May 2013

In the early game at Mel Olsen Stadium the Chief Sealth Seahawks took control of the Raiders of Nathan Hale. After getting through a scoreless first inning the Seahawk put three runs on the board in the top of the second and never looked back. Steady pitching, as always, came from Marley Lucas. Lucas went the distance with seven steady innings allowing only one earned run and three “K’s” in a 6-4 win.

Lucas pitched himself, and the team, out of what could have been a disastrous seventh inning. With a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning and two outs Lucas got into trouble when he walked two batters to load the bases for Ingraham. But Lucas got the next batter to ground out to first baseman Mason Moe for the final out of the game. It was smiles all around for head coach Ernest Policarpio and his staff.

Coach Policarpio told this writer on the sly he hasn’t officially announced his starting pitcher but it would be his Knuckleballer Blaine Steele. “I really want to keep him (Steele) a secret from the private schools” said Policarpio. Obviously coach “P” thinks highly of tonight’s starter against Seattle Prep.

With her sturdy, yet angelic voice, evocative of Joan Baez, combined with her many no holds barred lyrics, Burien singer/songwriter, Allecia Clemons presents an intriguing dichotomy.

For example, in her 2007 release, "My F@?#ING THUNDER" (Not our edit. That is how she spells it) she forcefully, but pleasantly croons the track called "Hitler", an anti-war song, a response to Pres. George W. Bush stealing the 2000 election away from Sen. Gore, as she sees it, and the worry and grief mothers of soldiers experience. She said the song is also a response to the wrath the Dixie Chicks suffered in 2003 when their music was pulled from numerous country stations following reports that lead singer Natalie Maines said in a concert in London she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas" as a criticism of the war in Iraq.

Clemons' CD was played on over 500 college radio stations in America.

Her most recent CD, "working shift joan" is about our struggling economy and working for low wages. The CD reads, "...All songs were done with just one take. It's raw, uncut, and wonderful. There are mistakes. There is also magic."

Mother's Day is just around the corner -- as in, Sunday -- which means you darn well better do something for the woman who gave birth to you and made you who you are today.

Here in Ballard, we have some wonderful places to help you celebrate your mom. Here are a few things going on this weekend for Mother's Day.

Ballard Farmer's Market

An obvious choice is the Ballard Farmer's Market, which as usual happens Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Old Ballard Ave. You have fresh produce (for a fresh, tasty Mother's Day meal), flowers and, uh, earl grey tea jelly.

That last one is a suggestion from the Farmers Market blog. It reads: "Mom’s love earl grey tea jelly, and Mothers Day is just a week away. Deluxe Foods has these lovely jars of it, all ready for you to present to mom at breakfast next Sunday, so you’ll get the day started off right. Cuz remember… when mom’s happy, everybody’s happy!"

Swansons’ Annual Mother’s Day Ikebana Exhibition

Ask an Expert @ West Seattle Tool Library
Thurs, May 16, 2013, 6-8pm
4408 Delridge Way Southwest Seattle, WA 98106

This month the West Seattle Tool Library's Ask an Expert forum celebrates spring with tips and ideas for creating amazing outdoor spaces. Parie Hines from LD Arch Design will discuss green roofs and Doug Elfline from Mighty House Construction will talk about decking solutions. The presentations begins at 6:30.

Each month the Tool Library brings together our community's experts to provide advice on your home and garden ideas. From light-hearted transformations (like early blooming flowers) to heavy-hitting ones like rainwater catchment, building an addition, or becoming an urban farmer and everything in-between, our experts will give you the power to understand and tackle your challenge.

This month the following experts will be available:
Sustainable Home Renovations | Mighty House Construction
Edible Gardening + Urban Farms | Gray Sky Farms
Green Architecture | LD Arch Design

Bring your inspiration, inquiring minds, and projects. They’ll bring the experts and the pizza!

In the wake of the May 1 death of Federal Way cyclist Lance David, Seattle City Councilmember and West Seattle resident Tom Rasmussen announced he is actively working to secure a plan to improve the road and bike safety along E. Marginal Way S.

