NOW MORE THAN EVER, IT IS CLEAR HOW MUCH WE RELY UPON THE COMMUNITIES WE LIVE IN.
From the local businesses who are able to stay open offering us groceries and pick up meals, to the front line workers at our local clinics and hospitals.
We think it would be a great idea to thank those in our community and recognize those people for all they do. If you would like to thank someone who has shown kindness to others, or give a shout out to your local grocery store, restaurant, retail or health care workers serving the Queen Anne and Magnolia area, we are offering 1/8 page size ads for only $25 (black and white) every week in the newspaper. The ads will all appear in a special THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY page.
Space deadlines are every Wednesday at 10am for the following week’s newspaper.
Please email your request to ppcadmanager@nwlink.com or call 206-461-1322, leave us a message and someone will return your call to get the details.
Queen Anne &Magnolia
FYXX Foundation’s
Tom Ohmart places a fertility control bait station at the future construction site of the 21Boston development in upper Queen Anne Avenue North, recently. The bait station was one of many placed at the location for a pilot program that aims to decrease rat populations through nontoxic means instead of the lethal poisons traditionally used.
Photo
courtesy
Tanea Stephens
Swapping poison for birth control
New pilot program employs nonlethal methods to decrease rat populations in Queen Anne
By Jessica Keller QA&Mag News editor
When a snowy owl touched down among the rooftops and trees on top of Queen Anne last
fall, Tanea Stephens, along with fellow Queen Anne residents and daily visitors, regularly flocked to the side streets off Queen Anne Avenue to admire and photograph the country raptor wintering in
the big city.
Affectionately named Yuki — the Japanese word for owl — the snowbird of prey gained celebrity status in Queen Anne. Stephens, the Washington director of Raptors Are The Solution, on the other hand, was concerned for Yuki’s safety. If the bird ate a poisoned rat who consumed a dangerous rodenticide in a bait box along an alley behind Queen Anne North, everybody’s favorite fair-feathered friend could die.
Stephens and other conservationists used Yuki’s time in Queen Anne to educate people about the dangers rodenticides pose to animals like raptors and other predators in the food web that normally eat rats.
“You don’t really need to use this really strong poison when there are other safer options,” Stephens said.
Now Stephens is expanding on
SEE PILOT, PAGE 5
Effort to protect Magnolia park view moving forward after hearing examiner decision
By Jessica Keller QA&Mag News editor
Members of the two community groups arguing against aspects of a development planned for the hillside below Ursula Judkins Viewpoint in Magnolia received a bit of good news last week after their arguments survived an initial challenge by the developer’s attorneys.
In May, the Magnolia Community Council and members of
the Last 6000, a Seattle environmental group focused on saving Seattle’s urban forest, each filed appeals to a Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections decision to permit OceanStar, LLC’s proposed development on the hillside below Ursula Judkins Viewpoint and above the Admiral’s House near Pier 91 and the Elliot Bay Marina. According to city documents, the project entails construction of two, three-story single-family
residences, a swimming pool and parking for 12 or 13 vehicles at 2500 W. Marina Place.
Last week, Seattle Deputy Hearing Examiner Susan Drummond agreed with OceanStar attorneys that some arguments presented by MCC and Friends of Last 6,000’s as basis for their appeals should be dismissed but ruled other arguments of MCC and Friends of the Last 6,000’s appeal considerations could move forward.
Of the arguments that are moving forward to the appeal hearings in August, Magnolia resident and retired attorney Ted Coulson, who is acting on behalf of Magnolia Community Council until a landuse attorney can be hired, said Drummond allowed arguments supporting each group’s main concerns to move forward.
While OceanStar attorneys are protecting the developer’s interests
SEE JUDKINS, PAGE 11
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For a Healthier You CHIROPRACTORS
DENTISTS
Queen Anne Dental Group
Dr. Frank J. Calvo & Family Cosmetic, Implant, & General Dentistry
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SERVING THE FAMILIES OF QUEEN ANN E SINCE 1991 1905 Queen Anne Ave N • 206.282.8275 www.QueenAnneChiro.com
Anne & Magnolia
Worship Services
Sunday Worship at 10am Live Streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube. Simply look for Magnolia Lutheran Church.
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In Person and Online Church Services
All are welcome & warmly invited to join these healing services
For best audio results, please join by clicking on the link from your computer or smartphone and choose “Call Over Internet”
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Sunday Services 11:00am – 12noon Pacific
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Swanson’s Nursery Marketing Director Aimee Damman reported that customers were eager to get into their gardens as soon as possible this year, leading to a ‘blockbuster April.’ Other nurseries in Seattle have stated their sales this spring have been better than average.
Garden or bust
Seattle nurseries report record sales but broken supply chains
Editor: Jessica Keller, 206-461-1310
Art Department: Guy L. Jackson, Production Artist
Subscriber Services | Circulation: Chris Lemmen, 206-461-1337
By Erica Browne Grivas Contributing writer
Last year was a blockbuster year for gardening businesses — and 2021 is already breaking those records.
According to a news release on prnewswire.com, Ferry Morse seeds, the nation’s largest home garden seed retailer, announced in April that first-quarter sales
had outpaced even last year’s, and a spokesperson for Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds confirmed the business’s January sales were up 500 to 600 percent from a typical year.
Locally, Magnolia Garden Center is also “busier than it has ever been,” owner Chuck Flaherty said, and after 24 years, Flaherty should know.
Magnolia Garden Center takes up less than a city block and
“We’ve had a lot of disruption in the supply chain, and we expect that to gon on for a while.”
