Jumping in and getting stuck in the mud, that’s how I feel about this color. It is hard to even name it. I like “rust” the best, but when folks are asked about the color, I get an odd look as they slightly wince, raise a shoulder, tilt their head to one side and say, […]
people
Posted inThe Garden
The Pint-Sized Powerhouse of Structural Engineering
Small songbirds are easy to overlook. Most people will notice a bald eagle on a pole but will miss a little gray bird in a nearby shrub. In the world of birds, the largest ones will always make a lasting impression. Someone seeing a brown pelican for the first time may think it’s huge. That […]
Posted inThe Garden
Gardening Books to Read This Spring
Now that spring is officially here and all the bulbs, annuals and shrubs are planted, perhaps there is time to breathe a little between pulling weeds and watering to do some garden reading. With the Pacific Northwest being a gardener’s paradise, expertise abounds, along with regionally specific gardening and nature books. Here are three in […]
Posted inThe Garden
Gardening Made Easy for Boomers
You’re a baby boomer. Your green thumb, and your knees and back, seem to bend with more effort. (Was 1968 really 50 years ago?) Don’t let your interest in gardening wane — gardening is important to physical and mental wellbeing as you get older. One, gardening can help you stay fit. “You use up calories […]
Posted inThe Home
Downsizing in the Digital Age
Downsizing. Does the mere mention instill fear in your heart? It seems that the pace of life has become so frenetic that there simply isn’t time to consider, let alone implement, the process of eliminating your treasured possessions. The days of preparing for and organizing a traditional yard or garage sale are not only a […]
Posted inAround West Sound
Friends of the Manchester Library Plant Sale Motto: “Green is Good!”
The Friends of the Manchester Library Annual Plant Sale has always tried to make good use of our resource of community-donated plants, or what we call recycling them out into the larger community. We want to be stewards for this lovely place we live in, and to encourage others to do the same. “In recent […]
Posted inAt Home
4 Ideas for Entertaining by Design
Entertaining friends for dinner, ballgames, game nights and more is such a popular and fun trend. So popular, that people often incorporate special spaces for their own entertaining needs into their building and remodeling plans in both minor and major ways. There are easy ways to add convenience to you existing spaces — or you […]
Posted inThe Garden
Cultivating Connections — Family’s Heritage Becomes New Venture to Help Farmers
Newcomers and longtime Kitsap residents alike can overlook some of the most treasured local assets: the hard-working farmers and their land. Tucked in here and there on back roads are families who have been in West Sound for generations farming the land, growing food and figuring out how to make farms survive as times change. […]
Posted inThe Home
Bringing the Outside In — The Waterside Home of Jim and Kelly Hettinger
Avid boaters Kelly and Jim Hettinger cruised the waters around the Key Peninsula for years. They made friends, anchored at the Longbranch Marina, and got involved in the social life at the Longbranch Improvement Club. Eventually the time came to think about looking for shoreline property. They began searching for just the right spot to […]