Gratitude Even When You Don't Wanna!

Herb Nerd, Kristen Acesta

By Ron Evans

Recently I was speaking about gratitude with co-owner of Salt Creek Apothecary and self-acknowledged Herb Nerd, Kristen Acesta. Her advice and philosophy were too good to not share so I immediately told her to shut it. Until we could have a proper interview on the subject for The Comet, that is. It went like this:

Ron: I’m usually pretty decent with gratitude. At least occasionally. But...I’m rebelling against it right now like a bratty four-year-old.

Kristen: Four year olds are pretty wise, or at least that has been my experience.  Maybe you’re on to something. In general I see people believing that by practicing gratitude it means you have to be (or will be) happy, or even content.  So maybe the rebellion is your form of gratitude to the world. We should probably start off by defining what we mean by gratitude, and then if you really are being a selfish brat we can work on your adverse childhood events and teach you some gratitude tips (gratitude doesn’t completely fix these btw).

Gratitude is simply the practice of recognition and respect. The definition is: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  But 1. You need to have recognition of what is around you first and foremost in order to give thanks to it and 2. We need to define what kindness looks like (especially self directed kindness).  

In the current atmosphere, I see a lot of posts on facebook swirling around like “my children are driving me nuts being at home 24/7 buuuuuuuuuut I should be grateful that they are home and safe.”

My argument would be that both can be true.  You can have bratty four year olds who decided that your late filing tax return documents were a coloring project for which you are enraged about.  And be grateful for them. A step further, you can be grateful for the recognition of emotion that you feel in that very moment of avant garde impressionist artwork.

How do you work through your emotions or knee-jerk feelings as a response to circumstances - to get to a place of gratitude?

The difference is that gratitude is not an emotion, it’s an action.  We all experience emotions. One could argue that at the root of them they are neither negative nor positive, but as it turns out humans classify them that way.  Can we experience a perceived negative emotion while fostering gratitude? Maybe for the lesson it brings, or the other positive emotions it sometimes brings but maybe just not now (like your children sucking up all your personal space but they can be cute and snuggly sometimes)? The answer is yes. The question wasn’t exactly rhetorical. 

But that is an example most people can find on their own. That is one of those easy paradox situations where you feel something negative but shame yourself into thinking you should be feeling otherwise (this is what I typically see in gratitude practice). The harder stuff is describing what kindness looks like directed towards yourself as a form of gratitude and letting yourself experience the negative.

One of the key points here is that it is incredibly important to recognize and feel the emotion that you are feeling at this very moment, even if it’s anger, hate, pity, sadness, elation, anxiety, worry, fear.  Part of the gratitude practice is waking up to the moment and recognizing it (meditation helps here), thanking it, and wishing it farewell (self gratitude practice). And that doesn’t guarantee the emotion will go away either. Maybe you are stuck with it for a while.

My biggest beef with the pseudo meditation new age hippie community is that I find it preaching this peaceful perfect walk through life IF you practice (or if you do yoga, or adopt this mindset, or whatever). And don’t get me wrong, I want you to practice. In fact, we all need to practice, continuously at least. There are wonderful resources in the community for that; Joanna Dunn and Kelli Riddle for example. There needs to be a wake up to the fact that you are in the midst of it whether you like it or not. “It” being right now. That said, waking up to a daily gratitude practice doesn’t mean that life will be prancing unicorns with a unanimous political agenda. In fact it might be just the opposite. You might actually see a bigger divide, that your dad was a dictating a-hole, that you morally object to your job, or just see things in general more clearly.  Maybe you even see yourself more clearly.

Ok, fine. I’m in. Now what? Do we have to go around the table like at Thanksgiving and say what we are thankful for? How do you start?

I do start people with grace actually. It doesn’t have to have a religious context to it, but in our clinic when suggesting people practice, we often recommend starting with a form of grace before eating. It can be as simple as taking three breaths before you shove your pie hole to enjoy the anticipatory act of eating. And I mean, who doesn’t like to eat, right?  Who doesn’t love the smell of smoldering bacon before your lips, still sizzling from the pan? Try extending that enjoyment in a form of gratitude. It’s also a practice of awareness (recognition of the senses). Think of all the ways you love bacon - not just the shoving your mouth full of it. The smell of it cooking on a sleepy Sunday morning before you fully awake. The heat it gives off warning you, suggesting patience on your plate. The feel of it in your mouth, one side a little sloppy and the other hard and crispy. The immediate taste of salt then just a hint of sweetness to leave you with a full hearted savory finish. There are a lot of senses going on in that situation.  In all situations actually. Paying attention to our senses helps ground us back into real time. Then we can more readily see the emotions that color the situation.  

Herb Nerd sticker from Salt Creek Apothecary.

Is being aware of things to be thankful for simply a starting point for having gratitude, or is there more to this? 

There is significantly more to this. It’s the beginning of recognizing and dissolving your self-made paradigms, beliefs, prejudices, preferences, self fulfilling prophecies, boxes you put yourself in, boxes you put others in, and the end-all-be-all separation between what you deem to be your reality and what actually is. Morpheus is giving you the option, choose the red pill Neo.

Is it possible to truly have gratitude during a situation you feel badly about, whether that’s a breakup, losing a job or simply not getting what you want out of your life?

Yes, of course. Pema Chodron talks about the normal state of humans is love. Not the “oh my god, you’re so perfect for me and/or this puppy is so cute I want to eat it” type of love. But compassion and acceptance love. It’s not an emotion. It’s a state of being.

