WELCOME!

…Got news? Something to sell? Funny story? Call Wayne at 253-847-4614 (Conversely, if you prefer not to receive these newsletters, just phone 253-847-4614 and leave a message with your address).

Our Internet address is www.86thave.wordpress.com . Please add it to your “favorites” or Links for easy access. Thanks.

Our Growing Community-  Do you have a business that you would like to advertise? For just $5.00/month you can add your business card to the back of the newsletter. It will reach over 300 of your neighbors and friends. The $ helps cover paper/printing/delivery costs. Call Wayne Cooke for more details.

How to Prune Tomatoes

March-April 2010 Newsletter

Fahnstrom’s 86^th Avenue Community Garden is open.   Steve and Stephanie were concerned about the effect of too much “junk food” on their children.  They decided not only to grow some of their own food but to invite neighbors to do the same on their large lot. 

Self Reliant members helped, and soon 9 x 9 foot beds about 15 inches high were filled with Washington Quarrie’s donated topsoil.

Give Fahnstroms (Emerald Landscaping) a call at 777-7739.

if you’d like to use one of the community beds to try growing your own food. 

Easy!  Plant a pizza seed and a pizza grows!  Seriously, your kids will enjoy the new taste of carrots and red potatoes grown fresh.

Mayor Strickland:  Tacoma’s mayor proclaimed the last week in March to be Community Gardens Week and opened seven new gardens.

(Holly added the following links)

http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=927

http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=699

http://www.growlocaltacoma.com/

(Holly added – could this be the castle?)

A Castle in Graham?  Amazing!  Ron’s home really IS his castle.   He never lost the fascination he had as a kid with knights and castles of the Middle Ages.  So, nearly twenty years ago, he purchased property here and, sitting in his truck, sketched out the beautiful turreted castle of his dreams.  The completed castle I was invited into last week was very much like the sketch.  The basic construction took 18 months with the help of a professional Tacoma stone-mason and thousands of cobblestones  from old Tacoma streets.  Gargoyles to repel evil spirits adorn the 18 inch thick walls resting on a two-foot-wide foundation. It took another 13 years, with delays and cost overruns, to finally finish it, though Ron continues to improve it every year.  It has been featured on HGTV and used to create a 1 ½ hr. film, “Prince of Darkness”.

Inside, square handmade nails fasten the floorboards.  Every wall is covered with more swords, battleaxes, and lances than I will ever see again.  Suits of armor, actually worn in mock medieval combat, stood in various corners.  Pictures and decorations adorned even the ceilings. Yet every room was also wired for modern electronics and conveniences. The main turret – the “KEEP” – was, Ron explained, where food and weapons were stored to “keep” the people in case the main walls were breached.  I climbed spiral steps, originally deliberately made uneven to impede enemies, passed up through two small rooms, and stepped gingerly out on the tiny balcony of the 57 foot high turret to view the countryside for miles around.  No enemy in sight!

Last, Ron led me down and down, then through a squeaky iron-clad dungeon door, and across to the low-domed wine cellar.  At the other end of that pillared dungeon was a marvelous sight – a modern garage door!  Amazing!  It brought  me back to the realization that one persevering man let nothing get in the way of making his life’s dream come true, and now he is, for the first time, sharing a bit of his very private and wonderful family residence with his Graham  neighbors.  Welcome, Ron!  

 Graham Community Theater now forming.  Needed are not only amateur actors but “behind the scenes” workers. The first play will be fairly easy and fun.  Talk to Gloriann Calvert, 1-253-326-8307 or email grcwriter@gmail.com

 Three young walnut trees (2 ft.) free to a good home.  Phone Arlene at 466-3495 

Grazing in Graham will be Saturday, July 24^th, at Frontier Park. More and more, new businesses and groups are becoming an important part of the Graham scene and this is your chance to get acquainted with them.

Want a well-kept 1930 Chevrolet four-door sedan?    Runs well.  Ask Wayne at 847-4614 for information.

The GAP (Graham’s Amazing People?) group enjoyed a great trip to Wolf Haven.  On the second Thursday of May, they plan to meet at the library again and carpool down to see the Aberdeen Bird Migration.  Phone Carol at 847-9755 if you woulod like to join a fun group.

Growing Grain (your own bread) in your “backyard” has recently become more possible.  Check for the Graham website in June.

