April at the Senior Center - events, classes, activities

Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center

18560 1st Ave NE, Suite 1, Shoreline, WA 98155

April 2011

Karaoke-BINGO April 8th:

ave you been thinking about giving Karaoke a try? Well at the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center we have paired Karaoke and BINGO together to provide a night of fun. The evening begins with a couple of Karaoke songs and then a couple of BINGO games. There is fun and great food for only a $10.00 admission which includes a packet for 8 bingo games. Cold beer and wine are sold, and there is plenty of food and soft drinks offered; ages 21 and over. Call to make reservations. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and BINGO starts at 7:00 p.m.

Watercolor Class: A new six week session begins Monday, April 4 to May 16.

Chrystine Westphal is an experienced teacher who can help create watercolor artists from the beginner to the experienced painter. This is a fee based class. Pre-register at the Senior Center or call 206 365-1536 for more information. A supply list is provided for your convenience.

Evening Class: Hawaiian Hula:

Mondays, 6:00-7:00 p.m. People of all ages will benefit from this class that will broaden cultural horizons, help with grace, coordination flexibility and stamina. Fees are $8.00 for center members; $10 for non-members.

Cooking with Chef Janice

The Chef Janice Cooking Classes are very popular. In March class participants learned about new and exciting ways to prepare side dishes instead of a bowl of carrots, prepare a carrot soufflé, or stuffed mushrooms. In April you might be learning how to make different breads like Irish Soda bread or wheat bread. Would you like to learn how to make your own chocolate or sweets for Easter? Classes in April will be 6th and 20th. Fee: Members $5, Non-Members $7.00 sign-up at the front desk.

April 11, French Heritage Meal 

Come and join us for lunch at the Shoreline-LFP Senior Center and enjoy a traditional French Meal of Coq Au Vin (lit. 'rooster with wine'): a French braise chicken cooked with wine, mushrooms, and garlic; Lyonnais Potatoes, Broccoli de Provence, Nicoise Salad, Brioche, Crème Puffs. Come and enjoy a little taste of France! Cost for participants 60 yrs and older is a suggested donation of $3.00, and under 60 yrs old the cost of the meal is $6.00.

Birthday Lunch, April 21st

The Shoreline Lake Forest Park Senior Center provides a free lunch for current members celebrating their birthday. Entertainment, birthday cake and prizes are part of the fun. The meal will include: Spanish Style Roast Beef/with gravy, baked potato with toppings, dill carrots, salad with dressing, espresso crème coffee, and birthday cake.

PROBUS Invites, April 12th “Time Management” (Everyone is welcome)

What happened to all the “free time” I was supposed to have when I retired? Did you retire with a list of things you meant to do… but somehow you can’t find the time to do them? Are you interested in managing your time better, now that your time is your own? You’ll leave this one hour talk with specific tool for prioritizing and fitting things in, even when you don’t have a lot of spare time or energy. Guest speaker Susan Lee-Pullen specializes in helping people find time for their creativity.

This is your final opportunity for Income Tax Assistance

Tax Assistance is winding down and will only be available until Friday April 15th. The volunteers are located at the Richmond Beach King County Library, 19601 21st Ave NE, Shoreline 98177. Appointments must be made through the Senior Center: 206 365-1536. Call today to make an appointment. All appointments are scheduled on Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please do not call the library for appointments.

Volunteer opportunities!

Are you interested in volunteering, and have some background in retail?

The Thrift Shop at the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center is in need of volunteers. The Thrift Shop provides major financial support for the Senior Center, and is a very rewarding volunteer opportunity. Volunteers work a half a day, one day a week. If you are interested in finding out more about helping out in the Thrift Shop, either drop by or call the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center for more information. 206 365-1536.

Birthday Lunch volunteers needed

Birthday lunches are on the 3rd Thursday of each month. We celebrate the birthdays of all current members and their guests in addition to our regular lunch group. The numbers for the lunches can get large (125 in January). Since part of the celebration is to be served, we could really use more people to help us between 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; serving milk, salads, the entrée, dessert. To volunteer, call Jon Ann on Thursdays or Fridays: 206 365-1536

Special Kitchen volunteers needed

Our chef needs more help in the kitchen, preferably with someone who has experience working in a larger kitchen and a fast pace environment. Must have a current food handler’s permit or be willing to get one. The available times are during the day, one or more days a week, to help get lunch prepared and served to the participants. There could be times when there is help needed with the new Kitchen Corner Catering business which offers several catering option and provides funds to support the Senior Center. 

