and appeared to be under the in-fluence of something. A police officer located the person and contacted them to see if they needed any help. The per-son refused and medical or any other kind of assistance.

PHANTOM FIREARMSOn Feb. 28, a Blaine resident reported a suspicious man was walking down the sidewalk carrying a rifle on his back. The police attempted to locate the subject but had negative results.

TOSSERSOn March 3, a protestor at Planned Par-enthood reported someone threw ice on him, Bellingham Police reported.

On March 7, a group of protestors at Planned Parenthood told Bellingham Po-lice that a passerby threw an unknown liquid on them.

On March 13, eggs were thrown in the general direction of protestors at Planned Parenthood in Bellingham.

On March 8, Bellingham Police took a re-port of an assault after wine was thrown on a couple at a downtown restaurant.

On March 4, Bellingham Police learned a woman was harassing customers and knocking over drinks in a bar downtown.

On March 6, a waste disposal driver called Bellingham Police after discover-ing he had dumped a live human into his garbage truck. The man had been sleep-ing inside a dumpster and made a com-ment about having arrest warrants prior to fleeing the scene on a bicycle. He was not located, but did not appear to have been injured.

index

1,051,694Number of children enrolled in public schools in Washington. The state supports 2,370

schools in 322 school districts, all of which are closed until late April due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Washington has the highest total number of schools and

students when compared to neighboring states.

58Percent of K-12 students in the United States who say they use the internet at their home to do homework every day or almost every day. Just 6 percent of students say

they never use the internet at home for this purpose.

15Percent of U.S. households with school-age children who do not have a high-speed

internet connection at home. School-age children in lower-income households are especially likely to lack broadband access. Roughly one-third (35 percent) of

households with children ages 6 to 17 and an annual income below $30,000 a year do not have a high-speed internet connection at home.

1Chance in four a teen in a household with an annual income under $30,000 lacks

access to a computer at home, compared with just 4 percent of those in households earning over $75,000, according to a 2018 Census survey.

SOURCES: National Center for Education Statistics; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); U.S. Census Bureau; Pew Research Center

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF BELLINGHAM AND WHATCOM COUNTY52 WOMEN OF

WHATCOM COUNTY

Lynda Goodrich was not only a legend-ary coach, but she was also well-known for raising the academic standards of her student athletes. Along with 19 champion-ship seasons as a women’s basketball coach, she spent 26 years as the athletic director of WWU. In 1963, when Lynda Goodrich was a student (B.A., 1966) at Western, oppor-tunities for female athletes were slim. She returned to WWU five years later to coach women’s basketball, a position she held until 1990. Goodrich never had a losing season; her teams reached the postseason 18 times. As athletic director, she added softball and golf as varsity sports for women. She encouraged academic accomplishment: WWU student-athletes graduated at rates well above the average for NCAA Division II. Go-odrich was inducted into five different Halls of Fame and named Vikings Female Coach of the Century (1900-1999). “Her leadership has fostered a level of athletic and academic ex-cellence among the very best in the nation,” said former WWU President Bruce Shepherd.

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the formation of the League of Women Voters. Every week in 2020, the LWV is proud to feature a woman who made a difference in What-com County through their accomplishments, active community involvement or inspiring representa-tion in different fields. Visit the LWV website to learn more www.lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org.

NOOK

SACK

SAL

MON

ENH

ANCE

MEN

T AS

SOCI

ATIO

N (N

SEA)

I never thought of myself as a pioneer, but I participated and coached at the beginning of women’s sports and Title IX.

—Lynda Goodrich

In partnership with

VILLAGE BOOKS

Welcome to the 2020 iteration of Cascadia Weekly’s annual Fiction 101 contest. We asked our readers to submit short stories of 101 words or less, and they delivered. In the adult category, we winnowed the plethora of submissions to approximately 20, and asked our guest judge, Spencer Ellsworth, to pick his top three. While you’re waiting out the pandemic by staying home and consuming plenty of fluids, we hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did.

A Word About Micro-Fiction Writing micro-fiction is like writing names on

grains of rice. It requires intense concentration, the assumption your audience will be able to appreciate the minute amount of detail, and the sneaking suspicion that no one really appreciates what you do. The stories this year were wonderful—descriptive and moving and weird and luscious, and it was an honor to read them, and heartbreaking to choose only three. I looked for stories that showed a genuine character arc, where even in 101 words or less, I saw change.

—Spencer Ellsworth, judge for 2020’s Fiction 101 Contest

WHAT SHE TOOKBY RICK HERMANN

THE HOUSE OF UNBORN SAINTS

BY MORNING MANZO

me in the kitchen, using a well-sharpened long knife. She took the fingers last.

Judge’s Notes: This has a lovely little bite in it, going from a strange, scary daydream to a wonderful un-fulfillment of said dream. In between, a whole novel's worth of material is hinted at. Why did the wife kill him? What happened to the stories on the typewriter? And that wonderful sentence, "hard blue skies," implies so much change. A great story because of what it leaves out.

Judge’s Notes: The last line stayed with me, and transformed my understanding of the story, a story that started with the image of a granddaughter and ended with the realization that the main character is only laying groundwork. It's a great snapshot of promise, and filled with such beautiful imagery—curled up like soft marbles, like emerald planets.

SECOND PLACE2

FIRST PLACE1

FICTION One day I was kicking my way through life, sitting in a sad

basement apartment in Bellingham banging out another story on my Smith-Corona manual, when suddenly I was frozen by a fearful thought, a ferocious terror: What if I could no longer use my fingers ever again, for anything? Any. Thing. Ever. I panicked slow, then softened, slept.

Twenty-five, 30 years passed. Moved to a small farm in Lazarus County, south of Spokane. Hard blue skies. My wife Franny murdered

I peek inside the house of unborn saints; a driftwood

dollhouse on the wet shore at night. Bioluminescence lights a trail from the tide to the front door. The saints are there, curled up like soft marbles. As they inhale, their miniature bodies fill with light. They hum in harmony. Like a tiny, emerald planet, one of them starts to spin in place, her spirit coalescing.

I recognize her; my granddaughter. She’ll lead the brokenhearted to the forest. She’ll lead the forest back to the

city. She pauses from her work of becoming. She looks at me and says, “Please begin.”

10

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.0

903

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

18ST

AG

E 19

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

W

ORD

S 10

KEN BURNS EFFECT, EARLY YEARS

BY TIMOTHY PILGRIM

I 'm texting by candlelight from my tent, the one next

to Odysseus. Our journey, eight years now, seems like forever. Ody broods a lot. Each day we scan the sea, look leagues east, almost back to Troy. The men mutter we should be home, complain about weather, want more wine, more sheep. They fear our next adventure will be worse than Cyclops or Sirens. If the gods were filming this for PBS, they would zoom out slowly, show tents, campfires, beached boats, the island, hopeless, gauzy mist

Judge’s Notes: I love the Odyssey, but more than that, I love a story that can successfully explore the distance between the heroic saga and the long, interminable process of life during the saga. Odysseus’s sailors were no doubt bored, in dread, and wishing they could indeed see their lives from the Ken Burns-style long angle. A wonderful little exploration of yearning for the big picture.

EDITORS' PICKS

THIRD PLACE3

ABOUT OUR JUDGE: Spencer Ellsworth is the author of four novels: The STARFIRE space opera trilogy from Tor about the rise of a galactic despot, and The Great Faerie Strike from Broken Eye Books, about the heroic struggles of gnomes and vampires against the titans of industry. He lives in Bellingham with his wife and three children and teaches at Northwest Indian College.

THE LAST ENCORE BY JIM SCHMOTZER

They crowded the auditorium to see their hero one last time. The former vanguards of radicalism were now retired from corporations and bureaucracies, bodies failing faster than idealism. This night they were alive again,

swaying to music and memories. Standing onstage was the lone

survivor of the ’60s band that infused their youthful rebellion. His skills were diminished, voice strained and disdain barely veiled.

The encore was near perfect as the crowd pulsed forward. Sound overwhelmed the moment and almost no one heard the gunshot crack, while everyone saw their god drop to the stage.

THE RIVERBY MARGOT FALKENBERG JEROME

The river is never quiet; neither is my brain. I keep my waders and boots in the car with my fly rod. I keep it simple—only carrying a

Continued on page 12

LMP | License #60450100

215 W. Holly St, Suite G-2Bellingham, WA 98225

360.389.2265

Lily Elkjaer Giesecke

evergreenbellingham.com | Lilyg@evergreenbellingham.com

Specializing in Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Massage,

Trigger Point Therapy & Ashiatsu Deep Feet Therapy

First massage is

Call Jerry Swann For Details

360.319.7776Broker# 100688

Visit Homes For Sale in Whatcom County

BestChoiceR E A L T Y

We're here to help you reach your real

estate goals!