“Hate is not the opposite of love, indifference is” - Elie Wiesel

Just to put it in the negative for reference. Love is not an emotion. You can experience what nearly all of marketing wants you to feel towards something, but it is most often either lust, greed, desire (possession), infatuation/idolization, the list goes on, in fact I believe there are seven of them. Regardless, whatever the feeling is, it’s definitely not love.

You can experience a trying time (losing your job for example), witness the emotion of loss, failure, depression, etc. for which is totally called for and appropriate, and still resolve towards gratitude for life and how the path will lead you.

You can also absolutely hate someone. And still see the path ahead of you (and have gratitude for it). It’s about witnessing the levels. Senses -> Emotions -> Thoughts -> nirvana (I’m not sure it’s linear by the way).

Gratitude helps us start defining those things.

saltcreekapothecary.com

Virtual History: the museum comes to you

by ron evans

Fire up the laptop and go on a historical walk-about.

Matthew Pippin and Education & Volunteer Specialist Debbie Stewart demonstrate an apple sorter from 1920 as part of the Museum’s Virtual Tour.

Museums and art galleries are on the “must close” list for now and this is leading many venues coming up with clever ways of keeping art, exhibits and educational pastimes alive. The Wenatchee Valley Museum And Cultural Center is now offering virtual tours and boredom busting DIY projects for the armchair visitor of distinguished taste. 

Speaking of distinguished taste, local thespian Matthew Pippin was tapped (he’ll enjoy that turn of phrase) to help host this series of videos with a certain flair only he could bring us. I asked Matthew about the ins and outs of these virtual tours.

Whose idear was this?

Annie Holman, the Curator of Education & Programs. I met her when I hosted a few murder mysteries for the museum last fall which lead to me working the front desk.  After the museum was shut down, we had a week before the stay at home order was given to film a few of the exhibits and do-it-yourself home projects. Giving the children of the valley and beyond who would have been on field trips at the museum a chance to experience something fun at home. 

I was in the museum with Ms. Holman and Debbie Sawyer for most of the filming and it was just the three of us. I had general scripts I'd be handed before each segment and had to get out as many facts as possible with the least amount of takes.

Do you host all of them? What is currently available?

We only had three days of filming, but we were able to do 12 different videos. Whether or not they see the light of day is a totally different story (that's show biz, kid). Currently, I believe there are five videos out with more to be released in the coming weeks.  Some are geared towards children and a few are for general audiences. There are a few others released where I am not hosting. For instance, Kasey Koski, the Curator of Exhibits, hosted one about the high school art that had been on exhibit in the main hall.  

As a usually busy performer all-year-round in the local arts, how have you been coping with all of the stages going dark?

When this pandemic hit, I felt totally useless as a performer. It's my job to make people forget their troubles and I had no outlet. These videos helped me out a lot. Put me to work and I (hopefully) am entertaining while helping educate.  

How can people support the Museum 

Any donations could be made at: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org/donate/

Or…

When the stay at home order is lifted, I'll be happy to take nickels on any street corner.

Head to wenatcheevalleymuseum.org/ for virtual tours, blogs and more. No nickels required. 

B-Sides: 1918 flu pandemic & the loss of a local musician

By Dustin Hays

THE 1918 FLU PANDEMIC & THE LOSS OF A LOCAL MUSICIAN

The Wenatchee Band 1907. Director Louis Crollard is standing to the left of Drum Major George Hauber (the guy with the large white busby hat in the back row). Photo: Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center 012-51-4210

The 1918 'Spanish' flu first came through town in October of 1918, with the first case in Chelan County being confirmed within the first week of the month. More and more cases were popping up around the state, and by October 9th, Wenatchee and Chelan County's health officers Dr. J.H. Blake and Dr. F.E. Culp ordered the closing of "all public places" which included school, dance halls, theaters and churches to close at 5pm that day (Seattle had initiated their closure four days prior). Venues of the day affected by the closure were a small mix of theaters, barns and auditoriums.

By the end of the month it was reported (presumably by the Wenatchee World) that 400 people in the valley were sick, with 11 deaths. The number of ill kept increasing, and on November 9th, all local businesses (excluding grocery and drug stores) were ordered to close. An emergency hospital was set up in the Odd Fellows Hall (then located somewhere on Wenatchee Avenue between First and Second street).

On November 11th, World War I ended, and seemingly out of celebration, the business/public place ban was lifted. The emergency hospital stayed open through the next year, and in January reported that of the 124 patients they had, only 18 had passed away.

Two weeks later, the flu claimed its first and only known victim from the local music scene, violinist and band director Louis Crollard.

Louis Michael Crollard was born on February 18, 1883 in California. In 1904 (at the age of 21) he moved to Wenatchee along with his mother and younger brother Fred.

The family had previously been living in Washington D.C. where Louis had become an accomplished violinist, and played with his brother (a pianist) in musical combos.

The Wenatchee Band 1915. Director Louis Crollard sitting at the front of the group. Photo: Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center 012-51-4202

The two brothers found work with the local law firm Reeves & Reeves, eventually becoming partners in the firm. In 1915, after the last Reeves retired, the firm morphed to "Crollard & Crollard".

Bands of the day featured a mix of brass and woodwind instruments with at least a couple percussionists. Violins and Cellos were the only string instruments commonly used in early 1900s music groups, and it wasn't until the '20s that local bands started incorporating banjos into the music.

