The Protest

'Almost Cut my Lawn'

It was shortly after the gulf disaster had begun that I went out to mow the lawn.  I had been thinking about the spill and wondering what to do.

I view lawns in general as labor intensive patches of green, beautiful yet dull and time consuming.  My neighbors are very much loyal to it,  mowing sometimes as often as every other day.  

It was not a good day: the gulf gusher had knocked the wind out of me.  I looked over under the cedar and saw that the deer had been sleeping there.  It was then that I decided to stop mowing my lawn.  

I now have a resident deer and rabbit, many more birds, butterflies and other occasional visitors.  I'm sharing the food and, so far, have been ok with it.  I didn't have a good cherry crop this year but I didn't get any, anyway, the birds made sure of that.  The snails have taken out three of the five cabbage, two zucchini plants and the burdock but the peas were plentiful and I was able to feed myself, five friends, a deer and freeze some, too.

I did have a tinge of irritation when confronting the deer eating my raspberries, though.     

The whole feel of my yard has changed.  I like it better and so far, the neighbors haven't complained.                     

The Magic Skagit

"Skagit Fields"  9x11" oil pastel  Kathleen Faulkner

I live in the Magic Skagit.  It is called this for many reasons but the richness and fertility of the dirt is part of it.  The earth here is special.  It feeds people, literally and figuratively.  

It collects artistic talent.

I moved here to be able to disappear into a forest within a matter of minutes rather than hours.  Although my world revolves around art, I wasn't thinking about the artistic history here when I settled.  I was thinking about the trees and I was struck by the vast areas of farmland in between.. and the colors:  grey sky and green earth.

I was also thinking about the sense of community one gets when not living in a city.

Life just seemed easier and it still does.  I'm grateful everyday.

This area has been considered home to such artists as Morris Graves, Guy Anderson, Richard Gilkey and Clayton James*, who, by the way, is still alive at the tender age of 91 and still painting.  This is where Tom Robbins lives, the place where Fishtown became famous and our old friend, Robert Sund, wrote a lot of his poetry.  Now,  new generations of artists are sprouting, growing and thriving.

Food, art and poetry in a magic spot on the Salish Sea.   Who could ask for more?

*Clayton James

  Richard Gilkey

  Morris Graves
  Guy Anderson
  Tom Robbins
  Robert Sund