  “…The fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked.”  Dirt is more valuable than gold, for without it we cannot eat.

 

 

November – 2009

MAY THANKSGIVING BRING YOU A HARVEST OF HAPPINESS.

A Local Author can often be seen with a garbage bag picking up trash on the half mile of 86th Ave. closer to 224th.
Andy Anderson, author of In the Shadow of the Mountain, a history of the Graham area, likes to walk down 86th for a little daily exercise, but is dismayed at the trash build-up and figures that taking a garbage bag along is a civic contribution. He suggested, though, that if there are other retired residents who might like an excuse for exercise on the rest of 86th, carrying a garbage bag and picking up a little trash along the way would be a needed contribution to their community. Even a couple volunteers teaming together would make a big difference in the looks of our very own Main Street.

Sharing Apples and Music. Sid, Janice, Nolan and Lana Colby’s Organic Apple Trees produced many pounds of organic apples this year. Two trees of apples were donated to the local food bank in Pierce County.
Also, our family will be singing again this year in the “Singing Christmas Tree” in Tacoma at Life Center on 19th and Union St. Life-center.org tickets are soon available online. Hope to see all of you there. Bring your family and friends and enjoy the festivities of the Christmas season.

Former Senator Marilyn Rasmussen spoke at the October Self Reliant meeting at the fire station. She described her successes in making sure our food supply is safe. She was emphatic in her criticism of the thimerosal (49.6% mercury) used in vaccines as a preservative, suggesting that we request thimerosal-free vaccine shots, if at all possible.

Chef Anthony Valadez said at his Eating Healthy follow-up to Sen. Rasmussen’s talk that he is hoping to start a restaurant in Graham some day, specializing in locally grown, healthy food. Chef Lehte already serves wonderful salads at Le Cupcake.

Amazing Cucumbers. Cora Pipkins sent this item from the New York Times. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day: vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and C, as well as Folic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc. Cucumbers provide a quick and lasting pick-me-up snack. Rub a slice on the mirror to prevent fogging before a shower, and rub it on skin to help tighten collagen. Put slices in an aluminum pie tin, set it in the garden, and the chemical reaction with the aluminum will give off a scent that drives slugs and pests away. Wow!

Free Financial Abuse Workshop. It will cover how to recognize fraud and scams; how to recognize the warning signs of financial abuse in relationships; and discover resources to protect yourself. This will happen Nov. 5th, 12:30 – 4:30 in the City of Lakewood Council Chamber room, 6000 Main St. S.W. Register with laurie@tacid.com or phone 253-565-9000, Ext. 20.

The Tahoma Tilth flyer attached to the newsletter that was handed out (“tilth” means garden soil) is from Marianne Seifert, who runs the Pierce County Coalition for Environmental Health Priorities, under the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. It is health department policy to encourage gardens at schools, in communities, and at homes, even in place of grass, for the obvious health benefits mentioned briefly in the flyer. But they could use your help to spread the word. Talk to Marianne at 798-3823.

The Warm Room. What will you do if the power is off for a week or more this winter (and no generator)? Keeping warm is a challenge for many, and a group will meet on Saturday, November 7th, to discuss this challenge and share ideas. They will meet at 2pm at the Rainier View Montessori Academy, 9716 – 224th St. East. For information, phone 847-4614.

Grand Firs. The Grand Firs neighborhood is banding together to grapple with the impending bankruptcy of its developer, putting the subdivision at risk of losing street lights and other common services.

Graham Self Reliant Resources Booklet? I want to start with part of the old 86th Ave. gardening booklet which some of you contributed articles for, and add people that have special skills or knowledge or abilities with which they might be willing to help or teach a neighbor. We have retirees who have much to share, but at their own discretion and convenience.

Grijalva boys. C.J. has begun his studies at Eastern Washington to become a Mechanical Engineer, and Julian is enjoying working on the Cascade Christian Cougar News. You can check out his work on YouTube!!

Boys and Girls of 86th. C’mon! Let me brag on you about cool things you’ve accomplished! Call 847-4614

“Farming will soon return much closer to the center of American economic life. It will necessarily have to be done more locally, at a smaller-and finer-scale, and will require more human labor. The value-added activities associated with farming – e.g. making products  like cheese, wine, oils – will also have to be done much more locally. This situation presents excellent business and cocational opportunities for America’s young people“

Boo! October, 2009

GRAHAM CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD is a fairly new group still in formation. The are seeking was for Graham to have a more effective voice in decisions affecting it. The would like to see a representative attending from each of Chateau Woods, Grand Firs, and Wedgewood. The next meeting will be at the new fire station on 70th, at 3 pm on Friday, October 16th. it is public so anybody can show up.

