Welcome to THE NORTH COLUMBIA MONTHLY

boundaries Bird Lessons
   by Jack Nisbet
north of the border Pillows of Snow
   by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes
on the rocks Patterns and Dim Shapes
   by Leopold Hayden Powell
garden view Seeds on the Rocks (Shaken, Not Stirred)
   by Rob Blade
random acts Finding Kind and Engaging
   by Christine Wilson
a good read Three Cups of Tea
   reviewed by Susanne Griepp
   Three Cups of Tea Author Here in March
to your health Along the Mountain Path
        by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T
   Gratitude for Stress Relief
by Linda Hall, L.M.P.
   Our Role in the Community
by Bill Foxcroft
flick picks Return to the Classics: The African Queen
   reviewed by Cynthia Burr Larson
listen up The Eagle’s Long and Winding Road
   reviewed by Michael Pickett & Jessy May-Pickett
art beat Latah Creek Drum Band
   CVPAA Fund Raisers and Performance
half serious Bush Team Lies 935 Times: Promises to Do Better Next Time
   Crossword Puzzle: Forgotten New Year’s Resolutions
        Forgotten Resolutions Crossword Puzzle

6 boundaries David Thompson's Eyes
mmmmm by Jack Nisbet

8 cnf centennial Recreation Opportunities
mmmmm by Jann Bodie

10 on the rocks Mapping the Flowery Trail
mmmmm by Leopld Hayden Powell

12 random acts The Golden Rule in War, in Mountains
mmmmm by Christine Wilson

13 garden view Tidyitis
mmmmm by Rob Blade

14 art beat Caroll Vrba Featured in Art Show
mmmmmKarla Pearce's New Work at Old Firehall in Rossland

16 to your health Along the Mountain Path
mmmmm by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T

mmmmm Massage for Whiplash
mmmmmmmmmm by Linda Hall, L.M.P.

20 flick picks Skiing in the Shadow of Genghis Khan
mmmmm reviewed by Cynthia Burr Larson

21 listen up Electro Sun & Cloudscape
mmmmm reviewed by Michael Pickett & Jessy May-Pickett

22 a good read A Great Day to Fight Fire
mmmmm reviewed by Steve Rumsey

24 what's happening Arts, Music, Dance and Events

The November 2007 edition of The Monthly is available in PDF form. Download it here: NCMonthly1107.pdf

Contents:

6 sustainable living More Mercury Going into the Columbia River

Mercury pollution is a red-hot topic in the world today and the ease with which mercury travels across borders, by both air and water, has made it a political hot-potato as well. The Clean Water Act of 1977 should have assured US citizens that our rivers would be protected. But respect for sovereignty across national borders has created a complex problem when it comes to regulation of mercury discharge into the Upper Columbia River. Citizens for a Clean Columbia's recent discovery of a tripling of mercury discharges into the river from 2003 to 2006 by Teck Cominco's lead/zinc smelter in Trail, British Columbia, has prompted concern about the future of our much loved river.

8 boundaries Endless Thread

A close friend of mine passed away last year. She really liked plants, and each fall we used to travel up into the mountains above the Pend Oreille Valley to revisit some of her favorite places. We would poke around Bunchgrass Meadows to check out the purple stems of beargrass, or muck through a muddy spring searching for a medicinal plant that smelled like celery. She was especially fond of North Baldy, where we could look way down on Priest Lake to the east, and way down on the Pend Oreille River to the west. The juniper up there smelled especially strong to her.

10 north of the border Big Trees and Much River Food

The story of how the Grand Coulee Dam barred the ocean salmon from the great Kettle Falls fishery is well known. Less known is another chapter in the Upper Columbia's salmon tragedy, one that took place further north at a fishery that may have been second only to Kettle Falls in its importance to indigenous people. The fishery was located at the confluence of the Slocan River with the Kootenay River, just a handful of river-miles upstream of the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay rivers at Castlegar, B.C.

12 cnf centennial Wildlife Habitat Management
14 on the rocks Diving to the Bottom of the Deep
16 garden view A Garden of Appreciation
17 random acts Airport Delays, a Lesson in Humanity
18 featuring... What does it take to become a thriving community?
20 to your health Along the Mountain Path
22 a good read "The Glass Seed"
24 flick picks A Return to a Classic
25 listen up Photek and Remorse Codes
26 what's happening Arts, Music, Dance and Events
29 holiday craft shows & special events
30 art beat Ursula Atkinson, Fiber Artist
32 bizz buzz A Little Bit of This-n-That Opens in Colville

Boundaries: Another Dose of Finan McDonald: the Buffalo Stomp, by Jack Nisbet

In his classic book on the early fur trade days called The Columbia River, fur clerk Ross Cox included a few blustery paragraphs that describe Finan McDonald as a mythic force in the tradition of Paul Bunyan. Cox counts off Finan's many postings during his tenure in the Columbia District and pokes fun at his spluttering attempts to express himself, but can't hide his affections for a local hero.

North of the Border: Autumn Pearls, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

Windy, tarnished weather has arrived in the Columbia Mountains. The birch and alder glow golden-yellow on the forested flanks. The longer shadows suggest that snow will soon be falling on the high mountain ridge across the lake from where I live. About this time, I seek out clusters of powdery blue fruit hanging heavily on a tall shrub known as Sambucus cerulea. Also more recently re-classified by botonists as Sambucus mexicana, this multi-stemmed shrub or small tree has always been known simply as kwikw to the Lakes People living from Kettle Falls north as far as Revelstoke. They had many cultural uses for the elderberry plant in former times.

On the Rocks: Fire -- The Trial of Gold and Stone, by Leopold Hayden Powell

The Kootenays are known more for silver, rather than gold. (Rossland and Greenwood seem more like lost parts of the Okanagan.) Just the same, gold paints the leaves, every autumn. The Quaking aspen are pure. Cottonwood is alloyed with copper, and tarnished. Western larch gilds mountainsides. Rocky Mountain maples are tipped with flame.

CNF Centennial Maintaining Clean Water, by Bert Wasson, Forest Hydrologist

Running a national forest isn't the easiest job, not with all the competing demands the public makes of its forest. Often overlooked, however, is that most of us want many of the same things from our forest -- things like clean water, abundant wildlife, recreational opportunity, useful wood and a legacy to leave future generations.

My 2 Cents: The Long, Sad Tale of the Mis-spent $46,000, by Steve Rumsey

Those of us who favor making the transition from a consumer economy to one that is much more sustainable are already convinced that we should support local agriculture. We buy food directly from local growers as often as we can, we shop farmers markets, we support grocery stores that feature locally-grown food, we dine at restaurants that include locally-grown food on their menus, we grow our own. So it's with some discomfort to bump up against the issue of livestock grazing on the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge. Normally, I'd find it easy to support local cattlemen in their efforts to make an honest living in tough times by raising high quality, grass-fed beef, especially if they sell as much of it as they can to local beef-lovers instead of shipping it out of state.

Sustainable Living: Bioneers Conference

The landmark UN Millennium Ecosystem Report recently issued a dire warning: "Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted." In the midst of this urgency, the annual Bioneers Conference presents leading scientists and social innovators who are creating practical solutions to help restore the Earth's imperiled ecosystems and heal our human communities.

Random Acts: "Not Everything is Lost", by Christine Wilson

In this poem, Naomi Nye, a Palestinian writer who lives in Texas, reaches into that universal place of hope and connection found in all our souls. My thanks go to her for granting permission to pass this on.

Bizz Buzz: New Owners at Beaver Lodge, by Becky Dubell

Are you looking for a place to unwind, to get away from the daily routine or a place to just "veg"? Well, you have found it -- Beaver Lodge, located on Lake Gillette, about 25 miles east of Colville on Tiger Highway.

To Your Health Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T.

Julie Gudmestad, PT, yoga teacher and anatomy columnist for Yoga Journal, tells a story about many of the people she sees in her practice. They have often gone to their doctor with low back pain, and been told to strengthen their abdominals. This is good advice. Then they go home and practice crunches or sit-ups. This is a mistake! They show up in Julie's studio a couple of months later with< the same low back pain, but now they have neck pain as well!

To Your Health Aromatherapy and Massage Therapy, by Linda Hall, L.M.P.