Raven Dreaming - storyteller Gene Tagaban at Third Place Commons Saturday

Can you swing a hammer? Sign up to help build housing for homeless moms and kids

Framing Kick-off for Vision House/Jacob’s Well 

Saturday April 2, 2011 at 9 am,

19630 20th Ave NE, Shoreline WA 98155

The ceremony will begin with the leads of construction taking the 150+ volunteers and raising the first framed set of walls for the building that will later hold 20 housing units, child care center, after school space and crisis center to help homeless mothers and children restore their lives.

Sign up to help on any Saturday in April, enjoy continental breakfast and mingle with the folks who will be building hope, one board at a time! Help to create a place so there will be “no homeless kids”.

Vision House, along with Habitat for Humanity and several other organizations, churches, businesses and individuals, are all coming together to build Jacob’s Well.

Kelly Morgan, Habitat for Humanity Construction Project Coordinator, says “This is probably the largest volunteer-driven build our community has ever seen.”

On each weekend of April, 150+ volunteers are needed at the site of Jacob’s Well to start the framing of the building.

Volunteer jobs include actual hands-on framing work, as well as cooking and serving food, handling volunteer registration on site, taking photographs, etc.

This is the website for registering: NoHomelessKids 

With the extreme setbacks in the economy over the past few years, the Vision House Jacob’s Well team has had to re-think how to build the facility. With many typical funding sources unavailable, and our commitment to building our complexes debt-free, the project has been divided into several phases and is being built in a step-by-step, pay-as-you-go process, just like the very first Vision House complex that was built in the mid 1990s.

Dozens of community groups, businesses, churches and individuals are supporting various parts of the project with volunteer labor, in-kind contributions and funding. Throughout 2011, volunteer groups led by professional construction workers, will be building the first of the two Jacob’s Well complexes.

About Vision House

Vision House is a Christian-based non-profit providing transitional housing, child care and support services to homeless mothers and their children, and separately to men recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Since Vision House began in 1990, more than 700 homeless children, women and men have received housing and support services to assist them in achieving independence and self sufficiency.

Vision House owns and operates four transitional housing facilities and a child care center in south King County. In March 2010, Vision House broke ground in Shoreline on a housing complex for homeless children and mothers. The Vision House Jacob’s Well facility will include 20 housing units, a child care center, counseling offices and program space. Visit the website for more information,

Wesco 3A Boys’ Soccer Standings

Wesco 3A Boys’ Soccer Standings

Top 6 to Northwest District tournament	Conference								Overall
Team	W	L	T	Points		W	L	T		Points
Shorecrest	5	0	0	15		6	0	0		18
Glacier Peak	4	0	0	12		6	0	0		18
Shorewood	4	0	0	12		5	1	0		15
Meadowdale	3	3	0	9		4	3	0		12
Everett	1	3	0	3		2	4	0		6
Lynnwood	1	4	0	3		1	6	0		3
Oak Harbor	1	4	0	3		1	6	0		3
Mountlake Terrace	0	5	0	0		0	5	0		0

Shorecrest, Shorewood match undefeated Wesco 3A soccer records Wednesday

The Shorecrest and Shorewood boys' soccer teams both take undefeated Wesco 3A records into a game against each other at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Shoreline Stadium.

Shorecrest takes a 5-0 Wesco 3A record into the game after extending its overall record to 6-0 with a 5-0 victory over Everett Monday.

Shorewood has a 4-0 Wesco 3A record after dropping its overall record to 5-1 with a 2-1 loss Monday at Mariner of the Wesco 4A South.

In Shorecrest’s Wesco 3A victory at Everett, Callum Wijelath scored three goals.

Shorecrest 5, Everett 0 (from the Seattle Times)

SC -- Sam Schober Shutout

SC -- Miles Yates Shutout

SC -- Glenn Paden (Ian Adams) 1:00

SC -- Callum Wijelath (Jayme Parry) 29:00

SC -- Callum Wijelath (Glenn Paden) 58:00

SC -- Callum Wijelath (Glenn Paden) 71:00

SC -- Ian Adams (Glenn Paden) 72:00

SCC students honored for academic achievements

Two Shoreline Community College students were honored at the All Academic ceremony at Puget Sound Community College on March 24, 2011.

