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Pat Paul knows her history. She also knows the history of indigenous people throughout the Americas, enough of it that Paul took part last week in a major online global biennial conference addressing their plight. A La Conner attorney and Alaska native who resides in Swinomish Village and was recently elected president of the Skagit County Historical Society board of directors, Paul was a featured speaker at the third Indigenous World’s International Congress. Attendees spoke French, Spanish or Portuguese, primarily. Paul’s presentation Fri...
I lost my wallet. I had no idea where, it just wasn’t in my pocket or on the top of the dresser where I leave it at night. Big hassle. Canceling and replacing credit cards and ID cards and my driver’s license. Oh, let’s not forget the $400 plus I had in cash in that wallet. For starters, I got a new wallet and I carried my passport in it so I had one form of ID. I got new credit cards and spent time at the DMV waiting in line to apply for a new driver’s license. Got it all done. Big sigh of...
I recently said goodbye to my Uncle Harry Rosenfeld. Three weeks ago, when our part of the world was experiencing record high temperatures, I flew across the country to Albany, New York to visit my famous 91-year-old uncle who had contracted COVID-19 in his retirement home. We hugged, we chatted. I took pictures of Harry and my wonderful aunt Annie and I left knowing that it was likely that this was the last time we would be together. Last week, I got to watch Harry’s funeral live online. It w...
I know the suspense is killing you if you read my piece last week about whether to fly or not to fly to California to have Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her extended family. Wisely, I listened to the experts and opted to stay here, where I am re-designing Thanksgiving and calling it Thankful Giving. Because of the COVID-19 crisis and a federal government stymied by partisanship, we have a growing number of fellow Americans who are homeless and hungry. For those of us who are blessed to...
Call me crazy (or call me meshugganah, as I am writing this on the most solemn Jewish day of the year, Yom Kippur), but the pandemic does have a good side. Believe me, I am devastated as the numbers of dead and dying all around the globe just keep getting higher. I want this to end sooner than later and I am praying on this holy day for an end to this madness. That said, I am seeing some positives. My wife arrived on a flight from Los Angeles yesterday and today she taught her third graders, all...
Use cooked cubed chicken breast. Add the vegetable of choice. This recipe cooks quick, so use a quick cooking vegetable. I used sugar snap peas we grew. Ingredients Chicken breast , 2 cups, cooked and cubed Olive oil, 2 tablespoons Honey, 3 tablespoons Soy sauce, 3 tablespoons Garlic, 3 cloves Black pepper, to your taste Sugar Peas, 6 Preparation Heat the oil in a pan on medium high setting. Add the cooked cubed chicken. Season with black pepper. Chop the garlic cloves and add. Toss and lightly...
My Uncle Harry Rosenfeld turned 91 years old this month. His is a remarkable story that constantly reminds me why I value the message of the Statue of Liberty so much. Harry was born in Berlin, Germany in 1929 and is eight years younger than his sister, my mother Rachel. Their father, Sam, was an uneducated Polish immigrant who became a very successful furrier in Berlin. After Hitler came to power, Jews were not allowed to go to public school. Before Krystallnacht happened in 1938, Sam was...
Aqiimuk's Kitchen Food Editor [email protected]@laconnernews.com A quick meal to prepare with cooked prawns. I am using whole wheat spaghetti. I used a wok in the preparation of this dish. If you love pasta, this is a great comfort dish. Ingredients - Cooked prawns, two cups peeled - Spaghetti pasta, ½ pound - Garlic cloves, 6 chopped - Hot pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon - Olive oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons Preparation Prepare your pasta, drain. Using a wok, heat the olive oil and add the...
A priest and a rabbi are sitting together in the back seat of a taxicab on the way to an ecumenical event. The taxi gets side-swiped, jumps the curb and comes to a grinding halt. The priest and rabbi each jump out of the car and cross themselves. The priest is confused. “Rabbi, YOU, thanking the Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost?” “No Monsignor, just checking.” He goes through the motions again, crossing up and down and then sideways, narrating “Spectacles, testicles, wallet, watch.” H...
Aqiimuk’s Kitchen Food Editor, [email protected]@laconnewnews.com The varieties of salads that can be created from our garden are amazing! You might be tempted to immediately eat these peas as you pick them. This is ideal as a lunch salad, having freshly picked your peas and mint, within the hour of preparation. Ingredients Sugar snap peas, one to two cups Mint leaves, ten to twelve Lemon, one, freshly squeezed Feta Cheese, one cup Preparation Cut each snap pea into three pieces. Cut or c...
When Swinomish tribal members dig clams, it’s called clam jamming. They get a tribal permit and follow the regulations as to location and times. I, for one, have not participated in tribal clam digging. I am not a tribal member from these parts. So, I listen to stories, often the ones from my husband’s family: His brother, Greg Yakanak; his sister, Karen Joe; and his nephew, Jason Paul. They go clam jamming. Occasionally there is a photo, but often it is a story of their day. The long walk out...
Dear Sir Donald, I am writing to you as a fellow New Yorker. Okay, we grew up a little differently but we are both very tough and very proud people. We both avoided fighting in Viet Nam. I failed my physical but your rich father used his connections to get a doctor to make up a story that classified you as 4F. We were both Bill and Hillary Clinton supporters back in the day but I became a progressive independent and you became a right-wing Republican. It is clear after last weekend’s fiasco i...