When you combine massage therapy with aromatherapy you get the perfect recipe for relaxation.

Art Beat: Photo Contest Winners

The Friends of the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge are happy to announce the winners of their 2007 photo contest. Anthony Dickson of Colville took first prize in the Animal Life division for his photograph entitled "Imperfection." Joel Anderson of Onion Creek took first prize in the Scenic/Landscape division for his photograph entitled "Summer Road."

Art Beat: Woodland's Productions Presents No Crime Like the Present

Woodland Productions will present No Crime Like The Present October 26, 27, 28 and November 2, 3, 4 at the Woodland Theatre in Kettle Falls. The play, written by Bill Gleason, is a witty, gritty and quite funny spin off of all the old crime dramas in early black and white TV.

Featuring: Women Making a Difference Announce Speaker for Annual Luncheon

Mary Ann Murphy will be the keynote speaker for the eighth annual Women Making a Difference Luncheon scheduled for October 12, 2007. For over thirty years Mary Ann has worked with centers that collaborate with law enforcement, Child Protective Services, the courts, the schools, and other social and health treatment providers to strengthen the fabric of support for families in our community. She is currently the Executive Director of Partners with Families and Children. Sponsored by both Sacred Heart and Deaconess Medical Centers, Partners is a program designed for children who are abused, neglected, endangered by drugs or exposed to violence. This program has been mending the hearts and broken spirits of abused children for nearly twenty years.

Featuring: Food Banks Need Your Help!

Frani Roberts at the Colville Volunteer Food and Resource Center recently reported that the food bank is very short on donations of food and funds coming in to the holiday season. As she explained, "[W]e're already trying to make plans for the holidays. At this time, we have zero dollars to buy holiday food items. We usually serve 400-425 families for Thanksgiving and again as many for Christmas. We're hoping the generosity of the community will again help us to be sure our families will get a nice food box."

Boundaries: Finan, by Jack Nisbet

One of the great characters of the early fur trade days in the Columbia District was Finan McDonald, whose 20-year career here began at initial contact and ended just after Fort Colvile was established at Kettle Falls. Because McDonald never rose above the level of a company clerk, today we know him mostly through other people's terse trade journal entries and romanticized reminiscences, which make it hard to get a clear idea of what the man might actually have been like. But Finan could wield a pen himself, and a handful of remarkably misspelled letters plus one turn at a house journal reveal aspects of someone who has to be included on any list of early shapers of the North Columbia country.

On the Rocks: In Search of the Mysteries of Creation, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Come, be a sleuth of natural mysteries along the valleys northeast of Colville. This year's recreational geology trip will travel Mill Creek and Deep Creek to Northport. The tour starts from Park Place Restaurant at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, October 6. Bring your lunch, and curiosity. We will car pool, as much as possible. Professional geologists usually cap a field trip by discussing the issues, with the maps spread out to be annotated with beer and food stains. You can join in, at Northern Ales, with food from the Mustang Grill by making arrangements at hanshan@plix.com, by October 1.

CNF Centennial An Observation Concerning Forest Health

by Tom Pawley, Forest Silviculturist

North of the Border: Blazing Fires and a Brave Weed, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

It's another summer of fires in southeastern British Columbia, surpassing even the hot and toasty season of 2003. After months of unusually high temperatures and only a fraction of normal precipitation, the forests here are a stage set for fires. Since July, I've been watching the smoky drama unfold. Lately, I've even wiped ash off my deck railing from a blaze that started just north of Metaline Falls in the Pend Oreille and swept quickly across the border.

Sustainable Living: Bucking Blind Inertia, by Charlie Cousins

Sustaining a lifestyle on our rural homesteads very often requires we commute long distances to work or school. As the cost of vehicle fuel, maintenance, and insurance goes up, some of us are being presented with some hard choices found at the crux of the question: "Can we afford to live here?" One way to promote sustainability grows from a solution as fundamental and old as the concept of community: share the load.

Sustainable Living: Under Your Own Power, by Steve Schott

Progress continues on the project to construct a multi-purpose, year-round, non-motorized trail between Kettle Falls and Colville. A Master Plan for this safe, convenient and scenic pathway for runners, walkers, strollers, bicycles, skates and skis is being developed by the engineering firm of Welch-Comer of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Public meetings are coming up to inform people about the project and encourage public participation in the process.

Garden View: Swamp Lake, by Rob Blade

Wear a white shirt or top when eating vanilla ice cream. A dribble or drop is barely visible on a white background unless one is looking closely. Most of us rarely look closely to notice subtle variations or to take in the minute details. However, we would most definitely see the cherry or huckleberry ice cream drips, our eyes being drawn to them. It's this Blue Bunny approach to garden plants and gardens that seems to dominate our gardens today.

To Your Health Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T.

Becoming aware of the breath is an accessible way to calm the mind, and come into the experience of the present moment. For this reason, I usually start class with what I call the "3-part breath." It is also the first thing taught in an Introduction class!

Random Acts: On the Road to Find Out, by Christine Wilson

No doubt that as you read this, there is an old calligrapher at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, painting with water on the hot cement. As he draws the calligraphic poem, the words fade into the sky, in a perfect testimony to impermanence.

Bizz Buzz: Northern Ales Adds a New Dimension to Northport

If you've been in Northport lately, you know that there's a new wind blowing in that town. Formerly a bit of a sleepy berg, at least on the surface, the town has awakened to realize its awesome potential, organizing a town-wide cleanup, sprucing up properties, and revitalizing its commercial district. Adding to that momentum, Steve and Andrea Hedrick have recently opened a microbrewery, Northern Ales, right on the main drag, and are pouring some mighty tasty delights, while serving up a healthy dose of North Columbia culture and cuisine.

Featuring: A Vespid Battle Plan: Our Readers Respond

Last month we ran a lament about hornets, wasps and yellow jackets eating our raspberries and asked our readers for tips on how to exterminate the mean little buggers. Thanks for your great response. A number of you stopped us on the street to comment, and a few took the time to write us with their vespid stories.

Art Beat: Wellness through the Arts: Live It, Move It, Be It!
An Art Festival with a Difference

Greenwood Institute d'Art and Colville Arts Foundation present "Wellness through the Arts: Live It, Move It, Be It! An Art Festival with a Difference" to be held on Saturday, September 22, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the new location of Greenwood Institute d'Art, N. 107 3rd Street, (3rd Street Mall) behind Sporty's Restaurant in Chewelah.

Art Beat: Trip to Venice Inspires Local Artist, by Steve Rumsey

Artist Jan Beardsley and her friend and fellow artist, Eleanor Distler, treated themselves to a 16-day trip to Italy last fall, and Jan came back inspired by all the amazing art they saw while there, especially by the mosaics of Venice, which, in her words, "just blew me away." In fact, she says she absolutely fell in love with that city, one of the crown jewels of European art and architecture. She returned home determined to try her hand at this ancient medium.

Art Beat: New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music

The Kirtland Cutter Gallery in the Cutter Theatre will be the site of the Smithsonian's touring exhibit, "New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music" from September 7 through October 21, 2007.

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett and Jessy May Pickett

Cosmo Takes to the Skies
Crystina Maez Croons From Afar

Boundaries: The Future of Stone Rose, by Jack Nisbet

Many residents of Upper Columbia country have experienced the wonders of Stone Rose, a fossil site located above downtown Republic. Young and old, we have split pieces of the bedded rock that spills out of the road cut and seen the jumble of sticks, seeds, leaves, and odder imprints trapped inside. We have heard about the Eocene Epoch, around 50 million years before the present, and listened to helpful interpreters explain the warm upland climate and rich forest that once covered our landscape. We have tried to imagine how parts of that forest filtered down to the bottom of an ancient lakebed, to be covered with fine silt and volcanic ash, then over time pressed into the colorful shale we are cracking open. We have stood in the interpretive room to have our discoveries identified and watched school children, curious travelers, and fossil enthusiasts from all over the world gawk at the astonishing displays on the wall.

A Good Read: Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington's Last Frontier, by Craig Romano. Photography by James Johnston.
Book Review by Steve Rumsey

At last, a book that features the natural wonders of Northeastern Washington!

