For several years, the grocery store on the southwest corner of 28th and Jackson has been plagued with graffiti, vandalism, open-air drug dealing and other criminal activity. The store owner would diligently paint out the graffiti, and it would reappear again and again. One day, Urban Artworks, a local non-profit headed by Leschi resident, Stephanie Tschida, received a phone call from Blast Radius, an online marketing and branding firm, offering 30 volunteers on a Thursday in August. The project, according to Blast Radius, should focus on a youth and family theme. Artworks contacted Randy Beaulieu, coordinator of the Central Seattle Drug Free Coalition (CSDFCC), and proposed a partnership to paint a mural for the 28th and Jackson site. Since the mission of CSDFCC is to reduce use of drugs and alcohol among underage minors, this mural idea was a perfect fit, and the Coalition agreed to fund the project. Urban Artworks’ artist Jake Wagoner, who also created the mural on 22nd and Jackson, designed a ‘Family Tree” idea, where actual frames would be mounted onto the painted tree, and, within the frames, photos of actual neighborhood families past and present! On August 23rd, the 30 wonderful young people from Blast Radius, along with Urban Artworks staff, the Central Seattle Drug Free Communities and Daniel Sims, of Seattle Public Utilities Graffiti removal program, arrived at 11 AM to begin painting the mural and over the graffiti on the opposite side of the building. We were joined by Colman Neighborhood’s Knox Gardner, founder of Jackson Commons, a movement to revitalize Jackson Street, who came with his “Pop-up Cafe”- chairs, tables and umbrellas, giving the site a festive appearance. Several neighborhood volunteers and members of the Seattle Police Department also joined us. As the project progressed, many more folks became involved. Neighbors have proclaimed that they will be watching it...keeping taggers away. We received amazing photos of neighborhood families, including the young Ernestine Anderson, who grew up in the neighborhood! This project has become a legacy to the history and pride of the neighborhood. We are witnessing community building at it's finest! ~Stephanie Tschida

Now that the soil has been softened by fall rains, it is time to tackle some of the invasive weeds trying to overtake our yards and parks. One of the most easily identified is English Ivy, which was originally brought over from Europe to “green up” our fair city after the clear cutting in the early 1900’s. It quickly became a pest, invading vacant lots and parks and attacking trees. It can be controlled by constant maintenance; with annual shearing, it can be a tolerable ground cover. But without a gardening staff to maintain it, it becomes a hazardous invasive, because it wants to climb upon every bush, shrub, tree and building. It flowers and produces berries which are transported by our avian friends to other areas. “Down with English Ivy” should be everyone’s mantra! Another noxious weed in our midst is wild clematis, sometimes called “old man’s beard”, because of the tiny puff balls of seed pods it produces. These become airborne in winter and spring, sprouting everywhere. Wild clematis is also an aerial climber, like English ivy, and with time, it produces tarzan-like cables. In big winds, these cables act like sails, capable of bringing down full-grown trees. Both ivy and clematis are fully controlled only by digging, but the roots can reach sizable proportions. Other invasive weeds that need controlling include Himalayan blackberries, Herb Robert (also called Stinky Bob) and Japanese knotweed to name a few. It is possible to learn more about these weeds and recommendations for control by contacting the King County Noxious Weed Control Program at 206.296.0290. Washington State Noxious Weed Control has an illustrated booklet identifying noxious weeds. Call 360.725.5764 to order PUB 820-264W (n/6/09) or go to nwcb.wa.gov. The Benefits of Eggshells If your family eats eggs regularly or you bake often, do not throw away the eggshells. They are good for your garden and for wild birds! First, you must rinse the eggshells, and then crush them before you add them to your garden beds. High in calcium, eggshells provide a nutrient often deficient in the northwest, according to Ciscoe Morris, but which is required for healthy cell growth in plants. They also release other minerals and nutrients as they break down. The finer the crush, the quicker plants can utilize these nutrients. Just work them into the soil around shrubs and perennials. These same shells, not so finely crushed, help to deter slugs, snails and cutworms, who do not like to have their tender undersides scratched on the sharp points of the shells. Just place around tender plants. Wild birds benefit from crushed eggshells in your garden; they provide grit for digestion and calcium for egg laying females, resulting in stronger egg cases. The Magic of Mulch Leaves from deciduous trees are beneficial to your garden too. Mulch your flower and vegetable garden beds with the fallen fall leaves, they break down over the winter to enrich the soil with many needed nutrients and prevent unwanted weed seeds from germinating, saving you much labor and yielding healthier plants too! The leaf litter also provides a warm and dry habitat for beneficial insects, e.g. ladybugs, butterfly larvae, spiders and others that need to hibernate until spring. If you have a worm bin, you can mix in leaves when it gets smelly or too wet. Or mix with grass clippings to compost at a 1 to 3 ratio. ~Diane Morris (with thanks to Ciscoe Morris (no relation) and Katie Vincent, Garden Hotline Educator for Seattle Tilth)