— Chuck Flaherty, Magnolia Garden Center owner
focuses on helping the urban gardener. Flaherty said the business’s cozy size means customers enjoy
Photo courtesy Swanson’s Nursery
Magnolia’s Bookstore hosting book signing for local author
Magnolia’s Bookstore is hosting an outdoor book signing event for local author Peter Moe from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday in front of the bookstore on West McGraw during the Magnolia Farmers Market. Moe, a Magnolia resident and assistant professor of English at Seattle Pacific University, will be signing copies of his first book, “Touching This Leviathan,” Oregon State University Press, which can be purchased at Magnolia Bookstore and other locations during the event.
The book, which is comprised of essays and narratives, asks “how we might come to know the unknowable,” specifically whales, through essays and narratives. Moe said this book is a passion project of his, stemming from a fascination and awe of whales developed in childhood. While a central theme throughout, the book considers the large sea mammals through literary, theological and personal perspectives. In 2020, Moe led a team of more than 100 volunteers who assembled a whale skeleton now hanging in a SPU building. For more information on Moe and his book, go to peterwaynemoe.com.
Local teen conducting pet food drive to benefit Pasado’s Safe Haven
For the second year in a row, local high school student Darby Cheever, 14, has organized a pet food drive to benefet Pasado’s Safe Haven and its Pasado’s Pet Homelessness Prevention Program, which provides pet food to families in need.
In an email, Cheever’s father, Bart, said his daughter organized her first food drive last year after
CROSSWORD
reading how families had to give up their pets for adoption after losing their jobs in the pandemic or had to choose between caring for their pets or paying their bills because pet food can’t be purchased with food
Darby Cheever
2021 Nico Luiggi Scholarship awarded to two eighth-grade
graduates
Leila Jeneby and Elliana Wickline, recent eighthgrade graduates from Hamiliton International Middle School and McClure Middle School, respectively, were the 2021 recipients of the Nico Luiggi Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to two middle school students each year. Carmen Hagios and Ray Luiggi created the scholarship to honor their son, Nico Luiggi, who died at the age of
Seattle Polish festival celebrates Polish culture through costumes
Seattle Center Festál Polish Festival begins streaming at 11 a.m. Saturday at https://www. facebook.com/PolishFestivalSeattle. The ninth annual festival celebrates features costumes, music and dance, workshops, an in-person vodka tasting and a Polish embroidery workshop.
Dressed for Celebration, showcasing over 20 varieties of costumes from throughout Poland, highlights the one-day event. The 11 a.m. video features a costume exhibit, traditional folk dancing, singing and festival memories as it ponders the Polish landscape, folk
stamps.
During last summer’s food drive, people primarily from the Magnolia, Queen Anne and Ballard neighborhoods donated more than two tons of dog and cat food.
This year, Cheever enlisted a large group of students from her high school to actively promote the drive across the city. People can donate to the pet food drive through the end of July. To arrange for a donation pick-up, email seattlepetfooddrive@gmail.com.
13 in 2018, two months after he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a rollover collision that also killed two of his friends.
At the time of his death, Nico attended Hamilton International Middle School and delivered newspapers for the Queen Anne & Magnolia News.
The scholarship isn’t just awarded based on academic merit. Students much also write a two-page essay talking about their passions in life and plans after high school as part of the application process. To learn more about the Nico Luiggi Scholarship, go to http://www.nicoluiggi.org.
art and history that influenced the costuming and shares details on design and materials used to make the intricate outfits.
Seattle Polish Foundation and Polish Home Association will also host a fundraiser for Polish Festival Seattle from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., offering two-hour vodka tasting sessions, Polish appetizers and live music in-person at the Polish Cultural Center, 1714 18th Ave., Seattle.
Learn more and purchase tickets at https://polishfestivalseattle. org/vodka-tasting-fundraiser. The Polish Home Association also offers an embroidery workshop on that day.
View festival program details at: http://www.seattlecenter.com/ events/featured-events/festal/
polish-festival-seattle.
Seattle Center presents Seattle Center Festál: Seattle Polish Festival in partnership with Seattle Polish Foundation and with support from the Polish Home Association and Polish American community, who contribute their time, leadership and energy to the event. Streaming is free of charge. For more information, visit www. seattlecenter.com/festal or call 206-684-7200.
Seattle Center Festál highlights the culturally rich communities who help shape the character and course of the region.
The series, presented virtually in 2021, provides a forum for cultural groups to come together and share their stories with the greater community.
Magnolia author Peter Moe
Elliana Wickline Leila Jeneby
that work. With the help of the FYXX Foundation, an organization that promotes non-lethal wildlife management solutions, and a willing local pest management company, Stephens has launched the campaign Poison Free by 2023, a pilot program aimed at getting people, especially business owners, to stop using traps filled with these dangerous rodenticides in favor of a nontoxic fertility control solution, ContraPest.
BIRTH CONTROL FOR RATS
In one-year study conducted by FYXX Foundation in a mixeduse neighborhood in Washington D.C., the rat populations decreased by 99 percent with the use of fertility control bait. The upper Queen Anne mixed-business use study will see if similar results are achieved, Stephens said.
For the one-year pilot program, an FYXX Foundation scientist will guide Stephens and Parker Eco Pest Control through the process. Stephens said, basically, rats will be lured to drink the ContraPest in strategically placed bait stations. Rat populations are expected to go down as female and male rats are unable to reproduce.