On the Rocks: Constellations of Fossils, by Leopold Hayden Powell

The weather was not pleasant or promising of better. We had been hiking for five kilometers, in cloud with the wind spitting sleet. In late September, winter is beginning high in the Continental Ranges. About a hundred meters above the main trail, I struck out, across the talus slope. My pack was nearly empty, so it was searching the rock that bent me low. There they were -- Ostracods -- not the usual millimeter-size bean shapes, but centimeter scale, fringed with lacy swimmerettes. Yes, this is it!

Garden View: The Hose Days of Summer, by Rob Blade

Elisabeth Sheldon writes of August in A Proper Garden as "the month one spends dragging the hose around yet never managing to make up for the lack of rainfall."

Random Acts: Gardens and Love, by Christine Wilson

"The hissing of summer lawns," to use a phrase coined by Joni Mitchell, is one of the most summery of summer sounds. August is hissing central.

Featuring: A Vespid Battle Plan

Right on cue, our mean-tempered neighbors -- the yellow jackets, wasps and hornets -- have arrived, and we feel ourselves decidedly under attack. It's like this every summer in the area, though this year the swarms seem unusually large and the critters unusually nasty. Blame it on the hot, arid conditions, perhaps, and blame the sweltering weather on global warming if you will, but, people, let me tell you, the pestiferous monsters have wreaked havoc on our raspberries.

Featuring: CVPAA Concert Series

The Colville Valley Performing Arts Association is now selling season tickets for the 2007-2008 concert series, which features a variety of music to appeal to a range of musical tastes. This year, the emphasis is on fun, as well as virtuosity, and the season ticket price gives concert-goers seats at bargain prices.

To Your Health Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T.

If you've attended a few classes, or bought a practice tape, and your intention is to start a home practice, you may be unclear about how to fit a practice into your daily routine. Most of us feel that there's already too much scheduled into our lives, and "not enough time!"

Art Beat: Chelsea Capperauld Featured in Art Around Town
by Gloria J. Geary

Chelsea Capperauld of Pullman is displaying her small mixed-media collages at the Colville Chamber of Commerce offices and at Talk-N-Coffee, next door to the Chamber office at 121 East Astor. Stop by to see these witty, mixed media artworks.

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett and Jessy May Pickett

Bryan Ferry's Expected Unexpected Turn
Rush: Dark & Light

Boundaries: The Professional: How to Throw an Atlatl, by Jack Nisbet

The atlatl marked a key innovation in the development of human hunting. Sometimes spelled atl-atl and usually pronounced more like ot lotl, it is a spear-throwing device that allowed a hunter to throw a weapon at a target with great force from an impressive distance. Atlatls have been recovered from archaeological sites on all inhabited continents and take many forms; the common element is a shaft around the length of a human forearm with a grip on one end and a catch, spur, cup, or pin on the other. Hunters rested the butt of their spear against the catch, fingered the shaft of the spear parallel to the atlatl, and combined a wheel of the upper arm with a shift of body weight and flick of the wrist that finished in a powerful leg drive. If you have ever wielded a lacrosse stick, watched a surf caster throw a weighted hook impossibly far out to sea, or flipped off a springy diving board, you have experimented with the physics that provide an atlatl's powerful addition to a simple spear toss.

North of the Border: The Columbia River Brigade, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

On July 1, a unique celebration of Canada's national holiday will take place along the shores of the Columbia River in Revelstoke, B.C., as eight canoes begin a 6-day, 240 kilometre journey down the Columbia through the Arrow Lakes to Castlegar.

On the Rocks: The Silent Language of the Peak, by Leopold Hayden Powell

When it comes to Glacier National Parks, Canada takes no second place. More than four hundred glaciers display the full variety of land forms, as we step away from the route of The Highway Geology of Southern British Columbia, at Rogers Pass and Highway 1.

Colville National Forest: 100 Years of Fire Management On the Colville National Forest

Fire has shaped western forests and landscapes for thousands of years. The trees, shrubs, and grasses, as well as the wildlife found in the Colville National Forest, have in some way adapted to periodic fires. There are many issues that surround the management of national forests locally and across the country. Yet arguably, the most compelling issues are wildland fire management practices and policies, and how they are applied, implemented, and accepted by the public.

Garden View: Tomato Habits (Why We Do the Things We Do), by Rob Blade

Gardeners have numerous methods of training tomatoes in the garden and in the greenhouse. I use the Barnum and Bailey method. It involves holding a chair between the unruly tomato plant and myself, and cracking a whip. I don't have much luck growing a crop, but I certainly enjoy the experience. Why do we prune and train the delicious nightshade in the first place?

Random Acts: Ripples Far and Wide, by Christine Wilson

Well, I guess it's true that the only thing permanent is change. The brain researchers say that our mind is wired to interpret change as a life threat. Add that to the attachments we make with people, and losing someone or something we care about can knock you for a loop. I have an attachment to a seashell I picked up on a Mexican beach in 1974 and would have to work pretty hard to let go if something happened to it. When we get a television series from Netflix I am totally attached to the characters by the end of the last disc, and I actually miss them. Okay, I'm not particularly proud of how unevolved I am in that regard; I'm just being honest here. So people and pets -- wow. That's a level of attachment we spend our entire lives struggling with. It drives people to no end of heartache and even misbehavior. So, when we lost Bev Stoker-Drake recently, the ripples were felt far and wide.

Featuring: Paddle Days & Fur Trade Encampment

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area invites everyone to a couple of fun events this month. First is the ever-popular Paddle Days, now in its ninth year, on Saturday, July 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. located at the Colville Flats, 4 miles south of Hwy 395 on Hwy 25. The second big event is the British Fur Trade Encampment, sponsored by the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, The Friends of Spokane House, and The Kettle Falls Historical Center, on Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29, 2007 at Mission Point.

Featuring: Summer Fest 2007

Time again to come together at the Old Schoolhouse in Loon Lake and celebrate our wonderful community. For the thirteenth year, the Loon Lake Historical Society has worked very hard to give you a fun-filled weekend with lots of things to do.

To Your Health Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T.

Yoga is a spiritual tradition. We are essentially seeking freedom from conditioned responses, which obscure our vision and distract us from the miracle of life as it is in the present moment. With such lofty goals, why do we spend so much time on where we place our feet, and where is our head, and whatever are you doing with your eyes?!

To Your Health Massage for Weight Loss??? Linda Hall, L.M.P.

Have you heard that massage helps you lose weight? Some spas and salons offer "weight-loss massage" and cellulite reduction massage. Don't be fooled! If it were that easy, none of us would have a weight problem!

BizzBuzz: Talk 'n' Coffee Under New Management

It was love at first sight, as Scott Sanders put it, when he first walked in to Talk 'n' Coffee in downtown Colville. He liked everything about the place: the coffee, the atmosphere, the clientele. So he bought it, taking over operations from the coffee shop's founder, Steve Lecture, who has left the area for a sojourn on the Wet Side.

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett and Jessy May Pickett

Maroon 5: Better Than Ever

Hands Across Nations Reaches Out

A Good Read: Jess Walter's The Zero
Book Review by Steve Rumsey

Walter writes a great mystery, and if you're a committed mystery buff or want a nice break from your usual reading habits, pick up Citizen Vince. You won't be disappointed. But Walter has broken out of genre fiction and come into his own as a writer of Serious Literature (or his own darkly comic version of it, anyway). Take The Zero for example: a fragmented, disconcerting, sad look into the chaos of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The novel asks more questions than it answers and will leave you haunted, just as the events themselves haunt us to this day, but it will grab your attention and keep you guessing until the final scene.

Boundaries: The Army of Cecrops, by Jack Nisbet

For anyone who grew up in the Southeast, as I did, summer nights provided a sensual overload of lightning bugs, cicada racket, and the warm velvety wings of wild silk moths. Luna moths, Io moths, the giant Polyphemus, all these magical creatures came alive on hot sticky evenings around the well house, or could be found glued motionless to big oak trees just after dawn. From the first time I ever leaned close to stroke the plump maroon body of a female Cecropia moth and caught a whiff of its musky odor, they became my favorite. My mother, always quick with a story, spun out the myth that went with its Latin name, Hyalophora cecrops.