January 12, 2016—Attending: Diane Snell, Diane Morris, Kim Murillo, Jeff Floor, Yousef Shulman, Amy Fink, and Tracy Bier. Kim/Treasury Diane S. did a lot of work on advertising and brought in ad money. We also have some new advertisers. Please see Kim’s report. Financially we’re in good shape. Diane suggested we go ahead and pay $10,000 for the work done on Frink Park (based on the grant from King County). The motion was made and carried unanimously. Jeff/LURC LURC has been working on re-writing their bylaws. They’re in discussion with Vulcan for a site they may be interested in on the Promenade 23rd S. site. Jeff is looking at this situation as a potential subject for a general meeting. HALA Flexibility HALA is changing regulations around backyard cottages/basement apartments. The group is also looking for flexibility from communities in relaxing single-family zoning. Diane is looking for input/info on this subject. Jeff will take the request to LURC. Programming/February General meeting The board discussed paying an honorarium for the scheduled speaker, writer David Williams. The motion was made and carried. Moorage report The Parks dept. has received 2 proposals. One of the proposals is for Lakewood moorage only. The other proposal is from Foss. ‘Pot Shop’ Buffer Zone Issue The City Council voted to reduce buffer zones from 1000 ft. to 500 ft. Board offered no objections to this. The board noted that the corner Uncle Ike’s occupies has become safer since the pot shop moved in. Website We need a new hosting site; Yousef will research options. Central Area Senior Center Operation of the facility is a part of Senior Services, but the building is owned by the city. Senior Services may be interested in obtaining the building for multiple purposes, including low-income housing. There are some concerns as to whether the proposed changes might result in a loss in terms of community availability to the facility. Reminder Exec board elections are coming up in May. ~Submitted by Amy Fink

This winter has rewritten the rulebook for strong El Niños. Meteorologists were so certain that Southern California would be far wetter than normal, while the Pacific Northwest would be drier than normal. Instead, Southern California ended up with below-average rainfall for yet another winter, and the Pacific Northwest witnessed the rainiest winter in many locations on record. To our credit, many other things we predicted, such as a lack of lowland snowfall and above-normal temperatures throughout the West Coast, have come true, but still, this year is one many seasonal forecasters would like to forget. We’ve had several strong storm systems over the past 12 months. We had our summer blow on August 29 and an intense storm on November 17. We even had a significant storm on March 10 that caused extensive coastal flooding throughout the region and ripped a Bellingham Home Depot to shreds. But the most impressive storm, in my mind, has to be the one that occurred only three days later. ​It wasn’t the windiest storm, and it wasn’t the biggest. However, the low-pressure system itself was one of the most symmetrical, picturesque lows I have ever seen. It doesn’t take a meteorologist to see that this was an intense storm! Moreover, this storm tracked just off the Washington Coast, and our new coastal radar was able to pick up some incredible pictures. The day of the windstorm, I was teaching ski lessons up at Alpental, near Snoqualmie Pass. It was extremely gusty up there – I know that Summit West had a gust to 68 mph, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw similarly strong gusts at times at Alpental. It was quite a sight to see all of the snow being blown around. Many of the kids found the winds scary, but they persevered through the storm and were a pleasure to be with the entire day. Down here, winds were quite gusty. Sea-Tac gusted to 56 mph, Boeing Field gusted to 54, and the University of Washington gusted to 49. Winds were even higher up north, with Everett, Bellingham and the Whidbey Naval Air Station gusting to 60, 64 and 66 mph, respectively. As is usual, the coast was the windiest place of all. Aptly named Destruction Island clocked a 79 mph gust at 3 pm. One of my friends, a post-doctoral atmospheric sciences graduate from the University of British Columbia focusing on Pacific Northwest windstorms, estimated gusts of 55-60 mph by Seward Park based on tree damage nearby. Indeed, many trees were toppled in this storm due to the extraordinarily saturated soils from this past winter, including this one right by the #2 bus turnaround at the bottom of Madrona Hill. (Tree that fell under the storm’s fierce winds at the bottom of Madrona Hill. Courtesy of the author.) None of the individual storms this past year will go down in the record books. But, taken as a whole, this winter was one of the stormiest on record for the Pacific Northwest. Let’s hope next winter is a little bit calmer! ~Charlie Phillips Charlie Phillips, a Madrona resident, just received his B.S. in atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. Check out his personal weather blog at www.charliesweatherforecasts.blogspot.com !

