By Aly Norling When, amidst the pandemic, Vashon lost Seeds4Success, the Island’s only supported employment organization, AtWork! stepped in to continue providing employment services for Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). AtWork! is a supported employment nonprofit organization that works throughout Washington state to match people with I/DD with good jobs in their communities….
We are in the time of Winter, Rest, Earth, North, Elderhood. Elson M. Haas, M.D. wrote the book, “Staying Healthy with the Seasons.” I was drawn to this knowledge in the 90s, and Haas’s book was very influential on my learning journey. The insights he shared resonated with my inner knowing, and enlivened my passion for health and wellness….
It’s just not nice to be hit with a snowball with a rock in it. At Cove, we forbade the use of rocks. They took the fun out of a good snowball fight. We hid behind the walls of our forts, a wall of giant snowballs that could be four or five feet high. Behind the wall, we…
There are many things in our kitchen cupboards that can bolster our body’s ability to heal itself. Every mother is a bit of a medicine woman, and what do you do if no doctor is available? Prevention is of course the best medicine. We all know that fresh air, fresh vegetables and fruits, and plenty…
By March Twisdale In 2021, my husband and I began to prepare for his retirement, planned for March of 2023. Most of my husband’s friends and family had already retired. They’d had no trouble. We expected the same. Then, we tried to create an online Social Security account, and couldn’t get past the first screen….
I am the founder and principal teacher at the Vashon Art and Nature School (VAANS), where self-directed play, nature immersion, and place-based learning are all foundational methodologies. These interrelated and interdependent methodologies were developed from the work of academics, teachers, predecessors, practitioners, and my own experiences. One such experience was working with founder Erin Kenny…
I was down on the floor on my hands and knees when John Sweetman walked in the door. “What are you doing,” he asked? “I have lost a gold crown while biting into a Winter apple,” I replied. John got right down on the floor to help me look. My little Jack Russell Terrier was hunting the floor with…
When I lived on San Juan Island and interned at The Whale Museum in the early 1990s, I saw at least one Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) superpod each summer. A true superpod occurs when every member of the Southern Resident community congregates, though sometimes the term is applied to a gathering of most, but…
I have good news for Washington State parents. On September 30, a text came from my friend who is a Washington school board president. He was in the middle of a virtual meeting for the Washington State School Directors Association general assembly. WSSDA is the association that oversees and governs all 295 state school boards….
Sheba the Brave captured my heart the first time I met her. A brown tabby who looked more ocelot than cat, we greeted each other, she on her stool and me on my chair, knees to front paws. Suddenly, she stood and crawled into my lap. Her foster mom exclaimed, “I’ve never seen her do…