By Daniel Hooker Right now, the stories we are being fed are conflicting and dividing us. We are just human beings, trying to have happy daily lives, enjoying the peacefulness of our communities. Vashon Island, with its diverse cultural and artistic nuances, is our home, and our neighbors are our friends. We have to remember…
Entertainment, February 2026, Llaughing Llamas
Llaughing Llamas Chronicles – February
By Daniel Hooker Does anybody remember the chiropractor joke I told? It was about a weak back. ~ Everyone knows that Albert Einstein was a genius. But did you know that his brother Frank was a monster? ~ I met a friend the other day with my dog. I was telling her a joke, when…
Island Voices, January 2026
A New Life, A New Year Embracing Forgiveness
By Daniel Hooker On June 8th 1972, a young girl ran screaming in agony, her body engulfed in flames by bombs dropped full of napalm. The world would be forever changed by the Pulitzer Prize photograph of this. It was one of many horrific instances created by the insanity we call war. The young girl’s…
Entertainment, January 2026, Llaughing Llamas
Llaughing Llamas Chronicles – January
By Daniel Hooker I had to cut ties with an old friend who was dragging me down. Yup, mountain climbing is a hard sport. ~ I took a laxative before New Year’s Eve, just so I wouldn’t drag myself through the same manure as last year. ~ My friend made a suggestion for traveling free….
December 2025, Island Voices
Art and Music – A Meditation That Affects Our Hearts and Collective Minds
By Daniel Hooker We in society have been molded and shaped into a form by words on paper, visual art, and music that resonates in our souls. When I was a young man, I returned from Europe, with my mind, body and soul changed by all that I had experienced. I came home to a…
December 2025, Entertainment, Llaughing Llamas
Llaughing Llamas Chronicles – December
By Daniel Hooker I went to psychic the other day, and knocked on her door. She said, “Who’s there?” I guessed she wasn’t a full psychic, only a medium, so I left. ~ From Steven at the Library. Q: What is a librarian’s favorite type of mushroom? A: Shhhh, talkies. ~ From Monet at Thriftway….
Island Resilience, November 2025
Granny’s Attic: A Store With a Clark Kent Appearance That Turns Its Community Shoppers Into Super-Heroes
By Daniel Hooker I watch our Island community batten down the hatches, preparing for the ongoing storm that is a bipartisan multi-billion dollar cluster bomb of a budget. It’s dropped on the most impoverished portion of our population. I take pride in the people of Vashon-Maury Island and our determination and organized efforts to keep…
Entertainment, Llaughing Llamas
Llaughing Llamas Chronicles – November
By Daniel Hooker I’m doing some work on the house. First floor, everything is on track and going well. But upstairs is a different story. ~ The definition of Irony: the opposite of Wrinkly. ~ Witches are really bad at math, but great at spelling. ~ A pony goes to the vet, and says, “Doc,…
Island Resilience, October 2025
Community: Being Part of a Whole
By Daniel Hooker You’re new. If you really want to be part of the community, get involved. You’ll feel better about being involved, and your body will feel better. For me, many years ago, saving myself from pancreatic cancer and heart disease (68% blocked descending aorta) involved coming to peace with myself and finding salvation…
Entertainment, Llaughing Llamas, October 2025
Llaughing Llamas Chronicles – October
By Daniel Hooker I was going to cook alligators tonight. But then I realized I only had a crock pot. ~ What kind of award does a dentist get for excellence? Aw, he just gets a little plaque. ~ Singing in the shower is fun, until you get soap in your mouth, then it becomes…