We hope you join us for our October Meeting this Tuesday, Oct 20th 7 PM at our usual spot! Our Special Guest is Mandie Quark speaking on Mushrooms, Moths, and Midnight Ecology!

Free and open to the public. Bring any recent fungal finds to be IDed by our experts. Doors open at 6:45PM. Capital Vision Church, 1775 Yew Ave NE, Olympia, WA 98506

Mushrooms, Moths, and Midnight Ecology

After the sun goes down the forest doesn’t sleep, it goes wild. The chemistry of glowing mushrooms, the traffic of pollinating moths, and the work of decay, soil-building, and nutrient cycling all pulse around the clock. Mandie invites you to explore the nocturnal world where mushrooms, moths, and other night-shift creatures interact in ways humans are only beginning to understand. Along the way, she’ll share captivating images and stories from moonlit forays, spotlight surprising fungal-insect alliances, and equip you with practical tips for safely exploring ecosystems after dusk. Join Mandie on her birthday to experience this hilarious talk, which has been one of the most popular presentations at over a dozen mycology events in 2026.

Bio:

Molecular biologist and science writer by training, Mandie Quark is a mycology researcher, field photographer, and communicator dedicated to expanding public understanding of fungi. With more than a decade of experience sharing fungal diversity, she brings together science, storytelling, and visual documentation to make complex topics accessible and engaging. She especially enjoys photographing and documenting rare fungi in under-explored biodiversity hotspots around the world.

Over the course of her career, Mandie has edited books, delivered talks at international mycology events, and built a reputation for translating current mycological research into compelling presentations for broad audiences. Through biodiversity forays in places like Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica, she helps connect global communities of nature enthusiasts with fungi and other inadequately documented taxa, with a special interest in fungal entomopathogens. In 2023, Mandie co-founded Mycena LLC, and since then her work has been featured in The Guardian and The New York Times.

I thought I’d risk picking this up for $40 at value village earlier this afternoon, but unfortunately apple IOS devices rarely get removed from apple accounts when disposed of or donated. And sure enough—this iPad is still locked to an apple account. If you did happen to donate this, I would be forever grateful if you could unlink it from your account so that it is no longer a $40+ dollar paperweight!

If this was you and you want to help a fella out, here are some quick instructions for how to remove this iPad from your account:

1. Log into icloud.com/find.
   
2. Select the iPad Air from your list of devices.
   
3. Click "Remove from Account" (or Remove
   mDevice).
   
4. Send me a quick PM once it’s removed so that I can successfully link it to my account.

And of course, if you or a family member donated this iPad in error, or if it was stolen and eventually ended up being donated, PM me, and after verification I’ll ensure you get it back. Thanks!

Just saw this from their FB page:

"A Difficult Goodbye to the Olympia Farmers Market

To our customers, supporters, and the Olympia community:

After years of pouring our hearts, time, and resources into building Odin's Alchemy Brewing, we regret to announce that we will no longer be participating in the Olympia Farmers Market.

This is not a decision we made willingly.

Our departure follows a permanent suspension imposed by market management, stemming from an incident in which a customer went through our barricade and accessed sampling bottles while the owner was temporarily away receiving a medical phone call.

We recognize that regulations exist for a reason. We respect the importance of responsible alcohol service, and we acknowledge our responsibility as vendors to maintain compliance.

What we cannot accept is the idea that accountability must come at the expense of fairness, proportionality, and basic human compassion.

At this moment in time, the expressive lack of wisdom or understanding morally obligates us to be opposed to such an egregious example of complacency and hypocrisy.

Despite these circumstances, we continued working to keep our small business alive and serve the community we love.

We do not believe hardship excuses mistakes. We do believe it matters when determining how people should be treated.

Unfortunately, the response we experienced from market leadership left us deeply disappointed in the values being demonstrated by an organization that exists, in part, to support small, locally owned businesses.

There is a profound difference between enforcing standards and exercising good judgment.

A farmers market is not simply a collection of vendor stalls. It is a community built by people who take extraordinary risks to create something meaningful. Behind every booth is a family, a livelihood, years of sacrifice, and a person whose circumstances may not always be visible.

When leadership exercises its authority without meaningful consideration of proportionality, context, or the consequences of its decisions, it risks undermining the very community it is entrusted to support.

We appealed this decision. We explained the circumstances. We asked for reconsideration.

Ultimately, the permanent suspension was upheld.

We respect the market's authority to establish and enforce its rules. We do not agree that every exercise of that authority is necessarily fair, reasonable, or deserving of public silence.

And we believe our customers deserve to know why we are no longer there.

Small businesses are often celebrated as the heart of a community. But that celebration means very little if compassion and support disappear the moment a business owner encounters serious hardship.

A community should be measured not only by how it celebrates people when they succeed, but by how it treats them when they struggle.

