Don’t just do something, sit there.
Article/MELEA JOHNSON
AAs long as I can remember, I have run at life as fast as I can, taking on projects, never saying no to a new idea, bubbling over with enthusiastic fervor for new adventures, and always being ready. However, keeping up this internal tempo caught up with me. I found I was exhausted. I had become numb to the impact of self-imposed stress and minimized its scope and the magnitude of debilitating longterm results.
It sneaks up on you – the underlying and overwhelming mindset that you must always be racing to get something done. You have to. And you are already late! It is a constant, contained panic, a sense of being over your head and out of control.
It sneaks up on you, the underlying and overwhelming mindset that you must always be racing to get something done.
I never realized how fast my life moved until I retreated and slammed on the brakes. For one week, my days, usually an over scheduled blur of running in circles, involved nothing more than listening to the rain and staring at the sky.
And a strange thing began to happen as one languid moment passed into the next. I started to feel as if I were waking up. I felt engaged, present, and energized in ways I had forgotten I could be. I savored the refreshment and welcomed the sense of well-being. I began discerning the difference between things I was running fast after and things I was running fast from.
I began discerning the difference between things I was running fast after and things I was running fast from.
I never thought I would be thankful for being so fatigued, but its limitation catapulted me into contemplation, prayer, reflection, and a determined decision to become apparent in choices. To fully understand what is most important and realize what is not. I learned that the quieter I became, the more I could hear. Silence isn’t empty. It’s full of answers.
I encourage you to relax this Spring …on purpose. Include time to be quiet. Bask in the sunshine, and let it warm you. Listen to the birds and let their melodic call soothe you. Breathe in the newness, and let it rejuvenate you. Watch the setting sun and notice the vivid color patterns of otherworldly quality, never the same way twice, and let it amaze you.
Cultivating connection at Cloudview Community Farm
Article/DAVA BILODEAU
NNestled in the heart of our community, Cloudview Community Farm is more than just a farm—it’s a place where learning, wellness, and nature come together to create meaningful experiences for all ages. Guided by our mission, Growing Healthy Food, Growing Healthy Communities, we empower families and students to connect with nature through hands-on learning, sustainable agriculture, and immersive events that foster a deep appreciation for the land, food, and each other.
Our Lil’ Sprouts Nature Playgroup introduces children ages 1-5 to the wonders of the natural world through nature immersion, child-inspired learning, and imaginative play. With the support of their caregivers, children lead the way— asking questions, exploring the farm, and engaging in handson activities like sensory play, arts and crafts, movement, and mindfulness. Each spring and fall, Lil’ Sprouts runs an eight-week program filled with farm-based adventures that spark curiosity and growth in our youngest learners.
For older kids, our Summer Camps provide four weeks of adventure-filled experiences throughout the summer. Campers spend their days digging in the garden, cooking with fresh ingredients, creating farm crafts, and exploring the outdoors. These experiences help children develop independence, teamwork, and a love for the environment while making lasting memories.
We also welcome schools to experience Farm Field Trips, where students can plant, harvest, and discover how farms work. These hands-on visits bring classroom lessons to life, giving children a deeper understanding of where food comes from and why sustainable gardening and agriculture practices matter.
Beyond education, Cloudview is a place for the entire community to gather and celebrate the changing seasons.
Our Sunflower Festival showcases the beauty of summer with breathtaking sunflower fields, local vendors, and familyfriendly activities. As autumn approaches, our annual Fall Festival brings a festive mix of pumpkin patches, farm-fresh treats, and harvest-themed fun. In addition Cloudview offers its beautiful, farm-based setting for community members to host their own private events throughout the year.
We believe every child should have access to these enriching experiences, and donations for scholarships are greatly appreciated. Your generosity helps us reach more kids in our community, ensuring that financial barriers never stand in the way of learning, growth, and farm-filled fun.
Whether you’re looking for an enriching program for your child, an inspiring field trip, hosting your own or enjoying our seasonal events, Cloudview Community Farm welcomes you to grow, learn, and celebrate with us. Join us in cultivating a healthier, more connected community!
Settler’s Natural Market: Health
made-to-order
Article/CALLIE PRESTON
WWe live in a world of constant information; with anything we want to know at the tips of our fingers. While this is beneficial at times, it leaves room for the constant opinions of other people. This especial ly comes into play when talking about supplements, food, and which diet is correct. Don’t get me wrong, we love supplements and try to cater to as many different diets as possible. But as trends come and go, and the latest fad supplement falls out of popularity, we want to prioritize what we know to be healthy and what has stood the test of time. That begs the question: what IS healthy? Well, there’s a com mon thread that ties all of the diets of the world together: whole food that comes from the earth.
