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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2016)
GRAB BAG book shelf • glimpse • wildlife • pop culture • words • q&a • food • fun Photo by Matt Love Empty chairs await a presentation at Powell’s Books in Portland. A G LIMPSE I NSIDE An occasional feature by MATT LOVE Fishermen in Powell’s On a Thursday night in March, my 52nd birthday, I sat on a bench in the event space of Powell’s City of Books in down- town Portland. A few feet away, a couple hundred empty chairs seemed to stare at me. In 90 minutes, my presentation of my debut novel, “The Great Birthright,” would com- mence. I wasn’t thinking about the show. Rather, I won- dered what 32 of my stu- dents from Astoria High School were doing inside the biggest and best book- store in the country. They had joined me on the trip from the Oregon Coast, and we rode a magic school bus togeth- er. Most had never been in- side Powell’s. Many had never bought a book before. Yes, the prospect of 32 teenagers roaming around a four-story bookstore the size of a city block made me slight- ly nervous. But all you can do as a teacher in these unscript- ed scenarios is place trust and keep the faith in young peo- ple. I’ve never grown as an educator unless I put myself in these precarious positions, and yes, I’ve sometimes been burned. Nevertheless, when I finally start to feel safe with my teaching, I am done. At the appointed time, 15 minutes before the gig, all 32 students rallied back in the event space. They were eager to show me all the books they’d pur- chased. Some of them had really loaded up! I did the show, and we walked out into the big city night and boarded the bus. After I made the last head count and all 32 were safe- ly into the fold, I breathed a sigh of relief and then passed out the birthday cupcakes my mom had brought to the event. A cup- cake never tasted so good. On the way home, some of the students requested the bus driver leave the lights on. They wanted to read their new books. Mission accomplished. The students didn’t even know they were on one. Matt Love is the author/editor of 14 books, including a detective novel called “The Great Birthright.” His books are available through all coastal bookstores (except one) or his web site, nestuccaspitpress.com W HO ’S M IN D IN G THE STO R E? The Bu d Ten d ers ha ve m a d e a specta cu la r d ea l w ith severa l ven d ors to su pply m u ltiple stra in s of Hig h Q ua lity C a n n a b i s a t $6 . 0 0/ G r a m ! D ire ct to yo a n d w ith “Typhoon Y olon d a a n d (in clu d es a ll ta u ! The Ca n n a bissa ry”, C a n n a b is D a b w a x xes) C o n cen tra tes a t $25 /ON E FU LL G ra m a n d $18/H a lf Gra m on m u ltiple stra in fla vors. Prices good w hile su pplies la st BO SS is gon e on bu sin ess - so a ll u s Bu d Ten d ers a re m a k in g a M a rch M a d n ess O fferin g to Y OU ! GE T IN W H IL E SE L E CTIO N IS BE ST !! E a s t I n t r o d u c in Mo g H and untain B ud Grow Q n ualit O n ly y t t o p u h e B e s t f o t to t r he te you st! Vi si t u s in RAY M O N D , W A. D AILY 10 AM - 7 PM Anyo ne fro m a ny sta te , a g e 21 a nd o ve r c a n purc ha se pro d uc ts a t M r. D o o be e s. On Hw y 101 betw een Raym ond & South Bend M ile M aker 56 This pro d uc t ha s into xic a ting e ffe c ts a nd m a y be ha bit fo rm ing . M a rijua na c a n im pa ir c o nc e ntra tio n, c o o rd ina tio n a nd jud g m e nt. D o no t o pe ra te a ve hic le o r m a c hine ry und e r the influe nc e o f this d rug . The re m a y be he a lt h risk s a sso c ia te d m w ith c o nsum ptio n o f this pro d uc t. F o r use o nly by a d ults tw e nty-o ne a nd o ld e r. K e e p o ut o f re a c h o f c hild re n. 22 | March 31, 2016 | coastweekend.com 2870 O cean Ave Raym o n d W A 98577 r d o o b ees.co m •m r d o o b ees@ g m a i l.co m •360-875-8016 Lysichiton americanus American skunk cabbage Story by LYNETTE RAE McADAMS Widespread from north- ern California all the way to central Alaska, L. americanus thrives in wet, low-lying woodlands and swamps across the 3aci¿c 1orthwest, Eloom- ing profusely (and dramatical- ly), from March through early June. Known commonly as Western skunk caEEage, yel- low skunk caEEage, or swamp lantern, this fascinating plant emerges as one of spring¶s ¿rst offerings, rising up from the soggy ground with a luminous yellow spathe (a kind of spe- cialized leaf) wrapped around a Elossom-Eearing central stalk, called a spadix. In the language of science, the plant takes its name from two Greek words, “lysis” and “chiton,” which, in comEina- tion, mean, “loosening tunic” — a perfect description for this well-dressed woodland native. But make no mistake: while its looks are certainly striking, it¶s the skunk caEEage¶s pun- gent smell that really makes it stand out. Flowering when tempera- tures are still too cool to sup- port our planet’s more glamor- ous pollinators — the Eees and EutterÀies — this plant, still governed Ey the need to repro- duce, is forced to follow one of nature’s ¿rst rules: Make do with what you have. To that end, it releases a foul-smelling odor that comEines the aromas of skunk spray and rotting meat — essentially the Chanel 1o. of the insect world — attracting carrion Eeetles and scavenging Àies, who move from one stinky spadix to the next, ful¿lling an age-old part- nership in Eotanical procre- ation. Beloved Ey Elack Eears Must coming out of hiEernation (or in our area, torpor, which is more like a lazy grogginess), skunk caEEage acts as a natu- ral laxative and helps the Eear get its digestive tract up and running after a long nap. But don’t get any ideas: all parts of the plant carry nee- dle-sharp crystals of calcium oxalate, which, when con- sumed Ey humans (or most critters, for that matter), pierce the lips, tongue, and throat, causing painful swellings, pa- ralysis, and in extreme cases, death. Of course, there are ways around that. 1ative Americans discov- ered that the toxic effects were nulli¿ed when the roots of the plant were Eoiled or the leaves dried, and they used skunk caEEage as a starvation food (read: complete last resort) and also medicinally, to treat Eurns and inÀammation. More hap- pily, the large, tough leaves of the plant (which can grow to feet in length), also served to line Easkets and wrap ¿sh for the ¿re, earning the plant its ¿nal common calling: Indian wax paper. Submitted photo Lysichiton americanus, or American skunk cabbage, growing in the wetlands of Beard’s Hollow in Seaview, Wash