During the first couple decades of Wenatchee's history, there were only a few "bands" or musical groups active in the area. Wenatchee's first band, billed initially as The Wenatchee Cornet Band then The Wenatchee Band, changed their name to The Wenatchee Military Band in 1905. The band seems to have operated for some time with around 20 members. By as early as 1907 Louis can be seen in photos of the Wenatchee Military Band as the group's director.

The Crollard Orchestra was another one of the few active musical acts in town during those years, performing in area dance halls and on occasion providing music for productions held at the Wenatchee Theatre. Members of the orchestra besides the Crollard brothers aren't known.

Louis was also one of the earliest (if not the very first) local musicians to publish a piece of original music. In 1913 Louis composed a march in honor of the Fair Hesperides (a business and agriculture fair held in Wenatchee every October during the 1910s). To my knowledge, the next piece of local sheet music wasn't copywritten and printed until 1917 by O.B. Brown, a local music store owner.

Louis continued to direct the Wenatchee Military Band and perform in local groups until he died from the flu on November 26, 1918, just two short weeks after the business/theater closure had been lifted. Louis was only 35. In the years following his passing, Louis' brother Fred directed the Wenatchee Military Band.

In December 1919, the flu hit again and brief business & school closures were ordered across the state. For this ultimately less-severe wave of the illness, an emergency hospital was set up at the Mission Street Pavilion, a closed dance hall.

Fred Crollard lived into his 80s, passing away in 1967. On top of practicing law, he was also a member of the Wenatchee school board and president of the Chamber of Commerce (just to acknowledge a few of his accolades).

Fred's fourth born child (the first born after his brother's passing) was named Louis. This Louis - born in 1921 - worked as an optometrist locally during his adulthood, and was an active musician, playing piano throughout the valley.

We've all been feeling the effects of the event closures. No shows for three weeks now! Make sure you're keeping up with all your favorite bands on social media though - whether it be merch sales or Facebook live sessions, musicians seem to be adjusting quickly to this situation. A few interviews I was going to conduct with some aging local musicians have been cancelled, but with the help of the Wenatchee Museum, and a few books from Wenatchee historians of the past (John Gellately, Eva Anderson, Bruce Mitchell - published by the Wenatchee World), I was able to piece together the story of how the 1918 flu pandemic affected the Wenatchee Valley and the music scene that existed here a century ago.

Luckily pandemics like these aren't super common, and there aren't several instances throughout our history to look back on for similarities. Let's hope that these containment measures prove to be helpful, and that soon restrictions can be lifted so live music can once again fill the valley with sound.

This Might Matter: podcast of laughs and interesting local guests

by ron evans

TPDM HOSTS: BRIAN DESHAZO, LUKE ATKINSON, KATIE ATKINSON

During the great Hunkering Down of 2020, podcasts will likely be helping everyone stay sane-ish, and you have plenty to choose from (over 800,000 according to a recent article by Forbes). At least one of them is created right here in sleepy ol’ Wenatchee - This Probably Doesn’t Matter, co-hosted by local comedian and promoter Luke Atkinson.

“The initial groundwork for This Probably Doesn’t Matter was laid in a low-ceiling, dimly-lit, dank shed in the winter of 2017. Brian DeShazo and myself really fell in love with podcasts as a form of broadcasting, and it quickly became evident that we needed to throw our hat in the ring. Many a beer were drank and cigarettes smoked in that same shed while we hammered out the vision for what TPDM would eventually become. It took us a year to actually get the podcast live. Something else we learned early on was that Katie, my wife and co-host, needed to be behind a microphone, and she now joins me on (almost) every episode. Brian has been a recurring guest and host. He’s also spending an absurd amount of time editing most episodes. He is the closest thing we have to an audio engineer, which he would tell you does not mean much, but we are very grateful for his efforts.” 

How often are you putting out your shows?

Right now, we are putting out one episode per month. I would love to see this ramp-up in the future, but for now we are taking it one month at a time.   

What was your aim with the podcast concerning subject matter and demographic?

As far as the demographic goes, I would like to think that our guests are interesting people and everyone should listen to them. I understand that we are not everyone’s cup of tea, as adult language and themes frequently arise (and depending on how many beers I’ve had can take on a life of their own.) I really feel like there are thousands of unique and compelling stories in all of us, and I want this to be a platform on which people can express those stories. So to boil it down, if you can put up with listening to me, you will hear some pretty cool stories from interesting characters, aspiring artists, and folks a lot smarter than myself.    

Give us an example of a few of your favorite episodes or guests.

I can’t imagine a more difficult question, as the three of us have truly enjoyed getting to know all of our guests. Each of us might have a different personal favorite episode, but collectively two of our favorites were Bandits of the Animal Kingdom (Ep. #12) and Matthew Pippin (Ep. #13). Danny and Amanda from Bandits of the Animal Kingdom have become a formidable presence in the local music scene, and they’re also fantastic people who’ve become good friends of ours. Anyone who knows Matthew needs no explanation on why this episode is a must-listen. If you don’t know him, you’ll quickly learn that his charm and wit fill a room and we had an awesome time talking with him.  

I would be remiss if I did not point you toward my favorite episode: Geoff Is Butthurt. Brian, Geoff Knapp and I survive a dangerous motor-vehicle accident thanks to my million-dollar maneuvers, while Geoff’s wife shows calm under extreme pressure, helping us make it to Joe Rogan and Dave Chappelle's sold-out comedy show at the Tacoma Dome. We recorded it in the wee hours of August 3rd, 2019 at the exquisitely trashy Travelodge in Tacoma. Post-wreck analysis, post-show antics, and much more!

