They hadn’t been traveling together long, the school bus driver and her aide, but what the two struck up a friendship. If it were the first day of school, the two women – the driver and her aide – would smile and wait patiently as children posed for a picture on the porch by mom […]
To Ponder
In the Book Nook with … Michael Engelhard
Author Michael Engelhard lives in a cabin on the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska, among porcupines, moose, and lynxes. This freelance writer used to be a wilderness guide and outdoor instructor in Alaska and the canyon country for 25 years. He has been writing for publication since the late 1990s; his first book was published in […]
A Play About the artist Mark Rothko
When I heard that actor Scott Brown was performing in “Red”, I was thrilled. I had seen the video recording of the play from Broadway several years ago and we had worked with Scott on a number of local video productions in Tacoma. We are always excited to see Scott in a theatre and are […]
Letter: Still Watching Over Me
Fifty years ago I accidentally locked the keys to our honeymoon Volkswagen bug in the car. The problem was our car was on the ferry and we were supposed to be first off but of course now we are holding up traffic. I guess my mind was elsewhere. Similar was what happened this morning: […]
Letter: ‘We need companies like Kroger’
Deryl McCarty, USAF (Retired), South Hill. As a longtime resident of our South Sound communities, a fourth generation Washingtonian, and a 30-year USAF retiree, I see every day that veterans – Active Duty of every service, Guardsmen, Reservists, DoD civilian employees and their families – are the economic and volunteer lifeblood of this community. FYI: veterans volunteer a […]
Saving the Best for Last
Four ladies gathered for tea after their monthly meeting. You would have thought chatting before the meeting would be enough sharing, but not so. There is always something more to share. After a while the four became three and then three became two. Private conversations were much more serious and personal. Lavinia looked over her […]
Letter: Choose Peace, Discover Joy
“Sometimes you just need a break in a beautiful place alone.” The “Words for Women” social media site, which is the source of this quote, declares its purpose is to share “the words we all need to hear.” Men included. Doodling, I crossed out “alone” and substituted “with someone you love” as, I believe, the […]
Letter: Love and Healing in the Woods
As you wander about the forest, where the river runs nearby, you might see them here and there, now and then, not often, and mostly you would pass them by unseen. Unless you are wandering for that express purpose, wanting to find some source of help for your troubled heart, some sign you are not […]
Letter: Alicenjack
Submitted by Aaron Arkin. Alice-And-Jack is a recent PBS fictional 6-part dramatic series about two opposites, but like the elided title of this essay, feel complete only when together. Alice is a high-maintenance financial analyst and successful hedge fund owner; Jack is a biomedical researcher with a strong sense of purpose whose life revolves around […]