By Pam (aka Gates) Johnson Oh yeah, everybody says it’s better than the alternative, but I’m not sure. Nobody I know has tried the alternative enough to give me a firm evaluation on the pros and cons. I’m not saying that I am ready to shuffle off this mortal coil just yet, but again, getting…
Island Voices, June 2025
His Bark is Worse than His Byte
By Seán C. Malone and John Sweetman Seán and I have always had dogs of one kind or another in our lives, and we have a lot of “dog” stories to relate. Getting older, it would appear that we have “downsized” a bit, as we now both have members of the Terrier clan. Seán’s little…
Island Voices, June 2025
McMicken Bay
By Suzanna Leigh During the dark days of winter, my boat sits alone at the dock, the leak I neglected to fix last summer dripping enough moisture into the cabin to encourage mold on the walls and rust on the stove. Her keel sports a beard of sea algae. She needs some work to get…
Island Voices, June 2025
Stop or Don’t?
By Dave B Here is one we all find troublesome. The famous, or infamous, four-way stop sign. Prominently displayed from the bar seats at the Hardware Store where people drink, eat, and watch headstrong or unconcerned drivers navigate into downtown alongside 200 other drivers, all coming off the ferry to discover the Island, and trying…
Island Voices, June 2025
From Thirty Dolls to Three
By Steve Lane I don’t disagree with the President: we should rein in consumption. But that is certainly a departure from the new era of prosperity that he campaigned on. And it demonstrates the disconnection of Privilege from what normal people experience. Yes indeed, there is a lot of fat to be trimmed. But is…
Island Voices, June 2025
Changing History/Greatness
By Scott Harvey In a recent issue of The Loop, a January 17th Seattle Times article was quoted by author Michael Shook. According to Rev. Leslie Braxton, “[America’s] reality was enslavement and injustice and discrimination. America was founded and grounded in racism. And anybody who says differently is being intellectually dishonest.” In the present day, I believe most…
Island Voices, June 2025
There’s No Place Like Home, Part 2
By Daniel Hooker Olga and I met at our Vashon Library, to complete the second part of her story (“There’s No Place Like Home.”) I listen to Olga and the details of her intensive caring for two raccoon cubs. From the after-meal belly massages (feeding being done with a small eye dropper of a bottle),…
Island Voices, June 2025
Save, Invest, Spend
By Stephen Buller Save for a rainy day. Invest for the future. We all know these nuggets of wisdom, so why – by recent surveys – Junedo one in four Americans have less than $1,000 in savings and only around half feel ready for a $400 emergency expense? The obvious answer is wages are too…
Island Voices, May 2025
There’s No Place Like Home – A Ukrainian Woman’s Journey
Raccoons and All, Part 1 By Daniel Hooker I met Olga as I walked into Island Lumber here on Vashon Island (a place I’ve called home for many years). Olga’s bright smile and courteous questions immediately caught my attention. As I walked on, the faint accent registered. I turned and asked Olga where she was…
Announcements, Island Voices, May 2025
Let’s Learn Twulshootseed
(also known as Lushootseed) By Jane Valencia In the January and February issues, David Turnipseed, a language instructor with the Puyallup Tribal Language Program, taught us about Twulshootseed, the language spoken by the indigenous people of Puget Sound. He invited us to support its revitalization by learning some of it ourselves. Today, we embark on…