Jeff Ma

International student, Ching-Hsuan Ma, who goes by Jeff, says he was always an “average” kid, referring to his academic accomplishments. 

Yet at only 18, he has earned a 3.99 GPA at Shoreline Community College and was selected by his instructors to represent Shoreline as an All Academic student.

Huy Nguyen

In his hometown, Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen went to school from seven o’clock in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon five days a week and half a day on Saturdays. 

“It was a pretty intense education,” he said, adding that his commitment to school and the expectations of his parents and instructors played a huge role in his desire to succeed. 

You can read full biographies of both young men at the SCC Blog.

High School Golf Results

Thursday, March 24

Girls

At Jackson Park G.C. (par 37. Nine holes, modified Stableford scoring)

Team scores — Glacier Peak 118 points, Oak Harbor 86, Shorecrest 70.

Individuals — 1, Jammerman, GP, 30 points; 2, Henry GP, 29; 3, Leete, OH, 27; 4, Piazza, GP, 25; 5, tie, Allison Jones, SC, Olson OH, 19; 7, tie, Barker, GP, Goebel OH, 18; 9, tie, Ashley Gaston, SC, Benzin, GP, 16 .. Audrey Penner, SC, 14, Stephanie Taylor, SC, 11, Sophia Stine, SC, 10.

Monday, March 28

Girls

At Kenwanda GC, Snohomish

Team scores — Glacier Peak 94 points, Shorewood 87, Meadowdale 48.

Individuals — 1, Jenny Broulette, SW, 25 points; 2 (tie), Henry, GP, and Cassie McKinley, SW, 24; 4 (tie), Jammerman and Piazza, GP, 21.

Tuesday, March 29

Girls

At Jackson Park G.C. (par 36. Nine holes, modified Stableford scoring)

Team scores — Shorewood 107 points, Mountlake Terrace 50, Meadowdale 45.

Individuals — 1, Cassie McKinley, SW, 33 points; 2, Jenny Broulette, SW, 26; 3, Carolyn Stransky, SW, 20; 4, Collins, MT, 19; 5 tie, Erin Rupp, SW. and Perkins, Me, 17 … Norma Garcia, SW, 11 … Janelle Broulette, SW 2.

Boys

At Lynnwood Golf Course (par 33)

Team scores — Glacier Peak 189 strokes, Shorewood 208, Meadowdale 218.

Individuals — 1, Chris Babcock, SW, 32 strokes; 2, Richards, GP, 33; 3, Denssen, GP, 37; 4 (tie) Reines, GP, Kreft, M, 38.

What do you think about the design alternatives for Shoreline Town Center?

Now's the time to say something if you would like to have an influence on the design.

The City is exploring design options for the Park at Town Center, located along Aurora Avenue between N 175th and N 185th Streets. The Berger Partnership, a consultant team hired by the City, incorporated community and stakeholder input into three design concepts for the space.

View the designs and help identify elements from each scheme that could be combined to create a preferred park plan. Comments will be accepted until June 1. 

The three designs are:

On the Move

• Series of outdoor rooms
• Loop trail
• Ronald Place bricks are raised to grade
• Movable park elements

Reflection

• Rooms created by rows of trees
• Trail and Ronald Place bricks stay in place
• Design follows geometry of Midvale
• Water creates reflection

Center Stage

• Center stage performance space with rotating walls and water feature
• Trail winds from one edge of the park to the other 
• Ronald Place bricks moved to fit design scheme
• Design uses Shoreline name and 14 neighborhoods

The next public workshop will be held on Wednesday, June 8. For more information about the park, visit the project page on the City's website. 

CleanScapes Tip: recycle plastic cards

Gift Card Recycling

Gift cards are a popular way to give thanks and celebrate special occasions by giving the gift of choice. Retailer-specific, pre-paid “credit” cards are available from businesses large and small, from local cafés like Caffe Ladro to Amazon.com.

In most cases, this style of gift-giving greatly reduces the packaging waste associated with purchasing and wrapping an item. Great news! Well, almost. The main challenge has been what to do with gift cards once their value has been used.

In January 2008 one company launched a mail-in recycling program for plastic gift cards, as well as and other types of plastic cards. While plastic cards cannot be recycled in your curbside cart, you can recycle them by mailing them to Earthworks.

