A brief Sunday morning walk with my dog through our Ilwaco neighborhood included: Brilliant sunshine, a tiny caterpillar parachuting through the air suspended on a thread of nearly invisible spun silk, some little spits of snow, and the optimistic song of a tree frog looking for romance.

Late winter isn’t known for outdoor splendors. Months of wind-fallen twigs, decaying hemlock needles, naked blackberry vines and gnarled elderberry branches, squished newts on the pavement — these aren’t scenes that inspire feelings of wonder.

And yet the interplay between the dormant season and the first obvious signs of spring never fails to bring me a sense of contentment and belonging. Nearly everything we see is good, providing we bring attitudes of curiosity, acceptance and gratitude. I found much to agree with in a Washington Post story this weekend that presented this thesis: “By savoring even small bits of bliss, you can transform an otherwise mundane moment into something joyful.”

It was sad to learn Sunday that one of our neighbors passed away. Marge Beard, a beloved local school librarian and later school board member, was always jolly when we saw one another — which was rarely in recent times. She shrank to the awkward stage of being hardly able to see over the dashboard of her car and, I suspect, has been in care for awhile now. With her late-husband Toby, a retired Washington game warden who served as Ilwaco mayor decades ago, Marge was a vital contributor to community well being. We should all aspire to be the kind of local hero that she was for many long years.

Obituaries are important tributes to lives like Marge’s, and have always been part of the Chinook Observer. We often help family members locate ancestors’ obituaries, sometimes providing unique genealogical clues. As editor, I’ve long regarded these “random acts of genealogical kindness” to be one of my favorite aspects of small-town newspapering.

In a similar vein, the March 1 edition marks the start of a new historical series by Sydney Stevens, one of our most cherished writers. Titled “Saints & Sinners,” these articles will delve into the lives of people who didn’t necessarily get many mentions in the newspaper during their lives, but who deserve to be remembered anyway. I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting them.

As always, thank you for reading and supporting this venerable community project called the Chinook Observer. We owe our existence to you, our readers and advertisers. If you don’t already subscribe, I’d sure appreciate it if you would.