May 2011

West Seattle software developer Monster Costume is sponsoring what they are calling Monster Costume Memorial Day Bash on Alki Monday May 30. Monster Costume is hiring West Seattle's newest food service Alki Dog (a high end hot dog service) to serve hot dogs at a deeply discounted price for the event.

They will be located on Alki just adjacent to Wheel Fun Rentals in the 2500 block of Alki Ave. beginning at 11:00 am.

But that's not all. As the developers of last years iPad hit, Bartleby's Book of Buttons, (currently FREE on itunes for the time being) they will be showing on the beach directly across from the Alki Dog cart, the first 6 pages of the next edition of that title that people are invited to stop by and play with on iPads set up for the purpose.

Kyle Kinkade, CEO of Monster Costume said, "We love Alki, hot dogs, parties and the iPad so we wanted to combine them to introduce people to our newest creations, Alki Dog and Bartleby's Book of Buttons Vol. 2."

By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

Just about everyone eats ramen noodles. Those precooked, dried noodles are a quick favorite in college dorms, cafeterias and on backpacking trips.

Quick they may be, but low in sodium they aren’t! We’ve surveyed several brands and realized that not all ramen noodles are the same. Some had a quarter of the salt as others. Even the lower-salt packages aren’t ideal. Eating one will still have you well on your way to your daily 2,000 mg salt limit.

The best way to use ramen noodles is to buy the type in a block and avoid using most of the seasoning, since the majority of the salt is in that seasoning pack. Use just 1/2 teaspoon of the seasoning packet to keep the salt down. You can pump up the flavor with other low-salt additions.

Ramen Noodle Soup for Two
2 cups water
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup leftover meat, chicken or 1 egg
1 pack ramen noodles
3 ounces diced tofu
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ramen seasoning packet
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

Just about everyone eats ramen noodles. Those precooked, dried noodles are a quick favorite in college dorms, cafeterias and on backpacking trips.

Quick they may be, but low in sodium they aren’t! We’ve surveyed several brands and realized that not all ramen noodles are the same. Some had a quarter of the salt as others. Even the lower-salt packages aren’t ideal. Eating one will still have you well on your way to your daily 2,000 mg salt limit.

The best way to use ramen noodles is to buy the type in a block and avoid using most of the seasoning, since the majority of the salt is in that seasoning pack. Use just 1/2 teaspoon of the seasoning packet to keep the salt down. You can pump up the flavor with other low-salt additions.

Ramen Noodle Soup for Two
2 cups water
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup leftover meat, chicken or 1 egg
1 pack ramen noodles
3 ounces diced tofu
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ramen seasoning packet
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

For the second year in a row, a Foster High School graduating senior has won the highly respected Sullivan Leadership Award from Seattle University.

Kimberly Foster, 18, was chosen out of 312 applicants nationwide as a recipient of this scholarship. The Sullivan gives her a full-ride, 4-year scholarship to SU; her tuition, room and board will be fully covered.
The Tukwila student did not expect to win this award, which is given to only nine graduating high school seniors throughout the United States.

"I didn't feel like I would [win]," she said. "These people are so competitive!" Foster described the other Sullivan applicants, saying one young lady actually started a horse camp for children with autism. She said she was shocked each time she was moved on to the next phase.

After applying, qualifying applicants are told to attend Sullivan Leaders' Day. Here, the theme is introduced via an article and applicants are instructed to write an essay related to the article.

This year's theme was "The causes of methamphetamine use and the drug's impact on individuals, families, and communities."

On May 14th, a group of dedicated Burien neighbors joined together to build seven rain gardens in an effort to protect Puget Sound, reduce flooding and attract beneficial birds and butterflies.

These neighborhood cluster rain garden projects require a champion to contact neighbors. Stephanie Berg was a great champion on her block on Southwest 150th Street. She was able to convince six other neighbors that the gardens look great and also serve many beneficial functions.

Berg just bought her house and this gave her a chance to meet new friends on the block.

"Beyond solving a flooding problem, I really appreciate that I'm helping to protect our local stream and Puget Sound," Berg noted.

This project was funded through a generous grant from Boeing Charitable Trust and additional funding is being sought to install more rain gardens in an adjacent neighborhood.

