Mukilteo Musings

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Doggone it!!

And I had stronger words than that yesterday. For the second time in three months I have been the victim of a crime. Last July, my purse was taken out of my car in my garage. Yes, we were stupid to leave our garage door open and it was dumb to leave my purse in the car. But in Mukilteo, it used to be that nothing would happen if you made such a mistake. You didn't need to worry about someone walking into your garage in the middle of the night. Mukilteo has made the local area news because of significantly increased thievery this year.

Yesterday, my friend and I were walking our dogs in Meadowdale State Park in Edmonds. The lovely beach park is a 10 minute drive from my house. It is a gorgeous bit of preserved gulch with a salmon stream flowing down into the Sound. Huge trees and dense foliage line the 1 1/2 mile trail. We parked at the trail head parking lot.

Apolo and Max in front of a previously logged tree that never died.

Whidbey Island from Meadowdale.

Looking back toward Mukilteo from the beach.

Since I learned my lesson last July, we left nothing of value in the car. My camera and wallet were with me. And yet, after our three mile hike at 11 AM, upon return to my vehicle, I noticed that the back side door window had been smashed in. Glass was all over the place and all over the inside of the car. The seats had been down to transport our two big dogs, and they were all pulled up. Clearly, someone had looked in every nook and cranny for a wallet or purse.

What is going on? Petty crime seems to be rampant around here lately. Law enforcement does nothing about it. Whoever is doing this never gets caught. Rather than step up efforts to prevent it, the word is "keep your doors locked; leave the lights on; keep your valuables with you." In other words, the burden is on the victims or potential victims to prevent the crimes. I did everything right yesterday but I am still dealing with about $300 in property damage and a big hassle to get it fixed. Plus, I can't use the car for about five days until the glass comes in to the Honda dealer.

What is going on? Law enforcement does not have enough funding or enough staff. At the trail head, yesterday, as I stood in a pile of glass, I was told the sheriff would not be able to get there for hours so it was best to mail in my complaint! Is it kids? Is it drugs? Are kids out of control knowing they will never be caught and never have to suffer any consequences? I am angry. We shouldn't have to live like this---in constant fear that our property will be damaged or stolen in Mukilteo and Edmonds.

I refuse to be a victim. So what do we do about it?

What can be done?

// posted by Janet @ 9:08 AM 1 comments

Friday, October 20, 2006

A Place I Never Thought I'd Be!

On the last day of the family reunion in Kansas, a strange thing happened. Dave's cousins told Dave and his sister and brother about the Nascar race track near Kansas City. The track was right off the freeway on the way to the airport. For a "small" fee, you can get in line to have unknown Nascar drivers speed you around the track at 180 MPH.

The decision was five to one (with me being the only dissenting opinion) to pull off the freeway and take in the experience. I had been such a good sport. I had willingly spent an entire weekend with a whole bunch of Eatons I did not know; I drove a golf cart and watched people play golf for six hours; I tried to do RA RA KState---go purple. Moreover, I went to Kansas, the land of no mountains, heat in October, and gigantic toilet cockroaches---a place I have avoided for 27 years. I even tried a beer and proved to all of the Eatons who have significant ties to Coors in Colorado, that I have no idea how to drink it. I took a big swig and it foamed up all over the place. Geez! And I was taller than everyone. My husband tried to explain to the crowd that I was a beer virgin.

Unbelievably, I found myself at a Nascar track in line with people who seriously wanted to go zooming around in a circle for three minutes. "Janet, don't you want to do it--for the experience? I mean this is a once in a lifetime chance!" they all chimed in. Fortunately, Dave's sister wasn't so thrilled with getting into a fire proof suit in 85 degree weather, so the two of us observed. What I found astounding was that I had no idea what the folks in line were even talking about. They were throwing around names I'd never heard of and described other tracks I had no idea about and different cars and.... It could have been a long lost language they were speaking only found in the Dead Sea Scrolls for all I knew.

My camera came to my rescue. Was I really in that place? I listened to my family speak of g-force around the corners and how they really could not see much. They all seemed to enjoy their 3 minutes. My husband was happy, however, that I chose to save us a few bucks by not participating. What he doesn't realize is if he got to spend $100 to go 180 mph, I get to spend $100 on something I think is worthwhile.

