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3 minute read
Publisher's Letter
Photo by Karen Day
Dear Reader,
When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I’m a storyteller. In my opinion, this is the second most elemental human job, right behind being a parent. At this point in history, we are all equally hunters and gatherers, albeit competing for organic beef at Whole Foods and searching for what’s trending on TikTok. But imagine our early predecessors in caves. Sitting around the fire, after the mastodon was digested and the kids were asleep in its dirty fur, storytellers were the televisions and iPhones of yesteryear. Plato even wrote an allegory about this. Our job was, and still is, to offer information that matters to the audience. And some of us believe what matters most in the telling is truth. That’s why I started IdaHome Magazine four years ago. I suspect it also explains why our online readership has grown to more than 100,000 per issue. Of course, it helps that 20,000 copies are distributed for free—the photos beautiful, the topics relevant, and the people herein are interesting. Most important —the stories are true. Still, you the reader have the choice not to read IdaHome. Therefore, we— the writers, designers, and photographers who create these pages—are grateful that you choose to spend time with us. You honor us with your attention.
As a storyteller, I’m also a documentary filmmaker, and for my second film, I somehow was invited to work with the Dalai Lama. I spent months feeling unworthy with the fabled National Geographic photographer, Steve McCurry, following and filming His Holiness around East Asia. I even slept in his mother’s home in Dharamshala, India, where he resides since being exiled from Tibet by the Chinese. You’d think I’d be enlightened by now. Instead, I’m just trying to figure out the simple answer he gave me to the complicated question we are all struggling to answer about humanity. “Why can’t we all just get along?” His answer: “Compassion is black and white.” Oh.
Since 'tis the season of compassion (and bah-humbug), our final issue of 2022 revolves around the holidays. Arianna Creteau delves into the ethical and environmental dilemma of buying a real or artificial Christmas tree. April Neale interviews John Ondrasik, the lead singer of Five for Fighting, an activist using his voice to support Ukraine here in Boise and beyond. The fascinating history of Brundage Mountain in McCall is told by April Whitney. We travel to Twin Falls to learn how Riverence, the largest sustainable producer of fresh trout in the United States, is preserving the pristine waters of the Idaho aquifer. There’s also plenty of good old-fashioned holiday events and pretty pictures to inspire you to put down IdaHome Magazine and enjoy the festivities.
BTW- I forgot to tell you that we’re starting a NEW magazine! IdaHome FLAVOR, the premiere guide to Treasure Valley restaurants, breweries, and wineries—with lovely photos, celebrity chef interviews, and incredible FOOD—arrives this month! Find it online at www.idahomeflavor.com and throughout the Treasure Valley, McCall, and Sun Valley. FLAVOR is all about good taste and raising a glass to 2023!
Have a happy IdaHome holiday!
Karen Day