La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

As we dive into spring, our minds may turn to what new things it will bring. Certainly the birds will sing, and the trees will spread their pollen, and some insects will buzz, when they flap their wings. Some of us have been busy reading and writing, trying to figure out what to share, and what to keep in. Sometimes some of us struggle with all sorts of notions, and motions. How do we explain ourselves so we come off like a soothing lotion, rather than a spouter of toxic quotations?

I know that I sometimes come across quite gruff, I write about some pretty complex stuff, a new dike design, salmon rearing in the schools, some folks who know not who I am, may think of me as a mixed up can of spam. For those of you that know me, know that I’m neither cruel, nor a fool. I’m more like a talking tool, capable of teaching important things, sometimes I cause people to drool. Sometimes a few folks think of me as stubborn as a mule, while others think of me as a jewel, a diamond in the rough, as tough as raw-hide, with a twist of sick humor thrown in on the side.

About those things that I profess, I must confess, I try to know a lot about those issues that I address. I’ve lived here for a long time, it’s not always easy to come across as a soft caress, I must admit that I have a few times come across like cold slime. I can get as frustrated as a crab in a trap, or a duck in an eagle’s talons. I think of myself as an educator, farmer, biologist type character, a person who has studied the needs of students, farmers, fisherpersons, planners, commissioners, tribes, agencies and engineers. Yeah, I’ve been a lifelong learner, and now I’m trying to share that knowledge and wisdom gained. Maybe one of you readers can help me develop a plan.

Glen S. Johnson

Skagit Valley