Trees are valuable not only to the environment but also to the neighborhood. Yet, sometimes it seems they disappear mysteriously, or sometimes not so mysteriously, in plain sight. Seattle has rules — many of them — about cutting trees. Namely, permits are required in most cases no matter whether the tree is on private or public property. Any tree that is on public property, including street rights-of-way, is protected by ordinance. One must obtain a permit from the appropriate city agency responsible for the tree before taking any measures to remove or prune it. In most cases, the applicant must pay a permit fee, hire a qualified arborist and replace each tree with two trees that are acceptable to the city. More information is available from the Seattle Department of Transportation at (206) 684-8733 and from the Department of Parks and Recreation at (206) 684-4113. Private property owners are covered by rules for any tree over 6 inches in diameter, or for any tree located on environmentally sensitive land (steep slope, or landslide prone, wetlands, wildlife habitat), or for any tree of exceptional value (any tree that is of significant size or has historical, ecological or aesthetic value.) The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections regulates tree cutting on private property and issues the permits. Private property owners cannot cut down more than three non-exceptional trees 6 inches or greater in diameter each year. Call at (206) 684-8850 for information or access to application forms. The rules, generally for privately owned land, are: You cannot remove any exceptional trees. Exceptional trees are trees that are of significant size or have historical, ecological or aesthetic value. You cannot cut down more than three non-exceptional trees 6 inches or greater in diameter each year. You can remove trees determined to be hazardous through a hazard tree assessment by a certified tree risk professional. The Department of Construction and Inspections also has restrictions on when private property owners remove shrubs and other vegetation. As citizens, we should feel free to report tree-cutting we observe to the appropriate city agencies to make sure that it is permitted and if not appropriate, enforcement actions are taken. ~John Barber, Leschi CC Chair of Parks & Greenspace

A friend called me the other day and said how about checking out FATS Chicken and Waffles for lunch? Great idea. Walking a few blocks on a sunny day and having a tasty lunch at a very reasonable price is perfect. I ordered the catfish sandwich with a side of fries and she had the fried green tomato sandwich with a side of okra. We shared the generous sides and the sandwiches were a nice lunchtime size. The catfish was delicious with a light batter. Both sandwiches should satisfy non-meat eaters. When FATS opened, I will admit that fried chicken and waffles were not on my culinary radar. Several months ago, some former neighbors were visiting Seattle. They knew all about chicken and waffles and we invited them to try the new restaurant in their old neighborhood. On that visit, we ordered shrimp and grits, red beans and rice, chicken and waffles, assorted sides and a few beers. All very good. It is fun to have another eating choice in the neighborhood. And a special thank you to FATS for touching up the great MLK JR Mural! We’ll be back! FATS Chicken and Waffles 2726 E Cherry 206.602.6853 Hours: Tues-Fri 11-9; Sat & Sun 9-3 and 5-9; Closed Mondays ~Hope Hensley

Leschi Community Meeting, April 6, 2016 Gazing out over Lake Washington with Mt. Rainer in perfect, plain sight, Leschi community members convened on April 6 to discuss two hot topics regarding the magnificent view, Colman Park and the Leschi moorages. The monthly community council meeting was welcomed by representatives from the Mount Baker community council as well as the Seattle Parks Department to have an open discussion about these two respective topics. The meeting began with a presentation from Mount Baker community members, Margy Bresslour and Evan Wright, regarding a project to restore Colman Park to the original Olmsted Brothers’ vision. What once was envisioned by the Olmsted brothers to be a beautiful park that “borrowed the landscape” from its pristine location has since become overgrown, littered and uncared for due to lack of park funding and involvement? The Mount Baker community council wishes to restore the park from Holgate to Massachusetts street, cut back and yes - cut down - some of the trees in order to establish a viewshed looking out over 31st Ave. The council members were present to gain feedback from the Leschi community regarding the project and sought any interest or additional involvement from residents. Their presentation garnered a lot of excitement and fond memories from attendees. One in particular spoke to the importance of opening up this viewpoint, she said, “It