Weekly Wrap-Up

Clallamity Jen Podcast

Weekly Wrap-Up

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Friday Podcast

Clallamity Jen

Jan 16, 2026

It’s Friday, January 16, 2026.

Here are some of this week’s highlights:

Talking Taxes:
1. Monday started with my Very Special Monday Podcast, What No One Knows About Tax Resistance.
  1. I started doubting if I should have put it out; after receiving feedback both in comments and in person, I’m glad I did.
    1. People have expressed that my podcast has confirmed for them that tax resistance is not the way to go; I was also told that my podcast was recommended to someone who has started talking about tax resistance.
      1. My experience doesn’t make me feel great about my past choices, but if my experience and story can help people redirect their thinking about going down a dark path that didn’t make my life better, and most likely won’t make their life better, that makes me feel like I can accept my mistakes knowing something good has come from it all. I only wish I could get a tax credit for it.
        As of today, four days after publishing the podcast, there have been 187 downloads.
2. A challenge I’ve had with taxes, and I doubt I’m the only one, is learning how to accept taxes and try to find the good in them.
  1. Listening to the Clallam County Watchdog’s podcast, Good Samaritan Breaks His Silence, reminded me of the good that taxes can do.
    1. Austin Wolfley, the Good Samaritan who stopped an attack on a Clallam County Bus, at one time worked as a custodian in the Sequim School District. He rode the bus to work, and rode his electric bike home along Highway 101 after his shift ended late at night; an hour-long journey back to his home in Port Angeles.
      1. Hearing that made me think that my property taxes were part of what created his salary — and that makes me feel good about paying my taxes; knowing someone like Austin benefited from them; a hard-working, blue collar worker and local resident who took action when someone needed help on the bus he happened to be riding one day.
        While my taxes fund things I don’t agree with, and pay some people’s salaries who I doubt deserve it, there are also people like Austin who are serving this community. Knowing that gives me a better perspective on the good my taxes are doing even if I can’t see it all the time.
Clallam County Letters:
1. Issues 8 and 9 were published this week, on Monday and Thursday
2. There are now 127 subscribers with new subscribers every day
3. Based on the comments, while not many, people do enjoy the content and seeing what people are writing to elected officials
  1. There are more views than likes and comments
4. The challenge — not many letters are coming in
  1. I understand if people don’t want their letters published, but for those who want their letters to be seen by more than the clerk and maybe the commissioners, if they read them at all, please add my email address to the CC or BCC fields so that more people can see the letters
    1. Audience:
      Washington (88%)
      California (6%)
      New Jersey (2%)
      Texas (2%)
      Washington, DC (1%)
      1. More people than locals are seeing these letters, and that is my goal with Clallam County Letters — to have local voices heard in places beyond the borders of Clallam County — but I can’t do it without people’s letters.
        This isn’t just for Clallam County government; it’s also for Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks, the state of Washington, and federal government too. If you’re in Clallam County and emailing elected officials or government offices of any kind, that is a public record, and more people can see it on Clallam County Letters.
        When others see these letters, they can learn how to write their own letters, learn that they are not alone, and learn something new based on what is in the letters.
Sequim Monitor:
1. I sent off some new questions to Andra Smith, the executive director of the Sequim Food Bank.
  1. I had two questions left in comments, and then I added some of my own. I am waiting to publish the questions along with the answers.
    1. I received a response from Andra that they are working on some end-of-year tasks right now and that she will work on the questions over the weekend; when I receive the response, I will post my questions and her answers complete and unaltered.
      1. Based on the poll I did in my Food for Thought: The Response article, what matters most to people at the Sequim Food Bank is Transparency and Communication, coming in at 60%.
        Hiring Practices and Salaries ties for second with Food Collection and Distribution, both at 13%; third is a tie between Annual Reports and Oversight by the Board, both at 7%.
2. There are now 130 subscribers:
  1. Audience:
    Washington (84%)
    California (8%)
    New Jersey (3%)
    Arizona (1%)
    Montana (1%)
3. I’ll be putting out a new article soon, hopefully before the weekend is over; nothing as in-depth as the Food for Thought article.
4. As a reminder, the Sequim Monitor is a platform for others to submit content.
  1. I only make it into Sequim one day a week, so I’m not out in the community every day seeing what is going on.
    1. If people are into photography and not into writing, Sequim Monitor is a great place to share public photography so others can see what is going on.
      1. There isn’t a hard and fast rule about the content, since this is so new, but just that it focuses on Sequim — the community, the people, the government, the events, the issues.
        Contact me clallamityjen@gmail.com with submissions or questions too.
Jake Seegers Event:
1. Tonight (Thursday) my husband and I attended a nice community gathering for Jake Seegers in Port Angeles.
  1. I did get to meet Jake towards the end, as he was busy fielding questions and talking with many people; he sounds just like he does in CC Watchdog podcasts.
    1. It was nice to talk with him and ask questions, and just see how he is in person; he’s real, he’s genuine, and has good ideas that aren’t being implemented currently.
      1. I do have an interview lined up with him later in February, in case people were wondering; so, you can submit questions to me and I’ll post reminders as the time gets closer.
  2. I had a great time meeting people tonight, putting faces to names from the Watchdog community — and seeing people’s faces when they learned I was ‘Clallamity Jen’ along with my ‘Strait Shooter’ husband.
    1. Many people told me tonight, including Jake, that the content my husband and I are doing is appreciated, whether for the humor or for being another voice in the movement, as the Watchdog calls it and I agree that it is a movement.
      1. While I think “I just make memes” as if it’s nothing super serious compared to the in-depth reporting Jake does, and the issues Jeff writes about, I recognize the impact it is having from comments and feedback; it makes me feel good to provide that to people, to make them laugh, and maybe think a bit too, and especially to let them know they aren’t alone out here in what they’re thinking or experiencing.
        It was also great to see Doug and Marge, two people I’ve interviewed and now have good friendship connections with, and Jeff of course too. It was a great event and many thanks to the hostess for the gracious invite.
Lastly, the Strait Shooter:
1. A new Friday edition comes out at 6:16am.
  1. A few of the highlights include the new grant machine at the casino, a wave of micro-taxes from the county, and an appearance from Equity Person, the superhero of county government (not a superhero of the people), along with quick hit headlines and a letter to the editor about a new business coming to Sequim.
    1. It’s a great way to end the week and start the weekend, with lots of laughs.
Saturday Podcast:
1. My husband will be interviewing me with a list of questions he had ChatGPT generate from analyzing my blogs, and that will be out tomorrow.
  1. Also, my husband is now my podcast recording engineer; since he goes to all my interviews, now he will be helping with the recordings and making sure the quality is good.
    1. The interview with Doug had some sound issues; we figured it out later and have some new mics now, and some other technical things my husband worked out, using ChatGPT to troubleshoot it, of course.