October 2009

Carla Cole's dogs, Rita and Fido are lovers. They love to meet new people, they love to go for walks, and within the past year, they have begun the process of making puppies.

They are red miniature poodles and are a "mating couple," according to Cole.

Rita is 2.5 years old and comes from Pend Oreille Valley north of Spokane while Fido, at 1.5 years, comes from Reno, Nev.

"Their tails are not 'docked' and the fact that I did not put poof poofs on their heads that's why you don't immediately recognize them as poodles because they are not styled like poodles," Cole said. "They are so different. Fido is a heavy ball man, and she's a tugger. Fido will retrieve until the cows come home but Rita wouldn't fetch a ball if it meant her last meal. She likes to tug."

The pair has one set of puppies already and based on what happened last week, Cole is expecting another set of them in mid-December.

"They are just young dogs, still learning," Coel said. "Yesterday morning Rita was really really interested but Fido was playing hard to get, but by evening he had decided that his hard to get program was over. He said, 'OK, this is getting kinda dull.'"

I am a long-time resident of Burien.

In the past, and recently, the city planners have made some changes in giving Burien a positive facelift.

However, since the "Art Walk" on 152nd SW is within the city proper, I think the Burien city officials should have taken some responsibility in the selection and plan for an outdoor art facility.

I struggle to see a correlating theme or the aesthetic value in the "Art Walk" display. The artistic value is there, but the aesthetic value in the display is confusing.

Piles of broken asphalt and other items scattered about loses much of its meaning in the sense of appeal.

I find little value in being reminded of the asphalt jungle we all share in a broken state.

Harold Herrera
Burien

I am hoping that the voters of Des Moines choose to support Matt Pina for City Council.

I have known Matt for more than 25 years and he is a proven, accessible, and humble elected official that truly cares about our community.

Matt is no stranger to tackling fiscal crisis and he has enjoyed great success in working with other elected officials and... he listens to the voters regarding key issues.

Matt's opponent has no experience and seems to only complain about what is wrong with our Waterland City. Her platform seems to consist of fighting crime, streamlining permitting, and balancing the city budget... yet she offers no details on how to get there.

It's easy to paint with a broad brush when you're preaching to the choir! Go to http://electmattpina.com and see the details on how Matt plans to solve the problems that plague our city.

Matt has always displayed his relentless passion for tending to the needs of the elderly, children, mothers, fathers, and business interests alike.

Matt Moeller
Des Moines

I enjoyed John Cruse's letter about the City of Des Moines laying more of the tax burden on its citizens and chuckled at his praise of Councilmember Kaplan.

It was as ironic as Kaplan asking on his website, "Isn't it convenient when candidates and other elected officials talk about their stance in an election year, when for YEARS they have done just the opposite?"

He advised voters not to be fooled by election year rhetoric.

Let's just take his advice and see how Kaplan's actions on the Council match his election claims. In his primary campaign mailer, he bragged that he is "leading the way in pushing the City of Des Moines toward sustainable budgets and services."

If we don't bother to check his record, this sounds great.

However, in his past four years on Council, Kaplan has consistently bloated the city budgets with expenditures we cannot afford. These included funds for two fellow lobbyists and a communications consultant.

I had to laugh when I read the letter regarding Dave Kaplan and the 2009 budget.

Apparently the Beals (Mysty and John) are cherry-picking votes on prioritization rather than on the overall budgets they claim are "bloated."

Dave Kaplan has been one of the strongest advocates on the Des Moines City Council for balancing the operating budget with on-going revenues (not one-time revenues) and in prioritizing what the city provides in the way of services.

The Beals' candidate, Susan White, has strongly opposed budgeting by priorities, wishing to continue services by using one-time monies that should be going to such things as road paving, buying emergency generators for the senior center and city hall, and for capital projects.

Don't believe me? Just check out the video recordings of council meetings over the past three years at the city's Web site at http://66.175.4.144/city gov/ city council/vidoes/videos.html.

Look for meetings in the months of November and December and you can decide for yourself whether it's Dave Kaplan or Susan White who is trying to prioritize our spending and pass sustainable budgets.