When we started offering food at Settler’s we wanted to remain true to that purity standard. That’s why in our Moses Lake locations’s smoothie and juice bar you’ll find us using organic fruits, no refined sugars, and amazing superfoods from all around the world. Do you know the easiest way to get the nutrients you need without having to take a pill every day? By eating them! We strive to provide diet sensitive, nutritionally dense food that is actually good for you. The best part is that it actually tastes great too!
Our March smoothie of the month, named “C is for Cookie” because of its blue color and cookie flavor, is full of vital nutrients. It gets its beautiful hue from blue spirulina, which can help boost the immune system as well as reduce inflammation. It also has 10 grams of plant-based protein, cacao nibs which help support mood from the theobromine found in them, and maca powder which increases energy and adds a delicious caramel flavor. All of our smoothies, juices, and açaí bowls boast in their rich vitamin and mineral complexes, so no matter what your flavor preference is you’re still getting a slew of benefits.
741 Basin St. NW • Ephrata, WA
118 W. 3rd Ave • Moses Lake, WA Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm Sunday Closed
This month we launched made-to-order sandwiches, both hot and cold, to try and further the customization of what we’ve been cooking up. We know how frustrating it is to not be able to find food that you can eat in a small town where options are limited, which is why we want to always be able to provide that to the community. We have big plans coming down the pipeline, so stay in touch with us on Facebook to see how things are progressing and be the first to know what we’re up to!
Article/COLUMBIA BASIN ALLIED ARTS
S Spring for the Arts
Spring is a time of awakening, shaking off those winter time blues and reemergence… not so for Columbia Basin Allied Arts… we didn’t slow down all winter!
After a busy fall and winter season starting with Art on Third and UMANI festivals in September, then barreling through Green Turtle outreach, Premier performances, community events, grant writing and employee hiring… spring has become a time for Allied Arts to sit on the (Easter?) egg of its next season. We will be training our new Communications and Event support, signing up musicians for Music at the Market at the Moses Lake Farmers Market, finalizing vendors and schedules for this year’s September festivals, and inking contracts for Season 48 performers –and wow have we got some exciting shows in the works!
We will also be doing some team building to get to know our newest board members – six in the last year and four in the last six months, including Paul Carney, Alan Park, Lilia Hueso, Samantha Copas, Genevieve Gray and Lily Tun. It has been amazing to see our events become a pathway for drawing people into deeper relationships with Allied Arts, including our work with UMANI, Missoula Children’s Theater and the (newly certified – congratulations!) Soap Lake Creative District. Allied Arts believes in
abundance, that if we all join together there will be enough for all of us – and our work is proving that.
Our Premier Series will finish up March 28 with CelloBop playing live soundtrack during Buster Keaton’s silent film, Sherlock Jr., voted top-100 comedy ever. This work which Keaton directs and stars in includes film-within-afilm elements and follies that make it perfect and inviting for both film aficionados and children alike. Gideon Fruedmann, player and founder of CelloBop, creates a plethora of sounds and emotions with his cello and other cool sound effect tools. Rounding out the season is our annual fundraiser on May 3: sign up online for a table to “Make Waves for the Arts”, a yacht rock-themed luncheon! It’s a great way to support the arts, meet others who support our mission and spend an afternoon with games, lunch, hosted drinks, live music and auction.
You are invited to join us! With events that cover film to theater, visual arts to local music – we’ve got something for everyone. Our motto is “All the arts for all the people” and that means you!
We look forward to rolling out our new season later this summer and starting the cycle all over again. See you at the theater – and at the market and in the streets!
DONUT EATING CONTEST LIP SYNC BATTLE
DOCTORS
FUN RUN FARMERS MARKET CAR SHOW BASKETBALL CORNHOLE
KIDDIE PARADE SPRING FEST PARADE
DIME STORE PROPHETS
ENJOY THE CARNIVAL THU 4-10PM · FRI 2-11PM SAT 11-11PM · SUN 12-7PM
GRANTS RECEIVED FROM: SPONSORS NEEDED
Best Burgers in Washington Beer Garden Pool Table
Pull Tabs Home Fries Beer Wine Spirits
Dine-In Take Out Family Seating til 9pm
Monday - Thursday 11am-9pm
Monday Night Bingo @ 5pm
Tuesday Tacos! Trivia @ 7pm
Saturday 10am-12am
Saturday Karaoke 8pm-Midnight
Sunday 10am-8pm
Whiskey Wednesdays - 50¢ off Thirsty Thursdays - Beer 50¢ off Friday 11am-12am
Steak Night Fridays 5-8pm
Breakfast served weekends 10am-Noon
Bible Study Sundays 10-11am
Sunday Supper Specials
signs of the time
Article/SHAWN CARDWELL
sSometimes there’s a man. I won’t say an artist because what’s an artist? He fits right into his time and place, and that’s John Rankin. Ritzville is not where John expected to settle, but it is where he’s made his life. “Just by the luck of things, the way the cards are dealt, I ended up here,” he explained.
