Speaking of the Beacon Hill Library, they have a monthly book group meeting. This month’s meeting is next Wednesday, November 19, at 6:30 pm, to discuss the book Heart, You Bully, You Punk by Leah Hager Cohen. The group is free, and of course, you can get the book at the library.
If you want to get a head start on next month’s book, it’s Hanna’s Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson.
A Chinese-language workshop for Medicare beneficiaries and their family members to learn about plan changes in 2009 is this Thursday afternoon from 1:30 – 3:00 pm at the Beacon Hill Library branch. The workshop is free and everyone is welcome; registration is not required. For more information, please call the Beacon Hill Branch at 206-684-4711.
Here is the description in Chinese, from the SPL website:
è¯é‚¦é†«ç™‚ä¿éšªè¬›åº§â€™ã€‚《è¯é‚¦é†«ç™‚ä¿éšª-處方藥物》計劃於11月15日至12月31日開始接å—åƒåŠ 。請來了解2009年的新改變。æ¤è¬›åº§ç‰¹åˆ¥ç‚ºMedicare å—益人åŠå®¶åºæˆå“¡è€Œè¨ã€‚費用全å…，æ¡è¿ŽåƒåŠ 。
We’ve been made aware of two local volunteer opportunities this week:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is looking for volunteer one-on-one mentors for children between 7 to 16 years old, says Veronica Abraham, Community Recruitment Coordinator, via the Beacon Hill mailing list.
Volunteer Chore Services for South Beacon Hill and South Seattle, part of Catholic Community Services, is looking for people to help out with elders and adults living with disabilities who are unable or ineligible for state/paid chore services. For more information, please call Kerrie Carbary, the West Region Volunteer Coordinator, at 206-328-6858; the Volunteer Chore Services main intake line at 206-328-5787; or email kerriec@ccsww.org.
The celebration of the club’s new 40,000 square foot teen center is from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm. VIPs including Ron Sims and Greg Nickels will be there to speak between 10:30 am and 11:30 am. Other activities at the celebration include free-throws with Sheryl Swoopes of the Seattle Storm, a performance by the Dangerettes drill team, football with Bobby Engram and Blitz from the Seattle Seahawks, and giveaways for kids and teens. The Club is at 4520 MLK Jr. Way South; the Columbia City rail station is one block south.
Thanks, Seattle Transit Blog!
A couple of weeks ago, Jason and I were down on Renton Avenue, near Vince’s, and decided to drive up the hill and try to take a good picture of the Chief Sealth trail. We did, and then kept driving a bit to see what else was up there. We soon found ourselves on the southeastern segment of Beacon Avenue South, which, though it seems to end when it merges with 39th Avenue South on South Beacon Hill, starts up again east of MLK and continues down to South 128th Street in Skyway. And there, near South Bond Street, we saw… a cow. The one you see in this picture. Right next to the road, happily munching away at some grass.
We stopped the car to take this photo, and heard the sound of horses whinnying. In Seattle, of all places.
It turns out that this cow is Vaca, the family cow at Sferra Farm, the last working farm in Seattle. The 20-acre horse farm has been there since 1919, and now it’s the last vestige of a South Seattle that once was. Recently the Sferra Farm made the news because the city’s new rates for drainage tax threatened its survival (the City Council later amended the drainage rate ordinance), and because of this you can see more pictures of Vaca and Sferra farm at Richard Conlin’s photo gallery and on Dori Monson’s website at KIRO radio.
The area where the farm is located is called Rainier Beach on the city’s neighborhood map, but just barely (the boundary on that map is MLK). The farm and its area are discussed in Chapter Four, “South Beacon Hill,” of Seattle’s Beacon Hill
I love Vaca’s fuzzy, soft-looking ears. It was a nice unexpected surprise to see a farm animal in the city.
The West Seattle Blog reports that several suspects have been arrested for a series of “BB gun burglaries” in West Seattle — but the suspects have been tied to crimes in the Beacon Hill neighborhood as well. More details at the WSB.
We noticed recently that the work on the east side of the 17th and Beacon intersection has reopened to traffic. The planters and pedestrian-scale lighting don’t appear to be there yet, though. With luck this will be a safer intersection for pedestrians crossing 17th at this spot. It doesn’t seem to affect those crossing Beacon to the library, however.
Does the “left turn only” sign mean that drivers can no longer cross Beacon and continue southward on 17th?
Andrew Crowder sent this message to the Beacon Hill mailing list:
Last year my wife and I rescued a wonderful 2 year old fox hound from the Humane Society. We named her Abbey and she is a very good companion. However, as we are expecting a baby girl in December, Abbey will be too much for us to manage while attending to an infant. If you are a walker or runner, she is an ideal training partner. I take her out on a 2 – 4 mile run (rain or shine) at least 3 days a week and she loves being outdoors.
If Abbey sounds like she may be compatible to your lifestyle, or if you know someone looking for a pet, I strongly encourage you to first check out a description of her breed [See American Foxhound]. Also, if you own a cat, ferret or a similar non-canine creature, then a foxhound under the same roof is simply not a good idea.
One important necessity for her breed is a tall enclosed fence with no escape routes while you are away. If left alone for long periods, the fox hound will get bored and become curious to explore the various interesting scents wafting through the neighborhood. However as long as people are at home, Abbey has no incentive to run off and contents herself with sleeping on her cushion, that is, after you’ve taken her out to play. When people are around, she is a very good indoor dog.
We have grown very attached to her, and want to ensure that she finds a suitable home that would be conducive to mutual happiness with her owner(s).
Please respond to our email if you are interested in adopting Abbey: lacrowder@msn.com
— Andrew Crowder