By Michael Shook I’ve been immersed in David Slavitt’s wonderful translation of Boethius’s “Consolation of Philosophy” recently, and, while walking the dogs this morning, a remnant drifted across my mind: “… nothing in life lasts.” No kidding. It’s so obvious as to be banal, and yet we humans quite often live as if “everything in…
By Andy Valencia In the ancient monastic tradition, monks would spend the 40 days leading up to Easter (which they called “Pascha”) out in the desert praying. Some would not come back, the victim of animals, accidents, starvation, or illness. On the eve of their departure, they would gather to make peace with their brethren….
By March Twisdale For eons, there were no coyotes on Vashon Island. For 10,000 years (or longer), human beings have lived in and around the Puget Sound, along with wolves and bears and cougars and many other animals native to this region. But not coyotes. We humans are native to this land. And, like all…
By Marc J. Elzenbeck On Monday, February 10th on Wax Orchard, the road was still dark at 6:47 AM. Something had knocked over a big Murrey’s blue bin near 249th, plastic and metal recycling was blocking southbound lane. I steered around and my kid said, “If you ran over that, it might’ve popped a tire.”…
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman Seán and I have had many adventures on boats over the decades. Some involved fishing and crabbing, but most involved “outboard” motors which were always cranky and infused with “trouble.” Trouble starting, running, and just plain ordinary reluctance to do what they were supposed to do. Seán and I had different…
An Infomercialby Bernie O’MalleyMayor 2016 Oh my, nobody told you we got Island Bluebirds who drive cars? Over Town in the City? Well, it’s true. If you have a medical/dental appointment off-Island, a Neighborly Bluebird picks you up, whisks you there, waits for you until the visit is done, then brings you home, true door-to-door…
By Dave B. My wife and I have been on Vashon for almost 20 years. We have seen a lot of good and some not so good. We are lucky to live in a place where you can be you, get your freak on, and dress not to impress. But I have noticed a shift…
By Pam (“Gates”) Johnson The on-going health saga of Ma Johnson continues. After a little heart-related health scare recently, the doctors decided that the root cause may be sleep apnea. We all know at least 10 people who have sleep apnea and are getting along just fine with a CPAP machine, so my fear-ometer dropped…
Our skills at onboarding and offboarding information determine the quality of our opinions By March Twisdale Hundreds of books are written, lectures are given, and manuals are printed every year, educating businesses on “How to Onboard and Offboard Employees.” This is because bringing in new individuals, and shedding those who are problematic or no longer…
By Melanie Farmer There will be two eclipses in March. An eclipse happens when three celestial bodies align, blocking each other. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon, while a solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks sunlight from reaching the Earth. In Vedic astrology, Rahu represents the solar…