is a spirituality thing, being closed in within a city has an effect on people,” and many others seemed to agree. The presentation inspired interest from two community members who volunteered to sit on a committee for this Colman Park restoration project. They will represent the Leschi community in its undertaking, and others are encouraged to reach out and join the committee as well. In the future, there will be three public meetings regarding this project, and all community members are welcome to attend. These upcoming meetings will feature professionals, including an arborist who will be talking in more detail about next steps, especially the environmental preservation concerns of this community initiative. The second half of the Leschi community meeting was focused on the restoration of the north and south Leschi moorages. Paul Wilkinson, manager of moorage for Seattle Parks, and Paula Hoff, also of Seattle Parks, were present for an open discussion regarding the future of our community’s treasured marinas. Simply put, the Leschi moorages are slowly falling apart. They have not had proper upkeep, and the safety of these facilities has been questioned. While the Parks department is responsible for their upkeep, budgets are limited and the moorages don’t serve as many community members as other Parks’ initiatives therefore they are not as high of a priority for the department. However, Seattle Parks does indeed care for their history and the purpose they serve. This is why they recently put out a public request for proposal, or RFP, to garner third party interest in the management and restoration takeover of both the Leschi and the Lakewood moorages. There were two bids submitted to the RFP and Foss Marina Management was ultimately selected. According to Hoff, Foss’s priorities and plans for the moorages closely align with those of Parks and the community. Those priorities include making the moorages safe, accessible and affordable, protecting the surrounding habitat and the facilities’ original footprint, ensuring a community benefit, maintaining the sailing heritage of the area and improving public access. This agreement will be a strategic partnership between the two entities, and Seattle Parks will still own the moorages. (Images courtesy Kim Murillo) The Parks’ representatives made it clear that this project is in the very beginning stages of development, what will come next is a long permit process with a plethora of requirements to be met, then a contract will be negotiated with Foss, and what will follow will of course include input from the Leschi community to ensure the projects are executed in accordance with community interests. Once a contract is agreed upon and a design is drawn, there will be opportunities, including community meetings, for public and community input regarding the project. While there are a lot of fears regarding hiring a third party corporation to come in and manage Leschi’s marinas, Parks’ ensured Foss’s positive track record and intent to preserve the moorages’ historic presence in the community. Foss has taken on a similar marina restoration project in Tacoma at the Tacoma waterways near the Museum of Glass. One of the fears of the management change is that it will price out the lower end boater and lead to larger boats at the moorages and the stacking of boats. Parks mentioned that while Foss plans for a return on investment, as any business would in a similar endeavor, the history and traditions of Leschi’s moorages will be kept intact. Wilkinson said, “We want to preserve the boats that are there, but we can see stacking in the future: stacking of sail boards in order to increase the use of the facilities.” Tentatively speaking of a timeline for this project, Parks mentioned that they would like to start replacing the south Leschi moorage by the end of this year, with the north moorage replaced soon after. Once again, they highlighted the craziness of the permitting process, but hope to also have a contract signed and agreed upon with Foss by the end of the summer. In Foss’s proposal to Parks, they envisioned the timeline for the project lasting up to five years. For more information regarding Parks and the Leschi moorages, including Foss’s proposal, visit seattle.gov/parks/marinas. Park’s also welcomes any questions, feedback or input via email from the Leschi community regarding the future of these beloved marinas. ~Caroline Emde Caroline Emde is a recent graduate from the University of Missouri School of Journalism as well as a recent addition to the Leschi Community. She recently moved here from Chicago and currently works in public relations for a small firm in Seattle. When she isn’t writing for work or for pleasure, she enjoys being outside, hiking, swimming, painting and exploring the city! She is excited to have the opportunity to write for Leschi News and delve deeper into the local community.