JUST SOLD

Investing with ImpactCreating Economic, Social and Environmental Value

Susan RiceFinancial Planning SpecialistFinancial Advisor2200 Rimland Drive, Suite 105Bellingham, Wa 98226360-788-7005 800-247-2884susan.e.rice@morganstanley.comNMLS # 1290656 © 2019 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Member SIPC.

• Diagnosis • Repairs • Service• Parts in Stock • Pre-Purchase Inspections • Late Model and Vintage Pre-Owned Volvos• Internet cafe and barista on site!

Locally owned and environmentally responsible. Taking care of you and your Volvo since 1986.

LOCATED JUST EAST OF BELLINGHAM IN BEAUTIFUL WHATCOM COUNTY

Where VOLVOs GO to Keep on Going.

RainbowAutoService.comCall: 360-734-6117 Text: 360-319-1294Email: rainbowlarry321@gmail.com 2729 Jensen Rd. MON-THUR 8am-6pm

1055 N. State

Flavors of New Mexico

Comfort food from scratch peppersisters.com

Pepper SistersServing Dinner Tuesday - Sunday

Happy hour Tuesday - Thursday

covering light. The camera would pan through darkness west, show Penelope, alone, unraveling night.

11

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.0

903

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

18ST

AG

E 19

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

W

ORD

S 10

half-dozen flies (usually brassies or pheasant tail nymphs). Sometimes the river calls to me, but sometimes I need the river to quiet my busy brain. The sound of the river replaces the tedious loop of self-deprecating shit I endure: I’m too high-energy, people don’t like me, why am I so weird? Birds, insects, water and wind seep in slowly—replacing the bad thoughts with space. Now I can breathe.

SUNRISE BY TOM ALTREUTER

Daylight rising to her back, Lenore perches on the narrow, least rain-soaked part of the bench. Lights a smoke while casting an eye to the door she’s due through in about 10 minutes. She holds her hand steady. The butt is kept at lip-purse distance. Fog is lifting across the bay she views through her smoky exhales. The goal is to let the ash grow to its furthest point before it falls away in a small dirty snow. To view the cone as what is left and the next long ash as wasted time.

Quit. All of it. Goals.

INTO THE MIST BY DAVID GRAY

The night’s last note faded into a coming fog. Dancers drew each other closer, seeking final warmth. The singer smiled, knowing music would continue into the night. The band packed equipment, ready for the next gig. In the back, the bartender cleaned the glasses, closed the register and stacked the chairs. The rest would wait. She

had other plans. She locked the gate at Boundary Bay and turned. He approached through the mist and took her hand.

“What was your favorite song tonight?”

Her answer was always the same. “Every song you sing,” she said, a twinkle in her eye.

WOOL COAT BY ALEXANDRA M. LUCAS

The bus smelled like artichokes, which wasn’t really a bad smell as far as buses went.

Instead of struggling to avoid touching knees with a stranger, my mind danced with ideations of butter boiling, and spoonfuls of citrus foam. Clearly I was starved for distraction from yet another unsavory, wasted night.

I wasn’t trash, exactly. If everyone acts a certain way—no

matter how disappointing—then everyone is, ultimately, normal. But there’s a weighty melancholy, like a soaked wool coat, that comes with learning

your limitations. Maybe that’s why so many millennials binge drink. At least canned rosé goes with artichokes.

JUST IN TIMEBY HARVEY SCHWARTZ

He reties his bootlaces again, and looks carefully in the mirror. Forty-two steps to the door. Fifteen stair steps to the street. He walks with a certainty that won’t draw attention.

Remember to wave as you pass the barbershop, like you’re a local, he’s been told. Don’t make eye contact with strangers unless they engage you first. Act like you own the place, but in a subtle manner. Have quiet confidence. Stanley’s family will get revenge. His father would want him to do this. Everyone will know his name. But a random smile by Suzy

EDITORS' PICKS

CONTINUED FROM P.11

FEATURED FICTION

FEATURED FICTION

THE MERMAID AND THE

PORNOGRAPHER BY KYLE ROE

COMBUSTION BY JULIE C. HOLMES

It was night at Silver Lake, and Harvey was taking photos of scenery hoping, above all, to sell some prints. He was astonished to find a beautiful mermaid sitting on a rock.

“I am the spirit of this lake, one with its life and beauty. If you photograph me, there will be a terrible curse,” she said. She started to swim away and he quickly snapped a shot.

Suddenly the lake turned to fire, the mermaid was incinerated, and Harvey fled.

He felt bad at first, but decided he didn’t care after the photo became his bestseller. The buyers didn’t care either.

Special thanks to our sponsor

SEE ALL ENTRIES

WWW.CASCADIA WEEKLY.COM/

FICTION101

Continued on page 13

Swarming down the hillside like a flash mob gathering, the buzz in the dusky August sky was electric.

Colorful festival-goers swayed to the honey-tongued singer while thrumming instruments measured time. Hanging solar lanterns flickered as night absorbed the day and bonfires began their slow burn ‘til morning, sending sparks and crackles into the mix. It was a welcome homecoming for the road-weary band, returning to their roots to refresh.

Suddenly, the humming cloud exploded overhead, igniting a frenzy among the throng, each beast seeking refuge; the over-crowded bees forging a new way home.

SEE ALL ENTRIES

WWW.CASCADIA WEEKLY.COM/

FICTION101

12

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.0

903

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

18ST

AG

E 19

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

W

ORD

S 10

Radner changes history.

THE VISITORBY WALLI ANN WISNIEWSKI

He sits and waits on the grass heavy with frost from the night before. He ambles, purposefully, to my open car door, waiting. We talk. I move toward the door of the house, keys in hand. I walk up the steps while leafing through the freshly delivered mail. I fidget, briefly, inserting the key, turning it, while gently kicking on the door stuck from settling. Underneath my feet he races in, only to sit on the carpet in front of me, staring. Paw up, ready for food. I walk over and pick him up, lovingly cuddling a cat that isn’t mine.

MEDIA SOUND BITESBY BETTY SCOTT

She’s a manta ray, jaws wide open. He’s a calypso dancer, bare feet on shore. She’s a Stetson, lasso and riding boots. He’s a bolero, tam or yarmulke. She’s the flag, waving in sport stadiums.

He’s the franchised player, up for sale. She’s buttered popcorn, hot and salty. He’s golden kernel and broken tooth. She’s decay that fills his cavity. He’s mercury capped in gold. She’s the belly for blasts of hate. He lays railroad tracks of war. What does that teach us? From dying seas to shiny galaxies, nothing glitters like our lust for litter.

GREEN GROCER BY LINDA CONROY

Today they bring celery, artichokes and oranges in sacks, sweet pears and yams. Women and men shift and fill spaces, pack rows of carrots, peppers, cumbersome cauliflower, cabbages and shrub-like broccoli. They hurry, lean and lift, scoop and straighten, hands wiped clean on aprons. They have bushels of potatoes, bags of avocados, flats of grapes. Wet leaves fall from crimson beets.

I see white and yellow onions, turnips and purple eggplants. Add lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, kale, lettuce, beans, peas and even parsnips; though cold as it’s become, it isn’t winter yet. But I need ginger. No ginger, not today, sorry.

SPACE FORCEBY STEVE MEYERS

From Earth, it came! Once launched, the Space Force quickly found (and annoyed) intelligent life. In response, bright pink Venusian ships arrived and zapped fragrant rays of doom, turning its targets into petrified art. Daring Northwest adventurers Crash Ledfoot and Downtown Gravy Brown drove pell-mell to bargain for peace with delicious apple pie and psychedelic milk from star-crossed cows. Those charming lads got through, and so Earth was de-petrified and allowed to live, with the new capital of the U.S., Bellingham, with its beat of funk and freedom, standing as a beacon of planetary groove.

ESCAPE BY DANIEL KIRKPATRICK

Uggh. Sunlight. Jan’s eyelids flickered—she knew she had to be discreet. Her head pounded

EDITORS' PICKS

CONTINUED FROM P.12

FEATURED FICTION

THE SWASHBUCKLER

BY KEN RASMUSSEN

SELF HELP BY RICHARD G. TUCKE

LAST MAN STANDING BY MARIAN EXALL

“I must have been a swashbuckler in a past life,” he thought. “I was born to wield a rapier, not a pen.” His pen moved across the page: “The road was a ribbon of moonlight across the purple moor.”