What’s in your wallet? If you have leftover, used or expired plastic cards, help keep them out of the landfill by mailing them to:

Earthworks

c/o Halprin Industries

25840 Miles Rd

Bedford, OH 44146

Interested in helping to start local collection stations? Organizations like DoSomethingGood are helping communities and students organize local plastic card collection for recycling.

The Big Picture

Plastic gift cards, retail membership cards and credit cards are made from PVC plastic, or polyvinyl chloride. The US Dept. of Health and Human Services has determined that vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen.

According to the International Card Manufacturing Association, 17 billion plastic cards, including gift, library, video rental and membership cards were produced in 2006.

As a result of continued popularity and increased demand for retail gift cards, between 75-100 million pounds of PVC material from plastic cards enters our waste stream each year.

Recycling plastic cards provides an alternative source of materials for manufacturers. Creating new cards from existing PVC plastic helps eliminate increased air and water pollution caused from manufacturing plastic cards from raw materials.

Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win the 2010/2011 Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards competition.

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.

Contractor to widen SR 522 Business Access and Transit lane in Kenmore

Drivers should plan for around-the-clock closures of eastbound BAT lane

The City of Kenmore’s contractor, MidMountain Contractors, Inc. will begin work on Monday, April 11 to widen the eastbound State Route 522 Business Access and Transit (BAT) lane. The lane will be widened approximately one foot to the south between 73rdAvenue NE and 77th Court NE.

The eastbound BAT lane will be closed around the clock beginning April 11 for approximately six weeks. Crews will re-landscape the area along the Burke-Gilman Trail, remove the existing curb, and adjust utilities in order to widen the lane to 13 feet.

The Burke-Gilman Trail and other eastbound lanes of SR 522 will not be affected by the work. Two bus stops will be affected by the closure. The eastbound bus stop at 77th Court NE will be closed while the work proceeds. Nearby bus stops are located at 73rd Ave NE and 83rd Place NE. The 73rd Ave NE bus stop will be relocated to the west side of the intersection. Crews will work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The City of Kenmore has completed major improvements to two-thirds of the two-mile state highway between the east City limits and 65th Ave NE to improve transit reliability, increase vehicle and pedestrian safety, and ease congestion. For more information, check the Kenmore website.

 

Jacob's Well: In the midst of challenges, a profound movement of generosity in the community

By Rev. Erika Haub, Shoreline Covenant Church

The last two years have been hard for a lot of people in Shoreline. Many have endured job loss; people have lost their houses; couples are down to one income and barely making their mortgage payments.

But in the midst of these challenges, we have seen a profound movement of generosity here in Shoreline. Beginning the first Saturday of April, close to 200 volunteers will arrive on a construction site in Shoreline to begin framing the buildings that make up Jacob’s Well: a Vision House transitional housing development for homeless women and children. These volunteers come from the many churches and faith communities represented in Shoreline from Pentecostals to Greek Orthodox, as well as from businesses and soccer teams and schools. Together, this army of volunteers will participate in what a staff member from Habitat for Humanity has called “the largest volunteer driven build that has been done in our community…Not even Habitat takes on projects this large.”

Vision House operates with a program model of building debt-free. This means that construction only happens after money is raised, and is only made possible through the many volunteers who will come and labor every Saturday during the month of April. It is an “Extreme Makeover” without the giant bus, and when that first wall is ceremoniously raised on April 2nd at 9am, the cheers of the volunteers who have worked so hard to even get to this point will certainly be heard.

Churches in Shoreline have been a driving force behind this project. Benefit concerts, auctions, special offerings, and even the women of one church (Shoreline Covenant Church) sleeping in their parking lot on 185th in tents to help raise awareness and funds for this project are just some of the ways the community has stood behind this effort. Children have collected their pennies to help buy boards, and churches whose own budgets have been trimmed this past year have seen members give generously and sacrificially to see this project succeed.

In a time of so much scarcity and cutback, it is a testimony to the kind of heart the Shoreline community has for the most vulnerable among us: women and children fleeing abuse, living in poverty, desperately seeking to rebuild their lives.

I am a pastor here in Shoreline, and my daughter presented me with a gift-wrapped package on Sunday. Inside are all of the coins she could fit in the paper, and she told me that it is a gift for Jacob’s Well. Even a six-year old can understand the impact of “building hope, one board at a time.” It brings me deep satisfaction and joy to know that the gifts of my six year old are helping to make a way in the future for another child living without basic provision and stability to have a home and to have hope for her future.

For more information or to volunteer, go the webpage NoHomelessKids. 

