By Mabel Moses Vashon-born and raised, Mabel Moses spent a semester on Haida Gwaii, an archipelago in BC briefly called the Queen Charlotte Islands on colonial maps. Upon graduating from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry, Mabel chose to live on Haida Gwaii. Here in Part 3, we hear directly from Mabel. Enjoy!…
By Stephen Buller Since COVID, the cost of living has been increasing at rates not seen for decades. Depending on your circumstances, this could be catastrophic, no big deal, or even beneficial to your overall wealth. For the average person, there is no better time to get serious about a personal budget. Before we get…
By Daniel Hooker In addition to the Vashon-Maury Island Food Bank, we have other sources of help on the Island. One alternative is “Farm Bucks,” which you can acquire at Vashon Library on Friday and Saturday mornings. This is for our local organic and organic-practice farms. Food stamps and EBT cards can be used to…
By March Twisdale Throughout most of 2023, I wrote about the ubiquitous “transaction fees” that have quietly infiltrated our modern lives. I refer to them as “Bank Taxes” because they occur with all debit and credit card transactions, skimming money off the top of communities with every purchase. These are an unavoidable burden placed on…
This might seem like a charming local story: Vashon has a practitioner whose advanced studies in psychiatric nursing are a great benefit to Islanders. But the old saying, “if you want to change the world, start locally” could not be more applicable. Just recently, Dr. Marli Parobek APRN DNP FNP PMHNP, was recognized by her…
By Jane Valencia Mabel Moses, a graduate of University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry, now lives on Haida Gwaii. Part 1 of this series appeared in our April 2025 issue. In Part 2, we spend some time in the forest. All quotes in this article are from Mabel Moses. In Part 1, Mabel spoke…
By Kim Cantrell, Little Bird Gardens April is National Native Plant Appreciation Month. It began in 2003 as a weeklong observance, sparked by a conversation between Fred Weinmann, President of the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS), and Bill Brookreson, a state board member. “Native Plant Appreciation Month celebrates all the individuals and groups who have…
By Marc J. Elzenbeck For decades I thought mayo was the province of professionals and was too intimidated to try my hand. But looking at store shelves full of white stuff made with industrial oils at $10 a jar provided the final oomph. (What is a canola? Where does it grow?) Turns out, mayonnaise is…
By Stephen Buller Benjamin Franklin wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Perhaps one of his less inspiring quotes, but the sentiment holds true today, arguably more so than in 1789. In case you’d forgotten, your federal taxes are due on the 15th of this month. If…
By Jane Valencia Vashon-born and raised and a 2024 University of British Columbia graduate, Mabel Moses, has worked with “The Mother Tree Project.” With a mission to practice forestry in a way that better preserves biodiversity and carbon storage, MTP was started by Dr. Suzanne Simard who many forest-loving Vashonites know for her work with…