Stephanie Prima – Contributed photo

Hello Islanders! Some of you know my face or name, some of you know me personally. Those who are familiar with my journey to health from cancer often comment on the amazing life transformation that I’ve achieved. 

You’ve heard the saying ‘It’s hell getting old.” Well, I don’t buy into that, and you don’t have to either. It took a serious ‘wake up’ call to jolt me into action and take charge of my declining health; I don’t want you to have to go down that same slippery slope

If you are ready to make change in your own life, I’m happy to tell you that I am now accepting new clients for private holistic health mentoring.  I can guide you through the steps for transformation – IF you’re willing to do the work. I’m still results oriented, and I hold my clients accountable.

So if you’re serious about reclaiming that feel-good fluid body and grounded mind to handle stress better, improve focus, lose weight, decrease pain,  let go of negative emotions and reactions, then check out my website for more information. While you’re there, schedule a complimentary “Discover Your Path to minimize Pain and Maximize Energy” session with me.

Or contact me at (360) 317-1448
or email: Outreach [@] MoveIntoMindfulness.com.

In the SJ Update mailbag we find this letter from Michelle…

SJPHD takes money from Charitable Fund to give to Planned Parenthood.

San Juan Public Hospital District Commissioners have decided to amend the contract with Peace Health to remove money from the charitable fund used to help people in our community who can’t afford their hospital bills. Our community levy money is the source of the fund. The $50,000 removed will be sent to Planned Parenthood. They report it will be used for cervical cancer screening but this service is already available from doctors at Peace Island Medical Center.

If the commissioners want to use our levy money for causes other than PIMC’s charitable fund the list is long for other medical concerns in our community. Hospice, home health care, mental health treatment, health transportation assistance, the Community Paramedical committee, Senior Fall Prevention programs, nutritional support programs and telemedicine are only a partial list of needs in our community that could be helped before Planned Parenthood, a national organization boasting in 2015 of assets over 350 million and eleven officers with over 6 figure incomes.

Whether you are prolife or prochoice you should consider this a fiduciary mistake to send these funds to PP. Please contact your SJPHD commissioners today at sjcphd.org and ask that they consider the real health needs of our community.

Sincerely,

Michelle Loftus
San Juan Island

And Sandra has a comment as well…

The hospital board should not give $50,000 to Planned Parenthood.  There are many more noble ways to help our community with those funds.

Sandra Frinell

Here’s a letter from Maude at the School District…

Please help support one of our High School students in her journey to get to college! Adriena Pew is currently one of ten finalists in the “Make College Happen Challenge” which will award a $15,000 scholarship to the winner.

Click on the link below and vote for Adriena from Washington once a day, every day until February 22nd! The finalist with the most votes will win the scholarship prize. Thank you for your support!

http://makecollegehappenchallenge.com/vote

Laurie Orton, Director of the San Juan Island Library responds to a letter from Rob Simpson…

Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to a recent letter by Rob Simpson concerning the cancellation of the Conscientious Projector series which has periodically been a sponsored program at the San Juan Island Library. His letter conveyed a serious misconception that the Library is trying to censor information. The Library does not censor information and will always support its free dissemination.

The Library’s sponsorship of many types of programs, which entails staff hours and very real monetary costs, is well known, as are its efforts to offer a variety of interesting topics and formats.

The main issue with the Conscientious Projector’s first showing in the Deep Space series shown on January 9th was not the topic presented, but the poor presentation quality. The negative feedback we received from both attendees and staff who were present at the showing was worrisome. The film made some highly unusual claims, without any meaningful evidence to support them. The Library, which has never “endorsed” any of the series’ films, nevertheless expects any documentaries “sponsored” by the Library to reflect high journalistic standards. Continue Reading

Getting Started on my Emergency Kit – Peggy Sue McRae

Last week during the snow I was snowed in, a predicament I generally delight in except that I quickly ran out of creamer and was kicking myself for not having a few cans of evaporated milk in the back of my cupboard. I had enough oatmeal and black-eyed peas to survive indefinitely but I would have been happier had I been better prepared. It inspired me to research what I would need to really be prepared for any possible emergency. Especially for seniors, if there is ice out there, don’t walk on it! Be prepared to hunker down at home. The San Juan County Dept. of Emergency Management recommends being prepared to be on your own for one whole week.