In his monthly newsletter, Rasmussen addressed the stretch of road riddled with cracks, rail lines and heavy industrial traffic that can make for a dangerous combination for commuters trying to cross the road to get to or back from West Seattle in their commute.

While the specifics of David’s death are still being investigated, it is known that he collided with the rear wheels of a semi truck at the intersection of Marginal Way and S. Hanford St. Seattle’s cycling community rallied to call for improvements to this and other routes across the city, and a memorial for David was placed at the intersection where he lost his life.

This Saturday is the monthly Ballard Art Walk, from 6 to 9 p.m., and as usual, there will be plenty of wonderful art to look at on what looks to be a nice sunny evening.

During the Art Walk, artists open their studios to the public and neighborhood businesses host local art on their walls. The Ballard Art Walk showcases painting, glass art, sculpture, performance, and more, in venues from Leary Way to Shilshole, and as far north as 65th.

For more info, visit ballardartwalk.blogspot.com. For a map, click here.

Here are a few highlights for this month's art:

Ballard High School students display art at Ballard Branch Library

By Rev. Judith Laxer

As a gardener, you engage with seeds twice during the year. Late Autumn for the gathering from what is dying and late Spring for the sowing of what will grow. You’ve been preparing the beds for the last few months, removing weeds, adding compost. You’ve walked around deciding exactly how you will rotate your crops this year, deliberating whether or not you will get the best yield if you plant the same crop in the same place as last year where they did so well. Some say never do that, some say all that matters is that the soil is amended, so plant at will. You’ve changed your mind again and again, but that’s part of the fun.

Though it’s a safer bet to plant vegetable starts here in the short Northwest growing season, and you do, there is something about the mystery of seed that is too intriguing and exciting to ignore. So you get the sweet pea, pumpkin and nasturtium seed you harvested last year, and walk from bed to bed holding them in your green-thumbed hands, imagining their fruition, listening as they silently tell you which ones want to grow here, which ones there. Now is the time to get them in the Earth.

By Maggie Nicholson

An old compass, corroded at the edges, lies on the dashboard of my car. The arrow spins quickly, like arms lurching outward, as the car navigates bends. The road is unfamiliar, and on one side water moves as one morose glob, slurping magnetically at little rocks. I am leaving an interview with George Wade on his late wife Arlene, and am left with his words. I watch the radial turns of the compass hands: unexpected, rapid and brief. I had asked how Arlene Wade became involved with the Duwamish: an Indian tribe she grew to help and love profoundly.

“Life doesn’t always happen A to B to C to D,” said George. “Sometimes you jump from A to H, then make a zig to Z, only to come back to B after that, without even trying to.”

Arlene Wade’s life will be remembered for its positive influences. Her paths and direction, whether carried on the wind or imprinted by fate, led her to greatness, success and charity in countless fields.

By Corbin Lewars

I, like many other adolescent girls, had a fascination with all things equine. I was fortunate to have a best friend who owned a horse and had access to a stable of horses. One day, this friend and I were living our dream of galloping free along endless trails. The dream turned to a nightmare when my horse spooked, tried to buck me off, and instead dragged me for several hundred feet along rocky terrain. My foot finally freed from the stirrup, releasing me to the ground. Although I was scared, shaken, and possibly only semi-conscious, I knew I had to get right back on that horse otherwise I would fear horses forever.

By Cassandra Baker

2:00 a.m., May 6. N 80th St and Aurora Ave N

A man was shot in the torso while crossing Aurora in the middle of the night on May 6. The victim and his brother, both in their 20s, were crossing the street at 2:00 a.m. when a vehicle drove up and stopped. The victim and his brother got into a dispute with the vehicle’s occupants, and the vehicle drove away, but then circled back. One of the car’s occupants fired several shots at the brothers, but only one was hit. The vehicle then sped away.

Seattle Fire responded to the scene and treated the victim, who was transported to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries. The uninjured brother was too intoxicated to provide a suspect or vehicle description. At the date of the report, the investigation was ongoing and Seattle Police was soliciting any relevant information, including anonymous tips.

2:40 p.m., May 3. 17th block of NW 59th S