DON’T MOW THE MUSHROOMS…said Deej, of the Morse Wildlife Preserve, to his neighbor. Many of the mushrooms popping up now are nutritious & good. Got mushroom questions? Call Deej, 875-5460.

BUDS & SHRUBS CSA FARM, 7th Ave., still has a few tomatoes and veggies left. John and Marilyn have lots of organic potatoes, though. They are 75 cents a pound, or 60 cents a pound for 100 pounds. The local elk thought the farm was a smorgasbord just for them, so fencing will be necessary next year.

FRED & LORRI FERGUSON…are feeling some relief now after a very tough time with Fred’s health during the spring, including five trips to the hospital. Now he is doing much better after doctors put a stint in his carotid artery. Fred is a master gardener and noxious weed expert. He raced motorcycles on the 86th Ave. Graham Racing Track long ago, where Grand Firs is located now.

ON NATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY, Sunday, October 11th, think about taking the kids for an easy hour’s nature hike around Graham’s Morse Wildlife Preserve. It is open 12 noon to 4pm, and is located at 25415-70th Ave. East. This is the last Second Sunday open Trails for 2009. On 224th, turn south on 70th, passing the new fire station, down just past 252nd St. and north of the New Hope Christian School.

79TH ST. (IN CHATEAU WOODS) has some real WORLD TRAVELERS, Astrid & Knut Karlsson visiting from Sweden. This is their 7th trip to America to visit Benny (their son) and Susan Karlsson, whose son, Andrew, returned to America with his grandparents from his own visit to Sweden. “It’s great fun for us all to brush up on speaking Swedish, some more than others,” said Susan. “It’s been two years since we were there to visit Astrid & Knut, so it was a great reunion. We wish you all a safe & warm winter.”

www.FreeSellTrade.com is where we will check for a used washing machine. Ours is tired and refuses to do more than one small load at a time. Holly, proprietor, is making it easier for local folks to barter, etc.

JAY & RUBY DONNAWAY
…hiked, carrying little Jayson, up to the snows at 7200 ft. on Mt. Rainier last August, accompanied by their heroic 4 yr. old daughter, Ruthie. You may see Jay’s yellow electric Karmann-Ghia cruising down the street. It runs well, but still needs finishing work.

STEVEN & WANDA LEE…have put away their awesome dragster for the 2009 season, and are looking forward to the start of the 2010 season.

YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND:
WED., OCTOBER 7TH, AT 6:30PM,
MARILYN RUSMUSSEN,
former state senator, will speak at the new Fire Station, 23014 -70th Ave. E., “About the Food We Eat”. She is known as a strong friend of local farmers, healthy food, and a healthy environment. Her “inside information” should be very interesting.

WED., OCTOBER 14th, again at 6:30pm,
CHEF ANTHONY (Goodfella’s Steakhouse) and CHEF LEHTE (Le Cupcake), both master chefs, will follow up Marilyn’s talk, discussing SIMPLY HEALTHY COOKING. They will explain why it is important to your body to move away from fast foods and highly processed foods. They will reveal ways to put healthy food on the table quickly and inexpensively.

August/September Newsletter

Graham Grizzlies are welcoming many of our 86th Ave. Community children as they transfer from North Star Elementary (and Pioneer Valley Elementary). Stepping off the bus they’ll enter the big double doors, pass by the office door on their right, and then by the health/attendance room window where Mrs. Cooke, (Barbara), has a smile for them. This is a special year for Barbara, because on July 21st, she had a severe heart attack. And in the process of placing a total of four arterial stints, doctors found she also was diabetic.

Almost immediately after the arteries were opened, she felt much better and a month later was able to travel to Los Angeles. She went with her husband and two friends for the August 28th wedding of son, Joel, to Zoe. it was a beautiful wedding in a beautiful Catholic church in Agoura Hills, withing sight of the smoke from the wildfires.
Franciscan Friar Joe Scerbo gave the Sunday sermon. He said that whenever you seek out and connect with the good in others, you bring heaven to Earth. It is this connectivity, this community of the good parts of each and all of us that is so powerful. Is it also a latent power in the 86th Ave. Community, and in Graham?

