Over the previous weekend I worked alongside my brother and several of his friends in what has become an annual ritual, now in its fourth year: the "processing" of pigs. By processing, of course, I mean killing, cleaning, scalding, scraping, eviscerating, halving, butchering, wrapping, and labeling. But processing sounds oddly sanitary, doesn't it? It's a lot of work -- the kind of work once tackled by small communities, without the benefit of artificial refrigeration, with

Once a season a group of us gather to share a meal made of things found, killed, caught, or grown. We call it the Foragers Dinner Club, and last weekend was our slightly deferred fall gathering. The evening has, without fail, included a superabundance of foodstuffs, and as our skills and interests have grown, so has the diversity of the offerings at the table. This is hands down one of the most enjoyable events in my social calendar, and it hits too many real things to coun

This is actually a phrase that shows up in the "patter" of a square dance caller. Turns out, it's totally spot on. In the first weekend of November an event known as Dare To Be Square West took place down in Oakland, California. It's an annual gathering of square dancers, callers, and musicians for a couple days of intense dancing, playing, and learning. This particular style of square dancing emphasizes "Southern Squares," a social dancing form popularized in the Southern

After a couple of weeks of steady rain, a break in the weather made for a mushrooming opportunity. Adam and I headed for the hills -- specifically (but not too specifically) up beyond Skykomish on Highway 2 in the northern part of Washington State -- only a couple of hours from Seattle. Our objective: to see if any chanterelles were surviving and thriving in our super-wet fall weather. The answer was a resounding "yes". We struck fungal gold almost immediately, walking int