Locally grown, internationally known
By Joanna Bastian
The Washington State Beekeepers Association is offering assistance to beekeepers who suffered losses during the recent fires in North Central Washington. Steve Foley, representative for Area 4 which includes Okanogan, Chelan and Douglas counties, is asking beekeepers to contact the …
Methow By Joanna Bastian Finally, it is January. December feels like an endless onslaught of horrors, temptations and sensory overload. January is a breath of fresh air, a symbolic new chapter in life. Out with the old, in with the new. January spells the finish line of December’s endless gauntlet of calorie and cholesterol-laden foods […]
By Joanna Bastian Each year, I like to highlight a wonderful group of quilters in Methow. Their beautiful creations brighten the days of residents at Harmony House in Brewster, Heritage Nursing Home in Chelan, newborns at Three Rivers Hospital, and continue to stretch across the globe to children in Ukraine, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Haiti, Myanmar […]
By Joanna Bastian Do you watch the Weather Channel for fun? Do your conversations begin with, “this weather reminds me of that warm spell in ’74, right before the ducks froze in place along the river as they landed?” Do you note the daily temperature and significant changes between seasons? Do you file the information […]
By Joanna Bastian Cloud cover and fog are groovy mood changers for two days, but utterly depressing when blue sky turns gray for over a week. Looking for a mood lift, I went up valley for an exercise class. The room was packed. It was a bit of a challenge to stretch, twist and turn […]
By Joanna Smith I took a roundtrip train trip from Wenatchee to Seattle last weekend and if it is not something you have done before, I would highly suggest adding it to your bucket list. There is only one train and it leaves excruciatingly early at 5:30 every morning from Wenatchee. Arrival at King Street […]
By Joanna Smith I took a roundtrip train trip from Wenatchee to Seattle last weekend and if it is not something you have done before, I would highly suggest adding it to your bucket list. There is only one train and it leaves excruciatingly early at 5:30 every morning from Wenatchee. Arrival at King Street […]
By Joanna Bastian Fall smells like ripening fruit and the color of “turning:” the earthy scent of chlorophyll draining from leaves and the remaining glucose turning from yellow to orange, red and brown. The “turning” scent mixed with the chill in the air coaxes sweaters to emerge from storage box hibernation. Herbal teas line the […]
By Joanna Bastian Katie Haven met me just outside her rambling fenceline. Romney sheep in varying shades of reddish brown, white and gray quietly grazed in a back pasture while three large Maremma sheepdogs stood guard. Stacks of beehives hummed under shade trees. Katie led me to a small farmhouse hidden behind a tangled jungle […]
By Joanna Bastian Nothing happened this week in Methow. Lightening ripped the sky to the tune of crashing thunder, igniting a fire above our home. Small planes roared above the columns of smoke, dropping lines of reddish pink retardant. An airborne bucket brigade deposited repeated deluges, dampening the flames. Luckily, nothing happened. Looking all over […]