On the Island we are most likely to face snowstorms, windstorms, and power outages rarely lasting more than a few days. When our schools call a snow day you can also count on the Mullis Center being closed. If schools open late call the Mullis Center around 10:00 am (378-2677) and if the cook has made it in and the town has sanded the roads senior lunch will be on.

Not to be an alarmist but we do live on the Pacific Rim where earthquakes and tsunamis are also possibilities. Over the years we have seen some pretty dramatic wind and snow storms. In 2013 due to a cable breakage our Internet and 911 services were down for 10 days. If you were here in 1980 you probably remember exactly what you were doing the morning Mt. St. Helens erupted. These things do happen. In case of a big emergency, The Mullis Center is a Red Cross designated shelter.

To be ready for an emergency it is recommended to have: drinking water, 3 quarts/day for each adult, a supply of foods that you do not need to cook (peanut butter and crackers, dried fruit, energy bars), a non-electric can opener, a well-stocked first aid kit plus any prescription drugs that you need. I have a flashlight and a radio/light combo that are both hand cranked. If you use batteries they need to be checked periodically.

The following links have excellent information including lists of what you need to be well prepared for emergencies. Start now and keep adding to your emergency kit. Soon enough you will be well prepared.

Link to: San Juan County Dept. of Emergency Management

Link to: American Red Cross

Link to: Disaster Preparedness For Seniors By Seniors (PDF)

In the SJ Update mailbag today we have this letter from Steve Ulvi, Community Home Trust Board Member…

Sometimes the most complex and fretful issues troubling our bucolic islands need grounding in reality. The over-heated critical area protection issues were keenly distilled down to “you have to be more careful with an island”.

In the societal realm, we are suffering an equally vexing issue; the abysmal lack of decent, affordable housing and rental units. The bumper-sticker is “We get it! The free market is incapable of providing affordable housing on an affluent destination island!”.

Decades of public hand-wringing, ink-slinging and slick planning exercises have restated the metastasizing problem, without progress. We simply can’t continue earnestly stirring a boiling pot of inertia.

Facts. Most island jobs are highly seasonal and service-related at lower wages. Business owners, large and small, are spinning wheels trying to retain serious employees and build their business’ market share. Lower income workers are paying up to 60% of their pre-tax monthly income for sub-standard housing.

Our county ranks worst in the State Housing Affordability Index. In 2016 San Juan real estate sales volume was up 16.5% and the median sale price of previously owned homes climbed to $430,000. On February 1, 2017 there were no homes listed below $250,000. Continue Reading

Happy Valentines Day Oakies! Looking forward to sharing our love of Oaks this Sunday atop Cady Mountain! Tanja is back on island Friday, but won’t be able to check email, so please be sure to alert Thom if you’re coming this Sunday. Just RSVP at the email shown below to connect.

• When?
  Sunday, February 19
  10:00am to 2:00pm
• RSVP required (email to safearbor [@] gmail.com)
• Where?
  Base of Cady Mountain Preserve – turn on to Cady Mountain Road off of West Valley Road. We’ll meet at the triangle junction about 100 yards from West Valley.
• What?
  Clearing invasives
  Limbing
• Bring/Wear?
  Hand pruners
  Plant trowel or Hori Hori
  Weather appropriate clothing
  Water

San Juan County Land Bank

The 2016 Spelling Bee – Ted Strutz photo

The Rotary Club will hold its 12th annual Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 2nd at 3:30 PM at the San Juan Community Theater. Doors open at 3:00 PM.

This year’s spellers include students from Friday Harbor Elementary School, Friday Harbor Middle School, and Paideia Classical School. All island schools were invited to participate.

The contest is open to 4th through 8th graders.  First place winner will receive a trophy and a check for $100. In addition, a check for $200 will be awarded to winner’s class, and $300 to their school. Second place winner will receive a trophy and a check for $75. Their class will receive $150 and school $200. All students will receive a medal in appreciation for their participation.