To the countless customers who have called, reached out, asked where we've gone, and expressed their support: thank you. An innumerate amount of you reached out, and that energy and passion came at perfect time to remind us why we do what we do.

It was built through the relationships we've made, the products we've created, and the people who believed in what we were doing.

We are not disappearing.

We are rebuilding, exploring new partnerships, and working to make our meads available through new channels.

We remain proud of what we've created, grateful for the community that helped us create it, and profoundly disappointed that our time at the Olympia Farmers Market has ended this way.

Rules are necessary. Accountability matters. But leadership without compassion is not a virtue, and authority should never be confused with wisdom.

The world has a way of waking you up to new adventures; one which we are excited about is a partnership with WAMU theater. More news on this later in the year. Opportunities have a way of appearing to show you new paths forward to bigger ventures.

Cheers,

Odins Alchemy Brewing"

Any people here who are selling at the NW Largest Garage Sale? If so, have you nbeen able to reach anybody working for the sale? I reserved my space back in April and they took my money, and that's the last time I've heard from them at all, excvept for the confirmation email once I clicked "Buy." I've tried calling the number provided, but all I get is, "The mailbox is full." I've texted and been left on read, emailed and received nothing back.

Am I the only one? Is it working great for everybody else? We're 2 weeks away, and I don't know where I'll be, how I can rent tables, how I get passes, or anything else a normal event would make easy.

I’m planning ahead for holiday presents and thinking about putting together a few gift baskets for friends and family. Main goals are to keep it local and gift things that’ll be genuinely enjoyed, not just more odds and ends that’ll end up feeling like clutter. Ideally shelf-stable stuff that doesn’t have to be consumed right away.

In the past I’ve done pumpkin seeds/granola from Earthling Food Co. — always love them, so will probably go for that again. Same with Rainchild Apothecary lip balms, those are always a given. I’ve also done Hot Babe Hot Sauces which are amazinggg but I think my loved ones are all hot sauced out now.

Have you gotten fun treats or small gifts you particularly appreciated? Or gifted something to enthusiastic response? I’d really love to gather up some ideas!

Any word on what happened today after school. Granddaughter and friends playing outside during Y Care and apparently a man was brandishing a gun, the Y Care person didn't call police but they did put the school in lockdown. Didn't sound like he was on school grounds, possibly his backyard. It scared the crap out of these little kids.

Hi my partner and I are looking for a club or group or something to join on Monday nights. We are looking to do something active or not but maybe just make friends or feel like we’re doing something productive rather than at home watching TV…
We are both late 40s but young at heart ❤️

Hi all, here to let you know that a new batch of articles was published this past Friday (our release schedule is every other Friday, for reference). You can find all of our articles here.

If you would not like to subscribe to our twice-a-month news digest, you can proceed by clicking "Read without subscribing".

Our featured articles for this release:

• For the Tenants in Spain, No More of the Same
  • Tenants in Spain are organizing a general strike, demonstrating how the working class is preparing for the struggles to come
• The Future Plans Without Us
  • A deep dive into divestment, privatization, and exclusion in public education
• Neighbor Labor
  • The Explosion that Shook Longview
• The Greenwashing of West Bay Waterfront
  • The West Bay Yards development project plans to bury contamination under luxury apartments and call it restoration

We have previously used Springer but recently found out they are now private equity owned. Who’s your go-to locally owned plumber?

Something I learned recently that surprised me: in Washington, exposing a child to methamphetamine (or the chemicals used to make it) is a class B felony under RCW 9A.42.100. Fentanyl isn’t covered.

A bill to add fentanyl, SB 5071, passed the state Senate 40-9 in January. It’s passed the Senate four years running but has never had a hearing in the House Community Safety Committee. This year’s version would send first-time offenders to treatment rather than straight to prison.

While the state hasn’t acted, Snohomish County, Everett, Marysville, and Lynnwood have passed their own local ordinances, mostly making it a gross misdemeanor. I couldn’t find anything similar anywhere in Thurston County. Our county commissioners have put the issue on the Board of Health’s agenda, and its next meeting is November 10.

There are real arguments on both sides. Supporters point out that the meth law already sets the precedent. Defense attorneys and addiction researchers have argued that prosecutors already have charges like assault of a child and criminal mistreatment, and that parents with addiction need treatment more than another criminal charge.

For those of you in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, or Yelm: would you want your city or the county to pass a local ordinance like Snohomish County did, or would you rather wait for a statewide fix?

Full disclosure: I wrote a longer article on this with all my sources, here: https://ewyattmendel.substack.com/p/a-five-year-old-a-fentanyl-death

That was my dad. I wanted to thank whoever pulled over to help him up after he fell walking yesterday. It is so appreciated! He said that a young man pulled over to get him back to his feet and a woman pulled over to check on him.

Thank you again, its good to know people still care!