A commotion from the street broke into his concentration. “Damn! How can I write poetry in times like these?”

He pulled his cloak from the closet. “I’m done with 1906.” Drawing his wand, he vanished

The oddly handsome pharmacist was sadder than a baby’s toes in brambles. “I can’t continue like this,” he thought. “These drugs don’t help. I must help myself.”

He closed the store early and drove out of town. He left his car and walked through the fields and woods to the river.

Taking off all his clothes, he jumped in and swam downstream. He saw a crude raft on the bank and climbed on. It took him all the way to the coast, where the outgoing tide carried him out into the sunset.

He looked west and wept. He felt better already.

“Someone’s coming.” “Get the others inside,” Gran

said. “Get the gun.” When he was 20 yards away,

she shouted, “Stop!” “It’s over,” he called. “They’re

all dead.” He took a step. “I could help you.”

“Don’t need a man’s help.” Gran raised the shotgun. He

shrugged. “Then give me water and I’ll leave.” She shook her head, the muzzle held steady. “Not now you know we’re here.”

“Wait,” one of the younger women crowding her shoulder whispered. “If they’re all dead except him...” “We could use him,” another completed. Gran sighed. So it began again.

into the romantic days of yore. He was killed half an hour later, because the days of yore were even more difficult for poets.

SEE ALL ENTRIES

WWW.CASCADIA WEEKLY.COM/

FICTION101

Continued on page 14

13

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.0

903

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

18ST

AG

E 19

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

W

ORD

S 10

and her body ached. But subtly flexing each extremity revealed no fractures, only aches. She also found herself naked, wrists and ankles bound with coarse rope, lying on the riverboat’s rough planks. Jan replayed the abduction: She’d taken out four of her attackers. Not enough. Now what? Hearing no crew members nearby, she opened her eyes to see the low gunwale next to her. Steadying herself with several breaths, she lurched over the edge, plopped into the murky river, and dove as deeply as she could.

MOTHER COMPLEX BY TERRY ZERI

She’s out the door, off to meditate. I’m right behind her, sneaking off to the pot shop. If she’s such a damn

Buddhist, why the hell does she give me a ration of shit whenever I fail to live up to her unconscious expectations? Driving, I’m talking to her...again. “Hell, it’s my life, my body, my mind.” Yeah, sure... If it’s my mind, why is she perpetually crawling around inside it like a caged ferret? Pot clerk calls me “bud” without irony. “I want one joint. Half gram. Sativa. Something that’ll make me see ‘naked cowgirls floatin’ across the ceiling.’”

RESPECTBY PATRICIA G. KAY

Respect others says the world while you wait at the post office, bus stop, ticket office, theater doors, airport ticket counters, grocery stores, waiting for your table, stepping on the bus, paying for your purchase, and stepping gently into worship. Mimic the parade of preschoolers secured to the twine handled rope, not shoving, pushing only eager five-finger waves to the halted, line of cars as they cross the street to frog hop over the curb while smiling at proud teacher escorts. We must be manner mentors to others using only five-finger waves not one-finger waves.

EDITORS' PICKS

CONTINUED FROM P.13

"What’s going on out there?!” Patricia shrieked. Muffled grunts, punctuated by profanity, perforated the cool evening air.

Patricia grabbed her faded flannel, flinging it hastily about her shoulders. She ran out of her house in her slippers, her cat streaking into the night behind her.

What was she doing? she berated

herself. Her new neighbor might be in her 60s but was she, Patricia, in any condition to help? Puh-lease.

She arrived, panting heavily despite the short distance.

Three youths sat sullenly at the feet of her new neighbor. Stately and serene, she turned to Patricia bemusedly.

Who was this woman?

THE NEW NEIGHBOR

BY CARMELLA BAUMAN

ONE COUCH, TWO CATSBY OLIVIA ANNE KAZIMER, AGE 9

Once upon a couch, there was a cat sunbathing. Her name was Audrey Catburn and she was six months old. She had an awesome life. Then, one day there was no food in her dish when she woke up! She was devastated and hungry. She told her little sister Mako Sharkcat her story.

Suddenly, she really had to pee and there was no fresh litter.

"Meow (need fresh litter mommy)” Audrey said. Her owners left the castle to go get litter. While they were out, Audrey checked on the food and there was a fresh scoop in her dish! When the owners got home they cleaned the litter and sat on their couch. Audrey and Mako sat on their laps and never moved ever again.

THE HOUR-GLASSBY MICHAEL RICHESON

He flipped the hourglass over again. He wanted to walk away, to find some reason to live, but the flow of sand had him transfixed. As he sat there, he could feel time eating him alive. His vision was getting

weak, and he found it hard to maintain his gaze. Each second that passed felt like an eternity, and he began to feel as if he was a piece of sand in the hourglass, waiting for his time to fall to the bottom. As the last grain of sand fell, there was no one left to turn the hourglass over again.

THE KILLBY JOSH MOORE

The thin man kneeled over his kill, the forest wrapped around him like a cloak. His clothes tattered and stained. Soft crunching leaves. A hunchback feast was held. The man was kneeling close to the neck of his kill. Soft slurping and gargling sounds could be heard as he consumed. Breaking the serene silence of the woods: “Eating a man is treason in the forest yah know? The Mördekai is gonna get yah.” The thick Scottish accent would croak out of the man’s corpse followed by cackles. “By the way, he’s behind yah. Better run. It will hurt less.”NOTE: Squalicum High School class of 2021

RAPID WARMINGBY DAISY BAIER

The world was on fire. I watched as swirls of smoke billowed up from the forest outside my window, too afraid to step outside. I knew if I did the dry grass would turn to ash beneath the balls of my feet while the stifling smog slowly suffocated me. Rivers of tears fell from my eyes, yet it was not enough to put out the rampant Australian wildfires. Gathering the courage to look outside again, my eyes widened in horror as my neighbor tossed a crumpled Sunday paper out of his window. “How?” I thought. “How could you be so careless?”

YOUTH SUBMISSIONSWORKS BY AUTHORS 18 AND YOUNGER

14

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.0

903

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

18ST

AG

E 19

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

W

ORD

S 10

15

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

A

RT

15

visualGALLERIES OPENINGS PROFILES

BY STEPHEN HUNTER

Balance ART IN A TREMULOUS TIME

EACH ONE of Barbara Silverman Summers’ new acrylic paint-ings at Cassera Gallery in Stanwood is a fresh adventure into abstract harmony. She brushes and trowels paint onto canvas, draws in lines and scrapes with palette knife to reveal underly-ing layers of color.

You may have seen her “Cote d’Azur” at Art’s Alive in La Conner last fall—a lovely composition in aqua, pale yellow and black. All the other 27 paintings are new to the public.

In the beautiful “Change of Seasons,” a globe charged with energy rises behind a black valley. Is it a nod to “mystic” painter Guy Anderson? In its freely sketched companion, “Elements of Water,” bright arcs are backed by a midnight sky.

“Return of the Mist” is beautiful and mysterious. The view-er hovers above blue and yellow skiffs circling in fog; curving bands of blue and broken rectangles suggest floating wreckage.

Perhaps “Les Montagnes” won its name from the sharp green angles pointing upward, embraced by a white arc amid scat-tered fragments of umber and rose. Strong motion is firmly

contained, while brilliant white centers the composition.

“La Carte” recalls the “white writing” of the great Mark Tobey. It’s an edge-to-edge jumble of brush and palette strokes in yellow, red and indigo. Your eye will wander across the field—enjoying the play of blue, red and yellow—and search for pictorial resemblances in vain.

Perry and Carlson Gallery on South First Street in Mount Vernon hosts “A Delicate Balance: Life in the Skagit Valley.” Here are climate change-related images by the Skagit Women Print Group, sculpture

by Jean Behnke and Sue Roberts, banners by Theodora Jensen, and paintings by Kath-leen Faulkner and Kris Ekstrand.

Natalie Niblack curat-ed the show “out of our anxiety for the changes we see now [and] fear for what is coming.” Her peaceful print, “Wiley Slough” expresses “love for what we have.” Jes-sica Gigot, who makes cheese on her farm in Bow, continues the theme with the pleas-ing “Sequester,” a por-trait of her sheep.

Darker sentiments emerge in Ann Chad-wick Reid’s tangle of cut black paper on white. I puzzled over the hand-cut paper of “Tree Gone” until the negative space jumped out at me. Jane Alynn explores a similar regret with her soft-focus gelatin-silver photograph, “Casualty.” And Sue Roberts’ pop

sculpture finds a yokel snapping a selfie with a blackened tree that sports a lone green leaf (“#amazingskagitvalley”).