Rally Participants on the Washington State Capitol in Olympia – Photo contributed by Friends of the San Juans

On Monday, February 13, 200 people from the San Juan Islands and greater Salish Sea region attended a rally at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia to show support for the Oil Transportation Safety Bills (House Bill 1611/Senate Bill 5462).

A major oil spill would significantly impact Washington State’s maritime economy, which is worth $30 billion and supports 148,000 jobs. A spill would also be devastating to first responders, property values, outdoor tourism, export (due to closed shipping lanes), and the environment.

Right now, state oil spill responders have a shrinking budget, but they are dealing with a growing problem. Each year 12,400 large vessels, including over 1,322 oil tankers, transit through the Salish Sea. Proposals would increase international shipping by 37%, which would turn the region into a tanker highway.

Of all these projects, the expansion of the Kinder Morgan Pipeline would result in the greatest oil spill risk: a 9-fold (800%) increase of a 20,000 barrel or larger spill over the next ten years in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass in San Juan County. Yet the state Department of Ecology oil spill response program faces a $4 million shortfall over the next two years. The Oil Spill Transportation Safety Bills aim to fill the funding gap with a tax increase on oil shipments and an expansion of the tax to include oil transported through pipelines.

“The whole state depends on oil spill free waters. Oil transportation safety protects public health, our economy and our orca,” said Stephanie Buffum, Executive Director at Friends of the San Juans.

Rally attendees carried 86 life-size posters of orca fins — one for each living member of J, K and L pods, including Lolita in captivity and the 7 lost in 2016. An oil spill is one of the biggest threats to the endangered Southern Resident orcas. Continue Reading

Growing Younger in The Third Age of Life

Human age is of two types. Chronological age is the number of years since our birth. Biological age is a number which may be either higher or lower than this. To understand how to lower our biological age is the subject of a lecture,

February 17th, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at The Mullis Community Center

This is not about a new discovery or scientific breakthrough. The wisdom of ancient India is our source. Ayurveda, a Sanskrit term meaning “The Science of Life,” has for centuries explained how to be more youthful in the third age of our lives. Biological aging is inevitable but by following a few simple Ayurvedic principles, our golden years can be more youthful and enjoyable.

Topics in the program: Continue Reading

San Juan County Fair is now accepting 2017 Fair Vendors!

Do you own a business, run an organization, or have a craft you’d like to share with the islands community? Consider having a booth at San Juan County Fair! The Fair is now accepting vendor booth applications for 2017. As the largest event in San Juan County with an attendance flow of 19,000 people, the Fair is great exposure for business growth and community involvement. Booth information and applications are available on the San Juan County Fair website at www.sjcfair.org.

The Fair Board and staff are hard at work planning an exciting fair that is sure to draw locals and tourists alike! Hope you will join in!

Left to Right: Grace Brown, Jeff Fitts, Jonathan Reedy and Kris Brown – Contributed photo

Former elementary music teacher and entrepreneur, Homer Smith, started Printonyx in 1987 as a specialty souvenir shop, printing on a product called ONYX with a copy machine. Printonyx expanded into a copy, print broker and computer repair center under its second owner Ralph Walter.

When current owner Kristine Brown, purchased Printonyx in 1994, souvenirs had been phased out, computer repair was discontinued, and the shop had two copiers in a small West Street building. In 1999 it moved to Reed Street with triple the space and five copiers, self-serve computers and a full offset print shop after acquiring Heart Works print clients and Visions Printing’s offset press equipment.

Printonyx’s mission is to be the best copy, print & fax center in the San Juan Islands and is committed to responsive and resourceful service, honest pricing, reliability, good communication and the community.

Helpful employees and their families are the heart of Printonyx. Kris met her husband Dave through a printing project and both their sons, Carson (20) and Connor (18), hung out at the shop as youngsters. Carson’s wife, Grace, is now an employee. Manager Jeff Fitts joined the staff in 1996. He and his wife Kim have four children: Emily (14), Ethan (12), Sierra (11) and Sean (7).  Over the years, Printonyx has hired numerous high school students and was fortunate to keep Jonathan Reedy on since 2005. Bookkeeper, Jennifer Zaehring was Printonyx’s first student worker in 1995 and worked from age 13-18. She returned to Friday Harbor in 2011 and, with her husband Bryan Johnson, has two children: Hazel (7) and Gus (5).