Stephens said in an email that the average infertility of a rat free-feeding on ContraPest for a week is approximately six to nine months. Depending on the
Members of the Queen Anne pilot study deployment team stand by a sign declaring the future site of the 21Boston project on upper Queen Anne to be nontoxic and owl and puppy approved. Deployment team members on the left side of the sign are Queen Anne residents Isabella Stephens, from left, Tim Stephens, Isabel Lehmann, Ted Lehmann, Keelan Lehmann and Tanea Stephens. Standing on the right are Tom Ohmart, FYXX Foundation, Queen Anne Pilot Study Pest Control partners Wesley and Chris Parker, Parker Eco Pest Control, and Randy Witten, Nature First Pest Control.
rat’s age when it first consumes the fertility control, the rat could spend most of its life infertile because a rat’s average life span is eight to 12 months.
Best yet, Stephens said, is the rats metabolize the fertility control product in minutes, and other species who normally prey on rats,
such as owls like Yuki, are not affected if they eat a rat that has consumed the ContraPest. One of the big hazards of the anticoagulant rodenticides typically used for pest control is if an animal preys on a poisoned rat, that poison can also kill them. They can also poison songbirds and even children if they come across a bait box and consume the sweet-flavored rodenticide. In addition, unlike rat poisons, if the fertility control liquid spills, it dissipates within seconds and does not leach into the ground, Stephens said.
She said FYXX scientists will determine whether the bait stations are working based on the amount of ContraPest rats consume. The bait sites will be cleaned frequently, and the consumption of the Contrapest measured and refilled as needed, Stephens said.
As the number of rats goes down, Stephens said, less product needs to be set out in alleyways, and business owners save money in the long run.
At the end of the year, Stephens said, FYXX Foundation’s Dr. Loretta Mayer will analyze beginning consumption rates with the ending consumption rates and develop a hypothesis of the study’s success, Stephens said in an email.
“We hope to establish a protocol that can be used by other neighborhoods,” Stephens said.
STUDY LAUNCH
Stephens has already successfully enlisted the cooperation of local developer BarrientosRyan to participate in the pilot program for the upcoming 21Boston project, a large housing and grocery complex that will be built at the site of the current Safeway on Queen Anne Avenue.
The 21Boston project was a logical starting point for the pilot program because the city requires developers to take pest abatement measures prior to any demolition at future construction site,
Stephens said. Demolition at the future 21Boston site is slated to begin this fall.
“This will be the first time that a developer in Seattle is using a non-toxic fertility control rat abatement strategy for their demolition, which we think is really exciting,” Stephens said.
Maria Barrientos, principal developer for the 21Boston project, said the decision to participate was not difficult after speaking with Stephens and FYXX representatives.
“Once we understood the food chain and eating habits of other birds and animals, it was the right thing to do, so no poison is ingested by any creatures,” Barrientos said in an email. “… The snowy owl is a great poster bird for this effort.”
She said she was not surprised the city staff approved the nontoxic rat abatement alternative over the traditional rat poison.
“... The city is very aware of these issues, and they were super supportive,” she said. “It makes sense for all of us.”
Stephens said, since 27 fertility control bait stations were placed at the future 21Boston site in mid-June, monitors have already seen consumption activity at two sites in nearby ivy beds, which are nesting habitat for rats.
PHASE 2 BEGINS
With phase one of the pilot program complete, Stephens is now turning her attention to nearby businesses on Queen Anne Avenue between McGraw and Galer. While she would ideally like all businesses on that strip to participate in the pilot program, the goal is to enlist as many as possible. All the Best Petcare and Hilltop Alehouse were the first businesses to sign on.
Stephens said, thus far, her proposition has been well received by the retail employees with whom she has spoken on Queen Anne Avenue.
“This
will be the first time that a developer in Seattle is using a non-toxic fertility control abatement strategy for their demolition, which we think is really exciting.”
— Tanea Stephens, Queen Anne resident
“Nobody likes the idea of poisoning non-target wildlife with rat poison,” Stephens said in an email.
Once she has enough businesses signed on, more ContraPest bait boxes will be set out along Queen Anne Avenue.
“The fertility control works sort of like the [COVID-19] vaccine — we have to get a certain amount of participants for it to be effective,” Stephens said.
Meanwhile, Stephens is continuing her efforts to educate community members about the pilot program and the importance of eliminating rodenticides from the food web.
Last week, she hosted an informational Zoom meeting talking about the pilot program. People can watch the recording at www. raptorsarethesolution.org/PoisonFree-By-2023.
Raptors Are the Solution will also have a fertility control bait station for neighbors to check out, as well as tip sheets about sanitation, exclusion and rat-deterring bird feeding strategies July 15 at the 21Boston booth at the Queen Anne Farmers Market.
For more information about the FYXX Foundation, go to https://www.fyxxfoundation.org/. To learn more about RATS, visit https://www.raptorsarethesolution.org or https://www.facebook. com/RaptorsAreTheSolution.
Photo courtesy Tanea Stephens
How do mountains form?
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When you walk around on land, you are walking on top of earth’s rocky crust. Below the crust is another thick layer of rock. These layers form earth’s tectonic plates and when those plates collide with each other, they often form mountains.
To find out more about how mountains form, I visited my friend Julie Menard, a professor at Washington State University who is very curious about geology.
“When the collision happens, one plate will not simply go on top of another,” she said. “The plates will just push against each other, and over a long period of time a mountain will form.”
Menard told me that these tectonic plates are huge. The plates are about 77 miles thick, and they move very slowly — just about 2 to 3 inches a year. When the two plates come together, they push the rock upwards. It can take tens of millions of years for the mountain to rise up.
The plates move slowly, yet when they collide, they may not just help build a mountain but also shake things up. The movement from the plates can cause earthquakes, too.
Menard reminded me that a lot of mountain ranges on our planet are forming at this very moment.