What are your hopes for the future concerning the show’s progression? 

Right off the bat we have a long list of guests that we still want to invite. We have hosted some live events in the past and look forward to exploring possibilities for doing so in the future. Frequency and consistency regarding episode releases continues to be a goal we strive toward, and we hope to provide even more types of content in the near future. 

Are there any plans to do anything special during the virus shut down?

Yes, absolutely! We are planning a dive into the livestream world, and while I can make no promises as to production value, plan on seeing a livestream from This Probably Doesn’t Matter very soon. 

The podcast is available on all major platforms (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Youtube, ect.). If you find your podcasts elsewhere, just search This Probably Doesn’t Matter. Make sure to also check us out on Facebook and Instagram (@thisprobablydoesntmatter), and please join the mailing list on our website: www.thisprobablydoesntmatter.com (possibly the world’s most-neglected website).

Doc Is In: Times Of Crisis

Q:  How can I stay well in a crisis?

Dr. Allegra says…

A:  Recent events revealed just how tenuous our balance with health can be. Epidemics such as these often leave people feeling panicked and confused. In the midst of all this fear and confusion, you have a choice to make. How are you going to respond? It really depends on your goals. Do you want to cultivate love and health in the world, or chaos? 

Let's be clear, yes, life is out of our control, and the only thing you have control over is how you choose to respond. How you choose to treat yourself and others during a crisis says a lot about you and your habits. Ask yourself: “Am I nourishing my life? Am I cultivating love or fear?”. Reroute and reassess your choices if you don’t like your answer. 

So what can you do to help yourself and everyone else during these difficult times? Practice honest, mindful self-care. These tools can help boost your immune system and speed healing, as well as enhance your ability to cope with stress. We can all use a little help right about now.

Get back to the basics.

Keep it simple and easy. Yes, it can be easy. 

Eat right.

Just eat real food. Highly processed foods are never a good idea, but these days we must be even more vigilant about our food choices. Put simply, real whole food gives your body more of the building blocks required for healing and repair, while highly processed foods can deplete your nutrients over time, thereby stripping you of the resources needed to heal more efficiently.  

Plenty of clean water.

The rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of hydrating liquid every day.  Adequate hydration helps your lymphatic system work properly. Your lymphatic system is one of your garbage collectors, it removes waste from your tissues so you want to ensure that you have enough water every day to help it work effectively.

Sleep right.

Getting enough sleep is essential to give your body time to do regular maintenance. Aim for at least 7-9 hours of restful sleep every night.

Slow down.

We are all being forced to slow down, and I think this is a good skill to cultivate. Keep in mind that rest- mental, emotional, and physical- is productive and pivotal to wellness on all levels.

Take media breaks.

Let’s face it, the news can be stressful. We are not meant to know what is going on in every part of the world at all times. It is ok to take media breaks. I often will prescribe news fasts to my patients.

By using this opportunity to become a more positive force in the world, we become the healer for ourselves and those around us.

It all starts with you, right here, right now. 

ABOUT DR. ALLEGRA HART

Dr. Allegra Hart is a licensed naturopathic physician, speaker, author of Nourishing Space Within: Essentials of Self-Care, founder of Naturae Naturopathic Clinic and Dr. Allegra’s Apothecary, and works with patients worldwide.  

Dr. Allegra specializes in helping women rebuild their health from the inside out by cultivating natural self-care. If we as individuals create healing foundations on our own- the ripple effect will inevitably inspire others to do the same, and together we can be the change we wish to see in the world. Check out Dr. Allegra’s healthy living online course for your next level of support at naturaeclinic.com/wellness-programs

If you have a question for Dr. Allegra, email us at info@naturaeclinic.com with the subject “The Doctor Is In Question”. 

CSTV 003 Constructing a Crossword Puzzle with Cory "Damn You" Calhoun

If you’ve ever enjoyed (or strongly dis-enjoyed) one of Cory “Damn You” Calhoun’s addictive crossword puzzles in The Comet, you will likely get a kick out of watching the world-famous anagrammist demonstrating his method for creating one from scratch. SPOILER ALERT: You may wish to solve the featured puzzle first before watching the demonstration. Available HERE

How Bizarre - The Voyeur Ghost!

by ron evans

I’ve always imagined ghosts being peeping Toms. I mean, what the hell else would there be for them to do except watch us? Damned to float about, often stuck in one location and unable to (consistently at least) affect solid objects or interact with the living. So...they would watch us. Now, nobody likes the idea of being watched while doing our biz in the “office” as it were or whilst showering and making whoopee. Haha. Whoopee, I says. Well, I shouldn’t say nobody.

But exhibitionist kinks aside, if ghosts truly exist then they are violating our privacy every minute of every day. Think about that. You may not want to. The writer of this email I received from a longtime listener of the How Bizarre Podcast (formerly Tales From The Spacepod) certainly didn’t want to either.

For your consideration:

“Hey there. I may have the perfect ghost story for this show. It has it all. Creeps. Sex. Crime. And the paranormal. This is not my story but a dear friend of mine and I have tried to get her on the show to talk about it but she’s not even remotely interested in that. Sadly. So, I will do my best here with the summary version. My friend...we will call her Mary. Cuz that’s her name. When Mary was 17 she moved to an old farm style house outside of town -I’ll leave the town out - with her mom after her parents split up. It was a pretty rough and withered house but the price was right for a single mom with two teenage daughters to feed. Mary liked it well enough but her younger sister Grace hated being out of town so far.