We discussed this last Wednesday at the Self Reliant Community meeting (first Wed of every month) at the Montessori Academy building. We all bring different ideas and skills to the group, but we feel such a joy in the good we find in each other that we feel like a family. Anyone is invited to join us, 6:30pm, Wednesday, Oct 7th, again at the Rainier View Montessori Academy, 9716 224th St E. next to DBI Fencing. The Graham Community Garden is in their large parking area.

Diabetes, Type 2, affects fully half the 13,000 Tohono O’odham Nation members living in 70 villages on the vast Sonoran desert south of Tucson, Arizona. This is one of the highest rates recorded, and researchers suggest that bodies genetically adapted to frugal, but nutritious, desert food break down under the abundant intake of calories and fats sold today. Tribal members are fighting back with a Community Action group that has started a FARM to produce the natives foods of old, and then started the popular Desert Rain Cafe to prepare and serve those foods. Bite into a Desert Squash Enchilada, and Mesquite-flour muffin, or taste hummus made from tepary beans!

Arizona may be far away, but diabetes counselors tell Barb and me the same story here. We are amazed at the amount of sodium in processed food and restaurant food, even where we don’t expect it. While 2000 mg. of sodium is a normal daily amount, some processed and canned foods have more than that in one serving! we search for whole wheat, sugar-free, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)-free, and fat-free. A container of pieces of cut-up fruit is always around now, and more time is spent in the veggie section. Yes, we slip up now and then, but we read nutrition labels carefully, and we’ve even picked up nutritional content flyers available for the asking at fast food places and restaurants.

We heard a loud “wake-up call” on July 21st, and we don’t want to hear a second call. You may not find the fruit of the saguaro cactus here, but you can choose your food…as though your life depended on it.

Meet the Montessori Academy! Dr. maria Montessori based a new educational system on her observation of children’s ability to absorb knowledge in a prepared environment. (Note: Strangely, some people imagine some religious connotation in the name, but neither Dr. Montessori nor the school has ever had any connection whatsoever to any church.) The Rainier View Montessori Academy has room in morning and afternoon sessions. You can phone Mrs. Douglass, 262-3292, or pick up a brochure outside their front door, 9716 224th St E., where you will also find the Graham Community Garden.

Morse Wildlife Preserve, 25415 70th Ave. E., is open the 2nd Sunday, Sept. 13th, from noon to 4pm only. Since it is Grandparents Day, perhaps the 45 minute fairly level trail hike would be a nice, no-cost, family outing. You can contact Yumi or Deej Heath, caretakers, at 875-5460 for more details about involvement as a volunteer at Morse Wildlife Preserve.

June-July 2009 Newsletter

SPECIAL RACING EDITION
The Beautiful Dragster

Sleek, slim, and long, it is the pride of Stephen and Wanda Lee, who live in Wedgewood. They both put a lot of hard work into this 850 horsepower adrenaline rush…a super comp 890 class for those in the know. Stephen has been racing for the last 36 years, since he was 17, with Wanda the indispensable other half of the team. The huge, black tires dwarf the tiny cockpit. In its long trailer, Stephen and Wanda pull it to wherever the prize money beckons throughout Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Their most exciting race was at the 2002 Nationals held at the S.I.R. track. Stephen removed the small steering wheel (hey, this thing doesn’t DO turns!) and got in. He is hardly visible in front of that huge engine. But in order to compete, he has to be the master of timing and performance details. He knows his stuff. Change my worn water pump? Simple! “‘Bout an hour!” They both love cars and good performance. They are the Lee’s Racing team.

The Beautiful Electric Dragster

I was pinned to my seat as Jay floorboarded his bright yellow Karmann Ghia up 86th Avenue. But instead of engine roar, I heard the powerful whine of a customized electric motor. Jay was preparing it for the biggest electric car drag racing event of the year, the Wayland Invitational at the Portland International Raceway on July 24th and 25th. Jay started building his electric racer in 2002, in Atlanta, Georgia. Career moves brought him and his wife, Ruby, to Vancouver, and then north to Tacoma. The “White Zombie”, John Wayland’s electric car, holds the world’s record for a street-legal electric conversion, 11.4 seconds for the quarter mile. Dragster buffs like to talk of the acceleration time it takes to traverse 60 feet from a stop which, for the Wayland car, is 1.58 seconds, and it goes 0-60 mph in only 2.9 seconds! You will enjoy Jay Donnaway’s website, www.karmanneclectric.blogspot.com, or visit www.NEDRA.com (National Electric Drag Racing Association) to learn more about the Portland race or the national scene.