North of the Border: Land Under Water, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

In spring, 2005, after the water of the Arrow Lakes reservoir had been drawn down but before the melted snows filled it up again, a few people walking along the beaches of the reservoir north of Castlegar, B.C., came across two skeletal remains poking above the silt. As the remains were removed by authorities, it was clear that they had been buried in a flexed position, a unique tradition of the Lakes Indians (Sinixt). Before the international boundary existed, Lakes traditional territory once stretched from Kettle Falls north along the Columbia River to just beyond Revelstoke, B.C.

On the Rocks: Valleys Exalted, Hills Made Low, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Turn this prophesy of elemental change around in time to read the first statement of the principles of geology. Step beyond human life spans to encounter a different world. An earthquake may suddenly bring the mountain and hill low. The rough places have been made plain over epochs of weathering. Regardless of the rate, change is not only inevitable: it is continuous. There is no point, in time or space, where the rules change. Sea floor was pushed up into mountains by a small set of mechanisms. Rivers always cut off their meanders by the same sort of erosion. We may travel in time, geologically, by paddling down the Kootenay River, from Canal Flats to Wardner. The East Kootenays are a different geological province from the West. Their histories -- deep, old, recent and future -- are linked.

Sustainable Living: The Sustainability of Earthships -- Part III, by David Martineau

An earthship home may be an enjoyable place to live, but part of what Rick and Sandy Moore wanted to do was to encourage other people to build sustainably. Once word got out that an earthship was constructed near Colville, people came to see. The Moore's have been accommodating. "We've had somewhere between 150 and 200 people look at the house," Rick recalled. Invariably commitment to the earthship concept wanes once they discover how much work they are to construct. "Out of all those people, we had just two or three people that thought they were actually going to build an earthship. It's a lot of hard work and you really are on your own. It seems like when you look at the plans, as a person who's never built anything before, there are lots of lines, words and arrows. This is great until you start building. It really tells you about half of what you need to know."

Garden View: The Question, Why? by Rob Blade

I was two once, and although my memory is rather vague, I am certain that on occasion I used the word "why." The word was probably used in one of two ways, or even in both ways simultaneously. If a two year-old is told something by an adult which limits or prohibits the actions of the child, the question, "Why?" is a genuine inquiry which serves primarily as a challenge. The child also uses the same question following a statement of adult wisdom in an effort to genuinely gain further understanding of the world. The difference between the two uses of the word "why" is often heard in the tone of voice used to ask the question (this is where the English language shares similarities with the Chinese language). Unfailingly, whether the word is posed as a serious question of interest or as a challenge to adult authority, when a two year-old asks, "Why?" it can be daunting.

Random Acts: Loving Fathers, by Christine Wilson

The fathers of the 1950's weren't exactly famous for their warm and fuzzies. They were famous for working hard and making great mixed drinks to go with their non-filtered Pall Malls, or at least that's how it looked at my house. I have a photograph from those days of my dad lighting a cigarette, looking all dapper and Bogart.

Art Beat: North Country Artist Trails Opens Its Season

Amid the pristine countryside of Colville and its environs is a very city-like idea, a gallery walk. But in this case, it's done country style, with each gallery five or more miles from the next as the crow flies. No walking here, but a delightful and stress-free ride through the forested and winding roads that caress the Kettle River, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours from Spokane.

Featuring: Lavender Fest

The 2007 Pend Oreille Valley Lavender Festival will be held July 7 and 8 at LeClerc Lavender Farm, 13401 LeClerc Road North, a large commercial lavender farm on the east bank of the Pend Oreille River.

To Your Health Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T.

Need a little break? Feeling a little creaky? Is your neck bothering you, or perhaps your back or knee? Consider your yoga mat. This 68"x24" space is the place you can come to for relief! As the Buddhists say, "We take refuge in the practice."

To Your Health Healing Laughter for Stress Relief, Linda Hall, L.M.P.

A few of my clients have asked me to write an article on stress relief, the problem is, that there are many stress relief techniques. I have decided to start with Laughter, since this kind of a fun topic. Why do massage therapist care about stress relief techniques? Well, unfortunately, a lot of injuries and tightness in the muscles are a result of our stressed out lives.

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett and Jessy May Pickett

CellDweller Breaking Down the Walls
Aaron Richner's Inland Blues

Boundaries: Carpenter Ants on the Wing and in the Wood, by Jack Nisbet

When the British team of the Northwest Boundary Survey hired naturalist James Keast Lord in 1858, they assigned him to collect bird and animal specimens along the 49th parallel from the lower Fraser to the Continental Divide. Lord took to his duties with relish, sending home an impressive sampling of whatever living creatures came within range of his shotgun. He was at Fort Colvile in June of 1860, watching common nighthawks -- one of the last spring migrants to arrive in the north Columbia country -- swoop and boom through the dusk of sunny evenings. When Mr. Lord procured one of the birds (which he called goatsuckers) for his collection, he penetrated deeper into the food web of the North Columbia country that he could ever have imagined.

North of the Border: Seeing Red in the Columbia Mountains, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

For the past few years, the blue-green mountains cradling the Columbia River north of the border have been painted increasingly with red as large stands of lodgepole pine grow sick and die. The dying trees are part of a large-scale ecological disaster faced by the province of British Columbia: little black beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) boring into the trunks of lodgepole pine and leaving behind a dying forest.

On the Rocks: Immense Depths of Time, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Immense depths of past time lie in waters of the Arrow Lakes. Look down, past drowned towns, past ancient First Nations homes, past great streams of glaciers, past mountains being built in time of dinosaurs. It takes sharp detection to see the traces of animals, which lived in seas of three hundred million years ago (they're in the limey crags, south of Arrow Park) . Choose your mode. There is easy paddling to explore away from roads. Bowman Point and Island Point as well as the spectacular Renata natural bridge are only accessible by boat. Fishing is everywhere. Some of the nearby forestry roads are good mountain bike routes. You can even skindive the drowned town sites of Beaton, Arrowhead, and Comaplix.

Colville National Forest: Forest Management and the Human Element

For 100 years now, the Colville National Forest has existed bringing fulfillment to the many hikers, hunters, fisherman, loggers, miners, gatherers, recreationalists and others that have cared to enter. What will the next 100 years look like, and, maybe more importantly, how will that be determined?

Sustainable Living: The Sustainability of Earthships -- Part II, by David Martineau

In last month's edition, Rick Moore compared operating an earthship home to managing a self-contained system with limited resources similar to a boat. The earthship owner strives to be sustainable with energy and water use. The Moore's earthship north of Colville is not entirely off the grid, but they're close.

Garden View: The Pros and Cons of Nursery Plants, Part II, by Rob Blade

A plant is a stationary organism by nature, with a few exceptions like algae and Plant Invaders from Mars. Plants with roots like to keep them in the soil. In order to get that favorite geranium, oak, or pepper into the patio pot or the garden however, it is often necessary to purchase it from a nursery or dig it out of the neighbor's yard.

Random Acts: Meditations on Mothers, by Christine Wilson

When I was eight months pregnant with my first child, I hadn't felt any movement from him for four days and, being a novice at these things, I called my doctor. The medical staff freaked out, sent me off to the hospital, and this future techno dude had his first encounter with the tools of his eventual career. He was fine; I always assumed he just thought there wasn't much to do but think and, anyway, he didn't know how to snowboard yet. He can still sit and read for the longest time.

Featuring: Haran Dancers and An Dochas to Perform

Once again, the ever dynamic Celtic performers An Dochas and the Haran Dancers will be returning to their roots here in Eastern Washington, performing two concerts in May. These concerts mark the 3-year anniversary of the passing of Haran Dancers founder, mentor, and teacher, Deirdre Abeid.

My Story: Monoculture, by Shasta Hincke

"How can you stand this monoculture?" my sister asked. We stood at the end of Meyers Street in Kettle Falls, looking down at a sea of Caucasian faces waiting for the Town and Country Days parade to begin. "That's why I love living in San Francisco," she continued." There's so much diversity."

My 2 Cents: Creation or Evolution, by Bill Swartz
An on-line exlusive!

