Nostr notes by Good Stuff NW (Unofficial)

Guest Essay: Expert Tips and Tricks for Great Holiday Gatherings ...

2026-10-26T03:45:32Z

Guest Essay: Expert Tips and Tricks for Great Holiday Gatherings

My friend Mary Bartlett, writer and author of Throw a Great Party, among other works, recently posted an essay about how to host a gathering. I thought it was incredibly appropriate, not only with the holidays rapidly approaching, but because gathering with friends can help us feel loved and cared for in these fraught times.
With holidays approaching, some of us are starting to think about giving a party. Others of us are hoping to go to one (or more). Socializing is a great way to bolster good cheer and optimism. It takes us away—at least temporarily —from our laptops and screens and connects us with community. So here are some suggestions and tips that might help with your decisions. It's party time!
What type of party?
Cocktail? Potluck? Dinner party? BBQ? Shower? Tea?
Cocktail: the cocktail dînatoire* is very popular and pretty easy. Basically drinks and a self-serve buffet (mainly room temperature foods).
Potluck: economical and pleasant for people who like to join in.
BBQ or an outdoor party: casual, stand up, weather permitting.
Shower: baby or bridal; usually has a limited number of guests.
Tea: pleasant for some and won’t last too long.
A crab feed or shrimp boil is fast, easy and casual.
Guests
Who should I invite? Depends on the type of party.
Number of guests? For a cocktail party, the guest list can be fairly large—say 30 people (or less). A dinner party in your dining room? Six or eight (depending on your space) is pretty doable. An outdoor party is a good way to include children—they can generally amuse themselves, run around, and sort of stay out of the way!
Who to invite? Neighbors, friends, relatives, workmates. And the guests don’t all need to know one another—it makes for more interesting encounters.
Invite people you know and like even if they are not party-givers. That doesn’t matter—some of the most interesting guests love to go to parties but don’t like to give them!
Make sure there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Food
I do not ask guests if they have ‘allergies’—after all, they know what they can and cannot eat. Try to have an assortment of foods so that there will be something for everyone.
The Bar
For a cocktail party, have beer, wine, and some soft drink (such as sparkling water) available for self service. Set up this bar away from the food and have a bowl of nuts or potato chips available for nibbling. People tend to linger at the bar, and if you have the bar and the dinner together, the line gets long.
If you do make a cocktail, folks will love that but do this for a small group—you don’t want to be mixing cocktails for too long.
Tom and Jerrys are a classic holiday drink that guests can serve themselves.
Dress
What you wear is, of course, dependent on where you live and the customs there, but generally, if you are the host don’t overdress. It might make your casual guests uncomfortable.
Likewise, if you are a guest and want to gussy up, feel free—it might give your host some pleasure.
Space
When having a party with a fair number of guests, don’t worry about the size of your space. You can tell when a party really gets off the ground when everyone stands up! You don’t need a chair for everyone (unless it’s a tea party for your grandma).
A more recent phenomenon is mask-wearing in crowds: Some of your guests may wear masks and, as with allergies, they will know why they need them. No need to question this.
Paella is a great solution to feed a crowd or just a few.
Invitations
Email or telephone is typical and generally works well. Unless you are having a more formal event (a bridal shower, for example), a written invitation isn’t really necessary.
If you are having a group of friends, you might throw out a couple of dates and decide on the one that fits best. This is practical since so many have various working hours.
Sending a reminder a few days in advance is a good idea. Some people are slow to answer or they may not have marked their calendars.
Preparation
Some suggestions from personal experience:
Decide on your menu and write a shopping list.
Do your shopping close to the party date—you don’t need to load up your fridge a week in advance.
Very experienced and daring cooks might decide to make a dish they have never cooked. But for most of us? Don’t experiment. Make something that you how to do and most important, know how long it takes.
Do any prep work and baking (if you are making a dessert) a day in advance. Finish up on the day of the party.
BUT! An hour before the party, stop with preparations. Relax, take a shower, read the paper. What makes guests really uncomfortable is to have the host , sweaty in a grimy apron, running around madly cooking, setting the table, grabbing glasses and so on.
Successful Parties
Parties that feel relaxing and welcoming.
The food is plentiful and appealing but not overloaded.
Dinner parties for a small number take the most preparation (the courses, table setting, etc.) but are the most intimate and very appreciated.
The cocktail dinatoire—mentioned earlier—is a great way to entertain. Self-serve drinks and a buffet of food give guests plenty of choice and a light meal or a full one depending on what one eats!
* A French-born cocktail-and-dinner party hybrid

http://gsnwtest.baupe.com/2026/10/guest-essay-expert-tips-and-tricks-for-great-holiday-gatherings

#party #great #tips #essay #marybartlett #cocktail #holiday #bar #bbq #make

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Discovering Our Northwest Waterways: Kayaking Lacamas Lake I can ...

