Volunteering
by Eileen Teufel
I have always done volunteer work, usually at a local hospital where I lived. One time, I even volunteered when the Ramses the Great exhibit came to Dallas when I was living there. I did “crowd control” in a long hallway while people waited to get into the exhibit. I got to tell people they couldn’t take pictures and they had to get rid of their gum. We did have a few people still try to take a picture, but I can report that we did not find one wad of gum on any of Egypt’s greatest artifacts. We are lucky Around Our Towns to have great volunteer opportunities. The Stanwood-Camano Food Bank can always use help. Meals on Wheels. Church groups. Beach Watchers. The Stanwood and Camano Chambers of Commerce. And, of course, CASA and NOAH. You can guess my favorite is NOAH. Where else can you play with dogs and cats, puppies and kittens and get to pick up poop and clean out little boxes. All in a good days work! If you have some spare time and would like to volunteer, consider NOAH. You will not regret it. Some of the jobs are hard work. The whole building is scrubbed out daily, litter boxes are cleaned and sanitizer as they are used, poop is picked up almost immediately, and laundry is piled high. But you will be part of a wonderful experience. Whenever one of our animals is adopted, we have a mini celebration. The new parents are congratulated on their new family member and we thank them for adopting. Not just words, we really are grateful each time an animal goes to its “forever home”. And as a volunteer, you would play an important part in each adoption. Whether it is maintaining a clean, order free environment for the dogs and cats, making it more inviting for potential adopters, taking the dogs for walks to get them used to walking on a leash, or petting a scared cat recently arrived from a shelter. All that helps in the adoption process. Like our adoptions, becoming a volunteer is pretty easy — attend a volunteer orientation, take a tour, have an interview with our Volunteer Coordinator and you’re ready to start. You will be given training on working with the dogs and cats and how to properly clean and sanitize the rooms, littler boxes, dishes, toys (if it moves, doesn’t meow or bark, we sanitize it). And don’t be afraid that you will get sad and upset about the animals. The average stay for an animal at NOAH is about 8 days. Eight days to their forever homes. Not bad. And while they are there you, and the other volunteers, will make it a good experience for them. Call — 360/629-7055 — and register for an Orientation. Call on Tuesday or Saturday afternoons and I will answer the phone and help you with any questions you may have. And if you’ve never been to NOAH, stop by. I guarantee you will like what you see.
Library Options
Where do you want Camano Island’s permanent library located? In Terry’s Corner, where we’ve had a temporary (it’s called a “pilot project”) library in 1,800 square feet of leased space? Or would you prefer it near Camano Plaza? That’s what the library’s advisory board may be deciding in the next month now that the parent Sno-Isle Libraries has provided some guidance about likely sites. Architects hired by Sno-Isle recommended three possible locations to the advisory board at its Oct. 10 meeting. The recommendations: Site No. 1—The existing library building at Terry’s Corner. OPTION A: Purchase the remainder of the ground floor and remodel the present 1,800-square-foot space to 4,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $2 million (that translates to 4 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or $12 per year for the owner of $300,000 property). OPTION B: Purchase the entire two-story building, install an elevator, and create an 8,000-square-foot space at an estimated cost of $4 million (8 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or $24 per year for the owner of $300,000 property). Site No. 2—Brindle’s Building at Terry’s Corner. The two-story building could be purchased and remodeled with an elevator to create 5,760 square feet of space at an estimated cost of $2.7 million (5.4 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or $16.20 per year for the owner of $300,000 property). Site No. 3—The Brayton development east of the Whidbey Island Bank and north of Camano Plaza. A new one-story building offers a couple of possibilities. OPTION A: Construct a 6,000-square-foot structure at an estimated cost of $3.7 million (7.4 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or $22.08 per year for the owner of $300,000 property). OPTION B: Construct an 8,000-square-foot building at an estimated cost of $4.4 million (8.8 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or $26.40 a year for the owner of $300,000 property). For comparison purposes, the city-owned building that houses the Stanwood Library has about 5,200 square feet. If you have a preference, the board would like to hear from you before it makes a recommendation. You can email Board Chair Tom Curtis at curtisct@wavecable.com. To see a copy of the architect’s site feasibility study, visit the library at Terry’s Corner. The Sno-Isle Libraries board may seek voter approval as early as April 2012. – Submitted by Oren Campbell.