The City of SeaTac is having an election to select a form of government; to elect three Council members; but most important, to determine whether the city continues to move forward or steps backwards.

Don't you just love election season. People will say anything if they think it will garner them votes. They all gripe and complain about every issue that has come up in the past, preach change, but never offer solutions.

Instead they spend countless hours filling up their blogs and Web sites with malicious, slanderous and vitriolic comments directed at their opponents. Do they think that enamors them to the voters?

One blogger who signs his name Mike, served briefly on the SeaTac City Council. He was never elected; he was appointed and served four months before being soundly defeated by a newcomer.

During his four months the only time he participated was to oppose the new Highline YMCA. After that he served briefly on the City's Planning Commission but missed so many meetings he had to be replaced.

He complains about the location of a sidewalk but forgets he approved it six years ago. He also complains about where people live in the city.

In late 2007, during a meeting with editors at the Highline Times, I observed that "people are beginning to rediscover Des Moines." During a City Council meeting in early summer of 2008, I said the same thing publicly.

Regrettably, the recession that has impacted every state, county and city has all but paralyzed plans for development of several projects, large and small, both in Des Moines and the surrounding area.

Obviously this has depressed economic growth. Yet as a city, we must continue to plan for new development, new growth, and renewed economic vitality.

Regrettably, some members of the current council and some citizens in our community do not share this vision. They cling to a "no-growth, status quo" attitude that, if allowed to expand, would relegate Des Moines to second-class status, thereby diminishing the quality of life for all residents and downgrading the economy for our local businesses.

This is why, in the November election for City Council, I endorse strongly Matt Pina for Position 1, Carmen Scott for Position 3, and Dave Kaplan for Position 7.

Few in Hollywood should be considered the ideal for anyone to want to look like. No one is supposed to be a size zero!

At the other extreme, we ought not to be waddling around with 35 to 100 pounds of adipose tissue either.

"Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" written in 1939 by Weston A. Price painstakingly documents why the processed foods wealthy nations are fond of make us sick and fat.

Food companies manipulate their processed "food" so you can't stop eating it. Without some 50 to 70 nutrients present in any food that goes in your mouth, your appestat goes off duty.

The message your brain gets is: "Where's the nutrition?! Keep eating until something goes down the hatch we can actually use!"

Mounds of calorie dense food are consumed but you don't feel full.

The average body consumes around 68 calories an hour laying stock still in bed listening to music. If you weigh 150 pounds, that's about 1600 calories (fuel) just to run yourself.

Talking or reading requires more fuel.

My husband does this thing. I call it "harrumphing."

It is the look and feel of him being dismissive of a fad, of a silly flight of fancy.

The latest wave I have caught which causes Bob endless consternation? Facebook.

I admit it, I love Facebook.

I feel like such a cliché saying that. Who isn't discovering Facebook right now?

Heck, my parents and all of their retired friends are having the times of their lives on Facebook.

But Facebook has become something to me that I think it is becoming to many others "of a certain age" (that is my new, polite way of discussing people who are middle-aged like me!)

It is helping us reconnect with our lives.

My first request from a high school friend came several months ago. We hadn't talked in 20 years. She opened the door for many other reconnections.

Now, I have a Facebook site that is filled with friends I haven't spoken to since I was a teenager. We don't need to do much but post an old photo now and then, or share an old memory.

I love it. It's easy. What's not to like?

Now I am in the midst of rediscovering friends from my days working in radio. This is also a hoot.

We were passing the Vintage Apartments in Burien when we spotted Dale Vick harvesting in his garden, most of which was hanging upside down.

That is a popular twist for people with limited ground space.

He was picking some tomatoes from his several upside-down plants and has a bumper crop. I asked if you had an urge to stand on your head after eating the stuff.

He muttered something that sounded like "smart alec."

Vick and his wife, Patricia have had great success with strawberries, beets, lettuce, cukes and squash.

Dale is retired after 25 years as a quality inspector at Boeing.

They have four children and five grandchildren and they all gladly share the crop.