Grace was 15 around this time and was still in that rebellious state so there was a lot of grumbling about the move. All of that was quickly put aside when strange things started happening. The first night of sleep in the drafty old house was a little uncomfortable as they hadn’t really fixed everything up or cleaned up the bath tub etc. But the next night Mary took it upon herself to clean that bath tub so she could soak the draftiness away that night. Later while she was in the tub, her candle blew out. The fact that there was no real breeze that night made it a strange occurrence. Mary reached for the towel in the semi-dark when she saw an old man in overalls watching her near the bathroom door. She screamed and fell back into the tub. The man laughed at her and vanished right in front of her. Mary freaked and ran to get her mom. They all looked through the entire house and found nothing. Chalking it up to exhaustion or stress from the divorce, they all tried to get some sleep.

Over the next few days everyone had seen this man at one point or another. And every time, it was when they were naked. They all assumed immediately that it was a ghost. They knew what they were seeing wasn’t made of solid matter and it didn’t behave in a “walking across the room” manner. He floated. And occasionally seemed to be masturbating. They knew the old man who built the house in the 1950s was a farmer. Little more. So they looked up any info they could find on the place and discovered that the man they were seeing was clearly the ghost of the old farmer. A well known sexual predator in the town. In fact he’s so well known that I won’t say his name because it would give the location of the house away. So Farmer John as we will call him apparently had sexual relations with his niece who was 15 at the time and that was his fi rst encounter with trouble in town. It was the 50s though and he didn’t get into much trouble for that. Later, he did get arrested for trespassing and peeping into a neighbors’ bedroom window while they were having sex. In fact. Farmer John had been spotted looking into windows all over this side of town for years. He was a well-known creep. Eventually Farmer John died of natural causes and the house went to a few di erent owners but none of them stayed long and it remained dormant for years. Until Mary’s family moved in. Here’s the funny part to me though. They stayed there. In fact Mary’s mom is still there to this day...12 years later.

Mary is married now and living in the city but she visits her mom often and she still occasionally sees ol’ Farmer John dropping in for a visit. Usually in the bathroom. I couldn’t imagine how you could put up with the ghost of a dead old creepy peeping tom pedophile farmer watching you every time you are naked or having intimate relations. Yes, Mary’s mom re-married and they are quite aware that there were three people in the room the night they consummated that marriage. They just don’t really seem to be freaked out anymore and haven’t for years. I asked Mary about it and she said it’s made her realize that we are always being watched by ghosts. Some we can see, some we can’t. What are you gonna do about it? Move to another house? Who’s to say there isn’t someone worse there? Who’s to say invisible people aren’t surrounding us everywhere every minute? This whole thing put the family on a quest to learn more about ghosts.

There are lots of theories about why some ghosts can be seen and most can’t. But one that stuck with me was it’ all down to the boldness of the ghost. That makes sense to me in the case of Farmer John. He clearly felt bold enough to fl ash people, peek into their windows and groom young girls for his own interests. He didn’t really hide that in life, why should he hide it in death? And where is he anyway? Hell? Sounds more like heaven to a piece of shit like Farmer John.”

Agreed. Also...yikes. The thought of being watched by ghosts isn’t one that’s always on the top of my head but again, it always made sense to me. I love how this family was like “it’s our house now, bitch” and just kept living their lives knowing full well there was a sexual predator in the room with them. Albeit, a seemingly ineffectual one these days. How would you handle that? Would you move? Hold an exorcism? Get the Ouija board out? Never get naked again ever? It’s an interesting thought isn’t it? Who is in the room with you right now? What kind of life did they live? How did they die? Why are they watching you poop? But more interestingly... What have they seen you do?

Listen to how bizarre podcast online here

What We Take

by Lonnie Broadvalley

Artist Natalie Dotzsauer’s installation titled, ‘What We Take’ is an invitation to reconsider nostalgia. Segments of houses, a fence, and an oversized, sugar-studded quilt have been constructed for our senses in the MAC Gallery on the WVC campus. While the pieces in this exhibit have personal significance for Natalie, she invites our senses to infuse this experience with our own memories. She is interested in nostalgia because it is something we can never obtain but are always searching for - visiting but not entirely returning to. When you enter the gallery you might notice the huge house in the middle of the room. Well it’s a roof peak, technically, sticking up like the prow of a sinking ship. The siding is painted bright blue after an abandoned farmhouse that used to stand outside of Quincy. Natalie says that its interior looked like an entire family just up and left, leaving the materials of a life behind. Maybe what was left led her to wonder what was taken? One day she drove by and the house was gone. Deserted places like this are goldmines for the imagination, especially if you happen to be an artist using found objects in your work. But objects just sit there, reflecting back whatever associations we have with them… until they are gathered and reconstructed to reflect something of their own. In this exhibit, Natalie is inviting us to climb on the roof, run the stick along the fence and look under the skin of an old house. The beauty of an art installation is that we get to be part of it. The artist has created something that considers our physical presence to be an essential element of the piece. One of the first people to see her show was an older gentleman who immediately climbed to the peak of the roof like the king of the mountain. And I’m sure more than one person has licked that quilt on the sly, reliving the thrill of stealing sweets when no one was looking. When you add the thwack thwack thwack thwack of running a stick along the fence, your part in this exhibit is becoming integral. Memories may be stirring. Most of us reconstruct a slightly different past each time we bring a memory back to the surface, kind of like playing telephone with yourself. It’s pretty humbling to think that our recall can be so subjective. One thing we can usually rely on for more specific detail is our sense of smell. Natalie draws on this ability by infusing her sugar quilt with the scent of vanilla. Turns out, sugar doesn’t really smell but vanilla is in so many sweets that the scent brings to mind everything from grandma’s cookies to ice cream to the candy store on the corner. Not only do I get layers of food memory from the scent of this piece but I feel that sneaky urge to pluck a sugar dot & eat it and… oh…is that?… yes, yes it’s another feeling coming in… it’s the pull of a quiet room and a soft bed covered with a handmade quilt. Hmmm, I like this game. I like thinking about a time when life was less complicated, running around with a gang of kids all jacked up on sugar, looking for adventure. But that’s just my memory of childhood - I bet, at the time, it WAS complicated and I NEVER had enough sugar and I was bored as hell.