The Himalayas, which are some of the youngest mountains on earth, are growing about 1 centimeter a
A basket of gems
By Steve Lorton Tree Talk
Like many garden stories, this one begins in England. If you’ve traveled through the country villages of the sceptered isle, you’ve probably noticed stone houses with stone shingles on their roofs. Atop these shingles, you may have seen low plants growing with waxy leaves, sometimes in bloom. These are stonecrops (sedum angelicum). Their presence is no accident. As has been the practice for centuries, these native plants were encouraged to grow there. They act as insulation, keeping indoor heat in during winter and repelling summer heat. They provide food and some habitat for birds and insects. They even have uses in naturopathic medicine. Their decorative component is a byproduct.
Once a stone shingled roof was put in place, small sprigs of the stonecrops were tucked in among the roofing stones. They root easily with a minimum of water and organic material, but as they grow, they trap bits of debris. Birds provide manure for fertilization. Their fine roots pull moisture from the stone and store it in their leaves. The starts expand into clumps, and the clumps spread, forming a mat on the roof.
year. Mount Everest is part of the Himalayas and is the tallest summit on earth.
Meanwhile, the Appalachian Mountains are some of the oldest mountains in North America, but they aren’t very tall compared with some of the younger mountains on the continent. As wind, water and other elements in nature interact with the mountain, the rock goes through a process called erosion and wears down over time.
As mountains form, they create ecosystems for all kinds of life — from ants to alpacas to mountain
goats to gorillas. Water is also an important part of our mountain ecosystems. When snow melts off the mountains and flows down into streams and rivers, it helps provide lots of living things with water.
Menard said that one of her favorite mountain ranges to explore is the Rockies, a range that stretches more than 3,000 miles. Perhaps you can do some mountain investigation of your own.
Find out which mountain is the tallest in your state, region or even possibly underwater near where you live. Then, investigate how and when it formed.
Maybe you even have a volcano in your neighborhood. Volcanoes are a kind of mountain, but they don’t form in exactly the same ways as mountains that are not volcanic. See if you can find out more about the difference between the two. When we ask big questions about the landscape around us, we are bound to discover something new and exciting about this planet we call home.
Sincerely, Dr. Universe
Native to Western Europe, these little stonecrops belong to the sedum genus.
With over 600 species, sedums span eight pages in Liberty Hyde Bailey’s encyclopedic Hortus Third. The common name stems from the fact that they are often found crawling over stones in spots of the landscape where they receive ample sunlight and are open to catching rainfall when it arrives.
In the last century or two, other low-growing, mat-forming sedums have been brought into cultivation and, in some cases, even added to the gardens of English stone roofs. These, too, are now referred to as stonecrops.
Nurseries abound with these small sedums, usually sold in 4-inch pots. You’ll find them in a vast assortment of leaf shapes and shades of color: blue, gray and silvery blue, light and deep burgundy, gold and assorted greens. My all time favorite is sedum spathulifolium, our Northwest native with its tightly packed rosettes of foliage in bluish gray, tinged with reddish purple. The variations make for a kaleidoscope of color and form when put together. The combinations are only limited by one’s imagination.
It’s important to note, here, that not all members of the sedum genus have this low, sprawl-
by Mary Henry
Because they’re happy in a limited root run, tolerant of a good deal of drought, have handsome and colorful foliage and spectacular late summer flowers, sedums make excellent container plants.
ing growth pattern. In October of 2020 this column carried a story about S. spectablie (reaching a height of 18 inches) and S. telephium (a 2-footer). The Mexican native S. oxypetalum
stretches up to 3 feet. The cascading branches of S. morganianum (commonly called Donkey’s Tail) can dangle 3 to 4 feet, beloved for hanging planters, a much-loved houseplant for sunny windows.
Because they’re happy in a limited root run, tolerant of a good deal of drought, have handsome and colorful foliage and spectacu-
Photo
Messy as it has always been
Well, well, well, my old friend is a racist.
The reason I believe this?
Well, say your old friend invites you over, and before you know it you are telling her all about the dance festival in Utah you just returned from, how you could barely take in the enormity of so much red rock and open space and how the local students each had three, four, five siblings, so you can definitely see that the population will grow.
And she says, “Well, at least they will all be white.”
Wait, excuse me? You had to hear it to believe it. Or at least I did.
I felt a lump in my throat.
I rarely use the word “offended.” It’s the 2000s, after all.
Even if we gloss over it, offense is like rust — it’s everywhere. Instead, I chose another word, one any good ex-New Yorker mutters under her breath at a time like this. A word that unconsciously always, or almost always, slips out when I’m under extreme pressure.
How I wish I could get a handle on that word.
Mentally, I crossed her off my list. There was no reason not to. Right? No, wrong.
I would find it very hard to say goodbye. She has been a friend in many ways, for many years. And we — at least I — can tire of making new friends. I deserve to rely on friends who know me and who I know. Or think I know.
If we must accept who our friends have become, or want to become, and who we’ve become in their eyes — accept the good, the bad and the cranky — does this also mean we need to accept a blatant racist streak?
With complicated questions, you should always expect complications.
And so, I reminded her that there was a time not terribly long ago when Italians were not considered white. Not white enough for how white was defined by certain New England circles in the 1900s, anyway. Or by Hitler.
“Oh, Italians are white,” she nodded. I will never forget how much this seemed
personal service. Like many nursery owners in Seattle, he has been scrambling to untangle a snarled or broken supply chain caused by the pandemic.
to matter to her.
I think now as I look back on that conversation, that part of the reason I stayed was because of a sound that occurred after we (briefly) discussed vaccines, another subject that can become as heated as religion or politics, depending on what household you find yourself in.