April 6, 2016 - Leschi Community Meeting Gazing out over Lake Washington with Mt. Rainer in perfect, plain sight, Leschi community members convened on April 6 to discuss two hot topics regarding the magnificent view, Colman Park and the Leschi moorages. The monthly community council meeting was welcomed by representatives from the Mount Baker community council as well as the Seattle Parks Department to have an open discussion about these two respective topics. The meeting began with a presentation from Mount Baker community members, Margy Bresslour and Evan Wright, regarding a project to restore Colman Park to the original Olmsted Brothers’ vision. What once was envisioned by the Olmsted brothers to be a beautiful park that “borrowed the landscape” from its pristine location has since become overgrown, littered and uncared for due to lack of park funding and involvement? The Mount Baker community council wishes to restore the park from Holgate to Massachusetts street, cut back and yes - cut down - some of the trees in order to establish a viewshed looking out over 31st Ave. The council members were present to gain feedback from the Leschi community regarding the project and sought any interest or additional involvement from residents. Their presentation garnered a lot of excitement and fond memories from attendees. One in particular spoke to the importance of opening up this viewpoint, she said, “It is a spirituality thing, being closed in within a city has an effect on people,” and many others seemed to agree. The presentation inspired interest from two community members who volunteered to sit on a committee for this Colman Park restoration project.They will represent the Leschi community in its undertaking, and others are encouraged to reach out and join the committee as well. In the future, there will be three public meetings regarding this project, and all community members are welcome to attend. These upcoming meetings will feature professionals, including an arborist who will be talking in more detail about next steps, especially the environmental preservation concerns of this community initiative. The second half of the Leschi community meeting was focused on the restoration of the north and south Leschi moorages. Paul Wilkinson, manager of moorage for Seattle Parks, and Paula Hoff, also of Seattle Parks, were present for an open discussion regarding the future of our community’s treasured marinas. Simply put, the Leschi moorages are slowly falling apart. They have not had proper upkeep, and the safety of these facilities has been questioned. While the Parks department is responsible for their upkeep, budgets are limited and the moorages don’t serve as many community members as other Parks’ initiatives therefore they are not as high of a priority for the department. However, Seattle Parks does indeed care for their history and the purpose they serve. This is why they recently put out a public request for proposal, or RFP, to garner third party interest in the management and restoration takeover of both the Leschi and the Lakewood moorages. There were two bids submitted to the RFP and Foss Marina Management was ultimately selected. According to Hoff, Foss’s priorities and plans for the moorages closely align with those of Parks and the community. Those priorities include making the moorages safe, accessible and affordable, protecting the surrounding habitat and the facilities’ original footprint, ensuring a community benefit, maintaining the sailing heritage of the area and improving public access. This agreement will be a strategic partnership between the two entities, and Seattle Parks will still own the moorages. The Parks’ representatives made it clear that this project is in the very beginning stages of development, what will come next is a long permit process with a plethora of requirements to be met, then a contract will be negotiated with Foss, and what will follow will of course include input from the Leschi community to ensure the projects are executed in accordance with community interests. Once a contract is agreed upon and a design is drawn, there will be opportunities, including community meetings, for public and community input regarding the project. While there are a lot of fears regarding hiring a third party corporation to come in and manage Leschi’s marinas, Parks’ ensured Foss’s positive track record and intent to preserve the moorages’ historic presence in the community. Foss has taken on a similar marina restoration project in Tacoma at the Tacoma waterways near the Museum of Glass. One of the fears of the management change is that it will price out the lower end boater and lead to larger boats at the moorages and the stacking of boats. Parks mentioned that while Foss plans for a return on investment, as any business would in a similar endeavor, the history and traditions of Leschi’s moorages will be kept intact. Wilkinson said, “We want to preserve the boats that are there, but we can see stacking in the future: stacking of sail boards in order to increase the use of the facilities.” Tentatively speaking of a timeline for this project, Parks mentioned that they would like to start replacing the south Leschi moorage by the end of this year, with the north moorage replaced