I have yet to decide??!!

Getting suited up!

Dave with fire proof beanie.

A little car sick maybe?? Maybe! Ha!

// posted by Janet @ 9:34 AM 4 comments

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

My Children

My babies are in college and rigorously applying themselves to their studies. But in addition, they are having fun and pursuing activities for which they have great passion.

Kaley has a band and they have named themselves "Further Down The Field". They have auditioned and participated in open mic sessions which have earned them a couple of solid gigs. They write and perform their own music with a few famous "cover" songs by other artists. Evidently, the response when they play is extremely positive. In other words, they are good! I have yet to hear or see them perform but I see from the picture that they have charisma. You go, my baby girl!!

"Further Down The Field" (Harry, James, Kaley)

Lucas has begun his Senior Honors project. He is working on recording dying Native American languages in an effort to preserve them. Our oldest native speakers are now dying and it is a race against time. Back in the 1930's and 40's, so many Native American children were basically kidnapped from their families and placed in boarding schools. They were required to stop "talking Indian" and to use only English. The policy was devastating to native cultures. But Lucas also has fun with his friends and his hiking.

Magali (who is French) and Lucas

// posted by Janet @ 9:47 AM 1 comments

Monday, October 16, 2006

Only In Seattle

Yes, indeed. I have noticed a few things in the newspapers and in my general daily life that have added up to another list of "Only In Seattle!"

1. Only in Seattle do decorative gourds actually rot. You know what I am talking about---this time of year, in addition to pumpkins, the grocery store carries all sorts of squashes, Indian corn (is this PC? Don't know) and colorful weirdly shaped gourds.

My current collection minus one.

On Friday evening, I was cleaning up the kitchen and wiping off the countertops when I noticed a bread crumb strutting his stuff. Wait a minute, bread crumbs can't dance. "Ewwww! Dave come and look at this frolicking piece of food."

"It's a maggot," he replied calmly with no emotion. "Look there's another one." This little guy was suspiciously close to my decorative gourd collection. Sure enough, I flipped over one of the gourds and it was moldy and rotten. Ewwwwwww! Disgusting! Totally disgusting! Seriously, I couldn't believe my eyes. When I was a little girl in the 1960's, I had a couple of gourds as toys that had been my mother's from the time she was a child in the 1930's. But that was Montana where the humidity is 1%, if that. Only in Seattle (or in this case, my Mukilteo kitchen) do decorative gourds actually decompose.

2. Only in Seattle is wine dedicated to our beloved orca. Hoodsport Winery is devoting a series of reds and whites to the protection of the Puget Sound Orca.

"The artwork on this bottle is a tribute to the native people and wildlife indigenous to our region. The whale on the front label is an adaptation of Orca the creation of artist Clarence Mills, a member of the Haida Nation of British Columbia."
http://www.hoodsport.com/wines/orca_series.html#cabmer

Of course, I can also get a WA license plate with an orca. I have not yet purchased either. I am too busy worrying about maggots.

3. Only in Seattle would the newspapers and TV carry a story about the death of a beloved aquarium fish. "Swish" was 31 years old and over 30 pounds. He had spent time in various places in the Seattle area including a restaurant on the Seattle waterfront. I have a vague memory of seeing him there. Finally, he found a home in the International District at a Korean BBQ restaurant. Unfortunately, the aquarium leaked and Swish was found dying on his side on the floor. Heroic efforts were undertaken to keep him alive but sadly, he perished after 11 days. This happened last August. Why the story did not make it to the media until October is mysterious and unacceptable. Someone is covering up. Cover up, I say!

"Swish" CLAYTON AQUARIUMS / Seattle Times

And some quotes:

"It was so sad. We considered him a part of the family," said Richard Chang, who runs the restaurant with wife Lynn...

Restaurant regulars doted on Swish.

"He had a personality," says Gwen Rhomes, of Renton.

The loss was hard on the aquarium company workers...

When his tank needed servicing, technicians knew sticking their hands into the water also meant scratching Swish's head. "He'd rub his body on your arms, kind of like a dog," Korch recalled...

