Author: Dianna MacLeod

Renewal. Regeneration. Rejuvenation. These are words we tend to associate with a specific season of the year. But, in truth, acts of renewal and restoration occur constantly. In this, the twelfth issue of Whidbey Life Magazine, we celebrate those acts—and the compassion and creativity they reveal.

In Gimme Shelter, writer Patricia Herlevi and photographer Sarah Sanborn profile some of the people who rescue orphaned/unwanted animals of all sizes and types. From chipmunks to cows, our furred and feathered friends are revived by human compassion.

A group of islanders are together fighting the debilitating effects of neurological diseases in a remarkable way. Their moving stories of rejuvenation are the heart and soul of On the Ropes, described in Steve Burr’s personal account and portrayed by Marsha Morgan in photographs that take you to a ringside seat.

Our island’s farmers are in the vanguard of those who are restoring health to soils degraded by years of traditional farming practices reliant on pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Their efforts are chronicled by writer Sharon Betcher and caught on camera by photographer David Stern in Cultivating Hope, a story of regenerative agriculture. This issue’s cover honors that rejuvenation with images, taken by Julia Beck, of students and staff at Whidbey’s Organic Farm School.

Islanders express our concern for a dwindling population of orca whales through advocacy and celebration. Regularly held events in our small towns reaffirm our relationship to the marine life around us. In Whale Worship the Whidbey Way, writer Nia Martin eloquently explains our collective love for these creatures—and the importance of returning one particular orca to her home waters—as David Stern captures in photos an annual parade to welcome the whales.

The means by which discarded materials are collected and assembled by artist Zoe Osenbach combine reinvention with recycling. The effect is perfectly described by Lea Cramer in Reimagining Refuse.

The metal sculptures of Jean Whitesavage and Nick Lyle are simultaneously rugged and romantic; their tools are no less so. Photographs by Lyle, taken in the forge, illustrate the moody allure of the sculptors’ repurposed equipment and retooled implements. In Forging Friends, Lea Cramer reveals their fascinating history.

Certain people—often artists—have a talent for reinventing themselves, if only for a night. In Among the Bohemians, writer Kate Poss tells the story of just such a group here on Whidbey. Photographer Rich Yukubousky captures the revelry of the Island Bohemians at one of their rollicking gala balls.

In these pages, we are pleased to recognize rescuers, restorers, and renovators. Their radiance, along with others like them, is what makes Whidbey a place of renewal for all.

Dianna MacLeod, Editor & Publisher

Dirt. Soil. Both words contain four letters. But as a gardening friend reminds me, they are very different. Soil is what we prize because of its life-sustaining properties, the habitat it provides for insects, worms, microbes, and fungi that nurture the roots of plants.

While the science of healthy soil has been neglected in recent decades, a movement known as “regenerative agriculture” is gaining attention for the possibilities it offers to produce more nutritious food, slow down erosion, and, of all things, mitigate climate change. It turns out that our soils are ‘keepers of carbon” that become “releasers of carbon” when misused and degraded. When soil becomes “dirt poor,” it’s bad news for our food system and for the environment; too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is one of the culprit of climate change.

If there’s a theme for this issue of Whidbey life Magazine, it’s the earth we stand on and the footprints we leave.

In her article, “Praise for the Prairie,” writer Susan Wenzel offers a look at Central Whidbey’s Ebey’s National Historical Reserve and the evolution and preservation of an agricultural way of life. In “Making Cider the Hard Way,” Steve Kilisky introduces us to a Whidbey family enterprise that depends on productive soil to grow the apples that produce their hard cider. The island nurseries featured by Penny Webb in her article, “Flowers, Foliage, and Fun,” are surely among the most ardent advocates of healthy soils, which produce healthy plants with minimal-to-no need for synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. In an article entitled, “Run, Whidbey, Run“, PJ Beaven investigates why and where people “get grounded” as they run-for exercise and camaraderie-through stunning island landscapes. In “Sheltering Small,” Patricia Herlevi focuses on homes and their owners who seek to minimize the size of their dwellings in favor of enjoyment of the natural world beyond their thresholds. By reporting on a new way of connecting trails, and how we all can contribute to developing the maps, Nia Martin wishes you “Happy Trails.” Finally, Lea Cramer gives us a glimpse at a flock of birds that are permanently-and whimsically-grounded in her article, “Avian Art Takes Flight.”

I’m filled with gratitude for our writers and photographers who celebrate the earth we stand on and the earth we call home. I hope this issue gives you, dear readers, reasons to celebrate, too.

Dianna Macleod
Editor & Publisher

P.S. Although this is hardly a postscript! Claire Moore, our graphic artist since Day One. has recently retired. Immense thanks to Claire for assembling all the pieces of the puzzle that is Whidbey Life Magazine, year after year, for ten issues. Fortunately, Claire has consented to stay on as a consultant, giving our team the benefit of her experience, sense of design, and attention to detail. I expect she and I will go on having our passionate but always humorous-discussions about semicolons, fonts, and other arcane matters.

Cover Photos: Wooden ship at Coupeville Wharf by David Stern of Whidbey Custom Photo.