The non-profit Stewardship Partners and Washington State University are working with communities across Puget Sound to build 12,000 rain gardens by 2016 collecting polluted runoff before it reaches local streams and waterways.

The first community garden and pea patch in Des Moines will be dedicated, Saturday, May 28.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at Sonju Park, 24728 16th Ave. S., at 10 a.m.

In 1996, Daisy Sonju and her family donated a 9.3-acre parcel, formerly her family home, to the city of Des Moines.

The city created a master plan to develop the property as a conservancy park that included an orchard and community garden, picnicking, open space, creek and recreational trails.

In 2010, with volunteer leadership, the city in collaboration with gardening advocates (funders, sponsors, volunteers) began to clear the orchard and plan for a community garden. The garden is complete, pea patch plots have been assigned, and planting has begun.

Daisy's Garden includes the pea patch, demonstration beds for local elementary school groups, an herb garden, seating areas, and planting space for the Des Moines Area Food Bank and a raised bed for senior services programs.

The Seattle Pho-Natics is a lively, talkative group, but when the pho is served, you'll likely only hear the clicking of chopsticks and slurping of soup. Members are fans of pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup, and meet monthly to sample and critique restaurants.

Their quest to find the best pho in Puget Sound recently found them at Burien's Pho La Vang restaurant, 217 S.W. 152nd St., on May 17.

"It's fun to get together and discuss something that we all have in common," says Sean Hoops, president of Pho-Natics.

Hoops and his coworker Tracy Wellington, vice-president of Pho-Natics, founded the club in 2009. Both are Harborview Medical Center nurses who bonded over years of shared, pho lunches.

"There have been times when I've eaten pho at least four times in one week!" laughs Hoops.

Their enthusiasm inspired others and a core group began joining them as they tried new restaurants. Christening themselves the Pho-Natics, they made t-shirts emblazoned with their slogan, "Di _n ph_!", Vietnamese for "Go eat pho!" and publicized themselves through Facebook. Membership is currently free with nearly 170 online supporters.

I just read the Times/News. It sparked a response-a combination of ideas that I have thought of before.

Let's make our liabilities into assets. "Looking on the brighter side," anyone? For example, treat shortages as residents of Maine do. In winter they can't get out to buy an item. "Make do," and they are proud of this.

Also, cooperate. I like the illustration of the persuading the common people to build the Burma Road in World War II. The speaker asked the strongest man in the audience to break a whole bundle of sticks. He could not. So the individual sticks were passed out and each could break one stick.

I sometimes think that if 10 people can only each afford one tenth of a trip, none can go. However, if they pool their money, one can go. (Moslems do this to go to Mecca, one of their five pillars.)

A local example is for the parks department. If it cooperated in a compact with other South Sound parks departments, they could buy more parks.

Also, make use of volunteers. My mom was big on volunteers and recognition of their contributions.

Don Mathison
Federal Way

(Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to the Highline School Board with a copy to the TIMES/NEWS.)

In spite of the economic difficulties we all face, I agree with others who have stated that middle school music programs aren't simply a bridge between elementary and high school programs, but the key to their very existence. We've learned throughout this district that if there is no strong choir or music program at the middle school program, that efforts at the elementary school level suffer, then languish, effectively making them targets for elimination.

Lacking feeder students, the high schools lose reason for offering those programs. We have been incredibly fortunate that Pacific has had strong parental and district support for the full choir and instrumental programs, and that has fed into Mount Rainier's successful music program.

The weather forecast was for rain on Saturday, May 14 but it turned out to be a beautiful Seattle sunny day.
Friends of Hicks Lake wish to thank the 59 volunteers for their time and hard labor to place a smile on Lakewood Park / Hicks Lake. You performed a GREAT job, girls and guys.

Numerous gallon-size potted Elm trees were planted. Thank goodness for the following rain to give them a good start in their new location. A follow-up summertime watering plan needs to be devise to help them survive.

New lawn sod was installed where a vendor's truck ran over the curb and destroyed the grass. This has happened previously with this vendor driving over the curb and grass.

A truckload of branches, limbs were also removed from around Hicks Lake.

Several bags of litter were removed from around the lake.

Large amounts of vegetation were removed from around two large high Evergreen trees to help them survive.