Born in Los Angeles, with some time in Spokane as a child, and after architecture and art studies at University of Idaho in Moscow, John spent his roaring 20’s in Seattle where he worked in storefront restoration for a commercial business and freelanced sign painting for clients like Bumbershoot (1982-90) and Folk Life. “Not posters, signs – big ass signs, 30’ long banners, 100-200-300 square foot big graphic stuff,” he said.
John landed in the Basin in 1991 when he moved to a farmhouse near Lind. He grew up driving through the channeled scablands between Spokane and Seattle when everyone thought the landscape of large hills and piles of rocks were Native American burial mounds. He remembers when Harlan Bretz’ theories of the ice and great floods reached the general public and it finally all made sense to him. He found the history so compelling he decided to move to the area and eventually became a founding member of the Ice Age Floods Institute. “This is where my dream stops. It wasn’t necessarily exactly this, but it was someplace like this. The dream was to have somewhere built out in the country and this works for me,” he said.
“The dream was to have somewhere built out in the country and this works for me.”
The bad news was even out in the middle-of-nowhere Eastern Washington the owners of the home he moved into wouldn’t allow John to keep his work materials on the property. “I was a selfemployed
artist with 50 gallons of flammable liquids, a couple of dogs… couldn’t have my flammable liquid there, so I had to find a place to move the sign company because that’s how I support myself,” he said, “Hotter than paint thinner –lacquer, xylitol, acetone, things like that. I’m a commercial guy, I’m into solvents.”
So, John started looking around and eventually found his place in downtown Ritzville, across the street to the Burlington Northern line. Originally the King Mercantile, in turn a butcher shop and cold food locker, and a laundromat is now Flying Arts Ranch. The space feels in flux with the bones of its historic character apparent in the retro
“The main thing about me being a first born Aries is I get bored really easy. That’s why I work in maybe a dozen different mediums.”
fluorescent lights now hung vertically from the walls and framing that once held thousands of pounds of straw for insulating its cold storage, mixed with the history of its current resident including framed family photos, and all matter of notable graphic art and books hung, shelved and stacked on every surface. Also present are the materials and products of his own work including the original screen press from his graphic design business in Moscow, brushes, cans of liquid, serigraphs, paintings, posters and home improvement projects.
Occupying a significant amount of space in the building – and different spaces through the years – is Linda Kubik’s art and materials. Kubik is a native of Ritzville, a nationally-known weaver and clothing designer, and John’s life partner. “She’s way more famous than I am – I’m more infamous locally, she’s more famous nationally,” John said.
Examples of John’s ghost signs near Flying Arts Ranch.
They work together on various projects like restoring and operating the historic Ritz Theater, and designing and building new storefront awnings in downtown Ritzville – but honestly, Kubik is a whole other story. While the studio was in flux and taking shape through the years, John wasted no time settling himself into his new communities. “When I moved here in ‘91 I knew one neighbor in Lind. I came out right before Demo Derby started, so I got put to work in the cook shack since I had done that in a previous life. So, I spent three days cooking hamburgers, looking around, and the graphics were four-by-eight signs with CDX plywood with red, six inch letters stenciled. I thought I
could really help these guys out, since that’s what I did,” he said. The Demo he referred to is the Lind Combine Demolition Derby – a unique and awesome event for anyone who likes agriculture, machines, engines, the rural way of life, things you won’t see anywhere else, or having a good time. John joined the Lind Lions Club, who hosts the Demo, and since that first year has designed and produced the signs and posters for the event. Production of the annual posters, each a collectible piece of memorabilia, requires pulling paint across several different screens laid in turn on a single page, layering the paint – a work of focus, time and art. Only about 150 posters are made each year.
Along with the Demo posters and construction-based restoration projects in downtown Ritzville, John keeps busy with what he calls, and the locals refer to as, ghost signs. These not-mural outdoor wall paintings are based on the hundreds of photos John has access to of the Ritzville historic downtown thanks to several photographers who lived there from the turn of the century through the mid-1900’s. “I’ve got at least a dozen books that are paperback that are full through of photos of what this town used to be like,” he said, “I’ve never seen a small town that was so
researched so you have so much source material.”
