With spring here, let’s hope winter’s grasp is done

Will snow-laden trees and white fields brighten our landscape once again?

Will short errands turn into long adventures as we navigate treacherous frozen roads?

Oh please, no more pretty tales of the wonder of snow.

Let’s hope it’s gone for this year. Now that it’s spring, we look forward to flowers and the smell of freshly cut grass. While hoping snow has finished falling in the lowlands of Granite Falls and Silvana, let’s enjoy one more pretty picture.

This gorgeous shot was taken by Charles Forster of Arlington. It shows his son, Michael, 12, enjoying this year’s coldest Saturday morning on the banks of the Stillaguamish River.

By day, Charles Forster is an engineer. Off-hours, he enjoys photographing the world around him, especially if it involves his family and friends.

“My son is a great sport and lets me try different angles and techniques until I get it right,” Forster says.

* * *

Cathy Wooten aims to relieve stress in those who take her class.

It’s a wonderful theory — “Five-Minute Daily Energy Balancing.”

Learn ideas from the licensed massage therapist and safety and health specialist at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Stanwood Library, 9701 271st St. NW, Stanwood.

“When we are under stress, the flow of energy throughout our bodies can be thrown off,” Wooten says. “This can decrease the functioning of our immune system and has been shown to actually disrupt normal thought processes.”

Some of us have noticed we don’t think as well as normal when we’re under a lot of stress. So true. And, she said, we notice that we can get sick more frequently when under stress.

Her five-minute method is about finding acupressure points.

* * *

The Camano Island Chamber of Commerce received $11,665 for the Visitor Information Center.

“This is a grant that we apply for from the Island County Hotel-Motel Public Facilities Fund,” says Karen Daum, director of tourism and operations for the chamber. “It is not a windfall, but something we apply for in August of every year.”

Money will be used for promoting tourism around Island County.

* * *

Get poster artwork in by Wednesday for Harvest Jubilee. It’s for use on a color poster depicting an agricultural theme found in the Stanwood, Camano Island and Silvana areas.

The third annual Harvest Jubilee and Stanwood-Camano-Silvana Farm Tour, which will promote local agriculture, is planned for Sept. 19.

For more information, e-mail Vivian Henderson at vmail@­cedarcomm.com.

“Our area is rich with talented artists, and we rely on their artistic vision to help us showcase the special character of our local farms and the event,” Henderson says. “The contest winner’s work will become our event poster.”

Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.

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