It may be on it's way to tasting the same as wild, but there are a lot of REALLY good environmental reasons to avoid farmed salmon. (The spread of diseases to wild populations from net pens on the west coast is a pretty good place to start on that front.)

The last place I lived when I was in Iowa was in his district. I thought Ottumwa was unpleasant, but some of the people I encountered up there really take the cake, man.

Good luck! I'm trying my hand at a garden of my own for the first time this summer, and it's going to be interesting to see what will actually grow. :)

I can't think of everything my mom grows for flowering plants, but I know she has petunias and marigolds, and they are pretty easy as far as flowers are concerned. If you have a shaded area you want some ground cover, hostas.

Aw, yiss!

I find myself using the Moosewood Cookbook frequently, but I also like the Gourmet cookbook (although some of the recipes are a bit involved). A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider is probably the one I use the most, though.

I figured they probably did, but the type of boats and regulations I'm familiar with are Alaskan fishing boats, so I wasn't sure. Thanks! :)

Even if they have the capability to dump raw sewage, (which I believe they probably do anyway when they are far enough out from land), $100 says the toilets are electrical flush.

I think that was the scariest thing I have ever read in my life!

I don't have a favorite female science journalist, but this was the first thing that popped into my head.

I'm glad someone else thought the same thing!

That is so exciting! I've got a couple of friends who work down there, I wish we could still PM people because they are so very cool and it's always nice to know a few names before you do something that is so long term and far away from home.

Oh, I don't blame you! There are some pretty awful drivers on the roads in these parts. Bellingham is a pretty fabulous little city though, I think! Of you ever make it this way, there is certainly plenty to do!

My mom sent me her book, which I'm barely into, but wow! It's good, and sort of empowering as an introvert.

Sweet! Is it sad that my only experience with Whidbey since I moved here (over a year and a half ago) is Deception Pass? And that was this week?

I've seen a bunch in Bellingham, which isn't really a surprise. Of course I had no idea what it was about at first.

I'm not sure about where to get folded cards, but Pomegranate has bulk postcards for cheap. (100 for $15).

Ha! Yeah, not really then. And even if there was, I probably wouldn't have even realized what was going on.

Not only was a 14-year-old arrested, but the paper said it was the second time this week. Her parents must be far more understanding than mine would ever be.

I used to think I could read maps, but I think that's a lie. I've learned that if I'm going somewhere new, I need to tack on extra time, because it's inevitable I will make a wrong turn somewhere.