Queen Anne News 4-24-2024

THE COVE OPENS I heart Oxheart Tomatoes

Ahoy! Ballard Commons Play Area, known as The Cove, officially opened last weekend. Locals flooded the park to be the first to explore the new equipment, which includes a large pirate ship climbing structure with a slide and a zipline, and a tall rock island for climbing. The event featured games, food trucks, neighborhood partners, and live music. City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth (in the blue Kingdome shirt) welcomed the community before helping the young constituents cut the blue ribbon. The playground is located at 5701 22nd Ave NW, diagonally across the street from the Ballard Branch of the Seattle Public Library.

lightly.

know that I have a long-lasting love affair with tomatoes, having grown up over 100 varieties in a single season on occasion (my driveway got involved). I’ve grown microdwarfs that only got a foot tall, hydroponic cherries indoors, dwarfs that max out at about three feet high, rare heirlooms and the newest trends. After such experimentation, what do I plant? As time and family have whittled down my plans to a more manageable size, I tend to hover in two groups of tomatoes. The first is cherry tomatoes, because, in sun-challenged Seattle you need some insurance, and cherries

Courtesy Laura Marie Rivera

Erica Browne Grivas

Market,

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Erica Browne Grivas Get Growing

Twelfth

Scientist

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More accountability? This I can do Cultivating awe

Our emotions can be powerful teachers. Brene Brown taught us the value of recognizing shame collectively and as individuals, and many researchers are championing the power of gratitude to help us be happier. Now a new book by psychologist Dacher Keltner, “Awe: The Transformative Power of Wonder” asks us to cultivate awe.

Before writing the book, Keltner, a professor at University of California, Berkeley, studied under Paul Ekman – known for his study of facial expressions across cultures – and consulted on the Pixar movie “Inside Out.”

Awe can be tricky to put into words because it has a transcendent quality that takes us into ineffable territory. As you try to describe awe, it seems to slip farther away. It transports us from our internal dialogue to a new and wonderful place. Yet, like love, when it comes over you, it’s unmistakable, and often transformational.

While defining it may be slippery – and vary from culture to culture, person to person – Keltner says the body language of awe is universal, eliciting involuntary tears, goosebumps, “whoas” and “oohs.”

In peer-reviewed studies, Keltner has discovered that awe causes measurable shifts in our bodies, promoting relaxation and healing.

The changes include increased Vagal tone, or strengthening of the Vagas nerve, the system controlling the toggle switch for our “fight/flight/freeze” and “rest/ digest” nerve systems.

Other activities help turn off our fear response, like laughing and bonding with friends, petting a companion animal, getting into a flow state, meditating, slow breathing and focusing on positive emotions. By deactivating the “default mode network,” aka the critical voice in our heads, Keltner says awe may be one of the fastest, easily accessible paths to happiness – and one that gets stronger the more you use it.

What creates awe? Keltner lists eight categories of awe-inspiring phenomena: “moral beauty,” noticing the goodness of others in real time or even learning about it; collective movement, like dancing, nature, visual design, spirituality, big ideas, and observing the beginning and end of life.

Often sparked by novelty, awe “orients your attention toward others, and prompts you to explore and engage with the world,” Keltner writes in mindful.org (https:// www.mindful.org/the-science-of-wonder). It increases our sense of time and widens our perspective.

Some critics have noted that awe can cause fear, too, as in dictator’s displays of military strength.

In fact the very origin of awe may be rooted in fear, to help us know when to run from predators. “Awe is associated with a goose-tingling sensation in your arms and at the back of your neck — perhaps the bodily register of Kundalini in yoga—that arises in many social mammals, including humans, when responding to peril together” Keltner writes.

Keltner focuses on awe’s positive side, which we can employ to feel better now.

His studies showed that the more subjects looked for awe in daily life, the more they found – and the better they felt. They reported less stress, were more likely

It’s the third week of April and it’s been warm and sunny for days. The warmth feels like sparks of . . . Hmm. What is it I feel in the air? Out of a few remarkably warm days, am I managing to spin a little hope?

Now, I have to say, a spark may be emotional or symbolic, but either way, sparks. And sparks are many things, but they always shed light.

And that’s what we want, isn’t it, to shed more light? To feel more confident because we are doing something, just one thing, to move beyond our mistakes? Because confidence is fragile, such a fragile thing. Confidence can fade faster than we think—too fast.

I feel my stomach clench.

OK, my most recent worst-mistake involved a little too much wine (on my part) and a little too much anger about political differences (on his). But even if I am proud of my response at the time, it will still feel more like a lapse in judgement at 3 a.m., when I’ll wake with a start and proceed to scold myself, you could have just thanked him and quietly walked away.

But, like I said, new hope!

There are days, like today, when I see so clearly how being a visiting dance teacher has given me new perspective on everything this man was trying to explain to me.

See, even the most rundown town can have a ballet studio. But the thing that is so troubling to me is how rundown much of our state is. There is no inherent shame in this, but it had the lasting effect of abolishing any naïve cliché in my head about the equality of progress, of my faith in it, the likelihood of it, or any possibility of thinking our economy is on the right track for a lot of us.

Rundown is not naïve. Rundown is not progress.

On my last teaching tour, I’d anticipated seeing a few towns that are down on their luck, but I didn’t think there would be so many, which is really how it is out there. There are exceptions, college towns like Ellensburg. And Walla Walla has reinvented itself into a wine-tasting mecca, a little gem of Syrah success; triggering investors to buy up surrounding farmland and plow under the fruit and nut trees to make room for more and more vines while TRUMP signs shoot up fast as vineyard stakes.

Why?

Because the next generation who thought they’d be farmers feel left out of the techaffluent, corporate culture of the coast. There is a sense of despair when the only job to hope for is one that has you filling Amazon orders in a windowless concrete hanger.