October Dichotomy By Deb Bell
Days growing darker, colder and blowy,
The moon rising orange in the East,
Pumpkins, like mushrooms, abound in the fields
Remember… save some for the Feast.
Spiders trail webs across every path,
Caterpillars spin for their lives,
Leaves on the trees curl up and fall down
While the bees cuddle up in their hives.
Witches and skellys adorn many doors,
Tombstones sprout up in some lawns,
Costumes and candy all marked down on sale
Hurry! Get yours ‘fore it’s gone.
Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins creep ‘round in the night
Seeking out treats from the wary,
October is time Nature takes to slow down
As kids race for all they can carry.
Savor the days of Autumn’s last warmth,
The chills of November await us
With cold soaking rains and evening’s first frosts
And snow falling high in the forest.
“THE HOMECOMING” Written by James Davenport
As the old man finished the book and set iit down the last words rang through his mind. And so, you can never go home again. He flashed back many years, to the time as a young man he stood on the porch of the home he had grown up in and had left years before to answer the call to duty. He was almost afraid to step through the door, afraid of what time may have done to those memories. but as he entered the house he was greeted by joyful wails, shrieks, tears and strangling hug as his mother pulled him to her breast. At that moment, all the war things fell away. He was home safe. In his mother’s arms he cried like a baby. You can go home again, even if only for a moment.
Autumn Haiku By Deb Bell
Leaves bright with color
Last of harvest for this year
Leaving October
Dry leaf skitters by
Scratchy scratchy is its talk
Winter comes it says
Evening’s golden orb
Steals day’s color for itself
Blazing white glory
Culture on the south end
Story by Jack Archibald
Culture on the South End is slightly different than other places. Most areas restore an architecturally significant historical building — the way folks did in Stanwoodopolis with the Odd Fellows Hall — or you fix up a fancy theater or tidy up the old Pearson House, maybe rehab a train station. Tie a little history to art, throw in a chamber orchestra, occasional theater group, poetry reading — get some volunteers, apply for a grant, hey, we’re halfway there to creating cultural identity. Down by us we’re toying with a campaign to save the Tyee. The Tyee Store, I mean, an iconic example of 70’s minimalist architecture done in masonry block painted a classic mildewed white with a low sloping shed roof blown off once or twice, and a fully functional outhouse. The store owners weren’t real happy with our ad hoc group to save the Tyee, but considering they’re losing money hand over fist, we plowed ahead. Jack Gunter had already restored the adjoining garage to its present pristine glory, proving that expensive restoration isn’t always necessary for the South End Historical Preservation League. But it was the EPA that finally derailed our high hopes of creating the Tyee Opera House and Expresso Stand. It turns out those rotating rotisserie deli dogs with their infra-red warming oven carbon tracking for decades, well, apparently it created a super strain of E-coli no known agents can destroy. It was like a culinary meth lab and if they can create bio-suits secure enough to withstand the new strain of unearthly bacteria, they might have a 50/50 chance of burying the place in glass and concrete like a South End Chernobyl. That, or the Defense Dep’t. is interested in expanding it as a toxic agent lab… We South Enders are in no danger, we’re told, somehow building antibodies to the superbugs, but we sure couldn’t expose outsiders to the pestilence. So… for the time being our cultural aspirations are on hold. But don’t you all worry. We won’t be stopped. After all, the Elger Bay Store has that early ‘80’s shotgun stripmall architecture that will be stylish in, oh, a decade or so….
“Camano Island: The Top Three Things To Do With Your Family”
Posted: October 2, 2011 | Author: www.camanoislandexpert.com | Jan Mather
“Are you looking for a place to take your family, either on a day trip or for some early autumn camping? You could be like most people and head up into the mountains, but why not blaze a new trail and come to Camano Island! From nature’s quiet majesty to vibrant fall festivities, our friendly community will make you feel welcome – so much so that I hope you want to stay forever!
