December 2009

Remember when you were a kid and you wrote letters to St. Nick, ticking off the toys, the dolls, the bicycles that you desperately wanted, no..needed in the days before the Jolly Elf made his annual appearance?

I could try to pull a tear from you, my readers, with a sad story about a little kid who only wants world peace, but truth be told, kids are materialistic little critters, pawns of the television merchandising machine and when they don’t get what they want, you may expect a serious, week long pouting session.

I asked Mrs. Anthony what she wanted and what she got for Christmas gifts as a child and her first answer was, ‘A Raggedy Ann doll.’

I thought that was sort an ordinary gift, but she explained that the doll that ‘Santa’ brought was nearly five feet tall. Now that’s a good memory.

How about you? What particular gift did you get for Christmas, and was it what you wanted? I asked a few locals about their experience.

My friend Kraig responded first;

Several times in England the English chose to bring in a new king from elsewhere. George I, was from what is now Germany and didn’t even speak English, and William and Mary came from Holland.

Federal Way, in a sense, now faces some of the same challenges as these new monarchs faced in England as the citizens of Federal Way bring in a new Mayor and a new school Superintendent.

New Monarchs, and I would guess Mayors and Superintendents, would want to take a close look at the situation in their new fiefdoms and then decide how they might improve them.

Perhaps, in the case of Federal Way the previous powers didn’t take this closer look as they seem to believe that “All is well.”

What would the citizens of Federal Way want to do to improve Federal Way? A look at all of the vacant office buildings, a lack of well
paying employment opportunities, some significant crime issues and an education system that is not well regarded by employers might be some of the issues for the new Mayor and Superintendent to think about.

Several years ago I was on a flight from Dallas to San Francisco. My seatmates turned out to be two executives from one of the premier

Couth Buzzard Used Books, the Greenwood store that closed its doors in September 2008, is hoping to reopen Dec. 16, but the owners need a little volunteer help to get ready.

Owner Theo Dzielak said in an email that they could use help sorting and shelving thousands of books.

Couth Buzzard purchased 6,000 unsold books from Ballard's Epilogue Books when that store closed earlier this year.

Couth Buzzard closed when it lost its lease on its Greenwood Avenue location. But, teaming up with Lynwood's Espresso Buono Coffee and Cafe has allowed the former owner and manager to reopen at 8310 Greenwood Ave. N.

The new store will be a bookstore and cafe with a space for community meetings and live events.

"The store looks great – a blend of that old Couth 60s funk and Italian cafe, Dzlieak said in the email. "What a marriage."

The Dec. 16 opening date is tentative because the New Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Cafe must first pass a final health inspection.

If any neighbors are available to help stock books this week, they should call the store at 206.436.2960 or Dzielak at 206.418.9522. This weekend, Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, will be all-day work parties.

Precious is a Fourche, and if you've never heard of that breed before, it's ok. "She's West Highland Terrier and Yorkie Terrier," said her owners Jan and Janice Kelly. Precious is a pure bred acquired from a breeder in Renton.

The breed is named after the French people who created it according to the Kelly's, "They were hunting dogs," said Janice. "She is the most loving dog, loves everbody, she snuggles and cuddles," said Janice. But maybe her most endearing trait is what she doesn't do. "She does not shed hair," said Jan.

Precious is also a good housekeeper. She makes her own bed. "She gets in her bed and gets her cover and moves it around to get it exactly how she wants her blanket and then she goes to sleep," said Jan. "She wants you to go to bed when it starts getting dark out,"said Janice," If I'm busy in the kitchen she'll come up and nudge me on the back of my leg like, 'Come on! It's time to rest.'"
Precious loves chicken jerky, made for dogs, but normally eats Natural Choice dry dog food.

The Kelly's normally walk Precious around the neighborhood where they have lots of hills and she seems to enjoy it.

I think we’re being watched.

I was on my annual search for things to use in our miniature gardens the other day and found out that our little hobby is quickly becoming a definite trend. I was scouting Michaels Crafts, and JoAnn’s Crafts to see if there was anything we could use, or adapt, for our mini garden holiday decorations.

I think they are on to us…

And it looks like our work is paying off, my friend! Miniature gardening is quickly becoming a favorite form of “going green” and the big box stores have finally caught up to us. After all, it’s the perfect blend of two favorite hobbies: miniatures and gardening.