“Before and After,” a monotype by Vir-ginia Hand, catches the eye with diagonal quadrants dominated by light blue and white. On the left, the sky is clear, the fields, straight, poplar trees erect. But the other side suggests a volcano or for-est fire: wilted trees, ruined fields—a manmade disaster or the wrath of God?

ONGOING EXHIBITS ALLIED ARTS: View a “Whatcom READS Art Challenge” exhibit through March at Allied Arts, 1418 Cornwall Ave. The gallery and thrift store will be open from 12pm-5pm Mon.-Fri., with staff alternating days in the office.

WWW.ALLIEDARTS.ORG

ARTWOOD: Artistic wood sculp-tures will be featured through March at Artwood Gallery, 1000 Harris Ave.

WWW.ARTWOODGALLERY.COM

CAFE VELO: “Loss of Relation-ships” shows through March at Cafe Velo, 120 Prospect St., #2. The dynamic 300-piece art installation will change with the purchase and removal of each miniature painting (all are $20). The space will be open 7am-2pm Wed.-Fri., and 10am—5pm week-ends until further notice.

WWW.SPIKEOFALLTRADES.COM

FISHBOY GALLERY: Discover the contemporary folk art of RR Clark from by appointment at the Fishboy Gallery, 617 Virginia St.

319-2913 OR WWW.FISHBOY

GALLERY.COM

FOURTH CORNER: “Leap!” shows through March 30 at Fourth Corner Frames and Gallery, 311 W. Holly St. Call ahead to schedule private viewings.

WWW.FOURTHCORNERFRAMES.COM

GALLERY SYRE: Peruse a “New Works” exhibit of works by David Syre from 12pm-5pm Tues.-Thurs. at Gallery Syre, 465 W. Stuart Rd. An annual open call of art inviting all students of Whatcom County, grades 6-12, takes place through April 3. This year’s theme is “Living Without the Internet,” and is meant to challenge the student’s vision of what life would be like without the internet and the devices that provide access to it.

WWW.DAVIDSYREART.COM

GOOD EARTH: Ceramic artist Lon-nie Schang’s “Anomalous Animals” will be featured through March at Good Earth Pottery, 1000 Harris Ave. Regular hours are canceled, but customers can order online or via phone.

WWW.GOODEARTHPOTS.COM

I.E. GALLERY: An exhibit featuring monoprints and etchings from Bell-ingham-based artist Tom Wood, and ceramics and drawings by Seattle’s Kathleen Skeels, runs through March 30 in Edison at i.e. gallery, 5800 Cains Court.

WWW.IEEDISON.COM

INN AT LYNDEN: In collaboration with the Jansen Art Center, paint-ings by Barbara Sternberger can be perused and purchased from

through June at the Inn at Lynden, 100 5th St.

WWW.JANSENARTCENTER.ORG

JANSEN ART CENTER: A “Spring Juried Exhibit” is currently on display in Lynden at the Jansen Art Center, 321 Front St. The exhibits are still open, but all music events at the space have been cancelled.

WWW.JANSENARTCENTER.ORG

MATZKE GALLREY: “Present Tense” shows Fridays through Sundays through April 12 on Camano Island at Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park, 2345 Blanche Way. The multi-artist exhibit celebrates the Women Painters of Washington’s 90th year as an organization.

WWW.MATZKEFINEART.COM

MINDPORT: “Waiting for Ice,” a collection of photographic images by WWU alumni Drew Hamilton from a recent trip to Manitoba, are currently on display at Mindport Ex-hibits, 210 W. Holly St. Due to many of its hands-on exhibits, the venue is currently on hiatus. New window displays are up.

WWW.MINDPORT.ORG

SMITH & VALLEE: Oil painter Lisa McShane’s new works can be viewed through March 29 in Edison at Smith & Vallee Gallery, 5742 Gilkey Ave.

WWW.SMITHANDVALLEEGALLERY.COM

RAGFINERY: A variety of textile-related workshops happen on a regular basis at Ragfinery, 1421 N. Forest St.

WWW.RAGFINERY.COM

SCOTT MILO GALLERY: New Northwest scenes in pastel by Lopez Island-based artist Steven Hill will be featured through March 31 in Anacortes at the Scott Milo Gallery, 420 Commercial Ave.

WWW.SCOTTMILO.COM

SKAGIT MUSEUM: View “Henry Klein Homes: Light, Form and Materiality” through March 22 in La Conner at the Skagit County Histori-cal Museum, 501 S. 4th St.

WWW.SKAGITCOUNTY.NET/MUSEUM

WHATCOM ART MARKET: Works by Whatcom Art Guild members can be perused daily at the Whatcom Art Market, 1103 11th St. Due to public safety concerns, the market will be closed for the rest of March. Check out an artist gallery online to see the work and websites of the artists.

WWW.WHATCOMARTMARKET.ORG

WHATCOM MUSEUM:Due to con-cerns about COVID-19, the Whatcom Museum campus—including the Lightcatcher Building, Old City Hall, Family Interactive Gallery, and Syre Education Center—is closed until further notice.

WWW.WHATCOMMUSEUM.ORG

doit

SEEWHAT: Acrylic paintings by Barbara Silverman SummersWHERE: Cassera Gallery, Stanwood INFO: www.designsnw.com/cassera-gallery --------------WHAT: “A Delicate Balance: Life in the Skagit Valley”WHEN: Through March WHERE: Perry and Carlson Gallery, Mount VernonINFO: Call (360) 889-5032 to schedule a private viewing

“#AM

AZIN

GSKA

GITV

ALLE

Y,”

BY S

UE

ROBE

RTS

SEND YOUR EVENT INFO TO: CALENDAR@CASCADIAWEEKLY.COM

16

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

M

USI

C 16

musicSHOW PREVIEWS RUMOR HAS IT

WHAT A DIFFERENCE a week makes.Last week, I wrote an earnest but still sort

of glib (it’s my way) column about COVID-19 and my fears for the local small-business community. In that column, I urged people to go out a little more, spend a little more money, show a little more support.

It seemed like not the worst advice at the time, given the available information.

My heart was in the right place, but it was indeed the worst ad-vice, even at the time. Mea culpa.

Since then, much of what I’d feared about the economic impact of COV-ID-19 has materialized—boy has it ever. I’m not saying I manifested this outcome, but I am saying that I vow to try and manifest better outcomes in the fu-ture. Hell, if I can manifest this, I’m taking requests. I’ll try and conjure up all kinds of amazing things for all of us.

One thing I said last week holds true: That we’re all in this together, and we’ll get through it together. Even if we have to do this social distancing thing for a while, we’re in it together for the long haul. I know this because I’m seeing it happen all around me.

It’s important to me to write this column in my own voice and in a way that is true to who I am. The person you read on this page is, by and large, the person you’ll en-counter in the street, in real life. However, I do tend to hold some of myself back a bit.

I’d like to drop that curtain a little bit.As with so many of you, the past week has

been one of the most personally difficult of my life. No hyperbole in that, just plain talk.

And yet.Throughout it, I’ve watched people who

have their own worries—very big, very real, life-altering worries—set aside their prob-lems to support each other. These are folks with small businesses on the line, people who are now out of work or are soon to be, friends who are trying to juggle home-schooling children or lack of childcare, folks with distress about mortgage payments or health problems that are going untreated because seeing doctors is hard to impos-sible right now—the full gamut.

Along with all of that hard life stuff caused by the pandemic, they’re also try-ing to manage the same existential dread and trepidation about the unknown we’re all feeling right now. That alone is a lot to handle. But still they’ve unfailingly shown up for me as I have tried to for them, if not so much in person.

They say that the only way out is through. But I know for a fact that the only way out is together. And that’s how we’re getting through. Together.

BY CAREY ROSS

rumor has it

BY CAREY ROSS

Never Have I EverLET’S GET CREATIVEI HAVE done a lot of weird and mostly wonderful things in my tenure with the Cascadia Weekly.

I’ve been invited to and eaten multicourse meals that I would never have otherwise been able to afford. I’ve explored the nooks and crannies of our coverage area looking for, well, whatever I could find. I’ve seen a billion (roughly, give or take a billion) shows, good, bad and generally in between.

I went to Anniepalooza, for the love of God. Mostly, I have enjoyed every minute of it. Even Bunnicula: The Musical, which

was one of the most bizarre plays ever performed on any stage, anywhere. However, every day in our new COVID reality is like playing an entirely

surreal game of Never Have I Ever. For instance, never have I ever seen a tiny senior lady leave the grocery

store with at least a hundred rolls of toilet paper as I wisecracked, “Well, I know what she’ll be eating during self-isolation” to a bunch of fellow shop-pers who looked as shell-shocked as I feel every second of the day. Never have I ever turned down the opportunity to pet affectionate dogs out of a desire to not come too close to their owners. Never have I ever washed my hands so many times a day that I’m starting to wash the skin clean off of them.

