Dear Members,
At last, my Christmas poinsettia looked sad enough to do away with it. Mind you, it was April 4th. I have a hard time throwing out a poinsettia after Christmas. I feel like a murderer dumping it onto the compost pile, its petals looking like blood stains on the snow. But, the snow is melting, and soon those petals will melt into the brown, and my guilt will be washed away.
And now, in my house, there are rabbits. There are sweet bunnies of all sizes, small ones, large ones, ceramic, metal, straw, the happy little pair from Bizarre Bazaar. The only one I haven’t seen is the lone Snowshoe Hare that hops around the outside of the house once every spring, not to be seen again until the next year. Once while snowshoeing, we came upon a little clearing near the house that was filled with Snowshoe Hare tracks. Either a convention had been held, or it was that one mad hare that runs around the house each spring.
Thanks to all of you for making Bizarre Bazaar such a success. This year $105,000 is going to Grants and $35,000, plus an additional $3,500 in special donations, to Scholarships. Your donations, your purchases, your hours of work have made CAL’s extraordinary gifts to Bonner County possible. So head into B.B., bring an armload of spring and summer clothes, pick up a couple of bunnies, and sign up for a shift. We have an average of 52 shifts per month, with the ideal number of 5 volunteers each shift, for a total of 260 volunteers needed per month.
Plans for CAL’s 40th Anniversary are moving ahead. We will meet at the Panida on September 18 at 1:00 p.m. for our meeting and presentation. There will be more information as we get closer to the date. It will be a treat, so Save The Date!
A committee is meeting on Tuesday to tour a variety of possible venues for our monthly meetings as June will be our last meeting in the Sandpoint Center.
As many of you may have heard, Schweitzer is removing the Snow Ghost chair lift and selling the chairs for $2,000 each; the $2,000 will then be donated to the buyer’s choice of a non-profit in the “Chairs for Charity” program. If you know anyone who would like to buy one of those chairs, please drop a small - or not so small - hint that CAL would be a very worthy recipient. The $2,000 could be another grant or scholarship! More information here for Chairs for Charity.
Remember, no general meeting this month, but I hope to see you at the Kentucky Derby Spring luncheon on April 24!
There is an opportunity to get to know members in a more intimate setting. The "CAL Mixer" groups are usually 8-10, very informal and a lot of fun! I’ve heard many positive reviews from members, both new and not so new. Sign-up sheets for those scheduled are in the cash register area at Bizarre Bazaar.
Sherry Ennis
President