Sky Nursery seminar: Natural lawn care, April 2

Saturday, April 2, 2011

11 am – 12:30 pm.

Natural Lawn Care

Charlie Shull

We may live in a native conifer ecosystem, but with proper care we can still have a lush and healthy lawn—naturally and organically. Sky’s own Charlie Shull will tell you how to have a gorgeous lawn year-round with no chemicals and minimal water use. 

Sky Nursery 18528 Aurora Ave N Shoreline, WA 98133, 206 546-4851, 

32nd District Democrats to hear about a State Bank

The 32nd District Democrats will hold their monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at the Richmond Masonic Hall in Shoreline, 753 N 185th St, Shoreline WA 98133.

The program includes a presentation on A State Bank for Washington. Endorsements will be considered for Richard Mitchell, King County Council and Jesse Soloman, Shoreline City Council.

Guests introductions: Gael Tarleton, Seattle Port Commissioner and Stephanie Wright, Snohomish County Council.

Members are reminded to renew their membership by March 31 to be eligible to vote at the April 13th meeting.

Gardening with Jennifer - Wildlife In The Garden: The Unsung Heroes, Part 1 - Moles

by Jennifer Rotermund

If you’re into wildlife gardening like I am, your garden probably includes an array of native plants that produce berries for the birds, a combination of native and non-native plants that produce flowers for a variety of bees, and you probably even have a plant or two that produce flowers specifically attractive to Hummingbirds. 

There’s at least one bird bath type contraption (or water feature) and any number and shape of bird feeders hanging from tree branches or mounted on posts or stuck to a window positioned just right for you to observe as closely as possible.

Birds - bees - bats - dragonflies - tree frogs
If it's the birds you especially love to have around, you’ve more than likely hung at least one bird house - purchased at the local specialty store, made of untreated wood, and without a landing peg, thank you very much! If bees are your thing, and you’re not already a backyard beekeeper, I’m guessing you’ve studied up on those cute little solitary Mason Bees and know when to clean out their tubes or the box they call home, when to refrigerate them and for how long, and you know just which kind of predatory wasp larvae feeds on them - and are saddened each time that happens. You love bats? There’s a rocket box near the roof line of your house, I’m sure! Lately, I’ve been fantasizing about a small pond in my back yard to keep dragonfly larvae and perhaps (if I’m lucky) encourage some nearby Pacific Treefrog to, well, stay nearby.

Then there’s the category of critters that get a bum rap because they’re known more for the destruction they cause or the havoc they wreak, rather than the benefit they provide. 

Townsend's Mole. Photo by Jerry Kirkhart.

Moles stand out for me as dominating this category. I’ve always thought moles were cute, and before I was a homeowner, I never gave them a second thought. Afterall, who has to worry about mole-hill mounds popping up through a lawn or garden bed when they’re renting a second story apartment? It was when they started to make their presence known in my own front yard that I began to take notice and was interested in becoming better acquainted with this new little neighbor of mine. 

Knowing how infamously difficult it is to rid one’s yard of moles, I set out to see if there was anything beneficial about them - plus I’ve found that its much easier to explain away my neglect to the neighbors, as long as I have an intelligent-sounding justification. 

So I was particularly interested when, at a conference on sustainable lawn care I recently attended, one of the leading local lawn care company owners ended his presentation by saying, “And then there’s the issue of moles. You won’t get rid of them, no matter what you do. So, you might as well get used to them. After all, if you have moles, it means you have good soil!”

It was that last sentence that stuck with me because it occurred to me that the connection between moles and good soil works in two ways: 1) moles are drawn in by (among other things living in the soil) earthworms! Therefore, the presence of moles means you have good life in your soil, which is very beneficial for the health of your plants, and 2) as moles tunnel through the ground, they aerate the soil, pulling organic material down and pushing important minerals up towards the surface and within reach of our plants. Happily, most moles are only interested in worms and insects - not our plants - and are continually mobile (especially in the Spring when male moles are eagerly seeking a mate). If you leave them alone (I simply rake out the unsightly little mole-hills), they’re more likely to move right on through from your yard, to your neighbor’s yard and right on down the street.