She has no tolerance for anti-vaxxers who I prefer to call vax-questioners. I got my Pfizer, yes, but the truth is, as long as I’m working so hard to tell it, I didn’t want to. And I defended my lack of total trust by saying, “Remember DuPont?”
“What about DuPont?” she said.
So, off I went into my best know-it-all voice, “They manufactured PTFE resin, better known as Teflon. Ring any bells?” She shook her head.
“$16.5 million settlement with EPA.”
I tell this story a lot, so the rest rolled out in one long sentence.
“The company knew all along that it was bad for you and it’s nearly a cliché by now: A publicly traded company holds the patent on a product that they know causes health problems, but they also know they stand to make millions, possibly billions, so they go ahead with it and bury the reports or hire their own scientists to write the reports.”
She walked right out of the room.
And what did she do next?
She walked right back in. “You always
“It’s
hard to know when we should argue a point with friends, which is difficult, or back off completely, which is even more difficult (for some of us).”
think things like that,” she said. I had no idea what “that” she was talking about. But I took it as a compliment.
“It’s our job to question everything,” I said. “Like your crazy racist views. How will they ever make the world a better place?”
It was a blurt, sad to say.
Except it made me very happy. Brushing off my question with a wave of her hand, she stuck out her tongue and made that neighing noise, like a horse makes with its lips.
You can picture it between two old friends. That sound.
But I heard in it something else — love. Or whatever cliché-ridden thing you want to call it when you know someone appreciates all of you. Even in the face of shame.
It’s hard to know when we should argue a point with friends, which is difficult, or back off completely, which is even more difficult (for some of us). But Lord knows, change has never come quickly as a stream of protest images. It’s more about persistence and vigilance.
So, the way I will handle going forward is with vigilance as it’s always been: messy and plodding. Graceless as a trapped dog. Slow as a slug.
Every time I see my friend I will say one thing, drop one seed, to convince her how wrong she is. Even if she can never be convinced of anything at all.
Mary Lou Sanelli is a Seattle author, speaker and master dance teacher. Her newest collection of essays, “Every Little Thing,” will be published in the fall of 2021. For more information about her and her work, visit www.marylousanelli.com.
NURSERIES, FROM PAGE 3 “It has been the biggest spring we’ve ever had, I would say, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up, either. ... I think when people were home with the pandemic last year, they started focusing on their gardens, and they are enjoying spending more time outdoors.”
“We’ve had a lot of disruption in the supply chain, and we expect that to go on for a while,” Flaherty said. “You either can’t get it, there’s a huge delay in getting it, or you can’t get parts for it.”
For instance, Magnolia Garden Center had some furniture early in the season, “… but that’s long gone,” Flaherty said, and he wasn’t able to find a replacement.
Many cited snags in getting supplies from overseas, whether pottery from Germany, Italy or Vietnam or furniture from France, and in finding plants to meet the staggering demand both indoors and out. Many vendors issued limits on orders to parse out their stock.
Because everyone is competing for the same plants, owners have to be diligent to keep up with ordering.
Urban Feed’s Kristi Robertson said, “I’ve had to log on [to my computer] on my day off to order plants the day they become available,” Urban Feed and Garden owner Kristi Robertson said. “If I don’t, they’re all sold out.”
Still, she said sales at Urban Feed and Garden in Columbia City are up 70 percent from the same time last June.
“This, by far, is my biggest year in both
— Gillian Mathews, Ravenna Gardens owner
growth and numbers,” Robertson said.
Urban Feed and Garden offers supplies ranging from garden to pets and is one of the few places in the city a person can both buy chicken feed and order a custom “catio.” Robertson’s biggest items continue to be vegetable starts and chicken feed, but she has noticed an uptick in perennial sales. Sales remain strong at other nurseries, as well.
At City People’s Garden Store in Madison Park, after last spring’s somewhat rocky transition to curb-side pickup, sales have rebounded and then some, owner Alison Greene said.
The 30,000-square-foot site offers indoor and outdoor plants, gear and gifts.
“It’s been a crazy busy year,” Greene said. “Sales overall have been very strong.
“We didn’t quite know what to anticipate this year,” she added, stating outdoor living has been big, especially furniture and cedar planters and raised beds, and houseplants
“continue to be off the charts.”
“People are happy to be out shopping,” Greene said. “They are happy we are still here.”
Greene is scouting for a new location for her business since the site was sold and is pending development into an apartment building.
Ravenna Gardens at University Village, which offers a selection of indoor and outdoor plants and gifts, has benefited from its outdoor location, which became a safe haven for pandemic shoppers, owner Gillian Mathews said.
“It has been the biggest spring we’ve ever had, I would say, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up, either,” she said. “Our sales are up about 35 percent this year, to date, which is huge. We’ve seen unprecedented growth versus previous years. I think when people were home with the pandemic last year, they started focusing on their gardens, and they are enjoying spending more time
Washington Association of School Administrators honors Seattle schools administrator
The Washington Association of School Administrators honored Seattle Public Schools Executive Director of Schools Mike Starosky with the D.A. Davidson Barbara Mertens Legacy Award.
The honor was presented earlier this month during the 41st annual Summer Conference of WASA and the Association of Washington School Principals.
According to press release, WASA Executive Director Joel Aune said the award is presented to “an individual or group who has had a significant impact on public education in Washington — a legacy that has a lasting influence.”
Starosky, who has worked at SPS since 1994, said he was honored to be recognized by his peers.
“Of course, the recognition is very nice, but the most important part of my work — and of all of us who work in education — is doing everything we can to positively impact students,” Starosky said.
The WASA-AWSP Summer Conference, themed “Junetastic,” was attended virtually by nearly 600 school superintendents, central office administrators, and principals from across Washington. Presenters focused on three leadership themes: Instructional Practice; Social Emotional Learning for Staff and Students; and Equity.