The idea of ghost signs is to restore historic signage that has been painted over or sandblasted off, “whether it was painted 100 years ago or if I was there 100 years ago, what I would have painted, because 100 years ago they would have only had black and white,” he said. As a longtime member of the Downtown Development Association, John likes the idea of preserving the historic buildings of the area while also making the space more visually appealing and exciting for new business owners, and customers. He has ghost signs painted in or planning in communities across the region including Ritzville, Lind, Harrington and Wilson Creek.
He also worries about the future of the community. “People don’t have that sense of community or pride of community… If they didn’t have that sense of pride from where they came from, when they move from somewhere else then they won’t have pride when they move here. I’m not saying generation-wise, but when people move they don’t have a tendency to
Josh Knodel is a fourth generation dry land wheat farmer in the Lind area. He and Josh Knodel have been driving their combine “Jaws” for the last 25 years. They are also both members of the Lind Lions Club, along with John, who organize the Lind Combine Demolition Derby. Josh said he appreciates the work John is doing to help preserve the history of their towns.
Matt Miller is a third generation dry land wheat farmer in the Lind area. He and Josh Knodel readied their first combine for the Lind Combine Demolition Derby when they were only 16-years-old: their dads had to drive for the first two years. They got into the event as they scrapped combines through high school for money. Now he said, as organizers of the event, “We spend 99% of our time organizing the event and 1% at demo.”
donate and get involved. They’re just their own thing,” he said. This somewhat modern mindset has effected the downtown, where new businesses are lucky to last more than six months, and the 40-year-old Demo that now has to pay volunteers to help work the event. “It’s a big stack of onehundred-dollar bills to buy the community support!” he said. That, for an event where 100% of its proceeds go to local programs and non-profits. Despite, and in many ways thanks to his commitment to his community, John has led a life he can easily say was his own. He followed his head in business enough to support his art. But is he an artist? “Artist is a really general term. Lots of stuff I do is like a craftsman. A lot of stuff I do is like a contractor… You tell somebody, for all the different things I do, you tell someone you’re an artist and they go, ‘Oh! what do you paint –watercolor?’ and it’s a little more evolved than that,” he said. “I’m just driven by the work that I do and enjoy doing it,” he said, “I’m not driven by money. I do what I want to do.”
V
A fictional Soap Lake: Where anything can happen
Article/AUSTIN FOGLESONG
MMatthew Sullivan, Washington State author and previously tenured English instructor at Big Bend Community College near Moses Lake, releases his second novel, Midnight in Soap Lake, on April 15th. Matt’s highly anticipated “cozy horror” novel blurs the boundary between mystery, suspense, and hor ror, a newfound addition to a subgenre of horror fiction.
Matt, a former resident of Soap Lake and Ephrata, fasci nated by the ripple effect on the tight-knit communities of a small, rural, sleepy town when something goes awry, felt it was fitting that a fictional Soap Lake be prominently featured in his mystery novel because of the emotional connections that could be explored. In small towns, everyone knows each other or at least thinks that they do, which makes for excellent conflict, whether gossip or conspiracy, which can lead to accompanying folklore.
By drawing upon what he learned from his students during his time at Big Bend, Matt believes rural students going to a community college experience distinct and powerful outcomes more than other student populations or types of colleges, “I felt like I was doing kind of my best work with that population of students. And in part, I think, because there’s a groundedness or a sense of reality that maybe other student populations aren’t necessarily as in touch with.”
Matt’s first and second novels fit into what he describes as The Midnight Cycle, featuring three stand-alone mysteries in the same universe but in different places. Matt shared there will be a few Easter eggs in each book that will connect them all thematically, “There is always some incident or some crime that acts as a seed, or kind of the prime mover that starts everything else in motion that has a ripple effect on everybody else in the story. They are all these kinds of tight, colorful, knowable communities.”
While Matt has not been teaching for the past two years, he enjoys focusing on writing full-time and volunteering and mentoring when he can. Now living in Anacortes, WA, with his wife, Libby, who is a librarian at Skagit Valley College, and an artist in her free time, Matt felt ready to return, in writing, to a place he knew well but no longer lived: Soap Lake, “If every day you walk out inside your door and you see the world as it is, to write about that world would feel constrained by reality, whereas, speaking of nostalgia, if you move away from it and have this version of it that occupies your memory, it makes a better way to world build.”
in the Orchard by the Lake, would have had the same rhythm as his first novel, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore. Matt’s editor felt Soap Lake should be part of the title and featured on the book’s wraparound cover.