What's Ole Is New

by Ron Evans

Ole Soul Tattoo has been cranking out quality ink in the valley for years in its unassuming side-street location in downtown Wenatchee. This month marks the second coming of the popular business with a new space and a broader plan for world domination. Well, at least local domination. For now... And while they haven’t moved far, the new location offers a wide open feeling with even wider creative possibilities. Owner and renown tattooist Jimi Drake is clear to point out that it’s no longer “just a tattoo studio.” Not that they are focusing less on the craft that has made the name Ole Soul a revered one. But there will be more happenings in the large and impossibly cool space that up until recently had been KI Fighting Concepts martial arts school. I spoke with Jimi about this move, his background in the world of tattooing and about the philosophy of creating ‘forever art’ on the human canvas. He starts with a quote: “The professional senses who has served his time and who hasn’t. Like Alan Ladd and Jack Palance circling each other in Shane, a gun recognizes another gun.” ~ The War of Art, Steven Pressfield. How did you get into art originally? In the beginning I had a hard time calling myself an artist, even if tattoo was in front of the word. That term was reserved for the Masters in the Museum, not in a street shop on Casino Road in South Everett. Over time -now 15 years tattooing- and 23 years of getting them, it doesn’t matter anymore. That term, ‘artist’ or ‘fine art’ in my opinion is gone. An illusion interpreted through the lenses of a viewer. And in my view, art is everywhere and unending. It belongs to everyone, and it is my hope that people can awaken their own story through it, in any medium. I just happened to prefer tattoo. At what point did you know tattooing was the true artistic road to pursue? I knew at 8 years old I was destined to be heavily tattooed. Ten years later my mother found a local tattooer and bounty hunter working out of his house just off the Skagit River in Mt. Vernon. A Native American tribal arm band, that didn’t quite make it all the way around the arm, was my first of many more to come. Art class always came easy as a kid. I had an ‘eye’ for it, a ‘talent’ that everyone annoyingly reminds you of. I enjoyed portraits the most. I could look at anything and pencil a replica. Even interior design, I loved it when my mom wanted to redecorate the living room. Being a kid in the 80’s had me enthralled in movie set design. I just always had an artistic knack. Then, at 27 I took a trip to Manhattan, New York. I was invited by my friends to work and help out for the Rose Ballroom Tattoo Convention. I was blown away. From my hometown tattoo shop to a world stage of industry legends. My head was spinning and I knew right then I had to tattoo. The plane ride home was a plea to my now mentor Tom of Tattoo Evolution to take me on as an apprentice. I cut my successful pinstriping and custom airbrush business in half to learn from him. My first tattoo was on myself, a Jolly Roger skull. Then it was time to practice on friends. I was a quick study and took to it pretty well. A few months later I was tattooing a drug dealing gangster across the throat, and under the pressure... I soared. I then knew I had the chops to make it. (Here’s where I try to act tough enough to not be SUPER impressed by that shit).

(Ahem) How’d you go from drug dealer throats and apprenticeships to owning your own studio? I opened Ole Soul in 2012 after moving into the valley a few years before. It was my intention then and even to this day to work hard, develop passion, and treat people in a kind and fair way. The phone always rings and I’m always being productive. Now I average a three -a- month waiting list. I’m grateful to work alongside a positive caring and fun crew, Kristina and Migz. They are my second family. Tell us about your new digs and what you have planned for the space. Ole Soul now is taking another innovative turn. Studio, like art, has many meanings, forms and celebrations. The space acquired - over 3000 square ft - will do just that. Morning Qi-Gong movement meditation and unique yoga and animal flow classes. Drip coffee and a tea house, and then nightly events like movies, private events, seminars, local gallery showcases, straight edge gatherings, and many more ideas to explore. The next few years will be a humbling ride to connect more with the community, give people a place to be inspired and to feel a genuine energy in others. Completely in honor of damn fine art for all, at Ole Soul Studio. More than just a tattoo studio. We are Genuine Defined.

Class Act

Artist/instructor Rachel Courtney moved to Wenatchee from Las Cruces, NM, in September 2018 and immediately became immersed in the local art scene. She has been hosting classes for a variety of arts and crafts around the valley including one of her favorite techniques, alcohol ink paintings. “I had been involved in several art groups exploring a variety of art media which introduced me to alcohol ink. I fell in love with its beauty and wanted to share it with everyone. Alcohol ink is typically an art that requires a bit of investment to get started. Colors come in packs of 3 (for $12!) and a wide variety of colors can be more expensive than many beginners may be willing to spend. My thought was to share the colors I had with some friends and family and show them the fun you can have creating abstract art. Since I began, I’ve taught 192 people from as young as 4 years old.”