As part of the award, Starosky received a gift of $1,000, which he is donating to students in the doctoral Leadership for Learning program at the University of Washington. For more information about WASA, visit https:// www.wasa-oly.org/.
outdoors.”
Often vegetables and herbs are the on-ramp for new gardeners, and owners reported they were for a horde of new gardeners last spring. Those sales continue to be strong, but several nurseries are seeing an expansion into perennials, trees and shrubs, as well as decorating outdoor spaces for lounging, entertaining and, of course, outdoor Zooming.
“We’ve never sold as much furniture as we have this year,” despite delays in shipments from France, Mathews said.
Swanson’s Nursery in Crown Hill, a 10acre destination with a café, koi pond and reindeer during the winter holidays, has also experienced great interest in outdoor living from customers, from furniture to pots and decor, Marketing Director Aimee Damman said. Sales overall year to date are up from both 2019 and 2020 in “nearly every category,” she said. Another difference this year was customers were eager to get into their gardens as soon as possible, calling or posting earlier in the season with plant requests or questions on seed starting, leading to a “blockbuster April,” Damman said.
Among plants, people are still buying vegetables but have been asking for pollinator-friendly plants and colorful perennials to mix with their edibles. Damman thinks 2020’s new gardeners “got the bug” and are expanding their borders mentally and physically out from their raised beds.
Mary Lou Sanelli Falling Awake
NEWS
RCW 61.24.130. Failure to bring such a lawsuit may result in a waiver of any proper grounds for invalidating the Trustees’ Sale. X. Notice to Occupants or Tenants. The purchaser at the Trustee’s sale is entitled to possession of the property on the 20th day following the sale, as against the Grantor under the deed of trust (the owner) and anyone having an interest junior to the deed of trust, including occupants who are not tenants. After the 20th day following the sale the purchaser has the right to evict occupants who are not tenants by summary proceedings under chapter 59.12 RCW. For tenant-occupied property, the purchaser shall provide a tenant with written notice in accordance with RCW 61.24.060. Notice to Borrower(s) who received a letter under RCW 61.24.031: THIS NOTICE IS THE FINAL STEP BEFORE THE FORECLOSURE SALE OF YOUR HOME. You have only 20 DAYS from the recording date on this notice to pursue mediation. DO NOT DELAY. CONTACT A HOUSING COUNSELOR OR AN ATTORNEY LICENSED IN WASHINGTON NOW to assess your situation and refer you to mediation if you might eligible and it may help you save your home. See below for safe sources of help. SEEKING ASSISTANCE Housing counselors and legal assistance may be available at little or no cost to you. If you would like assistance in determining your rights and opportunities to keep your house, you may contact the following: The statewide foreclosure hotline for assistance and referral to housing counselors recommended by the Housing Finance Commission: Telephone: (877) 894-4663 or (800) 606-4819 Website: www.wshfc.org The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development: Telephone: (800) 569-4287 Website: www.hud.gov The statewide civil legal aid hotline for assistance and referrals to other housing counselors and attorneys: Telephone: (800) 606-4819 Website: www.homeownership.wa.gov Dated: March 31, 2021 MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps, as Duly Appointed Successor Trustee By: Alan Burton, Vice President MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps 500 Union Street, Suite 620 Seattle, WA 98101 Toll Free Number: (844) 367-8456 TDD: (800) 833-6388 For Reinstatement/Pay Off Quotes, contact MTC Financial Inc. DBA Trustee Corps Order Number 74394, Pub Dates: 7/7/2021, 7/28/2021, QUEEN ANNE & MAGNOLIA
FROM PAGE 1
for the proposed project, MCC and Friends of the Last 6,000 are motivated by different factors. MCC is acting on the concerns of residents and the community’s interest to preserve the view at Ursula Judkins View Point.
To provide sight barriers for the residences from the park above, the developer intends to plant Pacific serviceberries above the houses. Those grow to about 20 to 30 feet, and residents fear they could eventually block people’s views of the city at Ursula Judkins Viewpoint.
“[OceanStar attorneys] claim that the public has no right to a view,” Coulson said. “At least we got that past. In my own opinion, that was a pretty outrageous claim to be making.”
Meanwhile, Friends of the Last 6,000’s primary concern is saving some or all of the 36 trees slated to be chopped down in preparation for project construction.
With aspects of their appeal arguments allowed to move forward, residents can still do things to help MCC’s efforts.