Maybe somebody has been monitoring us along the way?

Browsing the aisles at Michael’s Crafts, there were multitudes of different miniature ornaments to use! Small nutcrackers, tiny wooden trains, satin balls, there was even a mini version of those collectible blown-glass ornaments for a little old world charm. (Pun intentional.)

Do you think there are spies watching our Facebook page?

By Andrew Dziedzic, staff member to 36th District Rep. Reuven Carlyle

The names, addresses and signatures of those who sign initiatives and referendum petitions would be public information under legislation introduced Dec. 7 by 36th District Rep. Reuven Carlyle.

“Initiatives and referendum are part of the soul of our state’s history from the progressive era of the 1880s, and this bill is an effort to make it clear that the public deserves full, open and transparent access to petitions,” Carlyle said. “Signing a petition is your fundamental constitutional right, and with that right comes a public responsibility to ensure our state provides open access to that information.”

Carlyle believes legislation will clarify the state’s intent that public access to this information improves the initiative and referendum process.

“It’s the public’s right to solicit signatures, and it’s the public’s right to access signatures,” Carlyle said.

The legislation, House Bill 2418, explicitly states that referendum and initiative forms, and the names and addresses contained on them, are open to the public.

For the second year in a row, a gaggle of four-foot snowmen in the Greenwood-Phinney area will raise money for the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club.

Twenty-nine Seattle artists decorated snowmen, which are available for purchase through an online silent auction. All proceeds benefit the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club.

The Snowmen on Parade will be outside Greenwood and Phinney businesses all week leading up to the monthly art walk Dec. 11.

Snowmen locations are listed at www.artupgp.com.

Proceeds from the sale of snowmen will be used to purchase Boys and Girls Club memberships for children whose families are unable to afford the annual fee.

The Second Annual Snowmen on Parade Auction will be hosted at SPACE at 9 p.m. on Dec. 11.

With the new year just around the corner, King County Metro Transit is alerting riders of several changes that will take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Those changes will affect transit fares, pass products and how riders transfer between buses and trains in the region.

Metro fares going up
Beginning Jan. 1, Metro riders will see a 25-cent increase in adult and senior fares. Youth fares will remain unchanged. The increase will also apply to other Metro fare products such as passes and ticketbooks.

The fare increase is one of several approaches Metro is using to help ease the effects of a severe budget shortfall. In addition to fares, Metro is pursuing a number of other strategies to deal with the shortfall including efficiencies and staff reductions.

Standard transit passes shift to ORCA

The four candidates selected by a Council-created advisory committee met today with the Metropolitan King County Council to discuss why they want to become the newest member of the Council, filling the seat left vacant when Dow Constantine became County Executive.

The Council’s Committee of the Whole interviewed Jan Drago, Zack Hudgins, Joe McDermott and Sharon Nelson on the vacancy in Council District 8. The four finalists were selected out of 11 applicants interviewed last Thursday by the 12-member advisory committee of community leaders and elected officials who live or work in Council District 8.

“I want to thank the advisory committee and the candidates for their work. Each of the candidates were very well qualified and would do a good job representing the citizens of District 8,” said Reagan Dunn, chair of the Committee of the Whole. “It will be a very difficult choice but I am committed to making sure the citizens of District 8 are represented as soon as possible.”

Marta Justus Foldi, well known for her work with Spring Valley Montessori School in Federal Way, died December 1. She was 72.

Marta was born July 5, 1937, in Oradea, Romania.

She emigrated to the United States in 1948 with her parents Madeleine and George Justus, ultimately relocating from New York City to Seattle in 1949.

In her adult life Marta lived and worked in Seattle, New York, Chicago, Cleveland, and Atlanta, and traveled extensively with her husband, opera singer Andrew Foldi.

Most recently she was Director of Community Relations at Spring Valley Montessori School in Federal Way, the non-profit school owned and operated by her family since 1951.

Marta passed away peacefully on December 1, 2009, due to complications arising from a stroke and ovarian cancer. She was a strong woman, who had survived breast cancer with grace and courage. She was deeply loved and an instant friend to all who met her, and will be greatly missed.

She is survived by her mother Madeleine, brothers Peter and Robert, sons Gregory and Christopher, and grandchildren Sydney, Julia,
Nathaniel, Quinn, and Tate.