You know all those flavored carbonated water drinks available in the market? Why don’t they make one for strawberry/rhubarb? It is, after all the best combination for early summer baking and cooking. For those watching their sugar intake, do not reduce the sugars in this recipe; simply cut a smaller slice for yourself or guests. Ingredients - Pie crust, 2, one for top and one for bottom - Rhubarb, 3 cups (1/2 inch pieces) - Strawberries, 2 and ½ cups chopped - Light Brown Sugar, 1/3 c...
This is a cool weather recipe, as the casserole bakes for an hour at 350 degrees F. Ingredients - Zucchini, 3 to 4 cups, peeled and cubed - Tomato, 1 medium, diced - Cheddar cheese, ¾ cup - Butter, ¾ cup - Onion, 1 medium, diced - Flour, ¼ cup - Milk, 1 and ¼ cups - Salt & pepper, to taste - Saltine Crackers, a handful, [email protected] Preparation Place zucchini in a butter baking dish. Season with salt. Tomato and cheese are added, spreading evenly. In a...
Apple Pancakes. Small cubed fresh apple chunks are a great addition to pancake batter. This batter recipe is remarkably easy to follow. Plus good use of two apples that are beginning to turn soft. How many of you use the cap from the bottle of vanilla extract to measure vanilla? It works if the cap holds about a teaspoon of vanilla. The flour I use is a wheat pastry flour from our local Cairnspring Mills. Our good friend, Georgia Johnson, recommended this flour. Cairn Springs was holding a drive...
Ah, life during a pandemic. This is usually my favorite time of year. Mostly sunny but not too hot. Flowers blooming. Great golf weather. Start of the major league baseball season. My solution to social distancing is to get in my car and explore new places, listening to as much bad news as I can bear before turning the radio dial to old time rock and roll. Have you driven along the S Skagit Highway? Because it’s a road rarely taken, it has some funkiness but there are also beautiful farms and i...
Due to COVID-19, the Blessing of the Fleet, was a quieter affair in the Swinomish Tribal Community. Part of the celebration was held last week. Tribal members, lined up in their cars, drove by the Fish Plant, to receive plates of freshly cooked and chilled prawns and Dungeness Crab. In addition to eating some cold and fresh, I created this delicious salad. Ingredients - Prawns, 10 to 15, cooked & cooled - Dungeness Crab, 1 whole, cooked & cooled - Lemon juice, 1 freshly squeezed - White or...
Strawberry Spinach Salad is a wonderful treat and will be quite tasty when our local strawberries come in season. Use the same fresh lemon for the zest and juice. When we enjoyed this salad for lunch, my husband, Kevin Paul, asked for more red onion next time. Ingredients - Spinach, one bunch - Strawberries, 1 and ½ pints - Red onion, 3 slices - Olive oil, 1/3 cup - Zest of one lemon - Juice of one squeezed lemon - Salt and pepper - Sliced almonds, 1 tablespoon Preparation Remove the...
Chicken and Dumplings is one of those ultimate comfort foods that brings to mind your childhood. The butter makes these dumplings delicious. Cooking tip: do not overcook the dumplings as they will loose their fluffiness. Ingredients - Chicken Soup - Whole chicken, rotisserie preferred - Onion, one small - Carrots, two - Frozen peas, ½ cup - Water, 6 to 8 cups Dumplings - Flour, two cups - Baking powder, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon - Salt, 1 teaspoon - Dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon -...
Did you know that Shakespeare did some of his best work during a pandemic? And he even referenced it in his work. “A plague on both your houses” are Mercutio’s dying words in Romeo and Juliet. Now, I am a totally ADHD person dealing with the challenges on self-imposed, government mandated (common sense) isolation. So, I am finally sitting down and finishing my play, “MAX TO THE MAX.” I’ve had staged readings with theatre companies in Vancouver, BC, and Santa Rosa, CA, gotten notes from friend...
The clouds broke and the sun made a rare appearance on Sunday and I texted my dog-walking buddies and we all showed up at the off-leash dog park. Just as we were leaving our cars in the parking lot, Betsy got a text and announced that Kobe Bryant had been killed in a helicopter crash along with his four young daughters. We all went into an immediate funk, praying that his widow could somehow someday overcome this horrifying unimaginable grief. As we walked the dogs, we continued to get updates...
La Conner Weekly News’ resident “zookeeper” columnist is Mel Damski, who has directed 29 movies and hundreds of hours of series television, from MASH to Boston Legal. For the last eight years, he has been the producer-director of Psych on USA network. He has been nominated for an Oscar, two Emmy Awards, and earned a Christopher Award for Everybody’s Baby: the Rescue of Jessica McClure. A graduate of theAmericanFilmInstituteCenterfor Advanced Film Studies, Mel has taught at AFI, USC and most re...
Ashley Sweeney is a former journalist who, when she is not Out and About, spends her days writing, gardening, art quilting and trying to keep up with national and international news. She would like to be a gourmet cook, but so far those attempts have not been successful....
Kate Morgan has been a Registered Nurse for almost 24 years and has a diverse professional background from specializing in Maternal-Child and Pediatrics, to Community College Instructor and Home Health RN, to working in insurance and as a Research Coordinator. Kate earned her first degree in Journalism fromNew MexicoStateUniversityand writing has always been her first love. As a first-time writer, Kate placed as a top-twenty finalist in the Southwest Writer's Annual Contest in May 2000, and was...
As a child, Mickey Bambrick dreamed of being a writer. Erma Bombeck was her idol. She longed to become a columnist, writing about everyday life. Knowing journalism was a competitive field and didn’t always pay well, she was swayed into the field of computer management after she graduated fromPomonaCollege. Far too many years of corporate life passed before she gave it all up, married a Norwegian, and eventually transitioned into being a “homeschool mom.” From 2008-09 she and her family lived...