"Creation or Evolution: The Lecture Series" was quite a show. Doug Newton MD, Emergency Services Director at Walla Walla General Hospital and founder of Trinity Creation Studies Inc. presented an evening and full day of what has been billed elsewhere as a faith building seminar. For full disclosure, my world view is scientific. I don't share that faith.

A Good Read: Not Always Perfect Peace, by Jessica Sheets
Reviewed by Gloria J. Geary

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett and Jessy May Pickett

Type O Negative and Global Citizen

Boundaries: Crawling Upstream, by Jack Nisbet

Once upon a time there lived many different kinds of creatures, all of them animals. One day two of them, Eel and Sucker Fish, challenged each other at the stick game.

North of the Border: King of the Floodplain, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

It's April, the time of year I associate with the waking of a host of slumbering monarchs -- the tall, silvery cottonwood trees. About now, throughout the narrow valleys of the North Columbia watershed, river borders come alive with a distinct yellow-green fringe -- the unmistakable hue of the tree's early blossoms, pushing new life into the waking world.

On the Rocks: Caves and Mountains of Time, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Uncounted generations of Salish speaking people traversed low divides, separating the Tulameen and ere carried east, exchanged for tobacco, sweetgrass, bitterroot. From the Okanogan, river routes wove to the south and north, opening a vast area, to Yellowstone country and Yellowhead Pass. In 1846, in a city near the mouth of the Potomac River, representatives of Queen Victoria and President Polk drew a line, across two-thirds of a continent. Military engineers could compare the reading of a brass sextant with an almanac, to find where the boundary lay. That magic caused the bearded newcomers to climb over the mountains, where there was no obstacle on the river.

Wild Eye: Toucing Nature, by Lisa Langelier

Recently my daughter and her friend touched the sky. On their migration to the Play Station 2, my husband changed their course and advised them to play outside. After dabbling in volleyball for a short time, they decided to climb trees. It was not long before an excited child winded from running, clutching her camera exclaimed, "Something flew out of the bird box in the tree we climbed."

Sustainable Living: The Sustainability of Earthships -- Part I, by David Martineau

There was a time when it was fashionable to play with beer cans and dirt. In the early 1970s, earthship founder Mike Reynolds created an international movement in designing innovative "sustainable" housing using these simple materials. By 1989, Reynolds and his company Solar Survival Architecture, had created three communities of earthship homes in New Mexico and Colorado. Today's earthships are typically made of tires rammed with earth. Once filled, each tire is stacked and arranged in a horseshoe shape and oriented to take maximum advantage of sunlight.

Garden View: The Pros and Cons of Nursery Plants, by Rob Blade

A plant is a stationary organism by nature, with a few exceptions like algae and Plant Invaders from Mars. Plants with roots like to keep them in the soil. In order to get that favorite geranium, oak, or pepper into the patio pot or the garden however, it is often necessary to purchase it from a nursery or dig it out of the neighbor's yard.

Colville National Forest: The History of the CNF to the Present, by Steve Kramer

Direction for management of Forest Reserves could be found in the 1905 "Use Book," created by first FS Chief Gifford Pinchot. This original manual direction was no larger than today's modern day planner.

Featuring: Ft. Colvile: The Beginning, by Kitty Johnston

For over 20 years, beginning in 1825, Fort Colvile, the Hudson Bay Fur Trade Post on the Columbia River, was the main center of civilization in what is now known as the Inland Empire of eastern Washington. In April of that year George Simpson, in his first year as "governor" of the northern department of the Hudson Bay Company, was traveling up the Columbia River. He had just established Fort Vancouver, replacing Fort George, itself the replacement for Fort Astoria as the western headquarters for HBC.

Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, E.R.Y.T.

Someone who has not practiced yoga, just seen the occasional article or who has friends who practice, may well say, "What can yoga do for me?" A few months ago, I addressed the many physical impacts of a regular yoga practice in an article about the "ten systems." Yoga affects the physical systems of the body, such as circulation, digestion, and the nervous system, all to good advantage. But let's look at the benefits of yoga from a more activity related approach.

The Connected Body, by Linda Hall, L.M.T.

Do you remember the song that we learned in grade school called "Dem Bones"? "The jaw bone's connected to the skull bone, the skull bone's connected to the neck boneŠ The spine bone's connected to the shoulder bone" and so on. Well, there are, of course, muscles and tendons, ligaments, and fascia covering those bones. In massage therapy we deal with those muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia and their function and dysfunction!

Healthy Living without TFAs, by Maggie deLaunay

The subject of trans fatty acids (TFAs) has been receiving quite a lot of attention. In the last few years, Denmark has made it illegal for any food to have more than 2% trans fats, and most recently, New York City restaurants will be barred from using most oils containing trans fats by July 1, 2007.

Random Acts: Our Elders: Needing You, Needing Them, by Christine Wilson

When I recently interviewed Debbie McDowell, Activities Director at Pinewood, she reported to me that the ability to sing is one of our last faculties to go. She has seen people who appear mute, but, when inspired by musicians, can begin singing. We should all be so lucky as to leave this planet with a song on our lips. We should also all be so lucky as to have people wanting to spend time with us at the last stage of our lives.

Art Beat: Introducing Greg Pritchett, Fran Mason Boring

Greg Pritchett is in his 50's living in the mountains outside the Colville Valley. He works at a local mill, and like many of us, bows to the elements as he works to make his home in a rural community. What many people did not know until recently is that above all, Greg is an artist.

Sustainable Living: Power to Solar Power, by David Martineau

Solar energy reaches the Earth at a rate greater than 10,000 times the amount of energy consumed world-wide, making it conceivably the single greatest, most abundant, and safest form of energy yet to be fully developed. A major drawback, however, is that this energy is not distributed equally across the planet's surface. It remains difficult to harness and still cannot meet energy demands of a large segment of the population.

Boundaries: The Longest Journey, by Jack Nisbet

In the fall of 1902, Willamette Valley farmer Ellis Hughes was cutting wood near the present town of West Linn when lunchtime came around. "I sat down on the rock," Hughes later recalled. "It was about 1 1/2 ft above the ground and very flat."

His work partner, Bill Dale stared at the picnic bench and realized it was no ordinary stone. "Hughes," asked Dale, "Have you seen this rock before?"

"Yes," answered Hughes. "I saw it yesterday." Then he picked up a large white stone and began to hammer on the rock. It rang like a bell.

"Hughes," Dale said. "I'll bet it is a meteor."

On the Rocks: Roadside Geology a Delight, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Not only is the topography of British Columbia difficult and remote, but the geology is complicated and difficult. Explaining even part of that geology to professionals can be challenging. A truly remarkable portion is open to a popular audience in this book, the best I have yet to see in the Roadside Geology series. Still, you should be prepared to exercise your intellectual and imaginative legs for some slogging through the bush.

Garden View: Emergence from Dormancy, by Rob Blade

The positive effect of increased day length can't be over emphasized. Knowing what it does for me, improving my mood and energy levels, I can only imagine what it must mean to temperate woody plants like the serviceberry or Douglas maple. Along with the lengthening day the daily temperatures continue to rise in their ponderous and erratic movement towards the growing season, occasionally backsliding into the chilly realms. It is the combination of these two environmental factors that has the most influence on the slumbering plants' emergence from dormancy.

Random Acts: Feeling No Pain, by Christine Wilson

Do not keep children to their studies by compulsion but by play. --Plato

In other words, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and eventually Jack is disinclined to learn. At Colville High School on January 25th of this year, there wasn't a dull Jack to be found. Colville School District has apparently got a knack for hiring awesome band directors, because after Mr. Quistad left, when the musicians feared there could be no suitable other, Brent Purvis appeared. Full of optimism, determination, and great ideas, he hit the ground running.

Aging Gracefully with Massage, by Linda Hall, L.M.T.

As we get older we start getting stiffer and less flexible. Our skin starts to lose collagen, and arthritis starts to set in in some of our joints. It doesn't sound all that fun now that I am putting it down on paper! Well, there are ways to help stay active and age as gracefully as possible. Stretching, exercise (even moderate), eating as healthy as we can, drinking lots of water, and yes, massage. I have written on the many benefits of massage for your body before. The standard list includes, lymph stimulation for our immune system, increasing circulation, reducing stress relaxation, soothing sore muscles, helping injuries heal, and pregnancy support, which is just the beginning of the list.

Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, R.Y.T.

Welcome, sweet springtime! March is the beginning of spring, even if it is somewhat chilly and wet. The birds are singing, buds are swelling, and yoga practitioners are shedding layers of practice clothes. We can warm our hearts, minds, and bodies, and welcome the season, by practicing some vigorous sun salutations!

Colville National Forest, by Steve Kramer

The Colville National Forest is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. In the following months, this space will contain items of interest about the Colville presented by differing authors. This initial article begins a brief history of the Forest.

Listen Up, Reviews by Michael Pickett and Jessy May-Pickett

New releases by Melody Moore and Marc Klock

Sustainable Living:Site Suitability Analysis, by David Martineau

As good land grows scarce in tomorrow's world, adaptive reuse of developed land will become the norm. But in rural areas, you may find yourself developing land that has not yet been built on when there are simply no other options.

Boundaries: Charles Wilson's Two Winters, by Jack Nisbet

In 1858, the British team of the North American Boundary Commission appointed a 22-year old Royal Engineers lieutenant named Charles William Wilson to be their secretary in British Columbia. An active, sporting gentleman from Liverpool, Wilson used his position to explore the Pacific Northwest, moving inland with the survey and overseeing pack trains of supplies from Fort Walla Walla north to survey crews along the 49th parallel. Along the way he commented on familiar fur trade landmarks around the Spokane River, Lake Pend Oreille, and the Kootenai country into Canada. He also spent two entire winters at Fort Colvile, the fading Hudson's Bay Company trading post located at Kettle Falls.

North of the Border: The Influences of Ice, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

February means ice in the Canadian portion of the North Columbia. As the sun rises higher on the horizon, making its way more directly again into the valleys, it strikes snow on rooftops and rock cliffs and transforms the white powder into sparkling, pointed pendants. The icicles lengthen just as the days do. They are a reminder of water's ability to become a hard, solid substance. This year, more extreme winter temperatures combined with persistent, deep snowfalls offers many examples of the power of ice.

On the Rocks:Skiing over History, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Winter, in the inter-mountain north country, couldn't be farther from the tropic idyll of this poem. Surprise! There are similar creatures, waiting to give a paleontology lesson, mixed with great skiing.

Garden View: Seeds of Stewardship, by Rob Blade

Many gardeners raise their own flower and vegetable plants from seed. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, and eggplant are the usual suspects, with squash and cucumbers as well. The reason for raising one's own plants from seed may be that the variety or cultivar desired is not readily available as a plant commercially, or it is a matter of economics. Three dollars' worth of seed may provide twenty or thirty plants. Purchasing the same number of plants might cost twenty times that. The best reason, however, is that it is fun.

Random Acts: A Community You Love, by Christine Wilson

By the time most of The Monthly's readers are checking out this issue's articles, the Colville School District's levy will have either passed or failed. Voting day is February 6th so if you are an early bird reader, grab your ballot and rush over to the courthouse. Even if it is too late for this levy, the topic is worth a wee rant, for future reference. I mean, it's February, the month of love, and why limit it to "girlfriend day," as my older son calls February 14th. I, for one, am much happier living in a community I love. The ideal is to have a partner and/or family and/or friends you love, a home you love, a neighborhood you love, and a community you love. Kids are a big part of any community, and it doesn't really matter if they are yours or someone else's. Doesn't it sound more reassuring to have well-educated, curious kids living in the houses around you? It appeals to me to be surrounded by kids exposed to many different ways of thinking and with a diverse collection of interests, including ones from the arts and music, as well as "the three R's."

Tis the Season to De-Stress, by Linda Hall, L.M.T.

As a massage therapist, I give my client a glass of water after each massage. I tell them to please drink a lot of water that day to help flush out the toxins that are released during a massage. Most people who have received massage on a regular basis already know this, but there are others that are surprised and sometimes skeptical. They will say that they drink a lot of coffee or tea all day. Unfortunately, that hurts rather than helps. Coffee, tea, and pop dehydrate the body.

Healthy Living, by Maggie deLaunay

One of the traditions of a new year is to resolve to change certain things in our lives that are no longer working for us. Quite often, we have a long list of resolutions, but by February, we have set many of them aside. Being realistic is an important factor in making changes that will become a permanent part of our lives..

Sustainable Living: Our Sustainable Future, by David Martineau

None of the world's great religions espouses mindless consumption. We are taught to live simply so that we can devote our energy to serving others rather than mere idols. Our misguided worship leads to war, famine, exhaustion of natural resources, loss of species, moral degeneration, and catastrophic climate change. The effects are becoming immediate and profound. Will humans survive another 100 or 1000 years?

Boundaries: Pismires, by Jack Nisbet

In his instructions to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Thomas Jefferson made it very clear that his captains should take note of everything -- every single little thing -- that they saw on their journey west. So when the Corps of Discovery laid over at the three forks of the Missouri for a few days at the end of July, 1805, Meriwether Lewis kept his eyes open and his nose to the ground, listing a cornucopia of birds, wildlife, plants, and some much smaller things.

North of the Border Reduced to a trickle? Water and Climate Change on the north Columbia, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

In late November and early December 2006, the upper Columbia watershed experienced unseasonably cold weather. Snowfalls in and around Nelson, B.C., measured to well over a foot. Taking a break from writing to shovel through the heaps of white stuff falling around me, I thought about how the current weather contradicted the predictions of climate change for the region. These predictions include warmer winters with reduced snow accumulations; hotter, dryer summers; increasing glacial melt; and more rain rather than snow at the higher elevations in the shoulder seasons. And yet, in my garden and home last month, all seemed on track for a normal Canadian winter.

Featuring...So Many Bottles: A Wine Guide -- Part II, by Ernestina and Juliana

So you're supposed to bring a bottle . . . Oh no, not again! Yes, and this time to your father-in-law, the "Judge's" house. (He's the judge, jury and hangman where his little girl is concerned). Flashy labels previously reviewed by Ernestina and Juliana won't do. You need a wine with a more traditional label, rather like a lawyer's business card. Oh, and dust off the sports jacket because the Judge won't abide slovenliness. Always helpful, Ernestina and Juliana don their pearls to review five wines with traditional labels. We looked for white to cream labels with elegant fonts and minimal color. This look was hard to find, and we quickly noticed that wines like this were more expensive. So the old question comes into play, do you get what you pay for? Well, yes and no. Read on for our review of five traditionally labeled wines all under $13, in order of preference. Enough with the inconsequential! Over the lips and through the gums. Look out . . . Sorry, carried away . . . Okay, pinkies up. Couth alert!

On the Rocks:Tempting Fate, by Leopold Hayden Powell

A few local rock hounds have been sending some up-beat news, while I find distressing notes. Mines are prime sites for mineral collecting. Hours of fun and a lot of knowledge wait in the places where people have prospected or produced ore. A few local rock hounds have found a treasure of beautiful specimens and great material for ornaments and jewelry at the old Hubbard Mine. However, the cost might have been high, because neglected underground mines can be deadly.

Garden View: Winter Seed, Berry, Nut, and Feather, by Rob Blade

I have two bird feeders hanging under some large Douglas firs in my garden. I keep the feeders filled with black oil sunflower seed during the winter. It seems to take a little while for the birds to discover them since I don't keep them filled all year. Once discovered, the feeders receive a wide variety of visitors of the feathered persuasion.

Random Acts: "Truthiness" or "Truth" in 2007, by Christine Wilson

In a world where Stephen Colbert's invented term "truthiness" was awarded Word of the Year for best representing the soul of 2006, we get yet another chance at self-reflection. Mr. Colbert's fake news show pokes around in the debris of the media and shines a big, bright and sometimes obnoxious light through the rubble onto our cultural propensity for feeling good at all costs. As a national community, we just don't want to be uncomfortable. We may even believe it is our God-given right. We want to pick through the facts, selecting the information we like and discarding that which creates discomfort. But the planet doesn't work that way and if necessity is the mother of invention, then Mama Necessity begat "truthiness" as a wake-up call. Maybe this newborn's bellowing will guide us towards courageous action.

Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, R.Y.T.

