By Gates (Pam) Johnson Tomorrow morning at o’dark thirty I will be off to the hospital for my hopefully first and last cancer surgery. Seems like it has been a long journey to get here, but in reality it has been about two months, give or take. Those months have been filled with super highs…
Island Resilience, Island Voices, May 2026
What’s Next After You Get the Big C Diagnosis
By Gates (Pam) Johnson It’s been a rough few months. In December, I had major back surgery that would hopefully help my foot neuropathy, but would take a year to heal. Okay. I can deal with that. Not fun, but chances are good that life will get better because of the surgery. A couple of…
April 2026, Island Voices
How I Became Gates
[Jane–see image accompanying this story; I think it would go well in the print version too] By Gates (Pam) Johnson I have been asked this question about eight million times in the last, I’m going to guess, three decades. Not sure why it is such an interesting topic. Is “Gates” that odd a name that…
Island Voices, March 2026
Boy Howdy
It’s Been a Couple of Interesting Months Around the Old Johnson Farm By Pam (“Gates”) Johnson I’ve been slowly going out of my mind with inactivity since my spinal surgery in early December. A couple of friends are also going through some recovery. One had a shoulder replacement, another badly broke his leg. When the…
February 2026, Island Voices
Week Seven (Almost) in Lockdown
By Pam (“Gates”) Johnson Almost seven weeks in of staring at the four walls of my front room. My back surgery went well, but I came out of it looking at a couple of months of recuperation. When getting discharged, I was given the option of going to a rehab place or going home. Since…
Island Voices, January 2026
After Surgery, I Am Now Metal Mom
By Pam “Gates” Johnson Well, I made it to the other side of surgery. About 4 weeks post and to say it has been a challenge is an understatement. Let me walk you through the last few weeks. My surgery was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. December 8th. Had to be at the hospital at 5:30…
December 2025, Island Voices
Surgery Is A’Comin’. What Do I Do?
By Pam “Gates” Johnson Lucky me. I’ve been having trouble with my stupid feet for a few years. Foot doctor, neurologist, and Joe Blow on the street all told me there is nothing they could do, so just get used to it. Pain and tingling and numbness worsened, and finally my primary care doc said,…
Island Voices, November 2025
I Believe We Are Not Alone
By Pam “Gates” Johnson As far back as I can remember, I have always believed that we are not alone. To my Mr. Spock mind, it doesn’t make any sense that, in all of the gazillions of planets and solar systems and galaxies, we are the only “intelligent” life form. Granted, I am not an…
November 2025, Recipes
Thanksgiving Recipes
By Pam “Gates” Johnson Soft Dinner Rolls My daughter-in-law Sarah loves these rolls. I make them for her every few weeks. Ingredients 1 cup warm water2 tbsp soft butter1 egg3¼ cups bread flour¼ cup sugar1 tsp salt1½ packages dry yeast (about 3 tsp) InstructionsIn warm mixing bowl, mix water, yeast, and sugar and let set…
Island Voices, October 2025
The Urge to Purge
By Pam “Gates” Johnson It’s not spring, so why has the spring cleaning bug landed on my shoulder and begun to scream in my ear? It is telling me … PURGE! CLEAN! DOWNSIZE! I ignored the screams until they started to drown out everything and take over most of my waking thoughts. Okay. I get it….