Church

Alicia Rule works for us

Former Blaine City Councilmember

Pushed Gov. Inslee and Canadian government to make exceptions for border crossings during lockdowns Endorsed by the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police

Re-Elect Alicia Rule!

Pro-Choice 100%

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There are so many churches! The church/denomination of choice may be based on family history; it could be a connection to a congregation (you were invited by a friend/colleague to a special event or gathering); or, having simply attended out of curiosity, you enjoyed your experience. Maybe you got a feeling of “being at home” at a church. Whatever drew you in, you found a resting place for your curious heart and soul.

The multiplicity of denominations comes out of the very history of the church. This history is full of inspiration, growth, disagreement, fissure and even rebellion. But for many, theology is a personal matter. A belief system will resonate or repel. This is not a judgment on churches or their doctrines, but is rather the result of the journey of the soul to find a place of belonging in an uncertain world.

One part of the Jesus story that defies being categorized or “owned” by any church is the story of healing. It is important to note that Jesus did not demand fealty when he healed. He didn’t care if a person was a believer or not. He saw people in pain and suffering, and he had compassion. He touched them. Sometimes there was a ritual (Mark 8:22-25, John 9:1-11); sometimes just a touch. Sometimes he didn’t do anything (Mark 5:24-34). As he would put it, “Your faith has made you well.”

He even healed remotely (Luke 7:1-10). And then do you know what he told his followers before his death? He said, “I tell you truly, one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and even greater works than these will they do, because I go to the creator.” (John 14:12) When Jesus leaves the time-space limitations of human life, his spiritual power is released as a gift to all who follow him on the way. And who are we to name or determine how that power will be experienced? And by/through whom?

Healing is an important part of the ministry of the church. It is empowered by prayer as much as by any kind of training. It is empowered by compassion, and sometimes by sheer faith. That faith might be enacted in a church setting, but just as often in a home, an office, even on a street.

Healing is a ministry that we are embracing and sharing at Trinity. We are preparing a sacred space for healing in our building. We have people with training and people with gifts, and a community of great faith, powered by a great love. This is not a Lutheran ministry, but a ministry of the realm of Christ. This ministry acknowledges that healing occurs on many levels: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. More than often, it is a combination of more than one. The ancient root of the words “heal” and “whole” is the same. Healing is a return to wholeness.

It is a sharing of energy, which can be experienced through touch, sound, light, color, prayer, forgiveness, food, love, hugs, beach walks, forest walks, meditation, singing together. Healing is an activity of the spirit, and this spirit seeks expression and embodiment in our lived experience, our relationships and community.

We will be sharing this journey on our website and our Facebook page (Just search Trinity Community Lutheran Church Point Roberts on Facebook or your search engine), so stay tuned and stay connected.

Joe Timmons: Proud to be 100% Pro-Choice

The choice is clear for State Representative Vote for Democrat Joe Timmons

JOE EARNED THE SOLE ENDORSEMENT IN HIS RACE FROM

Return your ballot by November 8

Return your ballot by November 8th

Paid for and authorized by Vote Joe Timmons (D) PO Box 1995 Bellingham, WA 98227

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With the heating season now upon us, it’s a good time to check the status of your carbon monoxide detectors or get some if you don’t have them already. Point Roberts resident Dave Espley, had that point drummed into him just a week ago.

Recovering from recent knee replacement surgery and spending much of his time in bed, he began hearing his CO monitor alarm going off. He had purchased it last year the day after he heard the tragic case of Point Roberts residents Murray Church and Gail Asmundsen who died from CO poisoning on November 25 last year. The couple had moved into their new house on Calder Drive and died apparently due to the faulty installation of a radiant heating system.

“When I heard what happened to them, the first thing I did was to check to see if there were CO detectors in the house. When I didn’t find any, I went to Nielson’s

Caution!

As CO is colorless, odorless and tasteless, it is especially dangerous to individuals who are asleep.

The CDC offers the following safety tips regarding carbon monoxide:

Do have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified tech nician every year.

Do install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home. Check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. If the detector sounds leave your home immediately and call 911.

Do seek prompt medical help if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseated.

Don’t use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window.

Don’t run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.

Don’t burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn’t vented. Building Center and bought one. About five or six days ago, I woke up and heard the alarm going off. I went downstairs to the room that has the furnace and water heater where I had installed the detector. I figured it was probably the batteries that needed to be changed and brought it back upstairs to the kitchen and replaced them. Sure enough, it stopped beeping and didn’t start up when I put new batteries in it.” He left the detector on the kitchen island.

Four hours later, he returned home from Bellingham and when he opened the door, he heard the beeping again. “I know carbon monoxide is odorless, but I just had a bad feeling about things,” he said. “I called [assistant fire chief] John Shields and he was here in under five minutes. As soon as he walked in, his CO monitor started going off. I told him I thought the source was downstairs in the furnace room and when we walked in, his detector went crazy.” The two turned off the furnace, opened doors and windows and aired out the house.

“Realistically, that device probably saved my life,” he said. Espley now has four detectors placed around his house.

The Point Roberts fire department has free CO detectors available to homes that will be occupied this winter. Email chief@ wcfd5.com if you would like one.

s A happy crowd enjoyed a Bingo at the Reef fundraiser for Circle of Care on October 9.

