By Deborah Anderson September 1969. I sat on the edge of my bed in my first year at Mills College for Women and said to myself, “It’s safe to be a woman here.” As with many of my epiphanies, I wasn’t sure how I knew that or why it was important, but it brought peace…
By Suzanna Leigh Strange word, “mearcstapa.” According to artist Makoto Fujimura in his book “Culture Care,” mearcstapa is an Old English word used in Beowulf. It translates as “border walker” or “border stalker.” A mearcstapa was someone who lived at the edge of their group or tribe, someone who moved between groups. Remember Strider from…
By Michael Shook Almost 20 years ago, I at last fulfilled a childhood yearning, and acquired my first Scottish Terrier. I had wanted one ever since reading Marjorie Flack’s delightful series of children’s books about a Scottie named Angus. Additionally, the books of James Thurber (who had Scotties himself), were a fixture in our house,…
Saturn Transits By Melanie Farmer Ayurveda, known as the “science of life,” is an ancient medical system that originated in India over 5,000 years ago. It employs a holistic approach to health and wellness, focusing on harmonizing the body, mind, and spirit by balancing internal and external energies, represented by the five elements: air, space,…
By Kim Cantrell, Little Bird Gardens April is National Native Plant Appreciation Month. It began in 2003 as a weeklong observance, sparked by a conversation between Fred Weinmann, President of the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS), and Bill Brookreson, a state board member. “Native Plant Appreciation Month celebrates all the individuals and groups who have…
By Caitlin Rothermel On Vashon, conversations about health happen everywhere, all the time, and go well beyond the typical topics of diagnoses and drugs. We discuss what we eat, where that food came from, how we move, and how we want to age and ultimately die. At a time when conventional healthcare can feel increasingly…
By Dr. Lisa Morse I remember it vividly: The day during my clinicals of naturopathic medicine that I realized how much thoughts and emotions affect our physical health. I was seeing a 70-year-old woman who had a full-body itchy rash. She was attached to the idea that candida was the cause. Upon questioning, it was…
By Marc J. Elzenbeck For decades I thought mayo was the province of professionals and was too intimidated to try my hand. But looking at store shelves full of white stuff made with industrial oils at $10 a jar provided the final oomph. (What is a canola? Where does it grow?) Turns out, mayonnaise is…
By Suzanna Leigh and Marj Watkins “I am getting to be an old lady all wrinkled up,” Marj frowned, as I handed her a cup of tea. It was the day after Easter Sunday, traditionally a day our extended family gathers together for feasting and visiting. Mom loves having her family around, but only my…