100 Posts and Counting . . .

Over 50 years? Gawd, has it been that long?

Apparently so . . .

In my distant youth, I read “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Harrowing, horrifying, terrifying, inspiring. It made me yearn to keep a diary. My "Anne Frank" phase lasted about a page and a half. There’s nothing romantic about being pursued by Nazis and I was leading a pretty plain vanilla-American-grade-schooler life. Sure, we lived at Edwards AFB during the "Right Stuff" era, but mostly I had nothing to write about.

Off and on over the years, I’d try again. The results all seemed so angst ridden and whiny or hideously embarrassing, I'd stuff it into a drawer and go on to other things. I envied my friends who journaled but that just never called my name.

So, for the last thirty-five years, I’ve been an interior designer with my own small firm. During that time, I’ve done work for giant institutions (The Port of Seattle ~ Sea-Tac Airport), the city of Seattle, the University of Washington, several Microsoft billionaires, several millionaires and some thousandaires. Since the 90’s, I’ve concentrated on historic restoration, green construction, and the use of architectural salvage. Deeply satisfying work that matched my personal values.

I ran for Congress in a thoroughly conservative district (that's another story with the working title "The Day I Went Crazy and Ran for Congress!") and immersed myself in crafting my progressive views. I didn't win. It was a profound and inspiring adventure.

My children are grown. My oldest is an attorney with a large American law firm. He is based in Milan. My youngest son is an Equity actor and has his first leading role. They both graduated from schools in Boston and lead interesting, full-filling lives. My late husband was a certified financial planner, a Naval aviator and in one of the early classes of Top Gun. I have a dog the size of a sofa who thinks of our relationship as collegial. I live in a small palazzo in the suburbs of Seattle.

In November 2008, the recession caught up with me and I needed to change directions.

This March, I was driving back from a client’s on a wonderful bright Seattle day. Mount Rainier was out. I had an epiphany. I need to do something different.

Now, I write. I have things to say. I love everything about the process: crafting the thought, taking the photos, launching the post. Soul satisfying.

While it is true, the Nazis aren’t chasing me, my house is underwater and, like many of you out there, I'm tap dancing as fast as I possibly can. I'm working to make a dollar act like $10.00. And, I live in fear of Bank of America. Does that count?

As I explore this new adventure, let me know what you think . . .

Wild Salmon ~ Hey People, This is Serious!

Remember the opening sequence of Romancing the Stone?

"But if there's one law of the West -- bastards have brothers, who seem to ride forever."

Why is it important to remember Romancing the Stone? Well, that about sums up the plight of environmentalists working to protect the Wild. And, who are those bastards? You've heard of them. Federal regulatory agencies, like the EPA, Interior, FDA, Congress (both houses) and don't forget the money guys ~ large agribusiness, large energy corporations, etc. Notice anything? The ones you might think would put your health, the health of the planet and its welfare first are firmly in the pocket of those who don't give a rip about you.

Those of us in the environmental movement have a gallows sense of humour about this but sometimes the truth is just too painful and the prick draws blood. Then, we realize it just isn't funny. This is a catastrophe. A damn tragedy.

To quote Michael Wells' Salmon Blog ~ If wild salmon and steelhead are to be saved in the Snake River Basin, then their story has to be told by far more people than people like me. They won't be saved if the media continues to refuse to scratch the surface of wild fish runs and opts instead to publish the blah so many outdoors sections have become. The wild fish are what matters and when you actually do some journalism in this area, the story will land on page 1 every time, unless you are working for a bonehead (which is entirely plausible in media).

And, the irony? That the epicenter of fake news ~ The Daily Show ~ is doing more to expose the environmental catastrophe of selenium pollution in Idaho rivers, its cause and resulting genetic mutation of wild salmon than all the "real" news organizations in the world.

Not funny.

Fifty years after its publication, we are right smack in the middle of our own "Silent Spring." Wild Salmon was so abundant in the Pacific Northwest that seven hundred miles from the ocean, Red Fish Lake in Idaho got its name from the hundreds of thousands of bright red wild salmon that came home to spawn. In 1992, Lonesome Larry was the only male returning to Red Fish Lake.

Not funny.

In British Columbia and the Puget Sound, wild salmon are endangered by the provincial government's cozy relationship with Norwegian fish farms. Alexandra Morton has been relentless in her advocacy of wild salmon. At the end of May, her email said, "There is an outbreak of a virus in Clayoquot Sound near the endangered salmon runs of the Megin River. A second farm tested positive on Friday near Sechelt Inlet. Government says it is IHN, government says it is not a problem for wild salmon, but the scientific literature says different."