"He just fell in love with him. Maybe it was his shape," daughter Lynn Eng Chang recalls.

Since Swish's death, the restaurant has collected about $500 -- donations to a "Swish fund."

Now a $5,000 freshwater aquarium has been installed and a new pacu, believed to be about 3 years old and some 7 pounds, arrived last week. A Kau Kau customer donated him after the fish outgrew his Federal Way home.

"He swam over to look at me, and that's a good sign," Korch said. "He's a good fish. He's got the potential to be Swish II."
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_101406ANKswishthefishEL.3a63797f.html

Excuse me, I have to go get a tissue before my next and final entry.

4. Whew! I'm ok. I'm ok. Finally, only in Seattle would a church have a special prayer vigil for our endangered salmon.

Salmon vigil
Tuesday A service of prayer and reflection for endangered wild salmon. 6-7:30 p.m.; St. John Lutheran Church, 5515 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle, free, 206-286-4455.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/faithvalues/2003303913_faithcalendar14m.html

I'm going to call them up. Because they just have to add "Swish", his family and "Swish II" to their prayer list.

// posted by Janet @ 9:20 AM 1 comments

Thursday, October 12, 2006

More Eaton Meeton Family Reunion from Manhattan, Kansas

My husband's father, Zip, was one of 11 children in the Eaton family from Chanute, Kansas. Zip was number 10 in birth order and the youngest of three boys. The other 8 siblings were girls. One of the girls died at age two so 10 reached adulthood--7 girls and 3 boys.

Two of the girls never had children. Four more of the girls only had one child each during the depression and early war years. During this time the oldest brother had two children but one died in infancy. Post WW2 led to bigger families. The middle brother had four children with one dying as a baby. Zip had three kids and the youngest daughter in the entire family had two.

As confusing as this is, it boils down to this: the 10 Eaton children together had only 13 children reach adulthood. At the Kansas family reunion only one of the 10 original siblings, one of the three boys, is alive and he just turned 90. Hence, the reason for the get together! Amazingly, 11 of the 13 children---all first cousins were there. One of the other two we discovered had died and the other chose not to come.

So, we had one original Eaton--Uncle Mark--and 11 of the first tier offspring (first cousins) show up along with their families. The oldest cousin was 79 and the youngest was 51. It was great fun to see family resemblance and to look at old pictures. Of all of the cousins, Dave and I had the youngest child, Kaley 18.

Here is the entire group. Most of them went to KState and are KState fanatics. This picnic was after the football game so that is why everyone is wearing purple. We won the prize for traveling the farthest from Seattle to Kansas. People came from all over the country including California, Connecticut, New Mexico, Georgia, Utah and Wisconsin. Uncle Mark and Aunt Mary, the surviving patriarch and matriarch are right in the middle. I am in the back row and I must say all of the Eatons are short because I was one of the tallest people there.

The 11 first cousins. The youngest, Jill 51 (in the hat) is next to the oldest, Jeanne 79 (in black) in the front row. The back row the three on the right are Mike (blue shirt--Dave's brother) Shirley (Dave's sister) and Dave.

Yep, here are the Mediterranean/Jewish/Gypsy/? genes. Dave's sister Shirley looks like she could be her cousin Jill's sister. Shirley and Jill look more like each other than they look like their own siblings. They both have stories of people asking them what they are. Are they Greek? Are they Italian? We are not sure but our Kaley fits right in.

We all had so much fun. Interestingly, only one of the 11 cousins had a failed marriage. All of the rest of us have had long marriages contrary to statistics. It really makes you think. This is a strong and good family but with no dominant religion. So you just wonder--what is the secret? I don't know but the Eaton's have it.

// posted by Janet @ 9:26 AM 2 comments

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

You Go, Girl!

My dearest Patti,

You left this earth the week after Mother's Day. It continues to be really hard for those of us who loved you. Your name and e-mail address are still in my computer address book. My in-box has e-mails from you. I cannot bring myself to delete them. Sometimes I catch myself wanting to click on "write message" to send you news about Dave and the kids. Lately, I have been wanting to ask you how Curt is doing and Julie.