soon after. Once again, they highlighted the craziness of the permitting process, but hope to also have a contract signed and agreed upon with Foss by the end of the summer. In Foss’s proposal to Parks, they envisioned the timeline for the project lasting up to five years. For more information regarding Parks and the Leschi moorages, including Foss’s proposal, visit seattle.gov/parks/marinas. Park’s also welcomes any questions, feedback or input via email from the Leschi community regarding the future of these beloved marinas. ~Caroline Emde Caroline Emde is a recent graduate from the University of Missouri School of Journalism as well as a recent addition to the Leschi Community. She recently moved here from Chicago and currently works in public relations for a small firm in Seattle. When she isn’t writing for work or for pleasure, she enjoys being outside, hiking, swimming, painting and exploring the city! She is excited to have the opportunity to write for Leschi News and delve deeper into the local community.

BOOK REVIEW The book Dirty Wars by Jeremy Scahill should be read by anyone who asks the question that is the title of this review. It is a history of the Joint Special Operations Command and the CIA during the last three Administrations and their counter-insurgency operations in the Middle East. This big book may not sound appealing at first glance, but it need not be read from cover to cover for its essential message. The fine details of the turf wars and policy disputes between the agencies and even the exciting shoot-outs in downtown Lahore and at the Bin Laden compound can be skipped without missing the valuable insights that the work offers. Just dipping into the material on our efforts in Somalia, Afghanistan and Yemen will reveal why we are unable, after trillions of dollars and over twenty years of battle, to make substantial inroads against radical Islam. The story is one of blunder after blunder. By relying on the same crude and violent “pacification” methods that were so unsuccessful in Viet Nam, we create much more resistance among the common-folk, and even within groups that once were our friends, than we eliminate. We often seem very shortsightedly to associate ourselves with the most violent and corrupt elements within these societies while our fundamentalist enemies can bring a measure of law and order. Acting on supposed “intelligence” provided by local sources not fully vetted can result in killing mediators whose only crime, perhaps, is that they are not totally dedicated to our local policy position, or worse, are the subjects of a feud. But the most telling episodes are those recounted by Scahill in which people or groups are targeted for killing on the very questionable bases of personal associations, life patterns or simply expressions of political positions. Examples are the cases of the elimination by Hellfire missile of the whole Yemeni shepherding group that may have provided food to a nearby Al Qaeda camp, and the mistaken killing and attempted cover-up of a highly respected Afghan police official and members of his family. This last, especially brutal special operations episode reached the international news only because of the brave persistence of a British journalist whose reputation was put in jeopardy during the war of words that erupted from the highest command levels. There is also the matter of the killing, on orders of the U.S. President, of the U.S-born Anwar al-Awlaki and later his 16-year-old non-political son. The father’s life and evolving beliefs are followed in detail, and a case is made that he was killed simply for his ideas and the public relations power of his outrage over our targeted killings. As one reads of these affairs and the criticisms they have generated within our own foreign affairs and defense establishment, it becomes clear that for some reason, though we are generating more enemies than we are killing, those who assemble the weekly kill lists do not seem to notice. Why is this? Do we need wars? ~Jim Snell

Because of a chance stop at a booth at the NW Flower and Garden show, I became familiar with the Blue Orchard or Mason Bee. From this encounter a few years ago, I have become involved in and fascinated by the raising of these energetic little guys and gals. They are native to our area and are perhaps a potential hardy supplement to our troubled imported honeybees. Since they are solitary and do not live in hives, they are less subject to the transfer of disease or pesticides to their compatriots. As pollinators, they are many times more effective per bee than honey bees, and so are potentially valuable for American orchardists. In fact, the Japanese, since WWII, have come to raise and use them extensively for pollination of apples as environmental change affected other pollinators. A recent study by the U. of Vermont Gund Institute shows that Washington State stone fruit production may be at risk due to the decline of native bees. This summer, our Mayor announced a “Bee Week” following a resolution by the City Council to make Seattle the nation’s largest Bee City. Native wild bees are an integral part of this effort. In fact, the U.S. Agriculture Dept. has funded a large study by Washington State University of native pollinators