Not funny.

Locally, Wild Salmon.Org in their latest newsletter warns ~ "Congressman Doc Hastings is continuing his attacks on wild salmon and the Northwest jobs that depend on them. In his latest volley, Hastings is calling for a “rewrite” of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to weaken protections and citizen overview of government actions to protect endangered species."

Not funny.

During my campaign for Congress, I had occasion to travel to Washington DC, New York and Boston. When I would talk about environmental issues, the standard glazed-eye response was "I thought salmon was an entree, not an issue."

Could be funny if it weren't so depressing.

And, as I've mentioned before ~ "The Great Wild Salmon have run the streams of the Pacific Northwest for millions of years. Their cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth has tied us to the sea. Their remarkable journey has nourished the forest, fed its wild life and for the last 12,000 years defined the cultural heritage of our region. The Great Wild Salmon have graphically shown us the fragility of our planet and given voice to the old saying, “we all live downstream” as everything finds its way to the ocean."

So, what can you do?

1. Never, ever eat farmed salmon. It's filthy and ruinous to the environment.
2. And, when you don't buy it, tell your market why. Unfortunately, it's always about money.
3. Contact your member of Congress. This is not likely to be successful (unless you are a major donor), but, it's good to keep in touch with these guys.
4. Support the environmental group(s) of your choice that are working on this issue, lobbying Congress, preparing White Papers to support the protection of this important fish. You will find a comprehensive list below.
5. And, yes, letters to the editors to your local paper.
6. Use social media. With enough attention, Wild Salmon can go viral (in a good way). Who knows . . . maybe they could bump off the Kardashians!

The important thing is BE ACTIVE. Passivity gets us Lonesome Larry. For us in the Pacific Northwest, wild salmon is not just an entree, it is the cornerstone of our cultural heritage. Everything about this place we love is the direct result of the birth, life, death and rebirth of this mysterious fish.

Want to help? 

Day 48 Everyday Grateful ~

Beautiful sunny morning.

Going out to mow the lawn.

I really must buy a goat

or date a man who owns one.

Mmmm ~ there's a thought!

Happy!

Michael Wells
http://salmonblog.weebly.com/salmon-blog.html

Alexndra Morton:
http://tinyurl.com/c39hpum

The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi travels to Idaho to uncover a far-reaching corporate conspiracy involving two-headed fish, a giant agribusiness called Simplot, and the pollution of Idaho's rivers with Selenium.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-14-2012/a-simple-plot

http://wildsalmon.org

www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

http://thefairhero.blogspot.com/2012/03/wild-salmon-matter.html

Links of groups working to protect Wild Salmon:
http://www.greatwildsalmonrun.org/links.html

Not the $2000 Mirror

A few days ago, I received about six pounds of Restoration Hardware catalogues in the mail. Over the years, as a designer, I've purchased a number of items there. Not much of late. You remember the economic downturn? It definitely put a crimp in my Restoration Hardware budget.

But, I digress. So, I was leafing through the biggest of the three catalogues when I stopped. Whoa, that mirror looks kindah familiar. Mmmm, where have I seen it? OMG ~ it's my bathroom mirror ~ the one I bought a thousand years ago at Deluxe Junk in Fremont for a coupla hundred dollars.

Holy cow! The Restoration Hardware mirror is $2595. OK, OK, it's on sale for $2119. But, still not even in the same county as free.

 

Let's see ~ the same beautiful shape; the same polka-dotty edge banding; the same deep bevel. Mine is slightly smaller than the Restoration Hardware gem ~ about 10 inches shorter but still a complete showstopper. Oh, and mine did meet with what I would affectionately call an industrial accident when it was taken down to access the plumbing in the wall behind it and got knocked over by wrestling cats, but, other than that ~ bingo. A match. And, as I recall, about $1800 less than the Restoration Hardware beauty.

The lesson really is ~ keep your eyes open. If you do, you are likely to find a gem ~ they are out there.

Oh, and the little pink button tucked into the edge of the mirror? One day during my campaign for Congress (that's a story in itself), my campaign manager came in, walked over and never saying a word, pinned it on my lapel. I've had it every since. It's good to remind yourself every day how special you are in the universe. It's easy to forget.

Day 12 Everyday Grateful ~ spent the day on the lake

working on my video for Kickstarter.