Twisp

The serviceberries bloomed overnight. Their bloom coincided with the deep and devasting loss of one the valley’s most precious flowers, Mary Kiesau. I can’t help but think it was the passing of Mary’s spirit that awakened them to bloom. After all, Mary was her own special wildflower. A champion for wild nature, a student of […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has been termed the “The Great Pause.” It’s given us all some time to pause and observe. To observe our habits and patterns, our way of being the world, in ourselves and of our loved ones and leaders. Observations concerning me include the rise of conspiracy theorists making headlines and the hyperbole […]

It’s quite amazing how adaptable and innovative we humans are when faced with new problems. Innovation and the spirit of generosity is exploding all over the world. Creative minds and generous hearts surround us here in the valley and it’s no surprise we are rising to the call of art. I suppose generosity and art […]

Text messages from my siblings, Facetime chats with grandparents, occasional phone calls with close friends, online poker and social media have kept us all somewhat connected. Still, social distancing is difficult. After all, we are social beings. Some people aren’t taking it seriously, which makes the social pressure difficult to navigate. I saw a group […]

Overnight, millions of parents became homeschool parents and hundreds of resources started popping up on social media feeds about how to effectively homeschool. Organizations like museums and aquariums are offering web-hosted events and YouTube homeschool videos have gone viral. All the energy and creativity individuals and organizations are putting into making the abrupt transition a […]

Behind every grey cloud is a silver lining. If we consider December and January as the proverbial cloud, then February and March seem to be the silver lining. Thanks to that January thaw and rain, the Loup Loup Ski Bowl’s minimal snowpack turned into a solid block of consolidated ice that has been able to […]

Surprises aren’t for everyone. Almost everyone has that one friend whom you know would hate the idea of a surprise party for them, or doesn’t want surprise visitors to show up unannounced. But when a surprise is orchestrated perfectly, it can be the best gift someone can give. When the effort to surprise a loved […]

Sports fans and athletes had ample to choose from over the weekend with a myriad of wintery contents taking place all up and down the valley. Some families, like mine, were balancing multiple tournament schedules and games, a challenge not recommended but sometime necessary. Beginning early on Friday morning, the Great Outdoor Classic (U12 hockey) […]

Love is like the sky. It comes in many colors, changes often, and is endless. The season of love is soon to kick off with the feast of St. Valentine’s Day. For history buffs out there, Valentine’s Day takes its origin like many modern Christian holidays, co-opting a previous Roman pagan feast. The original celebration […]

I asked friend Sunday evening, “what did you guys do this weekend?” Her response, “we had fevers.” That seems about right. The valley is in full tilt with regard to the flu. However, it would appear that the wave of influenza and flu-like illnesses that have been plaguing the valley may be on the downswing […]