Someone browsing a copy of Midnight in Soap Lake on a bookstore or library shelf might think the cover is unusual. In talking about the wraparound cover, Matt described it as “warped,” something that he and his editor leaned into with the artist, wanting it to showcase a “heightened, more freaky version of reality.” Matt’s editor had been inspired in part by Desperation, a 1996 horror novel by Stephen King, and wanted a book cover that was almost like a map of the neighborhood, “It’s kind of neat. It’s very different. You would never know that if you didn’t put them side by side. But if you do put them side by side, it’s like, ‘Oh, I see what he’s doing here.’ Soap Lake encompasses every aspect of this book.”
After having read an advance copy of Midnight in Soap Lake, it is evident that Matt, as a writer, with characters like Abigail, Esme, George, Daniel, and Sophia, views Soap Lake and, by default, rural Central Washington, with skeptical love and wonder. As a librarian myself, it was beyond heartwarming to see the Soap Lake Public Library play such a prominent role in the community, something every librarian hopes for.
While I typically stay as far away as possible from horror as a genre, Matt left me believing that there might be something tempting about cozy horror: it is a bit silent, a tad deadly, full of homeliness and familiarity, and without too much gore, yet all of the suspense. Truthfully, I have never been more tempted to know what is happening behind my neighbors’ closed doors across the road or more determined never to find
out because, as we know, curiosity killed the cat.
Ultimately, Matt pays homage to a place in his past, nostalgic in nature, a place many of us here in Grant County know well, where anything can happen, the good, the bad, or perhaps, the in-between. Soap Lake impacted Matt and his family, as it was affordable and interesting with its natural history, the mineral lake, and its creative community, “I think that’s one of the things that I find so wonderful about Soap Lake is it is jaw-dropping. We become so accustomed to a place like that without thinking how this place is like one in a million. It’s so unique on so many different levels.”
As an author, Matt has a knack for exploring dark things in a safe way, able to interweave light and darkness for his readers while balancing it out with quirky humor centered on his characters’ emotional connections and experiences, describing, “This is Midnight in Soap Lake. This is what happens after dark in this fictionalized version of a real place. And so, for me, this is a sinister book. This is a dark book. It’s not all dark, but it’s crime fiction, so it has to build on things that are sometimes uncomfortable, disturbing, and scary.”
I am proud to call Matt a local author and honored that he has found his niche as a mystery writer. I look forward to reading Midnight in Soap Lake with my book club in May and will recommend this book to anyone who wants a writer invested in balancing the darkness, and who does not shy away from writing an alternate Soap Lake, a diamond in the rough, and as Matt mused, “It’s had ups and downs, and places come and go, and that’s all part of it, too, that it’s not this polished, perfect, wonderful, idealized, suburban place. It’s like a place that’s real.” V
Models Cayden Banister, Blisa Preston
Outerwear by BUMI Essentials
Special thanks to Neon Skateway
Photographs by Xalt Photo
Excerpt of Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew Sullivan
EEsme’s mom stared a lot. Sat in her chair with a hairbrush in her lap and a glass on the card table as she stared at the television. She also stared at the holes in her slippers, at the scratches on the armrest, and into the drain of the bathroom sink. But more than anything she stared at Esme: Esme eating Trix out of her mermaid bowl. Esme pouring Pepsi into her mermaid cup. Esme coloring in her coloring book or untangling her bag of yarn or clenching her crusty Play-Doh. It didn’t matter what Esme was doing, her mom was usually staring.
Her brother, Daniel, was also still asleep, not that it mattered. When he woke up he was like an animal emerging from a cave. He’d shuffle around with his head down and play his Game Boy while putting a frozen hot dog in the microwave, and continue to play it as the hot dog overheated and burst open and made the trailer reek of salty meat for days.
The couch this morning was empty. Dad wasn’t on it, which meant Dad hadn’t come home last night.
From the other room, a shifting of the mattress. Mom awake.
Esme left her breakfast bowl on the carpet. She grabbed her coat and crammed her feet into her boots and just as she was slipping out the door, she turned and saw her mom emerging from her bedroom, wearing her threadbare nightgown, staring across the trailer.
*
“Going outside!” Esme yelled, and leaped off the porch.
Esme’s father had made it clear that she was not allowed to leave the trailer park under any circumstances, and she was not allowed to wander the streets of Soap Lake alone, and she was especially not allowed to play in the apple orchards that stretched into the desert from the edges of town. But her father wasn’t around to stop her, so Esme walked out of the park on the shoulder of a cracky road. She passed the rusty playground by the lake where she and Daniel played a game called Tetanus Island, in which they tried to climb from the slide to the swings without getting scraped by old bolts and chains. She cut between houses and through fields and looked behind her as she walked, half expecting someone in her family to come running after her.