The bigger problem is not the moles themselves, but the fact that the tunnels they dig provide direct access for the critters that will eat garden plants - voles, mice, rats, and pocket gophers. But, herein lies the beauty of wildlife gardening! I could throw my hands in the air exasperated by the fact that garden-ownership means I’ll be forever chasing down, trapping, and actively ridding my yard of pests, thanks to the moles, or I could could thank the moles for the beautiful tilling work they do for my soil and for the extra food they bring in for the larger predators who are integral to the health of wildlife in our urban areas. Yes, I have moles in my yard - and I’ve seen an occasional rat or two in my backyard - but the other day, I also witnessed a Falcon (one of several natural predators of moles and other little, furry creatures in our yards) land in my apple tree about 30 feet from the kitchen window through which I watched it scour the ground for live food. 

Perhaps I’m a lazy gardener because I tend to let life be as it wants to be around my yard, but I prefer to think of myself as a gardener working to restore the balance of nature to an area where we humans have worked so hard in the past to suppress it. As far as I’m concerned, the moles are a more than welcome addition to my yard!

Jennifer Rotermund is the owner of Gaiaceous Gardens (an urban farming & wildlife gardening business with a teaching garden/urban farm and certified wildlife habitat located in Shoreline) and is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Habitat Steward.

Front Porch Theatre at the Shoreline Library, April 11

Intiman Presents Front Porch Theatre

Monday, April 11, 7pm

Readings from and discussion of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.

Shoreline Library

345 NE 175th Street, Shoreline 98155, 206-362-7550

This regional series examines key topics from Intiman productions as brief portions of the script are read out loud by attendees, followed by a book-club style discussion.

This Front Porch Theatre series is inspired by Intiman Theatre’s upcoming production of Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, All My Sons, which re-imagines the central characters as an African-American family living in 1947 Seattle. 

Weekly Weather March 19-25, 2011 - Atmospheric river on its way

Carls Shoreline Weather Station

Getting warmer, but still colder than this time last year.

Warmest and coldest days are based on average temperature of the entire day, starting at midnight. All other averages are based on the whole week. All weather data unless otherwise noted is sourced from Carl’s Shoreline Weather Station.

Warmest day: 49.9ºF (Thursday)

Coldest day: 42.2ºF (Sunday)

Rainiest day: 0.12 inches (Friday)

Average temperature: 44.9ºF

High temperature: 60.6ºF (Wednesday)

Low temperature: 33.8ºF (Wednesday)

Total rainfall: 0.16 inches

High humidity: 100%

Low humidity: 19% (Wednesday)

Average humidity: 73%

High pressure: 29.500 inches (Tuesday)

Low pressure: 28.880 inches (Thursday)

Average pressure: 29.143 inches

Weather Highlights:

Wednesday and Thursday had warm high temperatures, Wednesday at 60.6ºF and Thursday at 60.3ºF. However due to cold night time temperatures we still averaged low compared to this time last year.

Weather for the coming week:

• Tuesday night through Thursday afternoon: A very strong atmospheric river (also known as the Pineapple Express) is going to effect the entire area, forecasters are expecting 1-4 inches of rain over the 48 hour period, making land and mud slides a concern. On top of that we may get a little wind, with the soil already as soggy as it is, with this added rain we may have some downed trees as a secondary concern.

Stay safe and watch for standing water this week on area roads, especially in construction zones.

SCC Baseball and Softball seasons started in the rain

It has been a soggy early spring for the Shoreline Community College Baseball and Softball Seasons. Both squads are just under .500 as they enter NWAACC Northern Region play during the next couple of weeks.

2011 Team photo by Wilson Tsoi

SCC Baseball off to 8-9 start to season:

The Shoreline Community College baseball team is off to a 8-9 start to the season. The Dolphins have had an up and down road so far, missing several games to rain and being forced to reschedule home games to road games to find teams to play. SCC is 1-3 against teams ranked in the NWAACC Top Eight Poll with a victory over #5 ranked Everett Community College.

SCC plays at Western Washington University Club Team on Wednesday, and then at Lower Columbia College on Sunday before starting NWAACC Northern Region play on April 9-10 against Bellevue College.

2011 Team photo by Wilson Tsoi

Lady Dolphin Softball Wins First Four Region Games:

The Shoreline Community College’s softball team is 4-0 after the first four NWAACC Northern Region games of the season. SCC swept Olympic College last week 4-2 and 11-0. SCC rallied for 3 runs in the top of 7th to pull out the 4-2 victory and in the second game, Sophie Overlock-Pauley tossed a five inning no-hitter.

SCC collected two forfeits over Edmonds CC as well to go 4-0 in the region.

