Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating. Maybe it will inspire some of you to start one. What a gift it would be to those who come after us, and what a wonderful way for them to know us.
03/21/2020
Since my family and I don’t have to self-quarantine after all, today was transfer station day. We offloaded some dead appliances we’ve been hoarding due to my husband’s lack of time as a teacher, coach, and athletic director. If there was a sporting event somewhere in Western Washington, he was there. Now, everything is cancelled.
The transfer station was relatively busy, so we weren’t the only people spring cleaning. Everyone stayed in their pickups and waved from a distance. I saw people there we knew, like one of the amazing ladies in charge of HAVA, the local non-profit for animals. They had to cancel their annual HAVA Spring Tea that raises much needed funding for the animal shelter.
Other non-profits are in the same boat, as are small businesses who don’t have large assets to keep paying their employees, let alone rent and utilities. Businesses are closed, people out of work, and musicians and artists are SOL.
But, maybe some of us can help, each in our own way. A few suggestions, if you’re able:
1. Your favorite local restaurants probably have gift cards, and take out. Order over the phone and pick up. Some might even deliver.
2. If you need fresh baked bread, organic produce, tea, soap, a handmade gift, etc., a great place (and as of writing this, still open!) is the Grays Harbor Farmers Market, between Aberdeen and Hoquiam. Everything there is handmade by local artisans (and they are kind enough to stock signed copies of my books.) Yes, buying handmade is a bit more expensive, but you know that your money is directly helping a local family, and the quality is top notch.
3. Please don’t forget our local non-profits that support our most vulnerable, like HAVA, the homeless shelter, Helping Hands, and so many others.
4. Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly. Start a phone tree or email list, and a way to check if someone needs help, like fetching groceries or prescriptions.
5. Be good to each other, especially all the front-line folks who are still working in grocery stores and gas stations, healthcare workers, EMTs, firefighters, and police. They deserve our thanks and cooperation.
We are living in historic times. What will define them, and us, for future generations, is how we come together to protect one another.
And here’s my song of the day: “Stuck in the Middle with You” – Stealers Wheel
Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi / fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com
Photo by Larry Bale Karen Harris Tully
