By Marjorie Watkins and Suzanna Leigh Suzanna: Marjorie, you are almost 100 years old! Marjorie: This is true. A few months away from 100. Suzanna: And you are healthy, too. You say you never have a headache or the flu. How is that? Marjorie: Magic potion. It is a very tasty solution. It is cloves…
Book Review – “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Series
By Emily Kiefer “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan is considered by many to be a modern classic. It is the premiere novel in a five-book series that weaves together a spectacular adventure involving modern-day Greek mythology and a coming-of-age hero’s journey. With a new television adaption of the series…
Myocarditis by the Numbers, Part 1
By Caitlin Rothermel In May 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drafted, but did not publicly share, a national alert describing a link between COVID-19 vaccines and a heart disease called myocarditis. We know about this now because of documents obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request. Described by the American Heart…
Winter’s End
By Michael Shook “… the hounds of Spring are on Winter’s traces …” They are indeed, lashed to a dead run by this year’s strong El Niño weather system. Buds are plump to bursting, daffodils, hyacinth, and crocus have been out and blooming for weeks, and the scents are shifting. In the late winter breezes,…
Twinkies and a 1977 Ford Pickup
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman We were poking around the old Ford F-250 four-wheel drive three-quarter-ton pickup that Seán acquired from me about 30 years ago. It seemed to have a problem with steering. This truck still is a formidable beast, with an 8,000-pound winch and oversized custom bumpers and guards, but it was…
The Standing Nation – At the Speed of Tree – Part 2
By Jane Valencia This article concludes our interview with Mik Kuhlman regarding her remarkable one-woman show, “The Standing Nation – Remembering Our Kinship with Trees.” In these performances, the audience journeys to a special tree in nature. The tree serves as setting and co-star, bringing surprise and wonder into the experience. In addition to working…
When Cell, Internet, and Landlines Go Silent
By Andy Valencia We keep bottled water in case our faucet’s suddenly dry. We have emergency rations in case the store’s supply chain is interrupted. And then there’s how we keep in touch, find out things, and buy things. Everything – phones, texting, email, apps – has converged on internet technology. When that “cyber event”…
Pruning – Part 2
By Kim Cantrell, Little Bird Gardens I just spent the last few weeks talking with you all at the nursery. We agreed we were in the clear weather-wise, and then some of us had snow! And as I write this today, we are expecting a bit of a freeze again. We’re gardeners; we talk about…
The Third Option – Ownership of the Commons
By March Twisdale Prior to moving to Vashon, my family helped develop a Cohousing Community in West Seattle. We lived there for four years. During that time, I fell in love with our Community Work Parties. Twice a year, all 23 families would set aside a weekend to work together to improve, beautify, and maintain…
Dandelion
By Dr. Leigh Siergiewicz Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are considered a weed by many, but if you have them, rather than toss them in the compost when you pull them up, use them as free food! Take them from clean yards or woods; they may accumulate a lot of exhaust and roadside gunk if you take…