Last month I turned 78. Ought to be taking it easy, but I find myself working on the church garden, or on the huge garden we planted at McGee’s Guest Home in Graham, or the community garden or, oh, yes, my garden at home. Yet, in the last 3-4 years I’ve been “gardening” I’ve seen no evidence of a “green thumb” or of any quickened ability to learn about growing things, or even of any special enjoyment in it. I do enjoy some of it, as most people do, but growing food is and always has been hard work. The great energy and versatility of petroleum has made possible the “green revolution”, which lifted that burden from many shoulders, allowing people to follow more exciting careers and fuller lives. In so doing, many have nearly forgotten that food grows from the soil. For several good reasons, though, including a suspicion that petroleum will be less plentiful in the future, a resurgence of local food growing, “victory gardens”, community gardens, and career farming is taking place across the country. Our T-PC Health Dept. is encouraging it here. But we’ve forgotten so very much. I’m proud of my “new” hand plow, and can sometimes tell a weed from a plant. Many of you know lots more than I do, but since I’m a teacher I have to try urgently to learn and share. My feeling is that the huge bailout reprieve of last fall will last until this fall or next year. Then we will envy Kelda, Anuttama, Jerry, John, Terry, Holly, Joyce, the Spooners, Randy, and many more who set a good example of growing food locally. Visit the new Farmer’s Markets in Summit and by the new Target.

Have a Montessori Summer!
Over a century ago, Dr. Maria Montessori, one of Italy’s first female physicians, based a new educational system on her keen observation of children and their ability to absorb knowledge in a prepared environment. This summer, the Rainier View (Graham) Montessori School has weekly summer sessions which Ruthie, Jay and Ruby’s little girl, loves to attend. The sessions are $120 each.
Session 3 (July 13-17) is “UNDER THE SEA”, exploring sea life.
Session 4 (July 20-24) is “BLOW YOUR LID…VOLCANOES” introducing our local volcanoes. Session 5 (July 27-31) is “MUSIC CAMP”.
In August, the camps are “DINO-MITE DINOSAURS”, “DRAMA”, and “WATER WORKS”.
There is plenty of room in all sessions. You can phone Mrs. Douglass at 232-3292, or pick up a brochure outside their front door, 9716 224th.

Huge Wildlife Area discovered in Graham.
The Morse Wildlife Preserve off 70th Avenue is one of the best kept secrets of Graham. About 98 acres with at least six different habitat areas is nestled in the middle of our growing suburbia. You would think that everyone would know about it. However, it is open to the public only on the second Sunday of each month from noon until 4 pm. There are many other ways, though, to enjoy this local gem: habitat restoration parties (planting, removing id, etc.), and birding tours happen regularly. Just check with Tahoma Audubon Society for a schedule. In addition, the caretakers will be hosting their yearly “Graham Gathering” here on July 18th. Contact Yumi or Deej Heath, 875-5460, for more details about involvement at Morse Wildlife Preserve.

Director of ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SEATTLE to visit 86th Ave. in Graham!
A couple of weeks ago you may have heard or read bout the very successful Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon event in Seattle, June 27th. Over 21,000 runners started in Tukwila and ran either the 26 mile marathon course or the half maraqthon course, running, walking, or limping under the huge finish line banners. Barb and I watched them from the Seattle VIP tent. A little later, the Director of the race, Joel Griesbach, joined us. He looked much more relaxed now that the race was almost over and everything had gone smoothly. The previous weeks had been very stressful. While Joel had for years helped organize Rock ‘n’ Roll marathons all over the country for his employer, Elite Racing (now owned by the The Competitor Group, Inc.), this was the first race in which he was given total responsibility. Creating a new course meant negotiating with the Seattle Police, the Seattle City Council, Utilities, and other departments for all the traffic control, locations for water stations, first aid stations, music (a band every mile) and a thousand other details. Any one mishap could ruin the race. But he got every detail planned out well and now he knew it was successful.
A red-haired Asst. Manager, Zoe Lamarra, joined us. Later I looked around and caught Joel and Zoe hugging and kissing…right there in public! Zoe showed us her engagement ring.
On July 19th, our son, Joel, and his fiancee, Zoe will be at our house up on the hill as honored guests at an Open House. It is a chance for all the local friends of Joel, who graduated from Spanaway Lake High School (then USC), to meet Zoe and wish them well. Their wedding will be in California, Agoura Hills, near Zoe’s home, on August 28th.