And never have I ever tried to write a music story in a town—in a state,

really, and likely to soon be an entire coun-try—without live music. Normally, I have the enviably difficult task of trying to choose between too much in the embarrassment of riches that is Bellingham’s music scene. But currently every music venue has gone dark. Every single one.

These days, the only live music I could find to write about was Ben Gibbard’s na-scent live stream from his house (which will be happening at 4pm daily and will include “special guests” who will no doubt be worth tuning in for).

I don’t know what everyone does when times get tough, but there’s that whole Mr. Rogers quote about looking to be one of the helpers, and while I’m more of a pusher than anything else, there’s helper in there some-where. As such, I have some ideas about how we can still support our music community dur-ing these trying days and weeks.

As has been mentioned everywhere: If a venue you patronize offers gift cards and they still have a functioning retail arm, buy one. Or several. The money we spend today could ensure we have plentiful music venues later. And as has also been mentioned, if you’ve bought a ticket to a now-cancelled show and can afford not to request a refund, consider the ticket price your donation.

I suspect that live streaming will become more prevalent as musicians get their feet underneath them and figure out the tech (Havilah Rand already has some scheduled). Many of those streams will come with an op-portunity to donate to them. Give what you can afford, if you can afford it.

I know this comes as news to no one, but most musicians don’t pay their rent on their music. However, a lot of them have alternate revenue streams that may also be suffering. Patronize them. Dryland’s Bradley Lockhart has a design company, Lariat Creative, that sells stickers and posters and Bellingham flag merch (yep, he’s the Bellingham flag guy). No Guts’ Andrew Beer has a stake in HosaCo, a hot sauce company. The Wild Buffalo’s Craig Jew-ell has a sideline called Bellingham Engraving that can provide all manner of promotional materials—and we’re all gonna need pandemic participation trophies when we’re allowed to leave the house again.

As with so many other instances during this unprecedented series of events, to help each other come out the other side, we’ll need to get creative. Good thing we’re the creative types.

THIS IS NOT A STORY ABOUT BEN GIBBARD

17

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

M

USI

C 16

S P O N S O R E D C O N T E N T

Into the WoodsOF COFFEE AND COMMUNITY

IT WAS A SUNNY, late-winter morning in downtown Bellingham, and although there were less people than usual strolling the sidewalks, those populating the urban core amid the threat of a global health cri-sis were still in need of sustenance.

Inside the Washington Grocery Build-ing on the corner of Railroad Avenue and Chestnut Street, Woods Co� fee was the site of a number of citizens eager to begin their day with an infusion of ca� feine and community.

As customers of varying ages placed orders at the expansive front counter and then sought their seats with warm bever-ages and baked goods in hand, they kept a signifi cant distance between tables to respect other guests’ social space before settling in to talk quietly with friends, tele-commute, catch up on emails or read the latest breaking news reports.

I’d ordered a mocha in a mug and a white chocolate raspberry scone from the barista—who helpfully o�fered to heat up the delectable sweet treat before cra�ting my co�fee concoction—and made my way to a small table smack-dab in the center of the co�fee shop with a view of the action.

On a previous visit, I’d noticed Woods'

to-go cups boasted a number of quotes by naturalist, author and environmental conservationist John Muir. I’d read say-ings such as “Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world,” and “Come to the woods, for here is rest,” but hadn’t really connected the dots as to how the words of the Sierra Club cofounder related to the chain of local and regional co�fee shops that were founded in 2002 with one store in Lynden, and now boast 19 locales throughout Whatcom, King, Skagit, and Snohomish counties.

But a�ter taking a closer look at my surroundings, it became clear Muir’s outdoors-focused ethos has taken up resi-dence inside Woods. Giant photographs of local forests are on the walls, an oversized chandelier featuring welded pine trees (and an occasional grizzly bear) hangs above the front counter, and one of the four � lags above the bussing station pro-vided even more clues pointing to Woods’ respect for the natural world.

“Every day is a new adventure,” the hang-ing bearing the heading of “culture” reads. “Whether you are dreaming about climbing that mountain, taking that road trip with friends, or simply trying to make it through

of relying on dozens of deliveries to all venues), and are always conscious of how much energy they’re using.

But that’s not the only type of energy the Woods crew is keeping an eye on. Spiker says whether you’re visiting the popular waterfront locale at Boulevard Park, checking out the new store in Ed-monds, or hanging out in the co�fee shop in the Flatiron building � lanking Holly Street, they’re continuously working to make the vibe a welcoming one.

Regardless of your ethnic background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views, Spiker says they’re hop-ing you’ll feel like you’re part of the fam-ily of more than 350 employees working to elevate each Woods experience.

“We love to serve people,” Spiker says. “That’s what we’ve always been about. It’s not just about the co�fee, it’s also about the connection. We recognize the potential in people, and realize that everyone’s on their own adventure. We know you’re up to cool things, and we’re here to cheer you on.”

Basically, he says, their culture is based on providing spaces for people to come together regardless of their dif-ferent points of view. They’re politically neutral on purpose, and remain open to the whole community—"not just people who think this way or that way.”

During a month when the world ap-pears to have gone topsy-turvy and people’s health, careers and everyday ac-tions are being a�fected by a pandemic, it seems more important than ever that communal spaces are safe and welcom-ing ones. The hour or so I spent at Woods sipping co�fee, observing baristas sani-tizing door handles and counters while cheerfully keeping up with the in� lux of orders, and watching customers make themselves comfortable in an uncom-fortable time convinced me that co�fee and community coexist here.

While you won’t currently fi nd copies of the Cascadia Weekly at Woods news-stands, Spiker says customers are encour-aged to bring in whatever reading mate-rial they wish to. Inclusion is one of their main goals, and they’re serious about it.

Another thing Woods is passionate about is giving back to the community via donating to local charities, fundrais-ing organizations, schools and more. Although they recently had to postpone a March 20 “Day of Giving” fundraiser benefi ting Rebound—a local nonprofi t with the mission to equip, strengthen and empower children and families fac-ing di�fi cult life circumstances—they’re hoping customers will step up to the plate when the event is rescheduled.

For more information about Woods Co� fee, go to www.woodsco� fee.com

“We recognize the potential in people, and realize that everyone’s on their own adventure. We know you’re up to cool things, and we’re here to cheer you on.”

the work day, we are here to fuel your ad-venture. If you can dream it, you can do it.”

The three other artistically inclined hangings that are now on display at all Woods Co�fee venues point out the Her-man family’s commitment to obtaining sustainably sourced co�fee from around the world; draw attention to the roastery at its Lakeway Drive locale that’s dedi-cated to cra�ting co�fee that “awakens the explorer within;” and note their bakery in Lynden provides made-from-scratch treats that are delivered fresh to each store on a daily basis.

“Everything we use is brought in-house,” Ryan Spiker explains. As the di-rector of marketing for Woods, he’s aware that many people in the Pacifi c Northwest are conscious about reducing their carbon footprint, and wants to assure customers they’re doing what they can to make sure operations are streamlined and as sus-tainable as possible. To that end, they use a single distribution truck to make the rounds to all the stores each day (instead

18

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

F

ILM

18

filmMOVIE REVIEWS FILM SHORTS

BY CAREY ROSS

Easy WatchingMOVIES TO SURVIVE THE PLAGUEI’VE OFTEN joked that my personal life motto is “Outside bad, inside good.” This is owing to my aversion to activities like hiking and skiing and anything that requires me to purchase expensive equipment in order to suffer.

It might be time for me to revise a little. What I’ve discovered is that while I might like to opt out of outdoor activities, I do

enjoy leaving the house whenever I please. Sure, the first couple of days of pandemic-induced isolation were pretty all right. I read three books, wore my pajamas 24 hours a day and did everything on my own schedule with no one there to judge me or expect anything of me—except two very needy cats, that is. I had food, vodka and all the toilet paper a girl could need (for now).

But the steady stream of bad news combined with my natural inclination for self-critical introspection started to get me down. And without being able to socialize my way out of it—social media is good and all, but no match for face-to-face conversation—I stewed. And fretted. And worried. As the news got more dire, my small world became more dark.

I have a feeling a fair number of you know exactly what I’m talking about here. I needed some feel-good, pick-me-up entertainment fodder, stat. Luckily, options for home entertainment abound. What I have to offer is a totally random, completely personal list of the movies that

I believe can get you out of your head and help get you out of the dumps when you can’t leave your house.