Happy New Year! Once again, we are given a fresh start. So, how do we begin? Let's begin at the beginning, with Tadasana, the mountain pose. Tadasana is often the first pose in a practice, and it is the beginning point for all standing work. This pose teaches basic alignment, in which the bones are "stacked," the spine given support, and the nervous system is quiet and alert. It is a beautiful balance of strong muscular support and internal space.

Tis the Season to De-Stress, by Linda Hall, L.M.T.

Stress. We all have it and there are billions of dollars a year spent on trying to get rid of it. After this holiday season we all need to take a huge deep breath and exhale!

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett & Jessy May-Pickett

New CDs by Enigma and Joel Eby

Sustainable Living: Urban Sustainability, by David Martineau

Have you ever wondered how so many people can peacefully coexist in such a small geographic area? Imagine what cities would be like if they had to meet all of their own needs within their corporate boundaries.

Boundaries: Breaking a Leg, by Jack Nisbet

Just before Christmas of 1788, an eighteen year-old Hudson's Bay Company fur agent named David Thompson got tangled up with a sledge while traveling near the Saskatchewan River. As Thompson wrote almost 60 years later, "on coming down a rude steep bank I fell and broke the large bone of my right leg and had to be hauled home." The injury was violent enough that when post master William Tomison described Thompson's misfortune in a letter, he noted that "before he arrived his Leg was so swelled that I found it a difficult matter to set it."

Art Beat: Fabulous Felt -- The Non-Woven Fabric

What is felt? Although those flat colorful squares in Wal-Mart's art supply aisle come to mind, felt is so much more. When I look at the perfectly round, yellow four inch ball of felt that my cat enjoys, I think of Terry Ross. Terry is the maker of all things felted. She is a hand-felter. Hand-felted fabric is a wonder. It's widely used around the world. The felting process has been around for eons and has ancient ties to Mongolia -- where it is still used today for boots, clothing, yurts, and much more. The fabric can be made flexible, hard and stiff, or almost transparent, depending on the need. Felting is gaining new devotees, because of its waterproof quality and versatility. It's also very malleable.

On the Rocks:Find Your Christmas Tree on the Sea Floor, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Across the Boundary district, there is more connection to Japan than we might expect. Find your Christmas tree in Quesnellia.

Garden View: Structure in the Garden, by Rob Blade

The visual presence of a garden is most obvious during the growing season when leaves and flowers capture our attention. The hue and cry of vibrant colors, the shimmer and wave of leaves and limbs, and the textural tapestry of shapes and forms provide the eye with pleasing evidence that the garden exists.

Random Acts: Vote for Repairs, by Christine Wilson

I recently went to a retreat entitled "The Earth Is My Witness" with Marion Woodman and Jack Kornfield. The focus was our need to connect our spirit with our bodies with the earth. Marion said that as we eat carrots and potatoes from the earth around us, that earth gets in our bones, and thus we are the earth.

Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, R.Y.T.

"Gratitude is Heaven itself." William Blake

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett & Jessy May-Pickett

New CDs by Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan

Sustainable Living: Rural Sustainability, by David Martineau

Rural land is far more valuable than we give credit for it. So are those who work the land and those who seek to preserve it. Disagreement over land use and management has unfortunately reached a feverish pitch. In Crossing the Next Meridian, Charles Wilkinson blames an elaborate structure of outdated laws from the 19th century that perpetuate destructive land use practices in rural areas. These include mining laws, grazing, timber harvesting, and water impoundment and diversion. Written at a time when population of the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana) was less than 3% of today's figures, many of these antiquated laws are no longer compatible with a long term vision for preserving the western landscape for future generations.

Boundaries: Coming of the Iroquois, by Jack Nisbet

Of the many foreign visitors who filtered into the north Columbia country with the coming of the fur trade, none had more a more lasting cultural influence than the Iroquois. Members of this Eastern Woodlands tribe first appear in the fur trade journals of the North West and Hudson's Bay fur companies, which provide the only written records for the Intermountain West during the early period of contact.

North of the Border: Calling All Tree-Watchers, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

A signature tree of the uppermost Columbia Basin is the Western Red Cedar, a splendid, shaggy-barked conifer with aromatic, fan-shaped branches. Familiar to dwellers of coastal forests, cedars like moisture and moderate temperatures. They have low resistance to drought. They shy away from arid conditions.

On the Rocks:A Birding Tour, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Audubon Lake is now dedicated in public ownership; however, the swans do not seem to care. They stop for rest, regardless, as they move among wintering grounds. One hundred years ago, Tundra Swans were common winter guests in Northeast Washington. Other birds have taken over in numbers, yet you may still see the swans in November and March. While migrating waterfowl use the still waters, Eastern Brook Trout are spawning in the streams.

Garden View: Variations on a Theme of Native Green, by Rob Blade

A garden is more than a collection of flowering or fruiting plants. At this time of the year, when shortening day length and dropping temperatures have stricken the leaves from the trees and chased perennials to the ground, the garden needs some type of structure or form to visually carry it through the winter.

Colville Woodworking and Stained Glass

Colville Woodworking and Stained Glass is ramping up some changes to their unique shop in downtown Colville that will add in some significant ways to the services that they already offer. Owners Tony and Barb Harmon have provided quality construction and custom cabinet work and stained glass supplies and gift items since they opened five years ago. But now, with the addition of new members to the team, they can offer even more.

So Many Bottles,by Ernestina and Juliana

So, you're supposed to bring a bottle . . . a time honored phrase that strikes fear into the hearts of vino-phobes and vino-philes alike. "What would you like?" You ask. "Oh, anything will do." Even worse, so off to the market you go where you are confronted by no less than 35 feet of shelf space stacked 4 rows high.

Random Acts: Knitting Together a Community, by Christine Wilson

"Why don't we get a bunch of housewives to run this country?" That's a question Sharon Adams asks when she makes the painful transition between seeing the unmet needs of local children to any thinking person's observations about the financial priorities of the federal government. It's a great question and one that could include a lot of the househusbands as well, since they also tend to develop that same awareness.

Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, R.Y.T.

When we speak of yoga, we often talk about our "practice." A practice is usually meant to be an amount of time set aside on a regular basis to explore yoga asanas, breath and relaxation. This way of looking at practice is more in keeping with the second definition mentioned above.

Infant Massage, by Linda Hall, L.M.T.

Infant massage may seem like a new form of modern childcare, but it is actually centuries old. Its popularity has exploded during the last few years due to a huge amount of scientific research that has proven the benefits of infant massage. A caring touch is good for everyone. Infants, who are new to the world, need reassurance of someone being there for them. Infant massage increases your awareness of the baby and his or her needs. This also aids in the bonding between baby and the parents. Although it seems there is not much for the baby to be stressed about, there is a lot going on for them. This is new and exciting time for them, but a lot for a tiny being to adjust to.

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett & Jessy May-Pickett

Even though it's gotten easier to make your own CD ...it hasn't gotten any easier to make your own CD. Just ask Rob Ellis, who has just completed his sixth album.

My 2 Cents: Grazing on the LPO, by David King and the Friends of the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is currently being sued by Stevens County, the Stevens County Conservation District, the Stevens County Cattlemen's Association, the Stevens County Farm Bureau, and several individual grazing permit holders for, among other things, allegedly failing to consider the comments of cattle grazers when rewriting Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge (LPONWR).

Sustainable Living: Sustainable Housing Strategies, by David Martineau

Imagine for a moment, someplace in the world there are people living ten to a room in a cardboard shack, people living in a log cabin or a suburban single-level ranch tract home at the end of a cul-de-sac, sod houses, rammed earth ships, caves, and even tree houses. One can live in a penthouse suite soaring high above New York's Central Park or live the nomadic life in a portable yurt on the vast Mongolian steppes.

Boundaries: Two Rivers, by Jack Nisbet

The Volga is the great river of western Russia. From its source a couple of hundred miles south of St. Petersburg it arches eastward more than 2200 miles, curling around in a long question mark before angling east once more to pour into the Caspian Sea. Like the Columbia River of western North America, The Volga's upper reaches drain vast coniferous forests, while further downstream it flows through bunchgrass steppe which, like our own Palouse hill country, is very productive for wheat.

