Author: North Coast BBQ

the green japanese maple trees on my steep hillside have been at it again, producing 1000’s (yes, this years it’s THOUSANDS) of tiny seedlings.

i don’t know what variety they are, only that they have green leaves, and that they are flung in abundance from seven green japanese maple trees.

any one who wants them may come and get as many as you like. the digging is MINIMAL, only a trowel needed. just give me an email reply (babbles@nehalemtel.net) or call my cellphone 503-812-4637. i live in nehalem.

happy planting!

om peace namaste

lucy brook

Students should not go without due to the $2,775,000 shortfall due to the decline in forestry funding. No district can operate year to year with such uncertainty. A new system must be put in place for funding to be stable and reliable because children’s well being are at stake. They are our future and should be treated with the care and concern they deserve.

Until such a new system can be put in place, this levy of approximately a few dollars each month for property owners must be passed so the district can assure the children and their families continued and growing pathways to success. Success for a student in the district means success for us all.

Paula Real

The current proposal to increase the transient lodging tax (TLT), which will be on our upcoming May 20 ballot, is an effort to leverage money from tourists and visitors to pay for services caused by their presence here, and that makes sense to me. Due to our visitor population, we have added costs that include road maintenance and public safety services and it’s appropriate for the visitors to pay for that. 

As the owner of a short term rental in Tillamook County, I don’t pay the lodging taxes.  Those taxes are paid for by the guests who stay at my rental.  And while an increase in the lodging tax, especially a forty percent increase, might cause my guests to flinch,  I still think it’s fair that they pay it.  If visitors don’t pay for these additional costs, then those costs must be borne by all county residents and I don’t think that’s at all fair.  

However, there is one aspect of this TLT system that irks me, and that is the state mandated 30/70 split, whereby 30% of the lodging tax dollars go into the county general fund, while 70% must be spent attracting tourists to our area.  I know that in our county we have worked hard to allot some of that 70% on facilities that benefit visitors and residents alike, nonetheless, this split creates a hardship on our county budget.

I am willing to accept an increase in our TLT, but as part of this change, I would like the commissioners and the county to commit to putting resources towards pressuring the state to change the 30/70 split.  Even a 50/50 split would be a big step forward.

Vivi Tallman
Nehalem Oregon

A New Moon Is Rising…Indivisible

New Moon in Taurus April 27th 2025

Take a moment to do something deeply pleasurable

Posted on April 27, 2025 
by Editor Tillamook Pioneer
By Madame Dana Zia

My dear beloved Earthlings,

The time has arrived with this Taurus New Moon on April 27th, for us to ground. There are so many temptations to spend time in our heads and out of our bodies right now. The temptations are fast, furious and full of forcefulness but they are empty.

What has meaning and soul is being grounded on the Earth right now.
We have come through the gauntlet of the Eclipses that were the last two Lunar cycles and are on the other side. All planets are now direct and moving forward. Neptune has moved into Aries and is stirring the warriors in our souls. The weather is warm, flowers are blooming and bees are buzzing. We are being called to action!
But first…… let’s remember to ground and bless the Earth we stand on.
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The Taurus New Moon is always a blessed time to run our roots into the ground and feel the strength of our Mother Earth. Turn your attention away from the glaring chaos of the world and focus on getting outside and walking barefoot on the Earth. Listen to the birds and the sounds of nature. Breathe. Be.
Today is certainly a great time to garden. It is also a time to do something deeply pleasurable with NO GUILT!

Taurus season is also about creation since it is a time that the Earth is in full bloom and life is sprouting from the Earth with zeal. This is a particularly potent time to start a creative project that you have been dreaming up but haven’t taken the time to do it.

The old saying “practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” is very fitting of this season. Taurus is shined on by Venus the planet that represents beauty, creativity, love and pleasure. Those are exactly what a Taurus values.

In honor of this New Moon, I picked up rocks at the beach today to paint. I’ve had a vision to paint them and leave them around in public places as gifts. Today I’m going to start it! Walking on the beach, picking up rocks for a creative act of kindness felt so deliciously in tune.

One word of warning, this New Moon has a volatile aspect with Pluto and Mars so walk lightly on the Earth. You will probably get an opportunity to have a hostile encounter with someone, please breathe and don’t react. This is a bridge burning sort of aspect so think before you get “bull headed” and light the blow torch.

I had this opportunity come up today with someone very dear to me. I’m so pleased I knew about this aspect and relaxed into kindness.

Most importantly, relax into an unhurried day filled with the wonders of nature. Do something that is an Earthly pleasure with no guilt. Turn off media, lay down your phone and feel gratitude for our beautiful Mother Earth and the moment.