By March Twisdale Dear Vashon Island Visitor, Tourist, and Summer People, Roughly one year ago, I began a series of articles about “Bank Taxes.” This is what I call the predatory and increasingly ubiquitous money extraction technology also known as “transaction fees.” Wherever you live, these are impacting you negatively and directly, but even worse,…
August 2024, Health Matters
Swollen Legs and Varicose Veins
By Kathy Abascal Do your ankles sometimes swell? Do you have varicose veins or hemorrhoids? Personal questions, but important ones. Because, if you do, you could end up with chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI. I am sure you know that the heart pumps blood out to the hands and feet. But have you ever wondered…
August 2024, Health Matters
Pratipaksha Bhavana
By Diana Diaz Pins and needles, needles and pins, a happy man is a man that grins. You know how we get those physical signs of stress and anxiety? We might feel tired or have random aches and pains that we can’t really pinpoint? We stretch, we breathe, and we feel rejuvenated right afterwards. But…
August 2024, Children, Island Voices, July 2024
Time Together – Pressed Flowers
By Ali Elsberry Warm summer mornings are my absolute favorite; a quiet stillness in the air, the birds out singing messages to one another, and plants that seem to be so much more alive in those early hours. I have walked around my yard noticing things in the morning that appear to speak with more…
August 2024, Health Matters
New Breastfeeding Support Group
By Dr. Leigh Siergiewicz Shortly after I finished my naturopathic degree at Bastyr, I took a 45-hour course to become a certified lactation educator to round out the women-focused practice I planned on starting, as well as for my personal future plans to have children. Two years later, I had my first child and learned…
August 2024, Recipes
Island Epicure – Cold Meals for Hot Days
By Marj Watkins with Suzanna Leigh This summer is predicted to be the hottest ever! Who wants to cook when the temperature is soaring? When she lived in the desert, Suzanna learned to do her cooking in the morning before the heat set in. So, roast a chicken in the early morning and use the…
August 2024, Recipes
Classic Flan (With a Twist)
By Cynthia Sadurni There are many versions of this classic dessert. Custard came to the new world via the Spanish Conquest and then transformed into the sweet, caramel-rich dessert we know today in the Americas. I have heard often that this dessert is finicky and difficult. Nothing could be further from the truth. With a little…
August 2024, Literary, Poetry, Uncategorized
August in Collioure
By Marc J. Elzenbeck It’s true that when you travelyou’re never free of Woody Allen.Every sidewalk artist knows himand four score more sketchable actorswho’ll ambush you from here to Thailandicons of the monoculture from which we come. Such harbingers. It reminds me how the prophetssaid the ends of earth express a single sum.Some foretell of…
August 2024, Entertainment
Llaughing Llamas Chronicles – August
Q. You want to know what the longest word in the English language is? A. Smiles! The first and the last letter are a mile apart. ~ Q. What do you call a retired cowboy who is too crazy to go out on the trail anymore? A. De-ranged! ~ If a priest gets defrocked, shouldn’t…
