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I took a new path at the park on Wednesday and got

I took a new path at the park on Wednesday and got a pleasant surprise. I had never seen these trees growing here before, but there was a whole hidden grove!Can you name this plant?A couple of hints:1. It’s super easy to recognize by its peeling bark. The sloughing surface is red, revealing green underneath. The tree photosynthesize is with its skin as well as its leathery, evergreen leaves.2. It’s closely related to a couple of also-native medicinal plants commonly used for urinary tract infections.If you know this plant — or think you do — leave a comment below that tells me what it is without naming it.Game in!

Fall along the river.

Fall along the river.

Today the garden reminds me that life goes on.

Today the garden reminds me that life goes on.

One person at my Friendsgiving dinner last night i

One person at my Friendsgiving dinner last night is at high risk, so we all (double vaxxed) did COVID tests before coming over.They are pretty easy to do. Here’s how:It starts with a thin swab, sort of like a Q-tip but really narrow. You insert the swab about 3/4 of an inch up one nostril, spin it around four times, repeat on the other side with the same swab.Next step: There’s a little tube with liquid in it. You open the top, and insert the swab you just had up your nose into that liquid. Stir a little, and leave it there for a little over a minute. (Set a timer.) Toss the swab when this is done.Third step: Open a test strip and insert it into the tube with the arrows pointing down. This needs to sit in the liquid for 10 minutes. Set another timer.Final step: Pull the test strip out and look at it closely.A negative test is a single blue line (pictured.) Positive is a blue line and a pink line. A pink line alone means something didn’t work.I’m still not a huge fan of relying on testing for much of anything. A positive test is useful because it tells you that you clearly need to quarantine. A negative test doesn’t mean you’re not sick, or that you haven’t been exposed. It just means the test didn’t pick it up when and how you did it.In other words, testing is not prevention. (Unless you test positive and stay home, preventing the spread to other people.) Masks, vaccines and smart choices are prevention.So why did I, double vaxxed, even do it? Three reasons.✅ An at-risk friend requested it. That’s reason enough.✅ I’m just back from the riskiest trip I’ve taken since all this began – including eating indoors and a fair few subway rides where half the folks in the car did not have masks with them, despite the rules. I had no symptoms, but I couldn’t say I had no risk. So I tested.✅ I am a doctor. Knowing firsthand how these tests work benefits my patients and maybe some of you reading this on social media.The hardest part of home Covid testing is finding a kit. Pro tip: Call first.We all want this to be over. It’s not yet. But at least we have more tools now than we did a year ago. Let’s use them.

Today I am thankful for my beloved family and frie

Today I am thankful for my beloved family and friends, the beautiful places I get to live and visit, and the growing visibility of injustice and the work to address it.These are hard times, and we are not all the way through them. There is no sugarcoating this fact — and sugar isn’t great for you anyway.The trick is to find some joy anyway, not as a distraction but as nourishment to continue to fight.Photo taken on Cowlitz land. (Does anyone know how to set a Land Acknowledgement as the official location?)#Thanksgiving2021 #TheFightIsNotOver #WhoseLandAreYouOn

Sun setting above the river few weeks ago.It’s

Sun setting above the river few weeks ago.It’s the time of year to appreciate every bit of light we can.For those of you who get SAD, remember: even on our darkest winter days here in the Pacific Northwet, gray daylight is brighter than almost anything you’ll get indoors.It’s important to venture out regardless of the weather.So consider this a prescription get good rain gear!

Big-leaf maples have big leaves.

Big-leaf maples have big leaves.

Fall along the river.

Fall along the river.

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