Best of 2021

Being Here Things

Jesse Clyde

Courtesy of Jesse Clyde.
  • dry leaves clicking against silent-blue sky
  • windy light-shift of branch shadow on a dusty window
  • pools of heart-warm love collecting here and there
  • hello hugs, goodbye hugs, and somewhere in-between hugs
  • little blanket tunnels of soft pink crochet light

Reasons to get vaccinated

Squinn

Photo by Lara from Pexels.
  • To keep yourself healthy
  • To protect your loved ones
  • To give new variants less change of emerging
  • To allow local schools and businesses to operate safely
  • To be a good citizen

Favorite YouTube videos

Jenni H

Courtesy of Let it Happen

Takeaways from 2021: Benefits of working from home

Beth

Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash.
  • I saved a bunch of money by being able to work from home, instead of going to an office.
  • By working from home, my day is much safer by staying off the road.
  • I did not get sick one time since being away from the recirculated office air and others who carry their sicknesses to the office.
  • I got many home improvements done.
  • I am not nearly as tired and stressed out working at home, nor do I have to listen to others’ boring gossip.

MVPs of 2021

Jess Howard

Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash.
  • Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Moderna
  • Oxford-AstraZeneca
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Bharat Biotech

Best places to ride your bike

Francesca Maier

Canada Geese at Chamna Natural Preserve / Photo by Kyle Pomraning.
  • The walk-up window at Amethyst Creamery
  • The double helix sidewalk south of PNNL
  • Chamna in the fall and winter
  • Your favorite restaurant in The Parkway
  • Anywhere you have an errand

Reasons for Hope on Climate Change

Steve Ghan

Photo courtesy of Steve Ghan.

Best Events of 2021

Noodles

Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels
  • Trump Lost!
  • COVID Vaccination approved for all teens
  • COVID Vaccination approved for all adults
  • Mariners run to the almost Playoffs
  • First Kraken game

Favorite Books of 2021

Durga

Photo by rikka ameboshi from Pexels.
  • The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
  • The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth by Jonathan Rauch
  • This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan
  • How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
  • The Heroine with 1001 Faces by Maria Tatar

Favorite places

BB

Photo by Ithalu Dominguez from Pexels.
  • Lotus of the Moon because I own it
  • The Space because I co-own it
  • Barracuda Coffee because it's my place to gather with family
  • Dovetail Restaurant because they are COVID conscious
  • Rollin ice cream because the owner is the real deal — authentic, kind, community-focused

Top 5 indie RPGs new to me

Brendan Quinn

  • Stone Top
  • Monster of the Week
  • 10 Candles
  • A Quiet Year
  • MÖRK BORG

Main image by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.