Stories by Monika Spykerman

Columbian staff writer

(360) 735-4556

Monika.Spykerman@columbian.com

You might not know it, but your yard is a regular frog highway. You can help native frog species thrive by making a few simple changes to your yard.

Make a froggy haven in a Clark County yard

June 3, 2023, 6:02am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive

If your yard isn’t the neighborhood’s tidiest — if it has a few fallen branches, overgrown shrubs and a couple of overturned pots — you can officially stop feeling guilty. Why? Because you may be just the hero that local frogs are looking for. Read story

Vancouver Master Chorale schedules auditions

June 1, 2023, 3:32pm Clark County Life Free

Vancouver Master Chorale is auditioning for all voice types. Read story

With sharp cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan, pimientos, scallions and two tablespoons of fresh rosemary, these muffins are practically a meal in themselves.

Muffin Masterpiece: Cheddar Rosemary Muffins hit the spot with soup, breakfast or whatever strikes your fancy

May 31, 2023, 6:03am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive

I have a lot of rosemary. Three rosemary plants are growing in our backyard, 10 in the front yard, plus another rosemary in a big pot. Two rosemary plants with yellowing leaves aren’t very happy. They cast withering glances at me every time I walk by, muttering pointed questions about… Read story

Morgane Starke, 23, helps to make a quilt for her father, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, at a recent Quilts of Valor session. This is Starke's first experience with a quilting circle.

Stars, Stripes and Stitches: Vancouver group sews quilts for service members, veterans

May 28, 2023, 6:03am Clark County Life

Every Friday at noon, a small but dedicated group meets at Miki Landis’ Vancouver sewing shop, Enchanted Rose Emporium, armed with needles and thread. For five hours, they cut fabric, run the longarm sewing machine and complete thousands of stitches. They share bits of their lives as they share scissors… Read story

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, right, and Gold Star mother Meredith McMackin, far right, walk toward the Clark County Veterans War Memorial in 2021, during a wreath laying ceremony as part of a Memorial Day observance at the Fort Vancouver Artillery Barracks.

Try this: Memorial Day ceremony, Vancouver Ballet Folklorico, Officers Row anniversary

May 25, 2023, 6:00am Clark County Life

Never forget Read story

Mango Sticky Rice a sweet Thai treat that’s delightfully easy to make

This Thai dessert marries super-sweet mangoes with super-sweet sticky rice drenched in coconut milk.

When I was in college, I accompanied my parents on a trip to Thailand. My memories of that time are accessible only through a haze of powerful emotions, because my reason for tagging along was that I desperately wanted to see the young man I hoped to marry. I met… Read story

Greek herbs, lemony orzo and tangy tahini make meatballs marvelous

With a garlicky lemon orzo, crunchy Greek salad and addictive lemon tahini sauce, your meatballs will never be the same.

May 17, 2023, 6:00am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive

Sometimes you just need a meatball. It’s meat, but round, which is the shape of so many good things in life: Christmas ornaments, Lindt chocolate truffles, beach balls and atomic nuclei. Although meatloaf contains basically the same ingredients as meatballs, I don’t like meatloaf because its oversized brick shape gives… Read story