Sisters and Brothers:

Staying inside and keeping socially distant is sure hard on those of us that love to hug and stay close. I hope this will soon be a thing of the past and we can go back to living normal lives.

I do not know what normal will be in the future. I will never again take for granted our ability to interact, being able to be close to others, share time in our meetings and activities.

I want to let you know that your Grand Council has

Hello to all! This month’s article will be short due to the “sheltered – in - place” order because of the COVID Pandemic.

On March 21, 2020 our Scheduled March Grand Council Meeting we had a Webinar Conference call put together by Leadership Chairperson Mark Rossi and Webmaster Anna Graeber. They did a wonderful job with such a short notice. There were sixteen plus members connected to the conference call. For the first-time the meeting went fairly-well

“LA FESTA DELLA MAMMA”

Many stereotypes exist about the Italian mamma. What is certainly true, though, is that wherever in the world they may be, Italian mothers are still the main focus of the family and family traditions. Although mothers are respected and appreciated all year round, the “official” Mother’s Day is celebrated in Italy at the same time as in the US: on the second Sunday in May. It’s not a public holiday, but it’s certainly a time when families try hard to come together to celebrate. The very first “Mother’s Day” was introduced in 1933

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of three of our lodge members this last March, within two weeks of each other.

*Doug Nelson 3/1/20 and *David Hillis, both charter members since our lodge began in July of 1996. Doug along with his wife Rachel have been very dedicated members. Doug helped with most of our functions especially the crab feeds and has been our Treasurer for these last 10 years. David (Dave) Hillis helped with our crab feeds in earlier years and was always ready to help with bartending and whatever else was needed.

Last Month: Canceled again because of stuff we could not control; Notre Dame Hall was, and will remain, closed for the duration of the COVID problem.

My wife has been so caring during this crisis: she keeps stuffing a pillow on my face at night to protect me from the covid virus.

I saw a sign in a home window that said: “Do not let the cat out no matter what he says”; in the window I could see the cat holding a sign that said “Let me out; I have toilet paper”.

Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil are still reminding us: wash, wash, wash your hands, and avoid touching your face, nose, eyes, and mouth, and prevent others from doing that to you, too. Use ordinary soap and water to wash up.

Let’s appreciate our American libraries. They have played a critical role in shaping our nation. They have served Americans in large cities and small towns. Libraries are an important part of schools, colleges, and public and private institutions. Libraries have provided venues for study and social activity. They are among the first public institutions to help immigrants learn a new language, acquire knowledge of the law, and appreciate national history in the course of obtaining United States citizenship.

Libraries are collections of books arranged for the purpose of study, review, and safekeeping. Libraries have progressed with the development of civilization and have promoted learning. Ancient Assyria had libraries consisting of baked clay tablets and cuneiform writing. A large library there had about 20,000 tablets. A famous