The Editor:
Sadly, Blaine will be losing a wonderful business when Ny and his wife Sam close their Blaine Jewelry Source store. I have had many watch batteries replaced over the years by Ny and he has fixed the prongs on several rings.
Ny and his wife always greet you with a smile and remember your name if you’ve been a repeat customer. Ny will be closing at the end of April due to his cancer diagnosis. I’d like to suggest if you have any watches that need batteries or jewelry that needs a “tune up,” you stop by and talk to Ny and Sam. You won’t regret the convenience of getting work done locally instead of driving to Bellingham. Oh, a trick to keep your watch batteries lasting longer: pull out the stem on the watch to stop it running and simply push it back in and reset the time.
Anne Freeman
Blaine
The Editor:
I want to give a thank you to True Value Hardware on Bell Road for their customer service. During the recent cold spell some of our pipes froze and once they thawed, pipes had broken. This was beyond my novice handyman skills, so we called our plumber. After not having water for three days until our plumber could make it out and after hours of the plumber working and me being in a filthy crawl space under the house, we found we had more damage than we expected, which was very disappointing.
After such a stressful week of no water and many dollars’ worth of plumbing that still needed to be done, I found that I needed an additional faucet cover for outside as I used the current ones on my new plumbing problem. I called True Value Hardware at 5:53 p.m. and asked what time they closed and if they had faucet covers and they said 6 p.m. and they had faucet covers – I told them I would be rushing over. Since it is a 10 minute drive to True Value from my house, I thought I would arrive after they closed, but I had to try.
I arrived and two employees were closing the gate, I asked “Are you guys closed?” They said, “Are you here for faucet covers? We’re waiting for you.” I went in and found three other employees waiting, and they said “We all talked about it and figured we could wait a little bit for you so you don’t have frozen pipes.” (They had no idea of the plumbing problems at home.) I thanked them and told them briefly about my water situation and let them know that staying open an extra few minutes was the best thing that happened to me all week.
I really appreciate the extra effort they gave staying open late to help me out. I have always had that kind of customer service at True Value and appreciate the work they do! Thank you for your customer service and your commitment to the people of Blaine!
Eric Davidson
Blaine
The Editor:
For some odd reason – over the past few decades, even with a supposedly more technically advanced population, we have allowed and accepted the least technically capable individuals to direct and even demand how we solve the more pressing technical issues confronting us. For example, renewable energy.
However, if you are really interested or concerned about this issue, there is a very recent article on the subject, presented by a seriously committed environmentalist, Michael Shellenberger, available at the following link: quillette.com/2019/02/27/why-renewables-cant-save-the-planet/. It is void of emotion and politics, and provides the reader a remarkable understanding of the core issues relative to electrical energy solutions.
Peter Werner
Blaine
The Editor:
At the time of the Blaine Christmas Tree Lighting in the old Goff store we presented the “Blaine History Mini-museum.” I told stories of old Blaine and presented historic digital photos and digital copies of the old Blaine Journal. The Mini-Museum lasted for three weekends. It was well received by our neighbors and visitors. I was asked a number of times: is there going to be a place that they could in the future view this history of Blaine?
In the last two days at least 24 people signed a statement asking for a Blaine Museum. My status on archiving the Blaine Journal should be completed using all the papers I have received by people in Blaine, the Goff family and the Ferndale Record Journal. I do have another source I hope will fill in what I am lacking. I now ask for anybody who has copies of the Blaine journal to call me at 360/739-1028 so I can fill in what I do not have digitized. If anyone would like to join me in preserving the story of Blaine, I would like to hear from you.
James Zell
Blaine
The Editor:
Conservatives Speak Out. You may have heard about the conservative movement titled #walkawaycampaign. Finally, conservatives have an avenue to express their feelings about the biased press spreading misinformation, repressed free speech, hate speech toward President Trump and social media (Facebook) removing conservative ideas. The resist movement gained momentum from the press, social media, newspapers and local news and T.V. stations.