How did you get started?

My first class in Wenatchee was in June 2019. I really missed sharing art with others, so I visited with my friend Kmbris Bond who knew someone with some space - Chad Yenney at Collapse Contemporary Art Gallery.

Are there any that have been more popular than others?

Kmbris Bond and I teach basket weaving and it is sold out almost every time. Many people have access to pine needles and want to use that resource. Some go camping or hunting and are interested in ways to pass the time. Alcohol ink is always a win and rock painting fills up more than you would guess.

What is something unexpected that you teach?

Especially with longer classes I stress the need to get up, stretch by standing up straight, and extending the arms. I encourage students to look at other’s work and to look at something far away to reset their eyes. We have to take care of our bodies.

Where do you teach?

We started at Collapse, then we recently added a second venue - Hard Hat Winery. They approached us because they enjoy hosting this type of thing. We also do home-based classes for private groups.

How do you pick what’s coming next?

Great question. Based on numbers from previous classes and whatever ideas we dream up. Sometimes our host will suggest something (like wine-bottle macrame) and sometimes students make suggestions. Sometimes when we think outside of the box people don’t show up. But sometimes it works. You just never know. So many artists struggle with organization and things like making a class happen with registration, taking payment, promotion and venue relations. I am happy to offer that service to other artists and would love to see different classes popping up. Email me at pretty.nice.creations@gmail. com or visit prettynicecreations.com/ event to register for classes.

Register at prettynicecreations.com/event

ARTBEATS: Art Is Us

by lonnie broadvalley

You know those big, sweeping questions a teacher might ask like, ‘What makes us human?’ or ‘What is art for?’. Most likely it was at the start of a humanities class (art, history, cultural studies, philosophy, etc.). You kiddos might recognize these essential fields of study today as “electives” or “nap time.” Questions like these are designed to: (a) generate ANY response (b) demonstrate that there are MANY right answers, and (c) serve a heaping slice of humble pie to the honor students in the front row. By the time I had been in the art department for a few years, I looked forward to these questions. The most eloquent response to ‘What is art for?’ that I can remember is that art ‘… creates empathy.’ Nice one. This phrase stuck with me because it fits from any angle. When experiencing a song/play/poem/painting, we try to understand more about the artist, and from the artist’s perspective, the response can reveal a lot about their audience. When Life magazine did a big feature on Jackson Pollock in 1948, anointing him “The greatest living painter in the U.S.,” its citizens got their panties in such a twist, I don’t think art has been viewed in the same way since. Not only did you hear a lot of indignant responses like the popular,’ My kid could do that,’ but I think it actually pushed his art further from the culture that produced it. Sadly, this is the old story about rejection of the unfamiliar and it repeats again and again in art history. Fortunately, many people recognized the reaction for what it was and decided to view this new style with an open mind, considering the social and cultural clusterf*#k from whence it came. A popular example of this sort of exchange is Norman Rockwell’s 1961 painting titled, The Connoisseur, depicting a man with his back to us wearing a business suit and standing in front of a huge, abstract painting meant to look like a Jackson Pollock - all energy, drips, and splatters. I do wonder what the man thinks of the work but I really appreciate that Rockwell didn’t show this guy’s expression. When this was painted, a man in a suit like this represented a pretty conservative, white, middle class American male. To make this in 1961 is the artist’s way of saying, ‘See? We want to understand each other!’. I’m assuming a lot here but I believe that’s the gist of it. My point is that it doesn’t matter whether or not the guy in the painting likes the art, what matters is that he’s giving it some thought. Scott Bailey, head of the Art Department at Wenatchee Valley College asks his students to spend an entire class period in front of one piece in the MAC gallery. He explains that this is an incredible gift to an artist to spend time considering their work, giving it a chance to affect you beyond first impressions. When we think about our response to something/someone, hopefully some truth about ourselves is revealed.

B SIDES: The Mighty Return of Ghost Power!!!

by dustin hays

Back in 2005 the Wenatchee music scene was filled with a mix of singer/ songwriters, a handful of rock n’ roll bands, and everyone from your kid brother to your alcoholic uncle trying to ‘make it big’ in a heavy metal band. It was then, 15 years ago, that Ghost Power!!! began playing their first shows. As a student at Wenatchee High School in 2002, Andrew Houck sang and played guitar in his first band The Carrots. As most bands do, they broke up after a few years. For a short time Houck played guitar with Kings of Friday before forming Ghost Power!!! in 2005 with bassist Jasper St. Germain and St. Germain’s brother Drew on drums. The band quickly stood out with singer and guitarist Andrew Houck’s simple, hook driven song writing style. The group’s first recordings were released in 2006 on a CD compilation for Nevermore Records, a recording studio/label run by local musician and Chinook Music employee Justin Lawless. In 2008 the St. Germain brothers (both underage at the time) exited the group with Houck recruiting Brock Johnson on drums (formerly of the Seattle duo The Shots). After jamming with Johnson, Houck morphed Ghost Power!!! into a 2-piece, with Andrew splitting his guitar channel to run through both a bass and guitar amplifier.

HOUCK: “We couldn’t really play shows because they were too young. They couldn’t go into bars or anything. So I got really frustrated trying to book shows. Playing the Beacon Hill for awhile is when I saw the Shots and met Brock. I had never seen a two-piece - that, you know, had 2 amps, and had a really rounded sound.”