Coulson said people should write letters to elected city officials in support of preserving Ursula Judkins Viewpoint and asking them to become involved. People can also advocate for Parks & Recreation to get involved because this impacts a designated city park. The Magnolia Community Council is still collecting
TS No
WA08000365-17-5 TO No
200569500-WA-MSI NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE PURSUANT TO THE REVISED CODE OF WASHINGTON CHAPTER 61.24 ET. SEQ. Grantor: THOMAS M. SCHWAEGLER, AN UNMARRIED MAN Current Beneficiary of the Deed of Trust: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company as Trustee on behalf of the registered Holders of GSAMP Trust 2005-AHL, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-AHL Original Trustee of the Deed of Trust: FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE COMPANY OF WA Current Trustee of the Deed of Trust: MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps Current Mortgage Servicer of the Deed of Trust: Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. Reference Number of the Deed of Trust: Instrument No. 20050131002138 Parcel Number: 3856900345 I. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on July 16, 2021, 10:00 AM, at 4th Ave entrance King County Administration Building, located one block east of the Courthouse, 500 4th Ave, Seattle, WA, MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps, the undersigned Trustee, will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder, payable, in the form of cash, or cashier’s check or certified checks from federally or State chartered banks, at the time of sale the following described real property, situated in the County of King, State of Washington, to-wit: LOT 2, BLOCK 8, KILBOURNES DIVISION OF GREEN LAKE ADDITION TO THE CITY OF SEATTLE, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 4 OF PLATS, PAGE 54, RECORDS OF KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON. SITUATE IN THE COUNTY OF KING, STATE OF WASHINGTON. APN: 385690-0345 More commonly known as 133 NORTHEAST 60TH STREET, SEATTLE, WA 98115 which is subject to that certain Deed of Trust dated January 25, 2005, executed by THOMAS M. SCHWAEGLER, AN UNMARRIED MAN as Trustor(s), to secure obligations in favor of MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., as designated nominee for ACCREDITED HOME LENDERS, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, Beneficiary of the security instrument, its successors and assigns, recorded January 31, 2005 as Instrument No. 20050131002138 and the beneficial interest was assigned to [Deutsche Bank National
Trust Company as Trustee on behalf of the registered Holders of GSAMP Trust 2005AHL, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-AHL and recorded January 4, 2018 as Instrument Number 20180104001200 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of King County, Washington. II. No action commenced by Deutsche Bank National Trust Company as Trustee on behalf of the registered Holders of GSAMP Trust 2005-AHL, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-AHL, the current Beneficiary of the Deed of Trust is now pending to seek satisfaction of the obligation in any Court by reason of the Borrowers’ or Grantors’ default on the obligation secured by the Deed of Trust/Mortgage. III. The default(s) for which this foreclosure is made is/are as follows: FAILURE TO PAY WHEN DUE THE FOLLOWING AMOUNTS WHICH ARE NOW IN ARREARS: DELINQUENT
PAYMENT INFORMATION From January 1, 2020 To March 4, 2021 Number of Payments 2 $1,851.42 3 $1,820.48 3 $1,895.95 4 $1,866.20 3 $1,861.54 Total $27,901.55
LATE CHARGE INFORMATION January 1, 2020 March 4, 2021 $192.09 $192.09
PROMISSORY NOTE INFORMATION Note Dated: January 25, 2005 Note Amount:$200,000.00 Interest Paid To: December 1, 2019 Next Due Date: January 1, 2020 Current Beneficiary: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company as Trustee on behalf of the registered Holders of GSAMP Trust 2005-AHL, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-AHL Contact Phone No: (888) 349-8955 Address: 3217 S. Decker Lake Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84119 IV. The sum owing on the obligation secured by the Deed of Trust is: The principal sum of $147,556.85, together with interest as provided in the Note or other instrument secured, and such other costs and fees as are due under the Note or other instrument secured, and as are provided by statute. V. The above described real property will be sold to satisfy the expense of sale and the obligation secured by the Deed of Trust as provided by statute. Said sale will be made without warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession or encumbrances on July 16, 2021. The defaults referred to in Paragraph III must be cured by July 5, 2021, (11 days before the sale date) to cause a discontinuance of the sale. The sale will be discontinued and terminated if at any time before July
5, 2021 (11 days before the sale) the default as set forth in Paragraph III is cured and the Trustees’ fees and costs are paid. Payment must be in cash or with cashiers’ or certified checks from a State or federally chartered bank. The sale may be terminated any time after the July 5, 2021 (11 days before the sale date) and before the sale, by the Borrower or Grantor or the holder of any recorded junior lien or encumbrance by paying the entire principal and interest secured by the Deed of Trust, plus costs, fees and advances, if any, made pursuant to the terms of the obligation and/or Deed of Trust, and curing all other defaults. VI. A written Notice of Default was transmitted by the current Beneficiary, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company as Trustee on behalf of the registered Holders of GSAMP Trust 2005-AHL, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-AHL or Trustee to the Borrower and Grantor at the following address(es): ADDRESS THOMAS M SCHWAEGLER 133 NORTHEAST 60TH STREET, SEATTLE, WA 98115 THOMAS M SCHWAEGLER 17510 100TH AVE SW, VASHON ISLAND, WA 98070 THOMAS M SCHWAEGLER C/O ODELIA PACIFIC PROPERTIES INC, 9021 PALATINE AVE N, SEATTLE, WA 98103 UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF THOMAS M. SCHWAEGLER 133 NORTHEAST 60TH STREET, SEATTLE, WA 98115 by both first class and certified mail on February 1, 2021, proof of which is in the possession of the Trustee; and the Borrower and Grantor were personally served with said written Notice of Default or the written Notice of Default was posted in a conspicuous place January 29, 2021 on the real property described in Paragraph I above, and the Trustee has possession of proof of such service or posting. VII. The Trustee whose name and address are set forth below will provide in writing to anyone requesting it, a statement of all costs and fees due at any time prior to the sale. VIII. The effect of the sale will be to deprive the Grantor and all those who hold by, through or under the Grantor of all their interest in the above described property. IX. Anyone having any objections to this sale on any grounds whatsoever will be afforded an opportunity to be heard as to those objections if they bring a lawsuit to restrain the sale pursuant to RCW 61.24.130. Failure to bring such a lawsuit may result in a waiver of any proper grounds for invalidating the Trustees’ Sale.
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donations to raise money to hire a land-use attorney who specializes in these cases, which Coulson said would improve the community’s likelihood of receiving a positive outcome.
Once the appeal hearings begin, the different parties will present evidence supporting their arguments, after which the deputy hearing examiner will consider everything presented and make a ruling.
Depending on her determinations, she could take any number of actions, including revising SDCI’s decision herself or even remanding the matter back to SDCI staff for them to factor in additional evidence and make revisions themselves.