But no one was coming. Which was the point.
When she got to the orchards, she tucked her pants into the green rubber boots, three sizes too big, that her dad had liberated from the dairy where he worked.
Stepping into the orchard was like disappearing into a forest.
Before her dad got a job bulldozing cow shit into giant piles at the dairy, he used to run a bunch of orchard crews. He spoke Spanish okay enough and had been a wrestler in high school, but mainly, he said, he knew a thing or two about how to motivate people. He also said in the orchards you could eat the apples until your belly hurt as long as you washed them well, but if you breathed the air in there you’d die of cancer and your balls would shrivel up, but not in that order, and not just your balls. Plus, he said bad things happened in those orchards—but he always said it in a ghost story voice between slugs of beer, so she couldn’t always tell how serious he was.
This orchard was the spookiest one around, too. Half of it was dead, with gray skeleton trees that burst out of the ground like giant claws. And the half that was alive stretched to the landfill, where people dumped their old sinks and dead pets. When the orchard owner donated a bunch of apples to the grade school one
year, all the kids in the cafeteria bit into them and made faces and swore they smacked of trash.
The sunlight peeked between the apple trees, turning the cold ground misty. Esme liked how the crabgrass and fallen leaves blanketed the rows like a carpet, and how she couldn’t see the desert in any direction, and how the rotting fruit waited on the ground for birds.
Plus she was alone, which was the best thing ever. And then she wasn’t alone because somehow a sound had found her.
She pushed back her jacket hood. The sound was highpitched and pulsing.
A crying kitten. Or a hungry bird.
Esme prowled in its direction, slipping between trees, and soon she was deep inside the orchard and not sure which way was out. She stood tall and could hear a tractor starting far away but the squeaky sound had stopped. When it started again it was just a row of trees away.
Not a kitten or a bird. A wheel.
She crouched under a tree and pressed her back into its trunk.
no
Her eyes shut and she didn’t move. She felt an earwig on the back of her hand.
The squeaks came closer. She should’ve listened to her dad.
TreeTop.
She’d never seen TreeTop in person but she’d heard stories about him so many times from Daniel and kids at recess and grown-ups at the parade and teachers at school that he’d folded himself into a special cupboard in the back of her brain, one with rusty hinges and cobwebs.
TreeTop killed children and chopped up their bodies to fertilize the town’s apple trees.
Fee Fi Fo Fum
I smell the blood of an Americun
Be she alive or be she dead
I’ll grind her bones to grow my— Apples.
TreeTop pushed his wheelbarrow full of bones around the orchards all night, its axle screaming in the dark.
TreeTop climbed into the thin branches at the tops of the trees every morning and stretched out to sleep like a spider perched on his web.
Without TreeTop, there would be no orchards, and without orchards, there would be no town.
Everything would be the desert.
The sun was out now, and TreeTop was probably sloshing his last scoops of ground-up child around the trees before climbing into his branchy bed.
How else, Daniel once said, do you think all this fruit grows in the desert?
He was right. It was like magic, watching fruit trees blossom and burst from this hot, rocky land.
She could feel her heart pounding as TreeTop’s wheelbarrow rolled closer. She thought she should run, but her dad had told her plenty of times to never run from the frothy dogs that roamed the roads outside of town and TreeTop was way worse than dogs, so she pressed into the tree and shut her eyes and only opened them when the squeak of his wheel went silent just a foot or so away.
He was far bigger than she’d imagined, wearing a white hooded jumpsuit and a white mask and blue rubber gloves. It was the same uniform she sometimes saw the orchard guys wearing, driving between trees on their ATVs, spraying bright clouds of pesticide behind them to kill the cutter worms and sucker moths. His eyes were covered with protective goggles, and as he breathed they steamed a little,
and his mask clicked in and out.
His wheelbarrow basin was covered with a blue tarp. In its gaps she could see gnarled applewood cuttings, crosshatched over pockets of air—
And a man’s boot.
She clung to the tree but shifted to get a better look. Inside the wheelbarrow, she could see the boot’s black sole and knotted laces and part of its dusty leather tongue. Its sole had a tread of three small clovers near the toes, and Esme couldn’t help but spread out her three little fingers as if she were going to step forward and press the clovers all at once, like they were buttons. But just then TreeTop reached out and sharply tugged the tarp, covering the branches and the boot.