Later that same year Johnson moved back to Seattle and was replaced by Cashmere drummer Mitch Wixom. Wixom had most recently been playing Anoneim, a band that had morphed from the well loved Wenatchee band Waiting For Darryl. After the holt of live shows at the Beacon Hill Grange, Ghost Power!!! had continued to find gigs at the several short-lived venues across town, whether it be at the Flash Disco, The BPOE Ballroom, or the beloved Methow Street house venue, the Basement. It wasn’t until 2010, around the same time that Snatchee Records became active, that the group won a Battle of the Bands contest during the 2010 Taste of Harvest Festival, winning funds for new gear and recording time. They released their debut full-length CD The Basement that same year. Ghost Power!!! remained heavily active during the next three years, recording two more albums with Snatchee Records (Human Decay 2011, Heavy Hands 2012), and - along with other early Snatchee bands like the Wreks, Mothra, Not All There, Warpony & the 13 Cent Killers - filled local bills during the first few years of local Snatchee Records shows. In 2013 Houck moved to Seattle, and the band soon fell by the wayside as the distance became too much to keep up with practices.

HOUCK: “We had a couple shows while I was living there, but we couldn’t really rehearse where I was living. I didn’t have a practice space. I started developing the Crimson Field project, so I wanted to develop that, but that all just kinda fell apart.”

A small number of CD copies of Houck’s doom metal Crimson Field project were sold at Ghost Power!!!’s shows in 2018, featuring “Wolves of God” a song that has now been adapted into Ghost Power!!!’s set. The group’s sound has always fallen under the umbrella of rock n’ roll, with Wixom’s technical drumming, Houck’s simplified riff structure along with his gravel-y yet melodic yell, the band have long operated with their own mystic mutation of hard rock jamming. But since reforming, the duo have intentionally tried to morph their sound to incorporate more doom into the mix. The stretch of time Houck spent in Seattle is probably the strongest influence.

HOUCK: “I feel like that whole Seattle experience was really awful in retrospect, ‘cause there was a long period where I didn’t play music, I was just trying to survive. But I did get to go to shows and see a lot of rad local stuff.”

WIXOM: “He was around a lot of different stuff in Seattle. There’s a lot of heavier dark stuff over there. At first I was really apprehensive. I didn’t want to go slow and heavy, but I eventually came around, because the one thing I stressed was ‘we can do it, but it still has to sound like us.’ We still have some uptempo parts in a couple of the songs - we don’t have to lose that completely. I think we’re maintaining a good balance with changing our sound, ‘cause it’s not the same at all to what we were doing before, and you can still tell it’s us. But really there’s no rules when it comes to what you create, what you put out & what you do. There’s really no rules.”

During the group’s hiatus, Wixom was living in Leavenworth still playing drums in groups around the area, playing a stint with Jipsea Party, and then in Panic Bomb, a Ska trio with Drew Bradford and Tiffany Schafer. In 2016 he was a member of Heavy Petting, a revamped incarnation of Warpony, and performed with the Leavenworth combo Riverdog Shakedown throughout the latter half of 2018. Ghost Power!!! had played a few one-off shows in 2015 and ‘16, but the band wasn’t officially back on until Houck moved back from Seattle in 2018. Around that time, the south Wenatchee Warehouse 3 Design Center had begun renting rooms to local bands Himiko Cloud, Human Element & the Nightmares, and Ghost Power!!! jumped onto the opportunity to have a proper rehearsal space.

WIXOM: “He moved back to town, contacted me, and I was like, ‘Alright!’ Warehouse 3 had been going, but it was only word of mouth. I was like fuck, we gotta get into this place. We got in June of 2018.”

Ghost Power!!! returned from their long hibernation in August of 2018 at Hinklefest in Cashmere. As their first set in 2 years began, Houck fittingly shouted over the mic to the crowd of smokers in the parking lot, “where the hell is everyone, we’re fucking Ghost Power!” The crowd filtered in, a mosh pit ensued, and within a half an hour police showed up and shut down the party for noise complaints.

WIXOM: “We realized unless we rock with each other it’s almost futile to rock with other people. I mean, we’re able to do it, but when it came back around to it, we just need to rock with each other.”

Last year the pair returned to local engineer Chad Yenney to record their fourth album Pray For The Amplifiers. Yenney played locally in groups during the ‘90s and has been recording bands in his Earth to Emma recording studio just as long. Along with Ghost Power!!!’s albums The Basement and Heavy Hands, Yenney’s recording resume includes local groups Himiko Cloud, The Felts, Static Altars, Bratt Force, Save The Hero, The Nightmares, and Seattle bands The Ruby Doe, Tarantulada, Stuperhero and Will Rainier & the Pines.

YENNEY: “I first recorded Andrew Houck back when he played in the Carrots, later Broken Branches, Kings of Friday and different iterations of Ghost Power. I personally really like Andrew’s music, his influences and his ever evolving styles. These new songs they’re working on are really a new chapter, Mitch’s drum work is so great and the songs are just cool. I’m stoked for them and really excited about the new tunes.”

In the time since reforming, the group has performed a slew of shows in both Washington and Idaho and were part of Seattle’s 2019 Downstream Music Fest. They have more festival appearances, and a couple more upcoming recording projects on their to-do list for 2020. Pray For The Amplifiers is set to be released at their February 29th performance at Wally’s House of Booze with Himiko Cloud and Wet Temple (from Seattle). The album will be available for purchase on cassette tape (with download cards included).

You can follow the band’s activity on Facebook at fb.com/ghostpowermusic or hear their music at ghostpower.bandcamp.com.