Our friends, the Bees, July 12th.

Attend a free Self Reliant class about bees at the Elk Plain Grange on Sunday, July 12th, from 3pm to 5pm. Jerry and Anuttama, who have learned a great deal, both academic and hands-on, will show a powerful video and then present their own experiences with “friendly” hive construction and swarm management. No bees are invited, but you are, and you can phone Anuttama at 875-1842 for information.

April 86th Ave. Newsletter

Udderly Simple Cheesemaking with Diane Dondero is a fun and useful class at the Elk Plain Grange, this Sunday, April 26th, 11am to 4pm. Recipes from Diane’s book, Udderly Simple Dairy Foods will be used. Register at www.diane@babesinbelts.com. Cost is $35, (or $50/couple). You will learn the simplicity of home cheese making.
Free Saturday Mini-workshops Continuing. Every Saturday, 2-3pm, you will find an informal one-hour “class” , with a variety of topics, hosted by Self Reliant Community, (under Graham Community Learning Center) at the Rainier View Montessori Academy, 9716 – 224th. Classes have included making greenhouses, food-growing, food-preserving, warmth, and installing rain barrels. Next Saturday, Marty P., (transatlantic sailor), will demonstrate the maintenance of (old) bicycles. On May 2nd, Roy G., the “pvc guy” will show how to make an intriguing heater out of ceramic plant pots and a candle, and the following Saturday, May 9th, Glenn W., Ag teacher at Bethel High School, will describe the “Horticulture for the Future” projects his students are doing. No registration, just show up at 2pm. Questions? 847-4614.
Bronka Sundstrom, the first woman to climb Mt. Rainier in just one day, will be at the Graham Library on Tuesday, May 12th, 10 to 12 noon, to talk about her many years of climbing on this mountain. Come and personally meet the amazing Bronka, whose visit is hosted by the Graham Activities and Program (GAP).
Was D.B. Cooper a woman? Last week, in another GAP program, the author of a new book was at the Graham Library. In her book, she argued that the person who parachuted from a plane with a stolen fortune years ago was actually a woman disguised as a man.
Graham Township was also discussed by a GAP group last week at the Fire Station.
Fred F. was not feeling well the last visit I made to him, (after a little “bio” in this newsletter). But that’s when he told me that, as a representative of Boeing many years ago, he had personally met both the Shah of Iran, and the Kennedys, as he had responsibility for ensuring details of new planes delivered to them were exactly right.
We don’t plant it, YOU do! While many Community Gardens are in Tacoma and Seattle, and they are fast multiplying across the U.S., many people in Graham still are unaware of their purpose. Community Gardens simply allow people, who otherwise have no space, a chance to grow their own garden. As the SRC “Garden Guidelines and Rules” states, it is, “to encourage people to learn the joy of planting, growing, and harvesting their own nutritious food and lovely flowers.” All you have to do is agree to and sign a simple agreement; pay a $10 fee for the summer, and a bed is yours for the season. Small 4’ by 4’ sections are reserved for your children to experience that special wonder of seeing their own plantings grow. Phone 847-4614 for info or to sign up.
Part time instructor jobs available with the after-school program Eco-system Explorers introducing elementary children to hands-on learning about the environment. Pay is $8.55 per hour. Carol Wright heads that program. Phone her at 847-9755 to inquire.

March 2009 Newsletter

We Did It All!! Back from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, are three excited and proud Graham women. Rosalie (E****) C*****, Yvonne R*****, and Judy (K****) H*****, returned with memories of “zipping” across cables harnessed to a pulley 90 ft. above the lush tropical jungle, and rappelling from cliffs in the Sierra Madre Mountains. They have the pictures to prove it, too. They got up close and personal to this ecological paradise by swinging or “zipping” from treetop to treetop, or gingerly crossing hanging bridges built permanently into the treetops.
Some of you may remember these names from 50 or 60 years ago when they were young kids growing up in this (much different then) 86th Ave. Community. Safety, guidance, and equipment were provided by Vallarta-Adventures

Directress Kimille Douglass believes that Dr. Maria Montessori had the right idea! Keenly observant, Maria’s work with children in Italy led her to design systems to develop intelligence and independence using special environments. Student learning under the “Montessori Method” involves exploration, manipulation, order, repetition, abstraction, and communication. Mrs. Douglass started the Rainier View Montessori Academy, on 224th to teach young children these mental tools here in Graham. She sees rapid progress in her students. Ask her about this way of learning by phoning her at 262-3292
.

