By Marjorie Watkins with Suzanna Leigh Winter winds mean it’s chicken soup season! For soup stock, you can use canned chicken broth or chicken broth cubes and water, or you can make your own broth with chicken bones. My grandmother Fanny taught me how to make the bone broth. Fanny and Albert, my grandfather, came…
Llaughing Llamas – December
By Daniel Hooker A friend came up to me and said she’s giving up ham for Christmas. I said, “Porque no?” ~ A rabbi, a priest, and a politician are on a road trip, and their car breaks down out in the country. They see a farmhouse in the distance. They walk to the farmhouse,…
Naked Are The Branches
By Antoinette M. Levine Autumn reflects – natural release cycles – that encourage a wise willingness to let go. Nature’s seasonal guidance inspired Ms. Levine to pen this poem.
It Was a Night of Psychedelic Canaries at Grandmother’s House
The baby screams in the house full of leftover turkey & stuffing, fries and pies potatoes mashed by another shrieker & his dad. Sleep settles into all the warm beds but mine. Awake as windows rattle I pen a poem. Stillness embraces all the others downstairs. Our dogs mumble in sleep, paws tapping. I imagine…
A Christmas Resurrection or “Dead Santas”
By Claudia Hollander-Lucas
Christmas Tree
By Yvonne Higgins Leach after Connie Wanek To stand tall but not in earthto survive in plastic and faucet waterto live for wearing colored lightsto ignore the four walls and no skyto show off ornaments and still be simpleto be evergreen and oxygen and holiday spiritto bless the one family who picked you. “Christmas Tree”…
Back on Track: An Island Mom Rejoins Roller Derby – Part 1
By Jane Valencia Roller derby practice is tonight. After a full day as a mom, Alice Watson drops off her three-year-old son Sorrel with her co-parent Caelan at the tail end of his work day. Then she rushes off to the ferry with a drive to north Seattle on the other side, a 1½ hour…
The Barbell Betties Experience
By Josh Thorn I’m thrilled to introduce you to a program that’s been making waves right here on Vashon Island. It’s not just about fitness, it’s about nurturing strong bonds among women as they navigate life’s changes. Let’s shine a spotlight on VashonStrong’s “Barbell Betties” program, affectionately known as “Fire & Iron” among its members….
Does College Still Make Sense?
By Andy Valencia It’s hardly worth printing as news: college is horrendously expensive. Over the span of my life, its price has doubled several times. When making financial decisions, there’s the useful concept of cost versus benefit. You spend a certain amount of, say, money. And in return you receive something of a certain value….