I remember how organized you always were. You would plan your summers months in advance. You would have your campground reservations for June and ask us if we'd like to meet you and your family up in Whistler in August. Usually, I didn't know what we were doing a week ahead. I remember your little leather day timer where you had everything scheduled down to the minute it seemed.

You were a take charge person. You planned church activities beyond what I would ever do. Women's retreats were high on your priorities. Evidently, even in Pennsylvania, you were in charge of planning your church's women's retreat when I last talked to you on the telephone--when you were dying but didn't know. Or maybe you did. You regretted having to give up some of your duties and not attending because you were too sick.

I know you planned your memorial services, too. Apparently, your management style hasn't disappeared which kinda makes me feel like you are not totally gone from us. And believe me, I find great comfort in that thought. So, I cannot send you an e-mail but I can blog into cyberspace and thank you, girl.

I guess you knew that we had this family reunion in Kansas. You always loved reunions. I didn't want to go and be with people I had never met in my life. As it turned out, we had a fabulous time. If you were still here in Mukilteo, we would have talked about it at the Mukilteo Coffee Company and I would have shown you the pictures.

Somehow, you knew that on the way to the airport in Seattle, Dave and I were talking about your Curt. We hadn't heard from him in a while and we were concerned. Of course, knowing Curt, he was probably working--a lot. When we were together with Dave's brother and sister, we talked about you. Dave's sister, Shirley, had lost her husband six years ago to brain cancer. At the time, Shirley was the age Curt is now. Shirley had played golf with Dave and your Curt years ago. Curt knew all about what Shirley had been through. But you knew that, didn't you?

On Sunday, the six of us (Dave and me; Dave's brother and his wife, Kathy; Dave's sister, Shirley and Ron, the new man in her life) boarded a plane in Kansas City. We landed in Salt Lake City where we had a three hour wait for our next flights. Dave's brother and sister were heading to Spokane and us to Seattle. Our flights left at the same time but on different concourses.

While we were waiting, a man we didn't know walked up to us and handed us food vouchers. They had been bumped but managed to get on a flight and they were not going to use the vouchers. We thanked him for his random act of kindness! The six of us decided to go to the Dick Clark Bar and Grill at the intersection of the C and D concourses. We thought we might as well use the vouchers since we had nothing else to do.

In the bar, we pushed three little tables together and ordered some appetizer buffalo wings, quesadillas, and glasses of wine for Dave, Shirley, and me, beer for Dave's brother and Ron, and diet Coke for Kathy. I raised my glass and toasted the wonderful weekend we had had together. Ah, but the best part of the weekend was about to happen.

Your beloved Curt was flying to Monteray, California from Pennsylvania. And "coincidentally", he had a three hour lay over in the Salt Lake City airport. He walked by the Dick Clark Bar and Grill at the intersection of C and D concourse a couple of times. Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to sit quietly at a table near this rowdy group of six people. My husband almost fell off of his barstool and believe me, it wasn't the glass of wine. "That's Curt!"

In a split second, we were hugging and kissing. Curt hadn't seen us until we attacked him, so we had him pull his stool up to our tables to join us. This was the first time we had seen him without you, Patti. He looked good. He had lost weight and I teased him about how dapper he was dressed. Curt complemented my new hair cut. Dave talked to him about the toxicology meeting he was going to attend in California. I showed him pictures on my camera from the weekend.

Importantly, he assured us he was doing well. He told us about your second memorial service in Montana with your Mom and sister last June. Your chocolate lab, Chuckie, is getting a little gray now at 9 years old. But Curt has a pet sitter who comes in to take care of Chuck and the house when he travels. Your daughter Julie is naturally having some rough days but they are going to Cancun for Christmas--just the two of them. She is in graduate school in Oregon to become a teacher with a Master's degree. The last time I talked to you, you were in charge of helping her with her school applications and the finances. You were so happy with her choice to become a teacher instead of pursuing corporate marketing.

Curt wanted to know all about Kaley's first month of college. He asked about her music. He wondered about our vagabond son, Lucas. We explained he was finally back in Missoula where he has met a French girl.

