Through the weekend, bartenders, ice cream vendors and restaurant owners waited for the crowds of eclipse watchers who were supposed to descend on the beach community here. But it was almost like no one showed.

When Patricia Dalton was going through her deceased mother’s belongings at her home in Arroyo Grande, California, she found an unfinished crazy quilt. Mismatched patches of leftover fabric had been sewn together in a rough square, and some were embroidered with initials and years.

Beth Robinette walked in among her cattle, leaned forward and mooed. A low, guttural “How are you all doing this morning?” kind of moo. All around her, black cows lifted their heads and, one at a time, they mooed back. “It’s funny, isn’t it?” Robinette said, standing in the pasture that’s been grazed by her family’s cattle for three generations. “They always respond.”

Blessings Under the Bridge will continue to serve homeless under Interstate 90 in downtown Spokane

It seemed too hot outside to talk about snow removal Tuesday evening, but that’s when the Spokane Valley City Council took another look at a snow removal ordinance that’s been batted around for some time. City Attorney Cary Driskell made the presentation of a reworded ordinance that will allow the city to fine property owners who don’t shovel their sidewalks.

What’s the best time to being knitting hats and scarves for a cold winter? Of course it’s in the middle of the longest streak of 90-degree days anyone can remember. Spokane Valley’s Karen Gallion, her mother, Donna Gard, and her grandmother, 101-year-old Lorraine Henry, all belong to a knitting and crocheting group that meets in the Edgecliff Park area and makes hats, scarves and blankets for those in need.

School days are right around the corner, triggering several events focused on helping parents outfit their children with appropriate supplies, clothes and community resources.