Esme knew she shouldn’t look TreeTop in the goggle, so she dropped her gaze to his stained knees. Everything he wore was spattered brownish, blackish, darkish red.
TreeTop paused for a moment. Then he lifted the wheelbarrow handles, and a rhythmic squeaking filled the air as he disappeared between trees. *
door, catching her breath. Daniel was stretched out on the couch, playing Game Boy, with his hot dog plate on the floor. Her mom was sitting in her saggy chair and watching a game show on TV.
Her dad’s sneakers were next to the kitchen table, right where he’d left them a few mornings ago, but he was nowhere in sight.
Esme realized why she’d been so scared. It wasn’t because of TreeTop, exactly. Sure, he was as freaky in person as he was in the stories, but he was also strangely calm in the way he just loomed there, as if he’d been
was highly comforting. What wasn’t comforting—what was in fact terrifying to consider—was the boot she’d seen in his wheelbarrow, covered with the tarp.
Because question: Why had its laces been knotted?
Because answer: it was still on someone’s foot.
“Mom?”
Her mom looked up and seemed pleasantly surprised to see her. “Don’t leave your breakfast bowl on the floor,” she said. “I stepped in it.”
“Sorry.” V
Attend a MIDNIGHT IN SOAP LAKE event during Matthew’s Washington State book tour:
April 15 @7PM / THIRD PLACE BOOKS / Seattle / launch event with Daryl Gregory
April 23 @7PM / VILLAGE BOOKS / Bellingham / Chuckanut Radio Hour with Ted O’Connell
April 29 @7PM / NORTHWEST PASSAGES / Spokane / with Sharma Shields / Ticketed
April 30 @7PM / ANACORTES LIBRARY with Watermark Books / Anacortes
May 02 @6PM / CENTRALIA COLLEGE / Centralia / with Matt Young and Michael Darcher
May 15 @6:30PM / MOSES LAKE PUBLIC LIBRARY / Moses Lake
TBD / SOAP LAKE / for more information contact Soap Lake Creative District
MIDNIGHT IN SOAP LAKE publishes April 15. You can pick up your own copy at Sandbox Bookstore and Games in Moses Lake, The Bookery in Ephrata, or online at Bookshop.org (www.bookshop.org) and HarperCollins/Harlequin (www.harlequin. com).
Hannah is a local landscape artist specializing in realistic and vibrant paintings that inspire peace and enhance any space. A full-time artist since 2019, she is also the owner of The Drip-Moses Lake, a fine art gallery and coffee shop located at 121 W Third Ave, Moses Lake, WA. Her artwork has been showcased in numerous galleries and exhibitions, as well as featured in Walmart, on the cover of Eastern Surf Magazine, and in various other publications.
Website- hannahfountainart.com
Instagram- @Hannah_Fountain_Art
Facebook- Hannah Fountain Art
Hannah Fountain - Artist
Financial Focus: Five moves for young investors
Article/JEDWARD JONES
IIf you’re just beginning your career, what are your financial priorities?
You might have student loans to deal with. And you may even be thinking about saving for a down payment on a house. These are certainly significant issues, and yet, you shouldn’t ignore your long-term goals, such as retirement — which is why you may want to get started as an investor. And as you invest, consider these suggestions:
1. Take advantage of your opportunities. Even while addressing your other concerns, such as loan payments, you may well have space in your life to invest — if you take advantage of the opportunities presented to you. For example, if you work for a business that offers a 401(k) or other retirement plan, try to put in as much as you can afford, or at least enough to earn your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered. And you may find that contributing to a traditional 401(k) or similar plan is more affordable than you think, as your contributions may be deductible, lowering your taxable income.
2. Think long-term. Some people make the mistake of seeking short-term gains by trying to “time” the market — that is, they try to “buy low and sell high.” While this is a great strategy in theory, it’s almost impossible to follow, as no one can really predict market highs and lows. The most successful investors follow a long-term strategy and don’t jump in and out of the market.
3. Know your risk tolerance. Your investment choices should be based partially on your risk tolerance. Typically, the more investment risk you take on, the greater the potential reward, but it works the other way, too — riskier investments can result in greater losses, at least in the short term. You need to find a risk level with which you are comfortable. Also, your risk tolerance can change over time — when you get close to retirement, for instance, you might want to invest more conservatively than you did when you still had decades ahead of you in the working world.