North of the Border: The Mystery of a Metal Hammerhead, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

As the Columbia River approaches the U.S. border, it has all but left behind the mountains of its Canadian home, where steeply forested slopes of cedar, fir and hemlock cradle the Columbia's strength. By the time the river reaches Waneta, B.C., the landscape has widened and grown more arid, with Labrador Tea and balsam root sunflower clustered beneath stands of ponderosa and lodgepole pine. Here, where river gravels and rocky cliffs are cleanly scoured by sunlight, a mysterious metal hammerhead made its appearance.

On the Rocks:Walking through Gold, by Leopold Hayden Powell

Welcome to the 2006 Field Trip: through the gold and to the gold, for geological recreation. The crystal brooks are running low this time of year; however, all the better to see the channels sculpted at high flow. The Western Larch, Quaking Aspen, and Douglas Maple provide the gold, with red and purple from the Oregon Grape and Red-osier Dogwood. The start is at 9:00 a.m., October 7, at Barney's Restaurant, at the junction of Highways 395 and 20. After a short walk-about near the start, we will carpool to Republic.

Garden View: The Slippery Slope, by Rob Blade

How do you know that you're not in Kansas, Toto? It's not the presence of witches or the little people in strange outfits that tell you that you are far from the Midwest. It's the rise and fall of the land.

Watch For Apple Maggots, by Glenn Lange

In these parts, we are blessed with an abundance of wild apples. They are tart, sour, hard and sometimes pithy. They descend from the old varieties that were popular when Europeans first came to this country and from later varieties that where planted in long forgotten orchards all up and down the Columbia River and its tributary valleys. They have become indigenous, and their ever more diverse offspring sprout readily in this near perfect climate for apples. Wildlife feed on the bounty when it begins to fall from the trees and cover the ground in the autumn. There are also those of us I call "apple maggots" who cruise the countryside with an orchard ladder in the back of the pickup and plastic buckets to fill for our cider presses.

Random Acts: Heart Bigger Than Trouble, by Christine Wilson

Can we eradicate human suffering from the world? The question makes me think of Abby Hoffman, of late sixties political/hippy fame, who became discouraged because there was still suffering and injustice. But human nature is human nature, and even in our little enclaves of idealism back in the day, we struggled with our vexations towards each other. So, it seemed obvious to me that we would not work ourselves out of our save-the-world job. Once you shift away from that expectation, it is much easier to imagine what can actually be done on planet earth.

Along the Mountain Path, by Sarah Kilpatrick, R.Y.T.

As I drove to Chewelah this week, I saw a huge beautiful rainbow arching in front of the ski hill and down to the valley. As I noted the vibrant colors of the rainbow, I realized that it was the same as the yogic chakra system! Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple are the colors of light as refracted through a prism. In the white light, they are one.

Pregnancy Massage Benefits, by Linda Hall, L.M.T.

Massage is beneficial to both the postpartum and pregnant woman for a number of reasons. Massage can be supportive and therapeutic for the normal body changes that occur during pregnancy.

Listen Up: Music Reviews by Michael Pickett & Jessy May-Pickett

Blue October Adds a Wrinkle to Modern Rock & E.S. Posthumous: Not Just a Cold Case

My Story: A Tale of Two Toilets, by Julie Crist

Sixteen faces gazed up at me expectantly, waiting to hear the gem of rural wisdom I was about to lay on them from my perch at the edge of our loft.

"Ummm . . . . When you all are at home and you take a shower or flush the toilet, it all goes down a long pipe to a plant somewhere and someone recycles it, or whatever they do with poo in the city. We are a little different here. We have a septic system. What's eaten here, stays here."

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." --Aldo Leopold

Swaneagle Tremblay is an artist with a mission. One might label her as an activist-artist, but labeling is something that transcends her persona; she's not easily categorized. The Danish philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard said, "Once you label me you negate me." Yet, she is, by her own description, "an odd woman." Swaneagle willingly lends her voice to disenfranchised people. Also, she is very passionate about being a force in the world for indigenous people. When she speaks about the atrocities in our world today, she is extremely articulate and knowledgeable about her subject.

One of the most heartening news stories of the last decade involved the spring 2005 announcement that an ivory-billed woodpecker had been sighted alive in the Big Woods area of eastern Arkansas. Once a denizen of the vast cypress swamps of the Southeast, this outsized, beautifully marked woodpecker had for the past half-century been the subject of intense searches in the cypress river bottoms throughout the region, and although scattered single reports never stopped surfacing, no definitive proof of its existence had been found since the 1930s.

Last autumn, I joined some of the 15,000 waterfowl who use the Columbia River wetlands year-round for nesting or in annual migration. It was an unseasonably warm, brilliantly sunny afternoon when wetlands conservationist Barry Whiting handed me a peanut butter sandwich and pushed me in a kayak across the silted shoreline onto the glass-calm water of a back channel. Several hours later, he met me downstream in his signature yellow-paneled 1973 station wagon. I stumbled from the kayak, dazed by the beauty and tranquility I had experienced in my gradual float through a portion of one of the longest contiguous wetlands in North America.

Out of the many experiences that Great Auntie Fran had during her 101 plus years was being with her parents Peter Perkins (1870-1916) and Amelia Peone Callan Perkins (1869-1934) and her nine brothers and sisters, all of whom were born and raised in Stevens County. One of the seasonal highlights of the year was traveling in the buckboard with her family to the fishery at Kettle Falls.

Those who are promoting Initiative 933, the so-called "Takings Initiative" that will appear on statewide ballots in November, ignore a huge flaw in their logic.

Send flowers. Send cards. Name your kid after him. Buy him a cold brew if you ever run into him in person. Do whatever you can, but every American owes Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert a huge thank-you for resisting the Bush administration's pressure to expand the war in Lebanon by invading Syria. Although the story has not found its way into the mainstream media, and probably will never make Fox News, when the Jerusalem Post broke the story in July, it confirmed what we've been saying all along about this administration's foreign policy smarts, which amount to less than zero. To suggest, as the Bushies did, that Israel should expand the war in Lebanon by invading Syria with U.S. backing is about as dumb as it gets. No wonder George Bush, Sr., called Neo-Conservatives "the crazies in the basement of the Republican Party."

The bears around Miers Creek are not inclined to dance or drive a motorcycle, as did State o' Maine. There are many Black bears, and Ruffed grouse in great numbers. Spring and summer are times to listen for grouse drumming or watch bears foraging. The September game seasons lead to potted grouse and bear sausage.

As reliable as sunrise and sunset, the amorous intent of breeding birds fills spring air with sound -- grouse drumming, sweet warbler song, husky shriek of the hawk. This audible prelude to mating is one in a series of behaviors related to raising a family.

Some of the most beautiful and striking gardens in Washington can only be experienced if one is willing to leave the pavement far behind. They are wild and remote, expansive and exhilarating, and they are fully equipped with curious marmots and furtive pikas.

As a species, we find it tempting to ignore the past, to say it is over and no longer matters. Yet, the unenlightened shadows cast on us, our culture, and our world create heartache and misery, as surely as the shadow of a rock outcrop keeps ice on the road in winter. The "the crying of humanity" continues and it is easy to lose hope. Yet, we don't get to afford ourselves the "luxury" of succumbing to such hopelessness because when hope goes, momentum to create change leaves with it.

Often yoga teachers hear people say, "I'd like to do yoga, but I'm too stiff! (or too old, or too weak, or too busy.......)". The practice of yoga is the antidote to all of these conditions! When we first come to yoga, we are given the space to discover what is going on in the body and mind, and the skills to bring ourselves into a healthy balance.

Before I begin my review on the lascivious unrated film, The Libertine, let me state that the title of the film should be warning enough. For those who do not use their dictionaries, a libertine is someone who behaves immorally and irresponsibly. There are only a handful of actors who have the range and depth to bring such a despicable, intelligent, rebellious, depraved, artistic character to life and fill in all the spaces of a persona. One of them is the brilliantly artistic Johnny Depp as John Wilmet, the Earl of Rochester.

The Inner Green is a wonderful collection of mountain melodies, a series of reflections on life in the West Kootenays near Nelson, B.C. Writers K.Linda Kivi and Eileen Delehanty Pearkes pay close attention to what's going on around them in this