Shoreline started the season 0-5-1, playing against tough Eastern Region teams. The Lady Dolphins were 0-4 against teams ranked in the NWAACC Top Eight poll. SCC has had 9 games rained out so far.

--Douglas W. Palmer, SCC Director of Athletics and Recreation/Wellness

Shorewood golfer, Shorecrest soccer player among Herald athletes of the week

Shorewood golfer Cassie McKinley and Shorecrest soccer player Glenn Paden were among six Everett Herald “athletes of the week” for March 21-26 in Snohomish, Island and north King counties.

The Herald cited McKinley for being medalist in the 12-team Whidbey Shootout with an 18-hole score of 76 and for being the top scorer in a three-team Wesco meet.

The Herald cited Paden for scoring four goals and two assists in two Shorecrest victories.

Photo: Boeing Creek Park

Boeing Creek Park.  Photo by Kyle McQueen.

Shorewood student Kyle McQueen shares this photo with us, of Boeing Creek Park.

Shoreline Council approves animal control code and Aldercrest changes

Updated: 3-29-2011

In a 53 minute meeting on Monday, March 28, the Shoreline City Council approved the new animal services code for Shoreline and approved the zoning changes for Aldercrest.

There was some discussion about what level of detail to include in the animal code, but no real issues.

Councilmembers had praise for the coalition which worked for months to create the plan for zoning changes at Aldercrest. The result is that the school district can sell the property at market value, and the neighborhood gets to keep the open land as a park.

The coalition included Shoreline Planning department, Shoreline Economic Development Manager, Shoreline School District, Ballinger Neighborhood, and Friends of Aldercrest.

Friends of Aldercrest is a registered non-profit group formed to support the realization of a park at the Aldercrest site.  They expect to continue their work in the future to help plan and support the new park.

For the Birds: Northern Flicker

Male Red-shafted Flicker. Photo by Christine Southwick.

by Christine Southwick

WOOKA, WOOKA, WOOKA! This loud call is paired with much head bobbing, and is often followed by a resounding KLEEER. Next comes the loud drumming on your metal chimney covers. Flicker mating season has begun.

The only brown woodpecker in North America, this largish bird is readily identified by its undulating roller-coaster flight, and its white rump as it flies up from the ground where it was eating its favorite meal of ants.

There are two forms of the Northern Flicker: the Red-shafted and the Yellow-shafted. Here in Western Washington is one of the few places where both sub-species can be found.

The Red-shafted males have red mustaches; the Yellow-shafted males have black mustaches. Both male and female Yellow-shafted have a red crescent on the back of their heads; the Red-shafted do not. Red-shafted have salmon colored under-sides of their wings and tail; the Yellow-shafted have yellow. Interbreeding creates some interesting looking birds that you won’t find in any bird guides, and that will drive you crazy until you realize that you are looking at an intergrade Northern Flicker.

Male and female Red-shafted Northern Flickers   

Photo by Diana Thompson

Flickers are cavity nesters, with both partners excavating, but the male doing most of the chiseling. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the young. From the time the 5-8 eggs are laid until the young leave the nest is about 40 days. The flicker parents feed and teach their young the best foraging sites. It is fun to watch a flicker teach its young to use the suet feeders. Some fledglings catch on quickly, and others need several lessons. Sometimes you can almost hear the parent giving a heavy sigh.

Starting in March, flickers drum to attract a mate and proclaim their territory. If a flicker is drumming on your house, it will cease soon—often as soon as the nest is built.

If you have trouble with a flicker trying to make a nest hole in your house, the solution is pretty easy; put up a nest box made for flickers. The only other reason a flicker would make holes in your siding is to get to bugs—in which case you should have an expert come out and apply an avian-friendly bug-killer.

Female Red Shafted Flicker. Photo by Christine Southwick.

Northern flickers are the primary predators of woodland ants, and are vitally important for the health of northern forests. Northern Flickers are considered a keystone species since the holes they excavate are used by many cavity dwelling birds.

So enjoy the Wooka, Wooka Wooka and the head bobbing of two to five flickers trying to win the “Pick Me” contest. Who says you have to travel to see an enchanting mating ritual?

Christine Southwick is on the Board of the Puget Sound Bird Observatory and is their Winter Urban Color-banding Project Manager. She is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat Steward, having completed their forty hour class. We're happy that she's sharing her expertise with us about the birds in our backyards.