Although it is unlikely the conservative movement will have a backing such as that, let’s hope it will at least receive an equal opportunity to express the concerns of its’ followers. It will be interesting to see if indeed our country, founded on (among others) free speech, will be able to adhere to the laws of our constitution and rights of individuals to express their ideas without repercussions. Facebook has already begun a campaign to remove information about #walkawaycampaign from its social media platform. Not surprising. Ways to gain understanding of a different point of view are to listen to and read facts and opinions, have discussions and share experiences from those who take the time to do so. There is no better time than the present to take that opportunity to learn from a differing perspective.
Both parties have plenty of information to share, and that’s one way we become informed. The emotional resist movement’s objective is to impede the president. The conservative #walkaway movement is one based on fact, experience and compassion for those who have a point of view that has been squelched. Let’s give the movement a fair opportunity to have their concerns understood. We stand the chance of broadening our beliefs, understandings, and opinions.
Susan Werner
Blaine
The Editor:
This is in reply to Mr. Brechnitz letter. I have almost 50 years’ experience serving on HOA boards and will refer to the RCW laws as they apply. I believe holding the matter in an “executive session” was the appropriate venue. However, the agenda for that council meeting posted on their website must include that an executive session will be held since that is the proper place. RCW 64.38.035 (4) covers this in more detail. But I believe due to the significance of this matter, after the meeting concluded, discloser of this matter should have been made public immediately with a very detailed explanation of their actions. The latter part of his (7) covers this and not sure whether it was malfeasance or not, as that is a legal matter that the public can initiate to find out who is responsible to the public for failure to disclose.
I applaud the installation of a round-a-bout on Grandview and Kickerville. With another round-a-bout at Blaine Road it would make the road safer should the county drivers decide to obey the traffic laws regarding speeding and yielding right of way at a round-a-bout. My hope is that the county will emulate the Washington action and install a round-a-bout at Kickerville and Birch Bay-Lynden Road as there is a four-way stop sign at Blaine Road.
I am puzzled about the creation of a golf cart zone specifically on Bay Road between Jackson and Blaine roads. The speed limit used to be 35 mph and 80 percent plus of the drivers ignored it and drove 45 mph or more, so creating a 25 mph serves no purpose as I have yet to see one golf cart on that road and drivers continue to drive much too fast. Maybe Doralee Booth or Kathy Berg can correct this mistake.
As to the Democrats celebrating the mid-election win, Trump lost far fewer seats in Congress in his first term than Obama and Clinton did and it was not even close. So, these liberals have nothing to celebrate.
Mickey Masdeo
Blaine
The Editor:
Earth is a living planet, a living being. Because of the sheer number of human beings on earth today and because of human use and misuse of earth’s natural systems and resources, earth herself is being threatened. It is difficult for me to understand denial of climate change. It is so important that we all become informed about how human activity affects earth, like the use of and the effect of “freons” or refrigerants on the ozone layer some 50 years ago, causing “holes” in the ozone layer, a layer which protects us from harmful radiation from the sun. Freons are now banned. Or like deforestation of the rainforests by humans and the use of fossil fuels by humans, both of which have increased the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere which in turn has resulted in acidification of our oceans which is harmful to coral reefs and the plankton at the base of the food chain.
Also earth is warmer, leading to a melting of glaciers and large masses of sea ice which in turn is contributing to a rise in sea level and in a change in habitat for other earthly beings. And what is causing the extremes in weather we have been having around the world over the last few years? I am a senior citizen and will likely not be here 20 years from now, but my/our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be. Do we care about the quality of life they will experience?
Climate change is not a political issue. Science is the basis of understanding and treating human health and science is the basis of understanding and responding to earth’s health. The care of all of earth is a spiritual imperative and we must become knowledgeable and concerned about earth’s pollution and climate change.
Kay Burrough
Birch Bay
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