Photo by Annelle Norman

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Borderite ReportTHE Brought To You By The Blaine School District Point Roberts Primary 2050 Benson Rd, P.O. Box 910 Point Roberts, WA 98281 945-ABCD (2223)

October has been a month where we have been able to continue to welcome back traditions that were put on hold during the pandemic. On Friday, October 21st our school went into Delta, BC to visit Westham Island Herb Farm and the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. This special trip allowed our students to learn more about science that is found in the world around us. After the field trip, our students brought their pumpkins back to school and have been conducting Pumpkin Science experiments this week. Students also created beautiful leaf prints from leaves they collected during a nature walk for art.

On Monday, October 24th we hosted the monthly School Board meeting at Point Roberts Primary. We were thrilled with the opportunity to welcome our Board Members, district staff and the public into our building with the goal of sharing our school. During this meeting we highlighted the district level common commitments that we share with the rest of the schools in the Blaine School District. As a remote and necessary school we first and foremost embrace the shared common commitments of the Blaine School District while also recognizing the opportunity to celebrate our differences. Some of our shared common commitments are: • Smart Start with our School Family Meeting • Bridges Math • Fountas and Pinnell • Conscious Discipline • Daily PE • Specialities that allow us to celebrate our differences

It was also our pleasure to honor Rose Momsen and Chief Carleton along with Fire District Number 5 for their continual support of Point Roberts Primary and the local school children. During the height of the pandemic, when it was unsafe to have volunteers in our building, these volunteers found innovative ways to continue to support our community school. We are thankful for the collaborative relationship that we have with these dedicated community members and we look forward to continuing to work together to support each student who is enrolled at Point Roberts Primary School.

Sincerely,

Jessie Hettinga, M.S.Ed

Principal/K-3 Teacher jhettinga@blainesd.org Point Roberts Primary

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Gardeners are intimately familiar with change. In particular, they share with many other enthusiasts a sensitivity to the rhythm of the year and the march of time and science.

In November our gardens are starting to fall into their annual slumber. Conifers have almost finished their flagging, shedding excessive foliage. The same is true of deciduous trees and shrubs, with essentially only the oaks retaining their expired leaves tenaciously. Annuals are winding down their lifespan, and many perennials have become dormant.

In contrast, some others like some hellebores and cyclamen are actually sending up their flowering shoots to brighten the winter garden. In a few months, lengthening days and increasing warmth will awaken most plants and the natural rhythm of growth begins anew.

Of course, not every year is the same. I love when Facebook and OneDrive pop up on-this-day photographs of my garden. Wow! Tulips really popped that year! What happened to them? Are they already done because of a mild winter and early spring, or delayed because of the inclement weather?

Sadly, they might have run out their natural lifespan. While old-fashioned tulips bloom year after year, modern varieties generally have shorter lifespans, leading many gardeners to treat them as annuals. Dedicated gardeners with space subvert this by lifting the bulbs each year and transporting them into a nursery to nurture the bulblets for a future year’s display.

Different perennials will have different natural life spans. To gardeners, perennial does not mean forever. An ornamental tree might well outlive the youthful gardener who plants it, but other plants might live only for a handful of years even under ideal conditions. I personally love perennial blue flax, with its delicate flowers and understated foliage. When first ordering some, I was struck by a reviewer who wrote, “It broke my heart.” Well, that’s what it does. It absolutely delights for about three years, and then it is done.

Of course, not all plants die by their own internal clock. Many suffer the abuse of pests, be they animal, bacterium, fungus or virus. I’ve written about voles before. These native lemming-cousins have boom and bust cycles and can strip a garden clean of their personal favorites in a boom year. Tulip bulbs are a favorite, as are the roots of sea thrift. And speaking of tulips, they are irresistible to deer and rabbits, who can easily wipe out your entire flowerbed. Moving on to six-legged beasts, bronze birch borers have killed many birches in the lower mainland. Both British Columbia and Washington State are now on high alert for invasive Japanese beetles that can devastate plants like roses.

Physical damage can take its toll also. I once lost a lovely bronze Harry Lauder’s walking stick corkscrew hazel to “southwest injury.” The thin bark split from temperature fluctuations one winter and the young tree never really recovered. Many of the ceanothus on Tyee Drive will be removed because they will never recover from last winter’s erratic hard freezes.

Of course, many changes are positive. Plants grow! They fill in spaces; they creep and flourish. A bare landscape can fill in nicely or even become overgrown. Few lush gardens began that way. They began with a few structural plants and fillers here and there. These plants grew. They were supplemented over the years by plants that later proved to be too enthusiastic.

Garden advice changes too, ever towards to the most scientifically grounded best practice, which of course changes with ongoing research. One example is tree and shrub pruning. As Chuck Norwich of Western Arborist Services has repeatedly counselled Point Roberts Garden Club members, improper cuts can open a pruned limb to all sorts of damage and gardeners are now counselled to examine a limb carefully and then cut as close to a branch collar as possible — and of course to use sharpened clean blades.

Another change covered in a recent column is to not overdo autumn cleanup, and to leave garden debris where it lies rather than removing it. The exception, of course, is still to rake leaves off grass and not allow debris to accumulate close to a residence where it could pose a fire risk.

Finally, removing or moving a plant can cause dramatic changes to a garden as well. In our generally hospitable climate, many plants can outgrow their predictions and warrant removal. Or a plant that has disappointed might as well be relegated to the compost bin. Although it pains some gardeners to remove a plant, sometimes it is the only real viable action to maintain a vibrant garden. You don’t have to go full minimalist unless that’s your style. Think of Marie Kondo. Sometimes the change your garden needs is to be more tidy and balanced, with each plant playing its role in a pleasing scheme.

We look forward to assisting you with your needs for Specialty Chocolates and Gifts during the coming Christmas Season! Merry Christmas to everyone from The Chocolate Bear Shoppe!

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