I feel it behooves me to begin with a movie that was a flop when it was released, but has become a bona fide cult classic—at least if the packed house at a recent showing of

it at the Limelight Cinema as part of the Pickford’s Third Eye movie series is any in-dication. I’m talking about Clue, the movie based on the popular board game. When it was released in 1985, anticipation was high. It had an excellent cast (Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, etc.), the trappings of a drawing-room mystery and one helluva gimmick: three separate endings that would be shown in different theaters. There was no telling which theater would get which end-ing, and to see them all, you had to do some sleuthing, which in the pre-internet era, was not as simple as it sounded. The conceit was good on paper and a flop in real life. Turns out, no one wanted to see the movie three times just for the final five minutes. The prospect of having to do so made audiences so mad they stayed away in droves. However, when the movie began to show—and show, and show—on tele-vision with all three endings attached in madcap succession, Clue finally found its audience. It’s wacky, whip-smart and fea-tures both some incredible physical com-edy as well as one of the best ad-libbed scenes of all time, courtesy of Kahn.

I know they can be polarizing, but I’ve always had a soft spot for musicals. Other than Grease, there’s no musical I’ve watched more times than Singin’ in the Rain, which falls into a second category of films I love: movies about the movies. The 1952 musical comedy covers the not-so-graceful time when films transitioned from silent pictures to “talkies.” Glam-

orous onscreen couple Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood (played by Jean Hagen and Gene Kelly) has to convert their already-in-production silent movie to one with sound. There’s just one hurdle: Lamont has a voice that can peel paint. Enter ingénue Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), who is tapped to dub her voice. A whole lot of hijinks—and tap-dancing—ensue, a little romance is had and Kelly sings and dances in the rain. Kelly and Reyn-olds are supposedly the stars to watch in the movie, but I’m in it for Lamont’s stellar comedic performance and Donald O’Connor’s (as Lockwood’s best friend and collaborator Cosmo Brown) fancy and de-cidedly acrobatic footwork during his big “Make ’Em Laugh” number. And we could all use a laugh right now.

In the more modern cinematic era, another movie that never fails to amuse me—even though it is the darkest of comedies—is Election. It’s early-era Alex-ander Payne, prior to sideways Sideways, The Descendants, About Schmidt and his brilliant and Oscar-winning labor of cin-ematic love, Nebraska. Reese Witherspoon plays one of the most indelible heroines ever committed to the big screen, Tracy Flick, a Type A overachieving high-school-er. Her nemesis is none other than Fer-ris Bueller himself, Matthew Broderick, in this case an embittered and dissatis-fied teacher. The battleground: a school election. Somehow the stakes grow to be sky-high, and when you add a variety of wholly inappropriate short-lived and ill-conceived romances to the mix, every-thing gets hilariously dicey long before the votes are counted. If you’ve watched Big Little Lies, just think of Tracy Flick as the less-polished precursor to Madeline Mackenzie and it will make the whole thing that much more entertaining.

Given that some of you have children you’re desperately attempting to keep oc-cupied (I’ve seen your social media posts, and while I can’t empathize, you do have my sympathies), it seems only proper to throw out a suggestion that will satisfy the little ones—and the adults. My touch-stone for entertainment that crosses all age boundaries will forever and always be Pixar. The natural choice of the animation powerhouse’s catalog is Finding Nemo, but odds are decent you’ve already watched that one eleventy bajillion times and may not want to be trapped in the house for weeks on end with you, your offspring and Nemo on repeat. In that case, might I suggest you take another gander at Toy Story? Despite all of the movies that have come since, and in light of Pixar’s long dominance of Oscar’s Best Animated Film category, it can be easy to forget that Toy Story was the movie that started it all—and it remains nearly perfect even now. Pixar brings a family of toys to life as only it can, and this one won’t make you cry nearly as hard as, say, Wall-E.

ELECTION

CLUE

TOY STORY

19

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

B-

BOA

RD

20

BY ROB BREZSNY

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

We interrupt your regularly scheduled horoscopes to offer insights about the virus-driven turning point that the whole world is now experiencing.

As you’ve probably guessed, all of us are being in-vited to reevaluate everything we think we know about what it means to be human. I refer to this unprecedent-ed juncture as the Tumultuous Upgrade or the Disrup-tive Cure. It’s a phase fraught with danger and poten-tial opportunities; crisis and possible breakthroughs.

And while the coronavirus is the primary driving force, it won’t be the only factor. We must be ready for more Rough, Tough Healings disguised as Bumpy Challenges in the coming months.

Here’s the astrological lowdown: Throughout 2020, there is a rare confluence of three planets in Capricorn: Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter. They are syn-ergizing and compounding each other’s impacts—in-terweaving in ways that confound us and rattle us. In the best-case scenario, they will also energize us to initiate brave transformations in our own personal lives as well as in our communities and nations.

Below is a profile of each planet’s meaning. When we are in intense and intimate relationship

with Pluto—as we are now—we’re invited to dive down deeper: to see life from the soul’s perspec-tive rather than from the ego’s; to seek wealth and meaning not as they’re defined by the material world but as they’re understood by the part of us that’s eternal. Descending into the mysterious Plutonian depths can be disruptive to our conscious beliefs and intentions, but may ultimately be profoundly regenerative.

When we are in intense and intimate relation-ship with Saturn, we’re invited to get more serious and focused; to register the fact that we don’t have unlimited time and energy, but must firmly decide what’s important and what’s not.

When we are in intense and intimate relationship with Jupiter, we’re invited to risk growth and expan-sion; to take proactive responsibility for seeking the rich experiences that our souls long for; to aggres-sively enhance our lust for life.

I wish I had sufficient room to address how you might take advantage of the Tumultuous Upgrade to transform your philosophy of life and your relation-ship to humanity’s greater good. But I must confine myself to suggesting more personal shifts in response to this once-in-a-lifetime blend of planetary energies.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. Your power spot may be challenged or compromised. 2. Your master plan might unravel. 3. There could be disruptions in your ability to wield your influence. Potential opportunities: 1. You’ll be motivated to find an even more suitable power spot. 2. A revised master plan will coalesce. 3. You’ll be resourceful as you discover novel ways to wield your influence.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. Your vision of the big picture of your life may dissipate. 2. Old reliable approaches to learning crucial lessons and expanding your mind could lose their effectiveness. Potential opportunities: 1. You’ll be inspired to develop an updated vision of the big picture of your life. 2. Creative new strategies for learning and expanding your mind will invigorate your personal growth.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. There may be breakdowns in com-munication with people you care about. 2. Contracts and agreements could fray. 3. Sexual challenges might complicate love. Potential opportunities: 1. You’ll be inspired to reinvent the ways you communicate and connect. 2. Your willingness to revise agreements and contracts could make them work better for all concerned. 3. Sexual healing will be available.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. Friends and associates could change in ways that are uncomfortable for you. 2. Images and expectations that people have of you may not match your own images and expectations. Potential opportunities: 1. If you’re intelligent and compassionate as you deal with the transformations in your friends and associates, your relationships could be rejuvenated. 2. You might become braver and more forceful in expressing who you are and what you want.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. Your job may not suit you as well as you wish. 2. A health issue could demand more of your attention than you’d like. Potential opportuni-ties: 1. You’ll take innovative action to make your job work better for you. 2. In your efforts to solve a spe-cific health issue, you’ll upgrade your entire approach to staying healthy long-term.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. Love may feel confusing or unpredictable. 2. You may come up against a block to your creativity. Potential opportunities: 1. You’ll be energized to generate new understandings about how to ensure that love works well for you. 2. Your frustration with a creative block will motivate you to uncover previously hidden keys to accessing creative inspiration.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. You may experience disturbances in your relationships with home and family. 2. You may falter in your ability to maintain a strong founda-tion. Potential opportunities: 1. Domestic disorder could inspire you to reinvent your approach to home and family, changing your life for the better. 2. Re-sponding to a downturn in your stability and security, you’ll build a much stronger foundation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. There may be carelessness or a lack of skill in the ways you and your associates communicate and cultivate connectivity. 2. You may have problems blending elements that really need to be blended. Potential opportunities: 1. You’ll resolve to communicate and cultivate connectivity with a renewed panache and vigor. 2. You’ll dream up fresh approaches to blending elements that need to be blended.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. Money may be problematic. 2. Your personal integrity might undergo a challenge. 3. You could get lax about translating your noble ideas into practical actions. Potential opportunities: 1. You’ll find inventive solutions for boosting your wealth. 2. You’ll take steps to ensure your ethical code is impeccable. 3. You’ll renew your commitment to translating your noble ideals into practical action.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Possible predica-ment during the coming months: You may have an identity crisis. Who are you, anyway? What do you really want? What are your true intentions? Potential opportunity: You’ll purge self-doubts and fuzzy self-images. You’ll rise up with a fierce determination to define yourself with clarity and intensity and creativity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. You’ll be at risk for botched endings. 2. You may be tempted to avoid solving long-term problems whose time is up. Potential oppor-tunities: 1. You’ll make sure all endings are as graceful and complete as possible. 2. You’ll dive in and finally resolve long-term problems whose time is up.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Possible crises in the coming months: 1. Due to worries about your self-worth, you may not accept the help and support that are available. 2. Due to worries about your self-worth, you might fail to bravely take advantage of chances to reach a new level of success. Potential opportuni-ties: 1. You’ll take dramatic action to enhance your sense of self-worth, empowering you to welcome the help and support you’re offered and take advantage of chances to reach a new level of success.