Shirley introduced Curt to the new man in her life. Curt asked her if she was still living in Yakima. She explained she moved to Post Falls, ID into a house on a golf course and she could play any time she wanted. It was good--very good for Curt to hear how life can go on. Shirley hugged him and told him how she had been thinking about him and knew what he was going through. Curt's big smile revealed how happy he was to see us. He laughed--a lot. We needed to know he was ok and we had time to learn that he was.

Yes, indeed. The highlight of the weekend was a three hour lay over in Salt Lake City. This is a huge country between Spokane, Seattle, Kansas City, Pennsylvania, California, and Salt Lake City. Airports are big busy places. What are the chances of perfectly timed paths crossing---without some planning?

But you knew it all, didn't you, Patti??? You knew it all. Thank you, girl!

Love,
janet

// posted by Janet @ 8:26 AM 2 comments

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Ten Ways I Knew I Was In Kansas

1. The women in the airport called me "Hun". What is that about? When we lived there 30 years ago, I thought they called me "Hun" (short for honey) because I was young and cute. I'm not young anymore but I admit, I'm still cute---maybe that's it.

2. There were no mountains on the horizon. In the Puget Sound area, you cannot see even a block away because of our steep hillsides and dense foliage (unless, of course, you are looking out over the water). My husband's mother grew up in Kansas and the mountains of Montana always made her feel claustrophobic. She missed being able to see. I can see that.

Manhattan, Kansas

3. There were bridges over creek beds with no water. In fact, I saw no water except the Missouri River from the airplane. I grew up next to the "Missouree" River and near its headwaters in Montana and I will never ever say "Missoura". I did see someone pulling a boat down the freeway which is a normal sight in Seattle. Since I could see not a speck of water anywhere, I thought it odd.

4. There were bugs--"big-uns" (big ones) as they would say. At the golf course, I drove the golf cart while my husband and his siblings and cousins played. It was super fun. I have never been on a golf course before and this was a great way for me to be outside and experience the Kansas sun. And yes, there were sunflowers. But when I took a bathroom break in the clubhouse, I had to stifle my own blood curdling scream. A gigantic three inch black bug thingy was floating in the toilet. Eeeeeeeewwwww! We do not have such horrors back home.

5. The golf course had haystacks around it mixed in with the nice houses. I guess when you have no water to look at, they build houses to look at people playing golf on green grass.

Haystacks at the golf course.

6. It was windy. This was a strange sensation for me. In the Puget Sound area, the air is still with barely a breeze most of the time. We have windy days when a weather system is moving in and we have our famous windstorms that knock down trees. But the usual normal day like today is perfectly still. The wind on that golf course was non-stop hair tangling litter blowing golf ball interfering phenomenon.

7. Speaking of litter--it was an effort for me to keep our cups and sandwich wrappings from blowing out of the cart. At the end when we turned the cart back in, I was clearing out our garbage. A trash can was near-by but I had recyclable materials that I would never throw away including paper and plastic drink bottles. When I asked the young male employee in his golf course t-shirt where the recycling was, he looked at me like I had asked him where the UFO had landed. "Ah, we don't have that....ah, recycling."

8. I never did see a Starbuck's nor did I see drive through espresso stands on every corner.

9. Oh, but there were to die for BBQ ribs. Dave's cousin owns a BBQ rib joint/bar/restaurant in Manhattan. Kansas BBQ is the one thing we missed when we moved here. The minute we walked in, Dave said to me, "Smell that--you don't smell smoky BBQ like this in Seattle." And when I ordered wine with my ribs, I got the same stare from the young female employee with her restaurant T-shirt that I got at the golf course. "Ah, we don't have wine...just beer and drinks." I guess you don't order wine with ribs---at least not in Kansas.

10. There were sweet "potata" fries and BBQ beans to die for. At the picnic on the last night, the beans that were served with the hamburgers were like nothing I had ever had before.

Only in Kansas......!

// posted by Janet @ 7:43 AM 1 comments

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Me--I'm Boring....

You know, I like my dog, I like flowers, I like my church, I like to go out to dinner, I like to look at the water with binoculars and I like to hike. And that is pretty much it and all it takes to make me happy. I am boring. My family who I love, on the other hand, fascinates me. I have talked to each of them on the phone today (or in the case of my husband, in person, last night) and here are some gems.

