April 2009

Reusable tote bag in hand, I wandered among the canopied tents in search of the freshest local produce; I sought inspiration for soup.

I am usually an avid recipe follower, but my broth-based meals are typically prepared on whim, consisting of anything I can find in my pantry, refrigerator, or herb garden. The year-round West Seattle Farmers Market was the perfect location to stir my senses and motivate a new recipe.  

Whether chicken noodle or lobster bisque, I typically look for ingredients in five categories: vegetables, herbs and aromatics, proteins, starches, and liquids. Chopped veggies sautéed in olive oil provide an excellent flavor base for a clear soup and the organic baby leeks at Full Circle Farm were jumping at the chance to fill the role.

Mayor Greg Nickels is looking for applicants to fill a position on the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board. The opening is for a Ballard historian or person having a demonstrated interest in the Ballard community.

The seven-member Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board protects the historical and architectural values and significance of the district by regulating all proposed changes to the external appearance of buildings, structures and public rights-of-way located within the district boundaries.

The board is composed of two district property owners, two district property owners/business persons, one district tenant/resident, one architect and one Ballard historian or person with a demonstrated interest in the Ballard community. Five board members are elected for a two-year term at annual elections in the district, and two are appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council.

Board meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. Board members generally must commit two to four hours a month to board business and serve without compensation.

A street clean-up for 14th Avenue Northwest is planned for Saturday April 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The meeting place for the event, planned by the East Ballard Community Association, will be Blowing Sands Glass art studio at 5801 14th Ave. N.W.

Meet neighbors for coffee and breakfast snacks, then work side by side for a couple of hours to tidy up 14th Avenue Northwest.

After the clean-up participants are invited to lunch together and talk about ongoing and upcoming East Ballard activities.

Tools and trash bags will be provided by the city. Refreshments will be provided by Ballard Market. Come dressed for the weather (rain or shine).

The East Ballard Community Association would like to expand the clean-ups to include 8th Avenue Northwest. They are looking for volunteers in the area who might be willing to start a clean-up party on that street.

Questions or comments? Call or email Dawn Hemminger, East Ballard Community Association, at 953-3940 or dawn_hemminger@yahoo.com.

Dear Editor,

PETA is calling on the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to use its influence to help put a stop to the annual seal slaughter.

Sealers routinely hook live seals in the eye, cheek, or mouth to avoid damaging their fur.

About 95 percent of seals killed are under three months old, and many may not have even eaten their first solid meal or learned how to swim before they are skinned for their fur.

There's no justification for clubbing and skinning baby seals alive. In Newfoundland, income from the seal slaughter accounts for approximately 1 percent of the province's economy, but even if it were more, there will never be an excuse for clubbing baby animals as their mothers look on in horror and fear.

The seal slaughter is not a subsistence trade for native peoples; it is an off-season profit venture for fishers off Canada's East Coast. Inuit seal hunting accounts for only about three percent of the slaughter.

Joanne Beeson

Dear Editor,

I moved here 15 years ago from Texas because Washington exemplified to me the perfect place to live, raise my family and contribute successfully through my work and taxes to society.

Although my legal rights related to distribution of my estate and medical visitation by my partner when hospitalized came much later here, I chose to contribute through my work, taxes and
service to Washington State knowing that she could be "a shining beacon on a hill."

Domestic partnerships are a first step in increasing the rights of those of us who are treated unequally. However, the domestic partnership registry system provides none of the federal
protections of marriage like social security survivor's benefits, Veterans benefits, equal treatment under the IRS tax code and immigration rights.

I am writing to be a voice for justice and equality by asking for full equal rights under the law. Full marriage rights for gays and lesbians do not rob anyone of their freedom.

Heath is a tri-color border collie, named for his coloring by his rescue clinic in San Diego. To clarify, he was also nick named "Heath Bar" after the candy bar not the actor.

We encountered Heath and his owner, Kim Nyhous, who were walking the Gatewood business district which just happens to have treats for dogs at Stella Ruffington's, Pet Elements and Caffe Ladro.

Sometimes Kim gets a treat at Ladro but she has to pay. Heath is very mellow and sweet for a border collie that used to chase little lizards in California but he has adapted well to our squirrels and birds for exercise. He also adapted to our climate. When he arrived he had a very thin coat, but at the first snow he had a "fur explosion" said Kim.

He also loves meeting and playing with other dogs in West Seattle and makes friends easily, in fact he made another friend in the little time we took to do this story.

How to nominate your pet:

The Kenney, a nursing facility here in West Seattle, was recently given a five-star rating in U.S. News and World Report magazine in its national review of similar facilities, according to the local retirement home.

Rated in the top tier among 15,500 facilities across the country, The Kenney is one of only 27 that received the high rating.

The skilled nursing facility, with a capacity of 20 residents, is a part of West Seattle’s only Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) which has 185 residents. The ratings are available online at Best Nursing Homes-US News and World Report.

The U.S. News and World Report ratings of nursing facilities are based in part on data and ratings found on Nursing Home Compare, a federal Web site created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The magazine combines these data with additional
measures of excellence to create its rankings.

“This recognition means a great deal to us,” said The Kenney’s President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin McFeely, “because it’s an external measure of our commitment to excellence, which is consistent throughout The Kenney community.”

On April 19, at 7 p.m. the Trinity United Methodist Church will host a "homeless forum" at 6512 23rd Ave. N.W.

Questions that will be explored include:

- Why is homelessness growing in Ballard?  

- Who are the homeless? Are they all moochers, drunks and jerks?

- What can be done politically to end homelessness?

- How can our neighborhood care but not enable?

- How can church and neighborhood work together?

The forum will feature Tim Harris, Editor and Publisher of Real Change speaking about the structural, political reasons for homelessness.

Rev. Craig Rennebohm, Mental Health Chaplain and author of "Souls in the Hands of a Tender God," will speak about the personal, behavioral reasons for homelessness.

According to the church, this is the first of several neighborhood forums aimed at creating strategies geared toward solutions for the growing issue in the community.

Downtown Ballard, once a one-sushi-restaurant area, is now a hotbed of sushi options.

Sam's Sushi Bar & Grill at 5506 22nd Ave. N.W. is the longest-tenured, having opened eight years ago.

In the past half-year, three new restaurants have opened nearby, challenging the dominance of Sam's.

Shiku Sushi opened Sept. 29 at 5310 Ballard Ave. N.W. and Moshi Moshi Sushi followed closely behind, opening Feb. 3 a few doors down.

O'shan Sushi became the most recent addition to the neighborhood when it opened March 26 in the former Austin Cantina space at 5809 24th Ave. N.W.

In the video, representatives for the four restaurants discuss what makes their sushi unique and the spirit of competition that has sprung up in the neighborhood.

Goslings were marching in goose-step with their elders on Alki, just south of Seacrest Park Saturday, April 11.

Clusters of humans gathered around to "ooh and awe" at the cute critters.