and their role in organic food systems. The research project will continue through 2016 on 18 local farms. You can Google or Yahoo “NW Pollinator Initiative” and “Common Acre” for more information. I have a small supply of Mason Bee cocoons and wooden blocks that are used to provide the holes that the bees need to raise their next generation. If any readers are interested in raising these gentle bees either for fruit tree pollination or just in order to observe their busy life cycle, they may contact me through the News. I will advise on placement and will collect the cocoons and materials at the end of the season. There is no need to feed or water them, just to enjoy. You do need to be quick though, because the bees will be ready to go soon and their housing needs to be set up and ready by late February, or early March at the latest. Placing these bees throughout Leschi will encourage more efficient pollination of our plants and trees. ~Jim Snell

The Mason Bee nesting blocks, which we provided with cocoons, are filling up early this year, probably due to our warm spring. Two stewards’ blocks are in fact completely filled, and had to be supplemented with additional nesting tubes. Evidently, we are picking up nesting bees from our neighborhood’s pre-existing bee population. This is good, because providing clean and plentiful nesting holes can only increase the numbers of our native bees. ~Jim Snell

BOOK REVIEW I've been reading (to be honest, listening to a downloadable audio book from our wonderful library) about Washington. Not that swampy place by the Potomac, the real living, breathing one. The book is Ron Chernow's Pulitzer-winning biography Washington: A Life . Chernow has had the benefit of the years of editing of Washington's vast collected papers that has taken place since the great biographies of the past were written. This new biography is certainly worth reading for that reason alone, but Chernow is also a fine writer, balanced in his views and with a gift for sorting through this enormous bulk of Washington's writings for the trenchant vignette. He also seems to have made himself thoroughly familiar with the many colorful people associated with Washington over his long career. Luckily, Washington had an eye on documenting his place in history, even demanding that handwritten copies of his correspondence be made in the field and shipped separately to guard against capture or loss. Washington emerges as just the person the nation wanted and needed for the role he was destined to play: man of integrity, somewhat aloof and above the hurly-burly of politics, tall and full of the gravitas expected in a leader of men and head of state. Of course, certain factoids will remain burned into my failing memory, such as the smallpox scars on his nose and cheeks, his hippopotamus ivory teeth, stained brown by port, and his sending to London after his marriage for Spanish Fly. He didn't hesitate to shoot mutinying soldiers. And he was a captive of his cultural conditioning, as we all are, being mystified that his house slaves, on at least two occasions, fled to freedom. He seems to have lost control of Indians under his command during a border skirmish (some have called it an ambush) with French troops before the French and Indian War was declared. On this occasion a French officer was clubbed to death while trying to read a diplomatic proclamation regarding French territorial claims. He then downplayed the rather gory facts in his report of the affair. He was quite ambitious in his youth and anxious to move up and into the higher realms of the very class-conscious Virginia society where British landed grandees ruled. He indulged in some sharp practices in accumulating great acreage in the West using agents who concealed his identity as they negotiated. He was always conscious of how he was being perceived by the larger society around him, especially as he became a prominent actor on the political stage. He was quite concerned with money and making his farms profitable. This entailed meticulous supervision of every detail of management through his overseers, and constant personal observation of his slaves' performance. He was not an advocate of severe punishments, but felt that the slaves had to be constantly supervised to prevent malingering. He was an affectionate husband and generous paterfamilias for the large extended family that surrounded him in his later years, and generous to friends in need. He seemed to have given his slaves the standard, rather meager allowance of clothing, but allowed them a good deal of freedom in the raising of food in their own plots and allowed them to travel to the town markets, unsupervised on occasion. There must have been an atmosphere of trust between him and his home farm slaves because there is recorded at least one occasion of slaves being given guns and allowed to hunt at Mt. Vernon. He was interested in the newest methods of farming and was a diligent reader of the scientific literature on that subject. He came to the conclusion that the crops that had demanded large numbers of slaves in order to be profitable were not the way of the future and experimented with new crops. In later years, when a good portion of his slaves were either aging or too young to do