When moving into a new building in 2013, Printonyx disbanded the offset press since digital copying had become much more cost effective and a wealth of trade printers made it possible to get affordable printing quickly from around the United States. Printonyx has added a wide variety of services without having to add expensive equipment and uses the free space as hourly office or meeting rental space.

Printonyx will embark on a new venture within the next month: Print San Juan. From the website www.printsanjuan.com, customers will be able to upload their own artwork or use design templates to order printed and promotional products, signs, banners and more, similar to VistaPrint. Look for more information in the weeks to come.

L-R: Kim Grotle, Cole Arendt, Carrie Jewitt, Shannon Kelley – Contributed photo

“Fantastical” Comedy Fun at SJCT

Sarah Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone opens THIS Friday, February 17 at 7:30 pm in the Gubelman Theatre at San Juan Community Theatre. And audiences can expect the unexpected in this unique theatrical experience.

The story centers on Jean, a woman who encounters a dead man and his cell phone in a cafe and soon finds herself engulfed in the lives of the stranger’s family and friends. Director Tyler Ryan describes the play as a “mix of dark and funny and heartwarming” and says Ruhl’s contemporary play encourages audiences to expand their theatrical viewing pallet. “This is not your typical play,” Tyler notes. With its unique forms of storytelling, poetry, quirky characters, artistic set, and even shadow puppets, it is indeed both “fantastical” and thought-provoking.

Island actors featured in the play are Cole Arendt, Kim Grotle, Carrie Jewett, Essine Kilpatrick-Boe, Shannon Kelley and Douglas Schirmer.

NOTE: Mature themes and language.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone continues Saturday, February 18 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, February 19 at 2:00 pm, with more performances February 23-26 and March 2-5.

Tickets are available on-line at www.sjctheatre.org or via the SJCT Box Office (378-3210).

After having to cancel last week due to weather, the Knowledge Bowl has been rescheduled…

The 23rd annual Knowledge Bowl will be held on Monday, March 6, at the Community Theatre. Our fabulous Friday Harbor Jazz Band will begin performing at 6:30 and the FH High School PTA will be offering baked treats in the lobby before and during the event.

The competition begins at 7 PM. Teams consist of the 8th graders, a team of freshmen/sophomores, and one of 11th and 12th graders, going head to head with 4 local service group teams: Kiwanis, Soroptimists, Lions, and Rotary. Groups will match wits to answer tricky questions on a range of topics. The event is emceed this year again by Brent Snow, School Board member, with entertainment during intermission by the Jazz Band.

The Knowledge Bowl is presented each year by the San Juan Public Schools Foundation. Through its main fundraising events, the Phone-a-Thon and Business Partnership Program in the school directory, the Foundation this year has donated over $100,000 to supplement our local public education needs!

Tickets for this fun family event are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for kids, and are available at the door the night of the event. Come and cheer on your favorite team!!

Hayley Cat book cover

The Adventures of Hayley Cat, book 3, Hayley Cat Sails the San Juan Islands

By Rhonda Banuelos, Illustrated by MaryAnn Holley

Want to inspire children to find freindship and adventure? Curious Hayley Cat and his friends will show you how.

In the latest release, Hayley Cat is off on another adventure to experience the famous San Juan Islands with his cousin Harlow. They sail to the charming port of Friday Harbor to enjoy Popeye’s birthday celebration. Popeye is the famous gentle harbor seal who has captured the hearts of many since 1995. A heartwarming tale of friendship is created between the animals for a memorable summer day.

It is a definite keepsake for anyone who has met Popeye in person. On the way to Friday Harbor, Hayley Cat encounters orca whales, just like visitors do on whale watching cruises to the islands. At the end of the book, there is a feel good message for young readers where they will find Hayley Cat’s wisdom quote.

You can find this book at Griffin Bay Books’ online store,  or at Createspace.com, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com or your favorite online bookstore.

About the Author Continue Reading