1. Camano Island Colors: With autumn in the air for well, some time now this year, the leaves are changing from their emerald coloring into the warm reds and yellows of fall. Camano Island has an abundance of trees, both evergreen and dec…. decidu…. um, NOT evergreen, to dazzle all ages of nature lovers. Whether you take a leisurely drive down a tree-lined road or spend the night telling stories by a campfire at Camano Island State Park, the great outdoors of Camano Island is a welcoming place.
2. Festival Fun: Fall is the season for harvest festivals all across the country. Camano Island residents don’t disappoint in this avenue, either! We just finished the Harvest Jubilee, and one of the biggest fall festivals is the Stanwood-Camano Chili & Chowder Cookoff coming up in November. The streets are filled with happy people and delicious smells, and everyone visiting Camano Island goes home with a full belly and a happy memory.
3. Shop ‘Til You Drop: One of the best things about living on Camano Island is the creativity of the residents. Many locals are artisans and their beautiful hand-crafted pieces can be purchased at many shops around the area. When you visit Camano Island during the Fall, you can take a few people off your holiday gift list by finding a beautiful and unique gift, like a handblown snow globe by Camano Island area resident Mark Ellinger – and support a local artist too!
Whether you spend a few hours shopping or all day hiking, you won’t be dissapointed from the variety and beauty that Camano Island brings to you.”
ERIKA MADDEN
NEW NOVEL OFFERS A FRESH VIEWPOINT OF
WORLD WAR II GERMANY
Childhood memories inspire historical fiction novel. Erika Madden’s childhood in World War II Germany was one of deprivation and challenge. With the war effort of the mid-1940s, food, heating fuel, and clothing were becoming increasingly scarce, and the German citizens increasingly desperate. The Allied Forces were advancing on the small farming community where Madden’s family lived. Her father was away at war, and the future of her family uncertain. Madden called upon these childhood experiences as inspiration for her new historical fiction novel, “Year of the Angels.” The novel is set in 1944-1945 – the year that the Allied Forces advanced upon, and eventually occupied, the small medieval town of Mainbernheim, Germany. The story unfolds through the eyes of a young German girl, Lisl, and centers on her relationship with her younger brother, Dieter, and the creative ways they survived the war through imagination and play. “I didn’t want my novel to be just a war story,” says Madden. “I wanted to show the softer side of children, their acceptance of Hitler’s Germany, and how they escape emotionally from the terror and hate.” Erika Madden is current and long-time member of the Hard-Nosed Zealots Writers’ Critique Group of Stanwood/Camano Island.
Your Health and Why Meditate?
When I was younger ( a lot younger) I had chronic sleep problems. My parents tried many things to help me, but one of the best tools that helped was eventually learning how to meditate. Since then, some 40 years later, I still benefit, and help others get support through this simple technique. Some of the “good” that comes from this deep state of relaxation is a more tranquil mind. What happens during meditation is that you focus your attention and help to eliminate many of those jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. Documentation says meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don’t end when your meditation session ends. Meditation helps get you through your day more calmly and can even improve certain medical conditions. When you meditate, much of the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress, becomes less. Here are some of the benefits that have been documented; increasing self-awareness, focusing on the present, reducing negative emotions and building skills to manage your stress. Meditation might also be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress. Some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as: allergies anxiety disorders, asthma, binge eating, cancer, chronic pain, depression, fatigue, heart disease, high blood pressure sleep problems. Call Z’s in Stanwood for more info on classes, 360-629-5040.
