By Caitlin Rothermel Since 2001, the Northwest School for Animal Massage, run by Lola Michelin and her husband, David Cota-Robles, has trained students in the art and science of animal bodywork. In 2011, the school relocated to a scenic 12-acre property north of Vashon town, and now welcomes between 80 and 120 students each year….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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),…
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 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…