4. Diversify your investments. The financial markets affect different investments in different ways, which means that, at any given time, some investments will perform better than others. But if you only owned one type of investment or asset class, your portfolio could suffer if a market downturn had a particularly strong effect on that investment or asset. By spreading your investment dollars among a range of investments, you’ll have more opportunities for success, and you can help reduce the effects of market volatility on your holdings. Keep in mind, though, that diversification, by itself, can’t guarantee profits or
protect against all losses.
5. Prepare for the unexpected. You don’t always know when you’ll face a large expense, such as a medical bill or a major home repair. If you’re not prepared, you could be forced to dip into your long-term investments, such as your 401(k), to pay for these costs. To help avoid this problem, you may want to take steps such as keeping a cushion of cash in your portfolio and building an emergency fund containing several months’ worth of living expenses, with the money kept in a liquid account.
By putting these moves to work, you can help yourself make progress on an investment journey that could last a lifetime.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors are not estate planners and cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your estate-planning attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.
Triple Fish Challenge: A celebration of family, fishing and the great outdoors
Article/REEL RECREATION TEAM
TThe Triple Fish Challenge, hosted by Reel Recreation, is a family-friendly event that brings anglers of all ages to the beautiful Banks Lake in Electric City, Washington. This annual event, taking place from April 11th to 13th, 2025, and typically falling on the 3rd weekend of April each year (unless it conflicts with Easter), is more than just a fishing tournament—it’s a celebration of outdoor recreation and community.
The event kicks off with Funday Friday, a day dedicated to inspiring the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. Youth can enjoy a range of activities from learning about fishing, boating safety, and the environment. It’s the perfect introduction to fishing and outdoor recreation for kids of all ages.
The main event, the fishing tournament, takes place
on Saturday and Sunday, where both adults and kids compete in a friendly yet competitive challenge to reel in three species of fish: bass, walleye, and trout. With separate divisions for youth and adults, there’s something for everyone, and the excitement builds as anglers compete for a cash prize!
Join us for the 2025 Triple Fish Challenge and experience the thrill of fishing, the joy of community, and the beauty of Banks Lake. Register now or learn more at www.reelrecreation.com!
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable event! V
220 W 3rd Ave
Moses Lake, WA
Since its inception almost ten years ago, O2 Studio has remained steadfast in its mission to provide traditional yoga & wellness benefits, promoting physical, mental & emotional health within our community. We offer a variety of classes throughout the week & also have a variety of workshops that are open to the community to nurture both the mind & body. We are delighted to invite everyone to benefit from our sessions.
Ashtanga is a traditional style yoga practice embraced by O2 Studio Yoga. Every class is consistent, following a set sequence of postures. The practice emphasizes the synchronization of breath & movement & is a physically demanding practice that helps to return the body to a natural state of wellness. This is done by targeting the shoulders, hips & digestive system. Our Ashtanga classes are open to students of all levels.
Hot Hatha is another traditional yoga practice O2 offers that involves a series of 26 poses & two breathing exercises. It’s performed in a specific order & is designed to work the entire body. The purpose of the Hatha sequence is to increase circulation to all joints & repair or increase spine strength & mobility. We encourage students of all levels to join our Hatha classes.
O2 also provides Gentle Yoga classes, Chair Yoga & a variety of Workshops. Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or new to the practice, these classes are tailored to meet your needs.
O2 Studio Yoga also sponsors Yoga Academy (200 hour) & (Advanced 300/500) which is provided in by the educational excellence of Bodhi Academy. Many of the offerings provided during Yoga Academy are also open to the public.
For classes/schedules check out our website at www.O2studioyoga.com or download the MindBody app. Contact us at 509-989-5900.
COLUMBIA BASIN BARREL RACING CLUB
Founded in 1998 by a group of barrel racers looking to train, condition, and season their barrel horses CBBRC is a non-profit organization that welcomes all those interested, dedicated, and who love the sport of barrel racing. CBBRC is open to men, women, and children of all ages.
We hold club races twice a month, starting in April and ending in September. At the end of each barrel racing season we hold an awards banquet with great awards, silent auctions, food and drinks for all member and their families
During our barrel racing season we also hold four Classic 5D barrel races These races are huge fundraiser races for our club and are open to everyone to enter
Each month we email a newsletter to update members on race schedules, upcoming events, points, and tips, articles, financials and minutes. We also hold an annual membership drive to raise money for the club and gain new members.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about CBBRC
2025 Schedule
Tuesday Night Club Races
April 22nd
May 6th & 13th
June 3rd, 10th, and24th
July 8th & 22nd
August 26th
September 9th
Saturday Classic Races
May 31st
July 26th
September 6th
October 25th
All of our races are
Photographs by Brayden Bise, The Western Pentaxian.
Best of t he Basin