The New 80: Barbara Radtke
Shines & Inspires
Camano Island’s Barbara Radtke began to study yoga at age 76, at a time when others might be slowing down. She is living proof of the benefits of positive attitude, sense of humor, and a regular and consistent yoga practice. Barbara and her yoga friends and teachers at Stanwood’s Movement Arts Studio agree on how important it is to engage in more, not less, physical activity as we age. By choosing yoga, she used her smarts to align her bones, engage her muscles, and to become a better breather. She says that she does not know what she would do without her yoga. Each Tuesday and Thursday morning, Barbara attends the all-levels yoga class with Studio Director Kara Keating leading the class. According to Kara, “Here at the studio we all have high respect and appreciation for anyone turning 80, so they get special birthday recognition.” On a recent Tuesday morning Barba was surprised when she sat up after Savasana (relaxation at the end of class) and found a gift basket full of goodies from her fellow yogis. Speechless and surprised, she was then escorted across the street to the Blackbird Café and met by her husband Derald and more friends. Derald, still in love after 60 plus years of marriage, likes to show up with Barbara for yin yoga class each Friday morning, which suits him just fine. A recent bout with a diagnosis of breast cancer gave Barbara a new challenge, which she stepped up to and sailed through treatment with grace, bolstered by the good energy from her friends at the studio. She took a few months off and then promptly returned without missing a beat. Thank you Barbara, for giving us an example of what 80 can look like. – Kara Keating
What this country needs is a good
apple bobbing
“We hope you have the memory tucked away somewhere of sticking you head in tub of water full of floating apples and coming up close to snagging one. If not, it’s never too late to have a good childhood as they say. It takes some skill to be able to get an apple when they’re bouncing on the waves and bobbing and weaving away from your confident jaws. Winners seem to be the kids with buck teeth and big mouths as I recall. But it always seemed some lad with big lips would latch onto one and suck like a vacuum truck and haul his prize out of the bounding main with nary a scratch on it. Apple bobbing is a great game for any party and sure to get a lot of laughs and action. Just spread some towels on the floor…or a small tarp if you’ve got one…fill the biggest bowl or bucket or tub you have and drop in a handful of apples. The trick of course is to be one of the last ones in line. That way the others have splashed out most of the water and the level is low enough you can press the apple against the bottom without drowning and hook your teeth into it really good. Lots of good life lessons can be learned in it too. To laugh at yourself, to be brave and discover it’s ok to make a fool of yourself, to cheer others on, to know that no matter how funny you get looking, the others will be looking wet too, and oh…don’t wear mascara to parties or you won’t be able to have fun. Now if we could just get those politicians to bob for apples, we suspect many of our problems would go away. What this country needs is a good apple bobbing.”
Stinging Nettle
Making twine with nettle, seems like a great craft activity for the visitors to Cama Beach State Park. There is an unlimited supply of local raw material. Having watched the twining part done once, it didn’t look too hard. The stalks didn’t seem dangerous, leaves falling off in the cooler autumn weather. With gloves I harvested some. The written description I followed instructed me to remove the outer covering by peeling it and keep the fibrous material inside. That didn’t go so well and I ended up with a pile of fibrous material in a variety of lengths, and a bunch of the outer covering that didn’t manage to separate too well. I’ll keep trying and perhaps in some future article I can show a picture of some spun twine. This time I learned admiration and respect for people who have the knowledge and skill to make useful items from the materials of the surrounding environment.
On this quest I also learned a variety of traditional medicinal uses for nettle. The juice of a nettle will relieve a nettle sting strangely enough. Other medicinal applications might be useful to those of us who have reached an age where stiffness and soreness have become frequent companions. Rubbing stiff joints with fresh nettles gives instant relief; it is a counter irritant for arthritis, rheumatism and backache. I know you are thinking that of course all that red blotchy swelling and rash will take your mind off some of your troubles; anyone who has ever touched a nettle will vouch for that. After you recover from the stinging it will kill the pain and cause a general numbness. With the prices of everything rising and incomes dwindling we might find ourselves relearning some of the abundant uses of our native plants.
Submitted by Tina Dinzl-Pederson, Naturalist at Camano Island’s state parks. Sources: C. Norman Shealy; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies, 1998. Krista K. Thie; Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest: A Digest of Anthropological Writings about Native American Uses, 1999. Photo: wikipedia.org