BY AMY ALKON

THE SCIENCE ADVICE GODDESSCALLOUS IN WONDERLANDAt family gatherings, my sister-in-law makes critical remarks about my appearance, like my shirt’s very low-cut or I might want to lose weight before wearing the dress I have on. She only does this in front of others, and she says she just tells me because she cares about me. It doesn’t feel that way. I’d really like her to stop. —Feeling Attacked

When you’re female, junior high never ends. The Hello Kitty knife in your back just gets upgraded to one by Cuisinart.

Women are said to be the “gentler sex,” because we rarely see one drag another out of the bar by her ponytail for a parking lot beatdown. But women aren’t better people than men. Female-on-female aggression just plays out differently—less visibly, less identifi-ably—than the male-on-male kind.

Psychologist Anne Campbell explains that women evolved to avoid direct con-frontation—physical fights or calling somebody out to their face—and in-stead compete with other women through sneaky “indirect aggression.” This is ag-gression that doesn’t quite read as aggres-sion, like the public shaming that wears the plastic nose and glasses of concern.

Another popular form of woman-on-woman sneaky sabotage is spreading mean gossip to knock another woman down the social ladder and maybe even get her ostracized. There’s also “con-structive criticism”—supposedly well-intentioned remarks meant to stress a woman out, make her feel bad about herself, and get her to dim her shine.

Campbell believes women’s tendency to use indirect aggression is “a result of their higher parental investment”—the fact that they’re the home and ground transportation for the developing fetus and are children’s primary caretakers. A physical fight (or more male-style fight-ing words that led to a punchout-fest) could damage a woman’s reproductive parts or kill her, and an ancestral wom-an’s survival was key to her children’s survival and to her passing on her genes.

People like you, who are repeatedly victimized by another person, often don’t realize they never set any bound-aries, never told the abuser to stop. This effectively sends their tormentor a message: “OPEN SEASON ON ME FOR-EVER! Keep doin’ what you’re doin’!”

Whenever your sister-in-law turns a family gathering into a forum on your weight or outfit, calmly assert yourself,

saying only these words: “No more com-ments on my appearance, please.” Be prepared for her to insist you’re crazy, oversensitive and unfairly accusing her. This is bait. Do not take it. Getting into any sort of debate allows her to cast you as neurotic and mean and cast her-self as the victim.

Be prepared for her to “forget” and attack you again. Simply reiterate your mantra, in a cool, calm voice: “No more comments on my appearance, please.” You’ll shut her up without looking like the bad guy, but you’ll both know what you really mean: “Inside me, there’s a skinny person longing to get out, shove a Tide Pod and load of socks in your mouth, and put your head on spin.”

WAKING THE DADMy boyfriend and I recently discussed having children. I want them, but he’s a little on the fence. He says he needs to be in a better financial place before thinking about kids. I wonder whether that’s just an excuse to put off the topic indefinitely. —Worried

Children bring their parents a lot of joy—and it helps to remember that as you’re jazz-walking to the office so you can put your gas money toward your kid’s fourth round of dental work.

Children are seriously expensive, so maybe your boyfriend just feels a serious sense of responsibility to support the lit-tle buggers while being unsure of exactly how many million bajillions that could take. Economist Daniel Ellsberg observed that we humans are deeply disturbed by ambiguity—a lack of information about how things could turn out. Some people are so ambiguity-averse (aka uncertainty averse) they’ll opt for an immediate sure loss over the possibility of a future gain. It’s why people sometimes sabotage a new relationship: They can’t stand not knowing whether the thing’ll tank, so they blow it up themselves.

To figure out where your boyfriend re-ally stands, replace the ambiguity with information. Together, add up the costs of having kids (factoring in health care, emergencies, grad school, rehab, etc.). From that, project the date of his fi-nancial readiness. You might also ask him about any fears he has about hav-ing kids. Discussing them might shrink them—or make it clear that he isn’t daddy material and that you should start looking for a man who is. Though retailers allow you to return many items, even if they’re slightly used, ma-ternity wards don’t work like that: “Ex-cuse me, nurse, these three kids turned out to be unexpectedly loud, sticky and expensive, but I don’t see your return policy on the receipts.”

“Sir, those are birth certificates.”

20

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

B-

BOA

RD

20rearEnd comix + sudoku

sudoku for April 20, 2007 difficult

53 6 2 4

2 1 6 75 4

7 4 3 8 2 19 6

2 7 8 14 9 7 8

3http://sudokuplace.com

SudokuINSTRUCTIONS: Arrange the digits 1-9 so that each digit occurs once in each row, once in each column, and once in each box.

21

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

B-

BOA

RD

20

ACROSS1 School that won 10

NCAA basketball championships in 12 years

5 Planetarium projec-tions

10 Section of music that’s repeated

14 Thing on stage15 Banned practice?16 Earth Day subj.

17 *Bowlful on the specials list

19 “Trapped in the Drive-___” (Weird Al song)

20 Beaker’s spot21 Goose formations23 Nursery schooler24 “Grown-up” cereal

ingredient27 *Italian veal dish29 “Deep Space Nine”

constable30 Tap takeover unit33 Hypnotic state34 Mess up36 Aragon-born artist39 “So help me!”40 *”I Am the Walrus”

refrain43 Even so45 24-karat, gold-wise46 Tabby tooth49 Believer of sorts

51 It takes night deposits

53 Arthur of “Maude” and “The Golden Girls”

54 *Department of Labor training program

57 Seemingly bottom-less pit

59 Gold, to Cortez60 Christmastime61 Addr. on a business

card62 Accumulation64 *Bands like AKB48

and Babymetal (but not BTS--that’s a different letter)

69 Cop on a bust70 “... to fetch ___ of

water”71 1952 Winter Olym-

pics city72 Laundromat lather73 Mary Poppins, for

example74 Late infomercial

pitchman Billy

DOWN1 “What can Brown do

for you?” company2 ___-Magnon man3 Actor Diamond Phil-

lips4 iPad Pro maker5 Ticket souvenir

6 Blues guitarist ___ Mahal

7 From the beginning, in Latin

8 Rakish sorts9 Most in need of a

massage10 Terrier treater11 1991 U2 album

featuring the song “One”

12 Fez’s country13 Demoted (like a

former planet)18 Nightfall22 Kevin who played

Hercules on TV24 Driving visibility

problem25 “___ believe ...”26 Wave rider’s acces-

sory28 ___ Pigs Invasion

(1961 event)31 Quail ___ omelet32 Gwyneth Paltrow’s

lifestyle brand35 B vitamin acid37 TTYL part38 “Slumdog Million-

aire” city41 Kaitlin of “It’s

Always Sunny in Philadelphia”

42 Hot tub nozzle43 Capital of New-

foundland and Labrador

44 “Walden” writer47 “Duck Hunt” plat-

form48 Oxygen, for one50 One fooled by a

wooden horse52 Ex-Smiths guitarist

Johnny55 Pig blamed for

causing American kids to affect Brit-ish accents

56 Alfred P. ___ Foundation (NPR benefactor)

58 Result in flowers61 Unpleasant, as a

situation63 Laptops or desk-

tops, e.g.65 Alley figure66 Home of Rome and

Moscow67 What the P in TP

doesn’t stand for68 Oceanic distress

signal

Last Week’s Puzzle

©2020 Jonesin’ Crosswords

rearEnd crossword

Dangerous CurvesEVERY CAPITAL LETTER IN THE THEME HAS CURVES

22

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

B-

BOA

RD

20

TELL ME EVERYTHINGIf you’ve got business news you’d like to share, please

email biz@cascadiaweekly.com. It won’t keep me from wan-dering the streets, looking in windows, but every bit helps.