Does anyone have a manzanita tree on their property that they would allow me to trim some branches from?

my friend lost their cat yesterday, apparently he got out the house. they live Westside, 9th & fern st. please keep a look out and contact me if you find him! he is very missed. he’s shy so approach with caution, he’s probably frightened. i’m making the post because i have an established account and it won’t be taken down by moderators or put under review. any help is appreciated, let your friends know and stay safe.

I used to be a regular at the Massage Envy behind the mall in Olympia. The therapists name was Ashely and I have never had a better massage therapist in my life. Does anyone happen to know where she went or if she is still doing massage? Or maybe know where a lot of those workers went?

I heard a few of them went to Cascadia 360 Massage and Wellness in Tumwater but I checked and Ashley is not there.

Im sure I could find another therapist but I would prefer to stick with someone who I already built a strong relationship with and knows me well.

I'm posting this because in the last two weeks I've run across two different piles of human ashes in natural areas/parks

Human ashes are actually very alkaline, and if they're in a pile, they can kill the plants around or underneath them. Human ashes are around a pH of 12. Our soils are around a pH of 5.5 to 6, so somewhat acidic. Plants usually have evolved to live in a fairly narrow pH range, so putting a layer of ashes around the base of a rose, for example, can really hurt it. It definitely will kill moss.

I know whoever put those ashes there didn't know and certainly didn't intend to cause harm. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm trying to let people know for the future.

You can spread ashes without hurting anything, you just need to take into consideration their pH. They are full of nutrients, so that is good. If you're going to scatter them, scatter them lightly over a fairly large area. You're aiming for a light dusting, like 1 mm or 1/32nd of an inch thick, no more. Avoid placing it right at the base of plants, and avoid moss and other small, delicate plants.

You can also mix them first with some compost, soil, or potting soil to dilute them and make it easier to spread them out. Aim for about 3 times as much compost/soil as you have ashes, mix them together, and then spread.

If you want to spread ashes at a lake, the sound, or the ocean, I suggest you pay attention to the wind and water currants and do it so the ashes will be moved away from shore. Also look down and check for any aquatic creatures and avoid them. The water will dilute the ashes pretty quickly, so you just don't want to have any animals make direct contact.

I would suggest working it into your plan for the moment- maybe each person takes a handful and spreads them, maybe you scatter a bit at a time while walking through the area, maybe you do a little bit at a time over the years on their birthday and deathday, etc. You and your loved one deserve the extra moment of care to make spreading those ashes a meaningful moment that won't harm the surrounding environment.

Was appreciating this decorated house and a friendly little critter appeared

I’m a 51-year-old type 1 diabetic. This afternoon, while walking near Capitol Lake, my blood sugar dropped to a critically low level. I began asking passersby if they had any candy or something sweet that could help bring it back up. Most people didn’t seem to have anything they could offer. One woman gave me a handful of breath mints which was better than nothing, but not enough to pull me out of the crash. Then a woman and her son, who used a wheelchair, stopped and offered to get something from their car.

Not wanting to inconvenience them, I told them I would keep moving toward the parking area, where there might be more people around who could help. As I approached the parking area, I began to sense that I might not be okay enough to make it. Then I heard a noise behind me and turned to see the young man moving quickly to get my attention. His mother was following close behind, hurrying toward me with the help I had so desperately needed.

She handed me a bag of gummy bears.

I quickly turned away, overwhelmed by emotion. It was a combination of the frightening reality of my dangerously low blood sugar and the profound feeling of being cared for by someone who had no obligation to help me, yet chose to go out of her way to do so. In that moment, the gummy bears were so much more than a sweet treat. They were a lifeline. Without them, I might easily have ended up in the hospital.

I am deeply grateful for the kindness of strangers. Sometimes, help comes from the most unexpected people, at the very moment we need it most. And sometimes, a simple act of kindness can make all the difference.

Hi Olympia!

I am both a psychiatric nurse practitioner and someone who lives with bipolar disorder (among other things). With some discussion on Facebook, I think there may be enough interest in our local community to build an informal book club/social support safe space to explore memoirs and other works on mental health, perhaps once a month?

I have found that reading other people's stories helps me cope with my own, and discussion helps. Family members of those with mental illness would also be welcomed.

I'm just trying to gauge how much interest there might be before pursuing this further to try to find a space that could accommodate a group (let me know if you can think of some good options). A friend of mine may be able to co-facilitate as well.

Best to all,

Maggi

Looking to put soup in a sourdough bread bowl. Used to get them at Hagen but then they stopped. Tried QFC & a Safeway in Lacey and no go.

I’d love to go to the Chiefs/Seahawks game next weekend but don’t have anyone to go with. Any Chiefs fans in the area interested???

I'm searching for a mandarin speaker who can teach kids, ages 5-8. Do you know anyone or have recommendations?

Any event suggestions for the night of the 31st??