1. My Mom: She is 78 years old and never sits still. She walks her dog everyday on Mount Helena and travels to Ashland, Oregon to watch Shakespeare. Actually, she just got back from Oregon a week or so ago. Not only that but she takes classes at Carroll College by audit and is currently studying Anthropology. And as an accountant, she not only keeps her church on track but she helps the entire Episcopal Diocese of Montana stay on track financially. Finally, she was tired of being left out so she recently purchased a computer and is now online.

2. My husband: He got back from California last night and is dragging me kicking and screaming to his family reunion in Kansas this weekend. I have never met any of these people in my life except for Dave's brother and sister. I will enjoy spending time with them but...Kansas and football and golf and strangers?? Maybe I'll find out a few clues to the dark skin, black hair and Mediterranean noses. Ok, that was off topic.

My husband told me last night that the tabloid "Star Magazine" contacted him. They want an expert's point of view about the drugs found in Anna Nicole Smith's son's body. Oh man, yes, he does have a PhD in pharmacology but he has spent his career as a toxicologist/cancer research scientist. And yes, he has become nationally known for his arsenic and dioxin expertise but no way does he want to be mixed up with that tragic tragic scenario. He politely referred the "journalist" elsewhere.

3. My son: He called both last night and this afternoon. The Rolling Stones performed in Missoula last night and it was the biggest thing ever to have happened there. Lucas did not have a ticket. He didn't need one because they performed at an outdoor stadium and the mountains served as a natural ampitheater. The light show and the music were about as good as being inside. Besides, he said the people with tickets were: "People who have been somewhere in a shed for forty years and the only other time they come out is for hempfest!" Knowing Missoula, I could not understand where Mick and his buddies stayed. I mean, I can't picture them at the Holiday Inn Express. Evidently, a wealthy Californian who has a fancy house somewhere in the surrounding mountains served as host.

Oh yes, and Lucas has a French girlfriend who he met in Missoula, not France. Not only does she rock climb but she plays the cello. I guess she enjoyed the fabulous Missoula symphony concert over the weekend where Lucas played his viola as part of the orchestra.

4. My daughter: Her head is in the clouds. She has been communicating with a boy online. She has seen him in person in a coffeehouse playing the piano and singing. Literally, they saw each other a second time across the room in the coffeehouse and sparks flew. This weekend they will have a real date---yes, of course, at the coffeehouse.

But her band with fellow Whitman students is gaining quite a reputation. Kaley explains their success by the fact that the three of them are "intrinsically musical." Last night, they auditioned at a club in Walla Walla. The owner signed them up for an hour and a half set. And I guess he was quite complimentary. He told them he had heard about them from several other people. They write their own music and lyrics and at the moment have enough material for about 45 minutes so they need to get to work! Kaley tells me she controls the two male members of her group when they bicker by telling them she will take a long time to get ready. Being male, I guess they hate that. It is so weird to me that I have not heard them perform.

5. And me: A few minutes ago out of my window I noticed some birds pestering something in the water. It was a sea lion and he was eating his salmon dinner. He was having quite a time thrashing the fish around. This is exciting, too, isn't it?

Tomorrow I go to Kansas...without my binoculars.

// posted by Janet @ 2:29 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

The Bush Apolo Built!

Hubby planted this small perennial last summer. It completely dies down in the winter and burgeons out from a small sprout in the spring. It is called "sedum" and this happens to be my favorite color. It has a thick succulent stock and the flowers are kind of cauliflower-like. When finished blooming, they dry and look lovely well into the fall.

But here's the deal. We have a small one in the front yard that is about the size of a 2 liter pop bottle planted at the same time. This one in our backyard is gigantic even as compared to the sedum bushes in my neighbors' yards. Is my husband a talented gardener? Not really. Am I? Absolutely not. Apolo is the gardener in this situation and he doesn't even realize what he has done.

You see, this bush is located right at the bottom of the steps from our deck and back door. Apolo pees on the sedum every single day when we let him outside. But rather than kill it, the bush has totally flourished. Scientist hubby explains it must have something to do with a need for acid soil.

So, thank you, puppy Apolo for my beautiful sedum!

(Pictures taken an hour ago.)

// posted by Janet @ 1:31 PM 2 comments