BIZ BRIEFS

03.18.20BY CAREY ROSS

SUPPORT OUR EATERIESIn light of all of the business news

this week being, well, not great, and in order to assist our fellow small busi-nesses in weathering this COVID-19 storm, we’d like to offer a list of some of the Bellingham eateries (in no particular order) offering takeout and to-go fare. (Skagit County, we’d like to do the same for you next week, so please send your info to biz@cascadiaweekly.com.)

• Aslan Brewery: 360-393-4106 | Food, beer, curbside pickup

• Boundary Bay Brewery: 360-647-5593 | Food, beer, taproom pickup and home delivery

• Coconut Kenny’s: www.coconut kennys.com | Food, curbside or window pickup, three locations

• Old World Deli: 360-738-2090 | Food, curbside pickup

• Cosmos Bistro: 360-255-0244 | Food, curbside pickup, online ordering com-ing soon

• Pepper Sisters: 360-671-3414 | Food, takeout, online ordering coming soon

• Dirty Dan Harris Steakhouse: 360-676-1011 | Food, takeout

• Greene’s Corner: 360-306-8137 | Food, beer, wine, drive-thru-window pickup

• Electric Beet Juice Co: electricbeetjuiceco.com | Juice, food,

(360) 738-69771421 N Forest St.

ragfinery.com

ShopClothes, fabrics, yarn, sewing notions, patterns, quilting supplies, locally upcycled goods.

LearnUpcycling workshops, sewing, mending, weaving, felting, dyeing, kids camps, parties, sewing consultations.

SupportAll proceeds benefit Ragfinery’s Job Training, Community Engagement, & Environmental work. Ragfinery is a non-profit project of ReUse Works.

WHAT IS RAGFINERY?MORE THAN JUST A THRIFT STORE!

textile transformation

Home OF Bellingham's Best Bloody Mary

We're open

for pickup!Togo orders available this week

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

360-752-2968

online ordering, curbside pickup

• Elizabeth Station: 360-733-8982 | Food, beer, retail shop, curbside pickup

• Leaf and Ladle: 360-319-9718 | Food, takeout

• The Black Cat: 360-733-6136 | Food, curbside pickup

• Arlis’s Restaurant: 360-647-1788 | Food, curbside pickup

• Kebab Casual: 360-319-4081 | Food, food-truck-side pickup

• Caffe Adagio: 360-671-1198 | Food, coffee, takeout

• Latitude Kitchen + Bar: 360-707-7400 | Food, drive-thru-win-dow pickup

• La Fiamma: 360-647-0060 | Food, takeout, walkup window

• The Local Public House: 360-306-3731 | Food, pickup, beer available at Menace

• Pizza Time: 360-650-0555 | Duh, it’s pizza delivery (and carryout)

• Ambo Ethiopian Cuisine: 360-927-8714 | Food, takeout

• The Filling Station (James Street): 360-746-2079 | Food, drive-thru-window pickup

• Simmering Tava: 360-519-7815 | Food, curbside pickup, delivery

• Avenue Bread (James Street): 360-715-3354 | Food, takeout

Many of these businesses also offer de-livery via Viking Foods and other services. Our thanks to Bellingham Harold for help-ing us compile this information.

23

CASC

AD

IA W

EEK

LY #

12.1

503

.18.

20 D

O IT

2

MA

IL 4

V

IEW

S 6

CUR

REN

TS 8

WOR

DS

10G

ET O

UT

12ST

AG

E 13

AR

T 15

MU

SIC

16 F

ILM

18

B-B

OAR

D 20

F

OOD

23

FO

OD 2

3

MANY GROCERY STORES are reducing hours, suspending self-serve food and limiting the amount of customers coming through the doors. Check ahead before leaving the house. Bellingham Food Bank is pre-packing

boxes of food for all customers. Choice and the ability to shop will be lost with this strategy, but people will still have access to food. Info: www.bellingham foodbank.orgWith the recent edict from Governor

Jay Inslee to shutter in-person dining in restaurants statewide, many venues are now offering delivery, takeout or curbside pickup. Explore your options (See pg. 22). Meet Your Farmer CSA Fairs scheduled for

March 21 (Skagit) and March 28 (What-com) have been canceled. Sustainable Connections will host a short virtual event March 21, and will launch a series of Meet Your Farmer videos beginning April 1—so you can still get to know the farmers in the community who are offering local food boxes and community supported agriculture shares. Info: www.eatlocalfirst.org

FOOD FACTS

chowRECIPES REVIEWS PROFILES

STORY AND PHOTO BY JESSAMYN TUTTLE

Pantry Party COOKING DURING A PANDEMIC

FOR THE last few weeks most of us have been stocking up and getting ready to hunker down to slow the spread of COVID-19. We’ve started socially distancing ourselves and building up our Netflix queues. Now what are you going to eat for the next few weeks?

One great option is to order takeout, if that’s a possibility where you live. Restau-rants are already seeing massive drops in business, causing many to close at least temporarily, and the best way to make sure your favorite places survive is to order out or buy gift certificates for later.

That said, if takeout isn’t available and you’ve been quarantined, you’re stuck with whatever is in your pantry. Everyone starts out by stocking up with perishables like milk, eggs and bread, but unless you have a lot of freezer space, these are going to run out or go bad. Vegetables also won’t last unless you bought them frozen, but some keep a good long time, like green cabbage, onions, potatoes, winter squash and root vegetables.

Because there are only two people in my household, we freeze a lot of things that otherwise just wouldn’t get eaten in time, like English muffins, sliced sandwich bread, cookies and brownies, smoked salmon, bacon and containers of lemon juice.

You can process vegetables like blanched broccoli, sautéed greens, or fresh corn, and freeze them. Cherry tomatoes can be frozen whole, then added to recipes as needed. If you know how to can, that’s even better, since it saves your freezer space

for other things. Potatoes are a perfect food and keep beautifully in a cool cup-board or basement.

While I hope you have something be-sides potatoes in your cupboard, it’s nice to know they can keep you alive. I sur-vived my senior year of college primarily on potatoes and cabbage cooked together with a little of the cheapest white wine I could buy—I don’t necessarily recom-mend this, but it does stave off scurvy.

Rice is about as good as it gets for a versatile staple. Boil a small amount of rice in a pan of water for an hour to make congee, a soothing base for sweet top-pings like sugar and dried fruit, or savory like bacon, vegetables and kimchi. Cook up a big pan of rice for one night and save the leftovers to make fried rice the next day, a great way to use up odds and ends of meat or vegetables.

Some people might be buying what they consider “emergency” food even though it isn’t stuff they would normally eat. Don’t put yourself in the position of staring at that powdered mashed potato mix in a few weeks wondering what you were thinking. Buy food that makes you happy. And even if you’re not much of a cook, you’re likely

to have plenty of time to experiment. Beans especially are easy to cook at

home when you have time, and much tastier than the canned version. Last year I joined the Rancho Gordo Bean Club (yes, that’s as geeky as it sounds) and am now a bean evangelist.

Some of my favorite bean dishes are Boston baked beans—white beans stirred into a big pile of garlicky greens with pasta, and chicken chili with cooked beans, frozen corn, and canned tomatil-los. A really nice salad can be made out of canned tuna and cooked white beans, maybe with some sliced onion and a bright lemon dressing. Or a big pot of soup with loose sausage, pasta, beans or lentils, and spinach or kale. We eat varia-tions of this constantly.

If you can find a copy, I recommend the book What to Cook When You Think There’s Nothing in the House to Eat by Arthur Schwartz. This sort of pantry cooking can be a great way to get creative. One of my favorite pantry meals is tuna puttanesca, since I always have good canned tuna, capers, anchovies, and kalamata olives, along with a can of tomatoes and some dried pasta. Fresh parsley is the only per-ishable ingredient, but the dish will be fine if you don’t have it.

Condiments are your friend. Do you have soy sauce, hot sauce, flavored vine-gars? If you get down to just a few ingre-dients at least you can make them taste different day to day. Anything that can be used to punch up flavor is invaluable.

This is a stressful time, so eat food you enjoy! Bake cookies for your neigh-bors. Join an online cooking group and trade ideas. We may not be able to hug or shake hands, but we can still support each other.

C O M E D I A N • I M P R E S S I O N I S T • M A D T V S T A R

FRANKFRANK caliendocaliendo

MAY 15 & 16MAY 15 & 16

ON SALE ON SALE

NOW!NOW!Tickets available • OR Service Charge Free at Casino Box Office

theskagit.com • On I-5 at Exit 236