“I am still hopeful that we might come to a resolution, but a lot of it depends on the willingness of the applicant to protect the view and do other things we think are necessary,” Coulson said.
The appeals hearings are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Aug. 19, Aug. 23, Aug. 25, Sept. 7 and Sept. 8.
People can review all the documents presented to the Hearing Examiner, including appeal arguments, rebuttals and the latest ruling at https://web6.seattle.gov/ Examiner/case/MUP-21-017 and https://web6.seattle.gov/Examiner/case/MUP-21-016.
People can also donate to MCC’s fund to hire a land-use attorney at to https://www.facebook.com/MCCSEA/.
SEDUMS, FROM PAGE 7
lar late summer flowers, sedums make excellent container plants. An assortment of stonecrops, massed in a shallow pot, makes for an excellent, low-maintenance show for a sunny patio. You can go away for a weekend, even a week, and not worry about watering. There are a few tricks to growing them successfully, however: a good soil mix, judicious pruning, regular, albeit infrequent, watering, and feeding.
Stonecrops want loose soil so that their hair-like roots can go down and spread out, anchoring them and searching for water, which they’ll store in their leaves. A good soil consists of two parts potting soil to one part poultry grit. Poultry grit is the crushed granite, sold in bags in farm supply stores. It is fed to chickens and turkeys to fill their gizzards for grinding food. As these stonecrops grow, tip prune them to keep the plants thick and bushy. Do this in the spring when they emerge from their winter hibernation, giving them time to set flower buds. Water plants well weekly. Feed them with a liquid fertilizer, mixed at half strength, every other week, late April to October.
A number of years ago, I put together the pot in the photograph above. In the center I used the upright, stocky sedum “Chocolate Drop.” I wanted to use a dark red, rounded leaf and a serrated blue leaf around the base. What are they? I really don’t know. The blue one might be S. “Sunset Cloud,” the red one could be S. “Voodoo.” There are hundreds of named varieties and always new ones coming onto the market. The two in the picture came from a friend who had them. I snipped off about seven or nine shoots (always uneven numbers for good luck) and trucked them into the pot. They are so easy to get started. A year later, I was snipping them back and giving starts away.
About 25 years ago, I’d salvaged an old, cracked birdbath. Using a masonry bit on my electric drill, I made two drainage holes in the bottom of the bowl, then filled it with the potting mix. Off at the nurs-
X. Notice to Occupants or Tenants. The purchaser at the Trustee’s sale is entitled to possession of the property on the 20th day following the sale, as against the Grantor under the deed of trust (the owner) and anyone having an interest junior to the deed of trust, including occupants who are not tenants. After the 20th day following the sale the purchaser has the right to evict occupants who are not tenants by summary proceedings under chapter 59.12 RCW. For tenant-occupied property, the purchaser shall provide a tenant with written notice in accordance with RCW 61.24.060. Notice to Borrower(s) who received a letter under RCW 61.24.031: THIS NOTICE IS THE FINAL STEP BEFORE THE FORECLOSURE SALE OF YOUR HOME. You have only 20 DAYS from the recording date on this notice to pursue mediation. DO NOT DELAY. CONTACT A HOUSING COUNSELOR OR AN ATTORNEY LICENSED IN WASHINGTON NOW to assess your situation and refer you to mediation if you might eligible and it may help you save your home. See below for safe sources of help. SEEKING ASSISTANCE Housing counselors and legal assistance may be available at little or no cost to you. If you would like assistance in determining your rights and opportunities to keep your house, you may contact the following: The statewide foreclosure hotline for assistance and referral to housing counselors recommended by the Housing Finance Commission: Telephone: (877) 894-4663 or (800) 606-4819 Website: www.wshfc.org The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development: Telephone: (800) 569-4287 Website: www.hud.gov The statewide civil legal aid hotline for assistance and referrals to other housing counselors and attorneys: Telephone: (800) 606-4819 Website: www.homeownership.wa.gov Dated: March 4, 2021 MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps, as Duly Appointed Successor Trustee By: Alan Burton, Vice President MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee 606 W Gowe St Kent, WA 98032 Toll Free Number: (844) 367-8456 TDD: (800) 833-6388 For Reinstatement/Pay Off Quotes, contact MTC Financial Inc. DBA Trustee Corps Order Number 74183, Pub Dates: 6/16/2021, 7/7/2021, QUEEN ANNE & MAGNOLIA NEWS
“My all-time favorite is sedum spathulifolium, our Northwest native with its tightly packed rosettes of foliage in bluish gray, tinged with reddish purple. The variations make for a kaleidoscope of color and form when put together. The combinations are only limited by one’s imagination.”
ery, I bought one of everything I saw … all colors and forms. Not only was the bowl large, accommodating a vivid assortment of plants, the pedestal elevated the show to just below eye level, giving it even more impact.
At that time Rosemary Verey was living. The vaunted British garden designer and author published over a dozen garden books and, among other noteworthy clients, she’d designed for Prince Charles at Highgrove and Elton John. Rosemary and I had been friends since 1985. I’d visited her often at her famous garden, Barnsley House. She always blocked off a few days to visit my family and me when she was in North America.
On one of those visits, she walked into my entry garden and spotted the birdbath. She stopped, suddenly, upon seeing the stonecrop-filled birdbath. Her arms went straight, down and slightly out, fingers stretched out, palms flat and facing forward (her customary reaction to seeing something that surprised and delighted her).
After a pause she shouted out, “It’s a basket of gems!” My buttons popped.
I’m warming up to repeat that defunct birdbath trick again. Anyone out there have a cracked birdbath to unload? Better yet, having read this, use it (or some other container) to produce your own basket of gems.