Do you like Science? Do you like kids? If you like both, and have a little time from about 3 pm to 5 pm once or twice a week, there is a desperate need to hire ($8.55 hr.) an additional adult to help with the exciting after-school elementary program called Eco-system Explorers. Carol Wright leads that program. Call her at 847- 9755 to inquire.

Back in 1946, just after W.W.II, a young couple moved in on 86th Avenue. There was much more forest in those days, but Andy and Mary A*****, newly-weds, liked the small house east of about 128th on 86th that used to belong to the sawmill foreman. Along with about six acres, it cost $2,750, which they paid at $25 a month. (Wages were about $50 weekly then.) A little later, they bought four more acres north of them for $160.
Andy had been on an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic when it was torpedoed by a German submarine. After the war, he began working for Hooker Chemical Company as a machinist.
Mary remembers gratefully the helpful kindness and welcome she and Andy received as they worked to settle into their new home. Some of the names she recalls are Art and Georgia H*****, Margaret G*****, Mr. and Mrs. S*****, Walt and Ann McG*****, Orville and Rose E*****, and Jim W*****, known as Old Jim.
In 1947, a son was born, named Andy after his dad. During those years, they extensively remodeled and updated the old house. But 19 years later, the father was tragically taken from them by a heart attack.
Later, Mary married Walt O*****, whose entire career was with the Foss Tug and Barge Company. The two, Walt and Mary O*****, continued to live in the same house, but only a few hundred feet away now live the Anderson family and even closer are the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Walt enjoys walking down to 86th every school day to meet the children and walk with them back up to their house.
Mary spent 15 years as a floral designer. Tiring of that, she indulged her love of dolls and began making teddy bears, eventually turning out and selling over a thousand of them. She named them Graham Gridley Bears.
Ever busy, Mary helped with Graham’s “Gloria Motyka Orthopedic Guild” which put on an annual Smorgasbord to raise money for the old Mary Bridge Hospital. She and her mother also helped start the “Grandma’s Club” which formed the “Grandma’s Kitchen Band”. These creative women learned to play music using only the tools of the kitchen for instruments!
Mary made me realize that I pass homes every day on 86th in which still live the second and third generations of the original residents who showed such kindness and welcome to that young couple that moved in over half a century ago.

Do the Graham Expo Feb. 28th

at the Graham-Kapowsin High School, 10am to 2pm. You will find Crafts, Talent shows, Hobbies, Silent Auction, and Barter Fair. You can seek Mortgage & Financial advice, Discover the new Graham CSA Farm, or get advice on livestock from the Pierce Conservation District. 

You ‘ll find the Bethel Coalition, the Self Reliant Community, the Montessori Academy, P.C. Parks, and many more.  Come & Explore!

February 2009 Newsletter

-MEET  YOUR  NEIGHBORS-

Fred’s Sportsman 250 roared around the race courses in places like Goldbar and Snohomish, and even the great old Graham motorcycle race track now covered by the homes in Grand Firs.

Fred Ferguson was born in Tennessee in 1935, growing up to join the U.S. Air Force.  There, he learned the skills of navigator, radar operator, electrician, and pilot for the big birds.  Fred landed finally in the Northwest, where he worked for Boeing and raced motorcycles. His wife, Lorri, was born and raised in the Kirkland-Redmond area. She had a 25 year career as a manufacturing jeweler (goldsmith) and is known locally for her teaching and lacemaking skills. Lorri currently works for the Eatonville Family Agency. Lorri’s hobbies include many crafts and sewing. She belongs to the Pierce County Clothing and Textile Advisors.

In 1999, Fred took the Master Gardener’s class and that led directly to his employment for the next eight years as a Pierce County Weed Control Inspector. While there, he wrote a page about weeds for the 86^th Ave. Community “Gardening booklet”. Fred retired in 2007 due to ill health. 
Fred and Lorri live on 238^th.