2026-10-24T03:01:57Z

Discovering Our Northwest Waterways: Kayaking Lacamas Lake

I can already tell that my paddling adventure is going to much more than a way to get out on the water—admittedly my personal happy place. After only two outings, it's challenging my ability to absorb new information, move in new and sometimes daunting ways and—at 71 years of age—to accept some of the limitations that come with being an older person.*
It's also teaching me about the waterways that are such a critically important part of our life here in the Pacific Northwest.
Kayaking trip? You bet!
When my friend Keith suggested a paddling trip to Lacamas Lake just across the river near Camas, Washington, I jumped at the chance. The weather was going to be spectacular—this fall has been one for the record books in terms of warm-but-not-too-hot days—and the lake was fairly close, just a half hour drive away. Plus it would give me practice in launching from a dock rather than the shoreline, an important skill.
The lake is a bit more than two miles long, with the boat dock located at the south end of the lake, making it a challenge to row to the other end where Lacamas Creek flows into the lake. The water level was very low, partly due to the severe drought affecting nearly 90 percent of Oregon, but mostly because of the the annual drawdown of water to repair the dam at the south end that creates the lake.
We saw people running, biking and walking the trail along the lake's edge, and there was even one group sitting in lawn chairs fishing from the shore. A blue heron lumbered by looking like a pterodactyl's cousin, and a snowy white egret strolled through the aquatic plants exposed along the shoreline. While the lake was mirror-like when we started in mid-morning, by the time we reached the north end of the lake a light breeze had kicked up from behind us, riffling the water and making the paddle back to the dock slightly easier.
Perfect day, perfect paddle.
Having seen evidence of blue-green algae near the dock, when I got home I was dismayed to read this from Wikipedia:
"One of the reasons the lake cannot support many fish is because of severe pollution from phosphorus, nitrogen, ammonia, as well as lack of circulation to the deeper parts of the lake. This allows a detritus sludge to form that is devoid of oxygen, not allowing the organic compounds to break down efficiently. The phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia collect in the lake water and the lake bed from polluted streams that run into the lake after passing through farm fields, barnyards and subdivisions."
I immediately thought of the paddle-boarders I'd seen while we were out and, more alarmingly, the group of gentlemen who were fishing from the shore.
Reading further, I discovered that local residents concerned about the water quality of the lake and the larger watershed got together and formed the Lacamas Watershed Council (LWC) in 2019. According to Terris Becker, the organization's vice president and secretary, the LWC, the city of Camas and the Clark County government began working together to make significant efforts to improve the water quality in the lake and its tributaries.
Led by the LWC, that meant regular testing of the water to provide early detection of the presence of toxic algae along with community outreach to home owners' associations about reduction of toxic runoff from fertilizers and pesticides into waterways. Becker said that while the LWC does not have enforcement authority, its educational outreach to homeowners and farmers has begun to yield positive results.
Becker added that from mid-April through June visitors can often find a field of native camas lilies in bloom in nearby Round Lake, which is connected to Lacamas Lake and also features miles of hiking trails for visitors.
* Extra points if you notice that I'm holding my paddle upside down in the top photo. Keith alerted me to my faux pas and, gosh, if it didn't make a difference!

http://gsnwtest.baupe.com/2026/10/discovering-our-northwest-waterways-kayaking-lacamas-lake

#lake #lacamaslake #pacificnorthwest

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Good Groceries: Getting Good Food to Rural Areas, Supporting ...

2026-10-16T03:23:18Z

Good Groceries: Getting Good Food to Rural Areas, Supporting Producers

Kristy Athens founded Good Groceries in 2020 to deliver local produce, proteins, and value-added foods from Northeast Oregon's farmers, ranchers, fishers, and small producers to their neighbors' homes and workplaces. "It's everyone working together to bolster our local economy and get good food to people," she said.
Athens moved to the Northwest from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1995 and, after bouncing around the region for a few years, began studying for a masters in food systems management at Marylhurst University. After getting her degree, she landed a job with the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District and came across a concept for a local brand called Genuine Wallowa County (GWC), which she then developed into a business packaging and selling gift boxes of local artisan goods.
Good Groceries offers seasonal produce from farmers like Aida and Felipe of Jimenez Farms
After three women farmers inquired about the possibility of adding their products to the GWC lineup, Athens realized there was an opportunity to support local food producers. GWC Provisions launched in June of 2020, and after selling the gift box business to another local entrepreneur, Athens rebranded it as Good Groceries in honor of her father-in-law, who would lean across the dinner table and say, “Gooooooood groceries!”
Currently delivering every week to drop sites in Wallowa and Union counties in addition to offering home delivery and shipping, customers order from the online store, paying with credit card or Venmo (delivery customers may use personal checks, cash, and SNAP/EBT).
With more than 50 vendors offering products from fish, meat and produce to health and personal care items, Good Groceries is helping support and build a more vibrant and resilient local food and agriculture system in a remote rural region.
Jams and jellies from Jean Collins in Heppner are favorite products at Good Groceries.
"Good Groceries shows what it looks like when a business's values and its daily work are the same thing," according to Tom Hering, co-founder of Benefit Corporations for Good, an Oregon-based certifier of purpose-driven small businesses. "Whether it's a same-day delivery for a family that's fallen ill, or taking the extra time to serve every SNAP customer with dignity, the mission isn't something added on. It's how the groceries get to the door. That's why we're proud to have certified them three years and counting."
With up to 80 percent of the retail price of an item going to the farmer or producer, Athens is also dedicated to donating a portion of Good Groceries' proceeds to local food pantries and other organizations like the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland. Her zero waste policy includes use of recycled packaging and donating food compost to local farmers for their animals. She's also just added an electric delivery van through a Healthy Food Financing Initiative grant made possible with support from regional nonprofits Ecotrust and MESO that support food entrepreneurs across Oregon.
With produce getting picked a day or two before customers get it, "it’s super fresh, and it is grown by your neighbors,” Athens explained, emphasizing that virtually all the proceeds from Good Groceries stay in the community. Farmers, producers and satisfied customers from North Powder to La Grande, Enterprise, Wallowa and Union are cheering.

http://gsnwtest.baupe.com/2026/10/good-groceries-getting-good-food-to-rural-areas-supporting-prod