“Save your dandelions for the bees this year,” says Dr. Timothy Lawrence, professor emeritus of entomology at WSU and pollinator advisor for Island County’s WSU extension. “Due to our wet and cold weather, there are few, if any dandelions. Things should come around as soon as it warms up and the dandelions start blooming.” Lawrence recommends allowing dandelions to flower so that our island’s honeybees have an additional source for pollen. While the health of island honeybees is in good shape, he says Whidbey Island in general is a tough place to keep honeybees. “The cooler weather, the windy, cloudy…
Author: Kate Poss | With Photos by David Welton
Kate Poss | With Photos by David Welton
Kate Poss This Is Whidbey was founded by Kate Poss for readers who are interested in cultivating our island’s quality of life, including its land, sea, and air; its people, plants, and animals; and the bodies, minds, and spirits of its inhabitants. You may know Kate from her work in island libraries through May of 2016. Her background includes a career in newspaper reporting in Los Angeles for various weeklies and dailies, including The Los Angeles Times. She was a frequent contributor to the online Whidbey Life Magazine and still writes for the biannual print magazine. David Welton Stories are highlighted by David Welton’s excellent photography. David is a retired physician who was a staff photographer for Whidbey Life Magazine since its early days. His work has also appeared in museums, art galleries, newspapers, regional and national magazines, books, nonprofit publicity, and on the back of the Whidbey Sea-Tac Shuttle!
Note: Bajada Bill and Cactus Kate returned home from three weeks in Hawaii at 3:30 AM on St. Patrick’s Day. Hawaiian Airlines cancelled our outbound flight to Maui Feb. 23, rebooking a flight the following day. It cancelled our homeward bound flight from Kona March 16 fifteen minutes prior to our flight home. We are so grateful for the efforts of the Hawaiian Airlines agent at Kona Airport who found us seats on Alaskan Airlines March 16. Home for two days, I’ve gone swimming in the 45° and 44° waters of the Langley Marina with my fellow mermaid Sophie. All…
Note: All photos taken by Kate Poss unless otherwise noted. Here we are on the Big Island already a week and we are loving the aloha living. Live news: one of the ewes on the farm we are staying at is bawling for her new lamb who was born yesterday and was stuck behind a fence and couldn’t find her way back to her mom. The mama was panicked. The ram, another ewe, her three kids, the horse, and Kala the miniature Australian Shepherd, all ran up to the pasture above the banana trees to lend their support. Zoe our…
The Lummi nation visited Whidbey Island last week to show their solidarity with the San Carlos Apache people and their protest against a proposed copper mine on sacred land in Oak Flat, Arizona. The event was hosted by the Native Connections Initiative of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island. Lummi Nation’s House of Tears Carvers travel the country with a sacred totem pole to raise awareness about issues threatening our nation’s sacred places. They have made these journeys for the past 23 years, including a trek to Washington DC in 2021 for The Red Road to DC Totem Pole…
It is already our last night on Maui. Our living room door is open and the neighborhood dogs are barking greetings to each other. The palm trees wave in the breeze just outside the door. Mynah birds chirp. A jet flying overhead reminds us of our flight to Kona tomorrow. Flying to Maui last week started with a big surprise. After a sleepless night, we rose early Feb. 23 to catch the 6 AM ferry. We were lucky to see Lori Borian, the Whidbey Island Waldorf School administrator, in the ferry cabin. After exchanging greetings we continued our brisk walk.…
Note: photos were shared by Betsy Arand, Susan Hanzelka and Tracy Miller. Tracy Miller’s practice of joie de vivre infuses her collaborations with library buddies Jayanne Bixby and Susan Hanzelka, and is evident in their popular programs at the Freeland Library. At the end of the month, Tracy will retire from working, but will continue to volunteer. Meeting for lunch at WiFire Cafe in Freeland Feb. 22, Tracy was joined by Susan. We met to chat for this story about Tracy’s retirement after a decade of working with Sno-Isle Libraries. “Tracy has been such a willing and creative collaborator!” Jayanne…
Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French. Officially kicking off with Carnival on Jan. 6, Epiphany, and running until Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras is a chance to let loose and be free before Ash Wednesday when Catholics sacrifice and fast for Lent. The revelry party has a long history in the US, originating in 1699 near what is now known as New Orleans. South Whidbey’s community had a grand ol’ time celebrating Mardi Gras with abandon, since it is the first one since 2020 when the COVID pandemic shuttered this kind of fun. David Welton caught some of the merriment in…
With cold and gray winter days tempting us to sing the blues, swimming in the marina at the South Whidbey Harbor at Langley is an elixir that powers us mermaids, Sophie, Sharon, Betsy and me. Feeling the zing of swimming in open water, moving through the rolling waves and sometimes strong currents, we emerge recharged. Though the water temperatures range from 40° to 46°, our wetsuits keep us warm enough to brave a winter swim. It is our camaraderie and the swimming with harbor seals and sea birds which thrill us. Our morning swims find us chatting with Interim Harbormaster…
South Whidbey Hearts and Hammers raised funds with a spaghetti feed Feb. 10. It’s the first time since Feb. 2020, when the COVID pandemic halted social gatherings for 2021 and 2022. Proceeds from the spaghetti feed fund the South WhidbeyHearts & Hammers home repair and landscape care volunteer event May 6. Here is a link for more information. David Welton took these photos to celebrate the volunteers and the guests who gathered Feb. 10: More than 350 dinners were served. More than 50 volunteers prepared and served the food. Local grocers Goose Grocery, Payless, Clinton Food Mart, and Star Store…
Note: All photos are shared by Coupeville Library staff. As someone who created a lasting legacy of public service, Coupeville Library Manager Leslie Franzen plans to retire at the end of the month. You are invited to join her at the library’s celebration in her honor Feb. 23 from 1 to 4 PM. Coincidentally, Langley Library Manager Vicky Welfare is also retiring at the end of the month and her story appears in This is Whidbey in the above link. She wrote in a recent email: “You can’t think of Coupeville without thinking of Leslie Franzen! The community has always…