 

Follow Your Dream – Mexico to Graham.

Ciro Grijalva’s life has exemplified the pursuit of the American dream.  He came to the United States to learn the machine shop trade with the goal of returning to Mexico to start his own shop.  His father in Mexico works in a large farm and suggested to Ciro that a machine shop would be a great career. Ciro, as a boy, watched his father learn fast and work very hard. Young Ciro had the same aptitude. In 1986 he enrolled in Clover Park Community College to become a machinist. He then served his apprenticeship in a machine shop in Tacoma, and later became a tool and die maker at another company for 16 years. His experience finally led him to work for Boeing in the Advance Metals Structures group programming robots. 

He married Diana (Ohlund) who works for Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. Her passion is singing whenever she can and helping others in the community outreach and fund raising efforts of a growing hospital. 

C.J. is their oldest son, now 18, who will pursue a Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Washington. Their younger son, Julian F., is 15 years old and is a sophomore at Cascade Christian School, where he plays on their successful football team. They have their home on 86^th Avenue.

Ciro is now, after all these years, helping his younger brother start a machine shop in Mexico. 

 

Making Things Better – in Graham and in Mexico. 

Originally from Puyallup, Phil Pettit started working at well drilling in Graham in 1976. In 1980, he formed the Northern Pumps and Well Drilling Company and drilled many of the wells in Graham. In 1990, he bought Sound Water Company, which served the area from Canyon (Boeing) over to 120^th, east of Meridian, and between 176^th and 224^th. During his ownership, he drilled two more large wells, adding 572,000 cubic feet more capacity to the system. Along with these wells were built two more water tanks, making the three that you can see east of Meridian above the area where the old Ranch House Restaurant used to be. His leadership made Graham better, and in 1998 Rainier View Water Company bought Sound Water Company and Phil retired, finally able to indulge his hobby of hunting and fishing.

But wait! It was 22 years ago that Phil and his wife, Eileen, who live on 232^nd, first visited the small Mexican town of El Canton, near Puerto Vallarta. They fell in love with the people there and El Canton became sort of a second home.  Twice each year they travel to Mexico and become very involved with the life of El Canton. Over the years, the Pettits have worked to improve the town. Both the church and the school have been beautifully rebuilt and enlarged, with new windows. Phil went to Puerto Vallarta to have new, modern school desks made to replace the old plank benches. The town center, an empty area of hard-packed earth, was a challenge. Today, it has gardens, paths, and several concrete benches. Phil hires local artisans and workers to construct these projects. When Phil and Eileen, (and any friends from Graham they bring along) arrive in El Canton, there is excitement and a celebration. Perhaps an extra ration of the local Tequila will be brought out. The tequila cactus is common there, and the foot-wide bulbous root is processed into this favorite drink.  Here’s to you, Phil, for making both Graham and El Canton better!

 

Food Memories from World War II; needed

from the now-elderly who lived at that time. I can remember my mother stretching out the hamburger with potatoes. And there was quite an upset when the little book of food ration coupons (especially for sugar) was mislaid. The National WWII Museum in New Orleans has a project of Saving Kitchen Memories, such as mine. They are “racing against time” to record wartime food memories and recipes. The “goal is to produce a publication that will be available for free download on our website, so that all who are interested can read YOUR stories and try your recipes”. The museum is asking you to share your memories. The easiest way is to visit their website, www.nationalww2museum.org/kitchenmemories . Items such as cookbooks, etc., can be donated. They sent me a list of memory-jogging starter questions about such things as rationing, food substitutes, black market, victory gardens, favorite and least favorite foods, restaurant meals, VE and VJ Day, etc. I will be glad to mail you the three page letter I received, with all of this, if you call me at 847-4614, or pick up a copy at the Dispatch office in Eatonville, or at the Graham Library. 

 

Pierce County Coalition for Environmental Health Priorities

has about 50 people working in several committees (water quality, solid waste, toxics management, food supply, etc.) putting together a grant proposal. Two other Graham residents and I are among them. The committee I’m on is hoping to fund a staff person and office to monitor and  encourage the growing of local food. This would include more school gardens and church gardens, more community gardens and “backyard” gardens, and added efforts to preserve and encourage small farms. The environmental health benefits are pretty obvious. 

http://www.tpchd.org/files/library/bd4bd7af57720eef.pdf