BUSINESS NEWS
2
Coast River Business Journal
Publisher’s Notebook
November 2020 Matt Winters
Winter need not be wicked if we care for one another
M
y cousin Bob Bell and I — like most people
here — are still very much connected to
our rural roots. Our conversations often
revolve around the weather. While we
don’t have livestock to worry about getting
through the winter, our long twice-a-week
walks give us a first-hand reason to watch
the Doppler radar for incoming rain squalls.
The radar is a wonderful tool to see what’s coming from out at sea,
helping save fishermen’s lives. Try it out yourself at radar.weather.
gov/radar.php?rid=lgx. Far less importantly, it allows Bob and I to
avoid getting drenched miles from home on some storm-lashed beach.
We also discuss the changing seasons, with Bob arguing for the
astronomical onset of winter — Monday, Dec. 21, this year. On the
other hand, I believe winter is best defined by the climate. The onset
of winter in these parts is nearly always around Halloween — which
“If you
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the time e
conveniently coincides with the ancient Samhain religious festival
and the traditional start of winter in pagan times. Our ancestors
defined winter by its storms and scarcity, bringing a need to cull
herds and hunker down.
From a modern economic standpoint, this remains the time of
hunkering down. When I moved here nearly 30 years ago, it still
wasn’t uncommon for visitor-oriented business owners to close
down and head for sunny climes until spring break. In this covid-
blighted winter, when small businesses around the world are figuring
how to cling to life, there are many emotional discussions about
whether to keep the doors open this winter, or close temporarily —
or even permanently. The death of any entrepreneurial dream should
be painfully marked by each of us.
There will certainly continue to be tourists — for one thing, king
tides Nov. 12-19 and then again in mid-December and mid-January
will bring storm watchers to the coast for an increasingly popular
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spectator activity. With luck, razor clam digging can resume as a
toxic algal bloom runs its course.
Beyond this, we each should feel a personal responsibility for
contributing to keeping local businesses alive. This is a Christmas
season like none other in living memory. It will be a challenge having
in-person celebrations with loved ones. There is no better time to
show our affection by buying them local gift certificates for home-
owned restaurants and stores. Look for unique Columbia-Pacific
products and services to brighten the lives of those we long to see
and hold.
An upside of starting the actual winter as early as we do is that
spring begins making an appearance by mid- to late-February. It
may seem far off now, but very soon the flowers will be coming up,
the days will be getting longer, and we all avidly hope this horrible
pandemic will begin fading away. In the meantime, let’s take good
care of one another here on the storm-tossed shore.
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