heavy work, he decided that he should free them all because he was very reluctant to sell slaves. That would break up families. However, ownership of a large proportion of them was in the hands of his wife and ultimately of her children by her earlier marriage. He did manumit his own slaves, but only upon his death. So, though he may be seen, from his expressions to others and his private writings, to want to free his slaves, this was impossible as he saw it. Washington was always under great financial stress. This was due to a combination of the economics of slave agriculture and his need to present himself as expected within the planter class. He felt the need to entertain according to southern standards of hospitality at home and the standards of polite northern society when he went north. And he obviously enjoyed living well. The long lists of luxuries ordered from London make this clear. His speculation in western land never brought him much profit. He was not a shrewd and grasping person, despite his clear desire to make money and move ahead in society. A striking proof of this is his refusal to accept a salary as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. He continually expresses the desire, above all else, to prove his impeccable honesty and dedication to the revolutionary cause. This unshakable adherence to a code of high integrity was held throughout his career, though he saw all about him merchants making fortunes while his soldiers literally starved and went without boots and coats. The stories of bloody footprints along the line of march, and men falling by the wayside and freezing to death are not exaggerations, according to Chernow. The modern reader finds it difficult to understand why the lower ranks of the army continued to fight without pay or decent supplies for months on end while others when conscripted could pay for substitutes. His physical courage was astounding. He braved bullets in very exposed situations, while men fell all about him and horses were shot from under him on several occasions. He appeared to genuinely feel that his fate was in the hands of Providence, though he was not a particularly fervent churchgoer. Washington had the looks and presence required of a charismatic leader, and at six feet, with his characteristic manner of standing straight as a ram-rod and stately walk, he impressed everyone when he entered a room, according to countless contemporary accounts. He was not easy to work for, demanding unceasing attention to detail by his subordinates and squads of clerks laboring over his tremendous correspondence when in office. But he also formed close and affectionate attachments to his immediate aides, typically very bright young men who could have been the sons that he and Martha never had. Notably, his attachment to Lafayette remained despite Lafayette's prominent role in the French Revolution to which Washington was strongly opposed. His demands could become unsupportable for a strong-willed subordinate, as Chernow relates in an incident in which Alexander Hamilton quits when upbraided for not hopping-to quite quickly enough. To his credit, the chief acknowledges his error and apologizes to Hamilton. But Hamilton gracefully declines to continue. He already had his eye on higher political position. Washington could swear a blue streak, but seemed to save such outbursts to confined quarters, or when in the field, to occasions when his men were dropping their guns and fleeing. He was very careful not to appear to be proud of his achievements. Washington typically was rather reticent in brilliant company. He felt his lack of conversational adroitness, and believed his lack of a college education put him at a disadvantage among men of distinction. However, his wide reading and great curiosity regarding science and history is evident in his very extensive correspondence on all sorts of matters. It was noted that he could loosen up noticeably when suitably lubricated with port. He liked the women who attended his table and often charmed them greatly. He liked to dance, though Martha did not, and often would expend a good deal of the evening dancing with some of the ladies when the government was established in New York or Philadelphia. He seems never to have had an improper affair with any woman, though his correspondence shows he was clearly attracted platonically to the wife of a close friend and neighbor in his early days, and perhaps another woman in his later years. I will leave the battle narratives for the reader to explore, but just say Washington seems by general consensus not to have been a brilliant tactician, slow to respond to quickly changing conditions in the field. But his great strength was in his unshakable determination to prevail over terrible circumstances, his developed skill in choosing his officers, the loyalty he inspired in his men, his very evident high integrity when this was in short supply among the politicians, and his sheer commanding presence when the nation desperately needed such a person. This last as much as anything may have swayed King Louis XVI to send the aid that tipped the balance of power in our favor, brought the defeat of Cornwallis, and convinced the British that the fight was not worth the cost. ~Jim Snell