The temperate weather of Western Washington and the long growing season create a gardener’s paradise. This year, due to unusually warm temperatures, I have found myself out in the garden early, visiting with my plant friends that have lain dormant all winter. I spy a young asparagus pushing up, masses of rhododendrons in bloom and […]
Featured
Featured Articles from the West Sound. These are the highlighted articles from WestSound Magazine.
Posted inPeople & Places
Living and Loving Art Fully
Entering the home of Darrol and Judy Gover, one is struck immediately with the sense that this is where creativity lives, energy thrives, and not a moment of time is to be lost. Darrol, at 82, has a dozen projects going at once. And when he isn’t working in his garden, carving and painting a […]
Posted inAt Home
Rhubarb!
Unfurling its lush, ruffled leaves while strong stalks blush to a deep pink, rhubarb calls us to savor the strong, tart, acidic taste of a healthy spring tonic. Technically rhubarb is a vegetable, but because it is typically combined with sugar and eaten as a dessert in the United States, the USDA considers rhubarb a […]
Posted inGarden
Llama Rose Farm and Gardens Reblooms as Empress Hill
The five-star wedding venue Llama Rose Farm and Gardens woke to the New Year with a new name. Like a monarch butterfly emerging transformed to spread its wings, the rustic-elegant venue unfolds a new identity — Empress Hill. The new name resonates with promise. And aren’t promises what weddings are all about? History On the […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
El Sombrero — A Taste of Mexico on the Key Peninsula
The Key Peninsula has seen its share of restaurant comings and goings over the past decade. But the Mexican restaurant El Sombrero, which opened in Key Center eight years ago, feels right at home amidst the rustic charm of the Peninsula — never mind its off-the-beaten-path location. “The Hat,” as some locals have nicknamed it, […]
Posted inAt Home
Recipes for Healthy Snacks that Won’t Weigh You Down
New York Times wellness blogger and nutritionist Dawn Lerman grew up around food: Her father was known for his witty ad campaigns; he was responsible for such iconic slogans as “Coke Is It,” “This Bud’s for You,” and “Leggo My Eggo.” Unfortunately, he was not able to use the same problem-solving skills when it came […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
The More Plants in the Yard — the More Birds
The importance of a heavily planted yard can’t be emphasized too much when it comes to attracting birds. All of the plants do not have to provide food for them. Food is just one of four needs for sustaining bird populations. Like all wild creatures, birds need food, water, nesting habitat and protective cover. We […]
Posted inGarden
Spring Fever Strikes Again with Newer Plant Introductions
It’s exciting when new plant introductions bump up against spring. If you love gardening, you know how easy it is to surrender to spring fever. When the urge to plant strikes, you scurry about in a feverish excitement that can make a shark-feeding frenzy seem like an afternoon picnic on a Seabeck beach. Spring fever […]
Posted inAt Home
Creative Ways to Add Order to Your Home
Although there are hundreds of options for organizing your home, the pieces you make yourself are the ones that truly reflect your personality. Adding your own flair to standard organizing materials adds instant character and functionality to any room. Making the most of your space — including your walls — is the key to successful […]