This is what I saw, and felt like I understood, in parts of Eastern Washington, a tightfisted resistance to anything and anyone that is perceived to be

from “the other side,” and not only of the Cascades. As the father of one of my students in Chehalis put it, and not all that jokingly, “you lefties in Seattle are nuts.” I knew he meant leftists, but I wouldn’t dare say so. After hours of approvingly watching an out-of-towner correct their kids’ coupés, pliés, passés, and piqués, parents can still turn on you if you dare correct them.

So I said nothing. I can do that. Sometimes.

But in a way, he was right. Friends on the other side of the mountains are always saying things like, “What is wrong with these Trump supporters? I just don’t get it.” Well, I do get it. I can’t help but get it. I also get that these same friends don’t fully understand what employment-hopelessness feels like.

But those that know what it feels like, know.

I flush, embarrassed by how hard I came down on the man trying to explain all of this to me, even if my reaction was more about how he explained—it seems impossible that some people don’t know how patronizing they sound. Because he helped me to see that there all kinds of sparks we put our trust in when we see no other light ahead, even if the spark is deceptive or manipulative or egocentric or plain old phony: Hope. Ideals. Idols. Cults. Prophets. Mystics. Kings. Trump. Yesterday I picked up a New York Times and a quote from a former deputy minister of defense in Afghanistan jumped out at me, “On one side are people in major cities who are more liberal, moderate, and educated but have grown out of touch with the rural population. On the other are conservative rural Afghans who feel neglected by a centralized state economy run by elites.” What struck me was how I could have been reading this in our paper. Today. About us.

I admire people who can face up to accountability on both sides, but I don’t feel as though I meet a lot of them lately, do you? I don’t know why I’m asking you this, except that I want to believe, heading into this new election cycle, that I am accountable.

Or more so, anyway.

This I can do.

Mary Lou Sanelli's newest collection of essays about living in the Northwest, In So Many Words, is due out in September. A professional speaker and a master dance teacher, she has written a column for this paper for 15 years, also contributing to The Seattle Times, NPR, and other newspapers and magazines. She will be signing copies of her books at Magnolia's Bookstore on Independent Bookstore Day, April 27 and speaking about her work at the Fountainhead Gallery on Queen Anne on June 15, 4 p.m. Visit her at www.marylousanelli.com.

Mary Lou Sanelli Falling Awake

Erica Browne Grivas

Your Best Life

Downtown Seattle's slow recovery provides hope for some city organizations

By Spencer Pauley

The

Center Square

It’s been four years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced employees to work from home, and yet downtown Seattle is still seeing less than 60% of pre-pandemic worker foot traffic. Nevertheless, some Seattle organizations are optimistic about the city's future.

The Downtown Seattle Association tracks the area’s monthly worker foot traffic, hotel demand, occupied apartments, and visitors and compared it to the same time period in 2019. According to its latest data, the downtown area averaged more than 87,000 daily workers in March. The association notes that is the

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highest daily average for worker foot traffic since February 2020 and represents a 14% increase from March 2023. However, it is still 52% of the daily foot traffic seen in March 2019.

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce share's DSA's optimistic outlook. However, the chamber notes that there are warning signs that the city should not ignore. This includes tax revenues generated by retail sales and business and occupation taxes being down in 2023, according to a revenue forecast.

According to the chamber’s Index survey, 89% of respondents agreed that downtown Seattle is critical to the region’s economy,

are the most likely to ripen. (Some favorites include ‘Sun Gold,’ ‘Pink Bumblebee,’ ‘Black Cherry,’ and the newer ‘Karma Miracle.’)

The second group would be slicers, and for slicers, my heart now belongs to oxhearts.

Do you know about oxheart tomatoes? The tend to be meaty, with a smooth texture, and very few seeds, which lends them to work perfectly

to pick up pens dropped by strangers and described themselves in collective rather than individual language. When asked to draw or take a photo of themselves, awestruck subjects facing a T-rex skeleton, for example, made themselves smaller or off to the side, compared to control subjects.

The days welcoming our two sons into the world are the awe moments I’ll never forget. I I consciously find everyday awe in the beauty of plants, which shifts daily in my yard or neighborhood, playing with our dog, in art and design, at concerts, lectures, and more. For me, such things are balm and fuel for my spirit.

Jane Goodall, about to turn 90, spoke at the Moore Theater recently. Talking

eaten fresh in sandwiches or cooked for sauce. The most famous variety which you may see is ‘Cuore de Bue,’ translating from Italian as, no surprise, heart of an ox.

The introduction that wowed me was ‘Anna Russian,’ a deliciously sweet pink. I first read about it in heirloom seedsaver Craig LeHoullier’s book “Epic Tomatoes,” a love affair to tomatoes which chronicles his discoveries of varieties like ‘Cherokee Purple’ and ‘Captain Lucky.’

about her work and her hope about our ability to save animals, the planet, and ourselves, awe was in plentiful supply that night. I wasn’t the only one in the audience in tears.

My husband knows if I disappear while we’re walking downtown, I’m probably taking a picture of a cool manhole cover, a fun store display, or a vivacious plant combination. In a place so blessed with beauty like Seattle, awe often catches you by surprise. Driving south on I-5 crossing the bridge one spring morning seeing the Space Needle floating in a bowl of mist made me gasp. Or the serendipity when “the mountain” materializes from the clouds. Wherever you are, you can’t go wrong with sunsets - while you can predict a sunset, the show itself is new every night. Recently, I had a moment

‘Anna Russia,’ was listed as one of the top ten tomatoes that changed his life. The same year I tried ‘Marianna’s Peace,’ another Russian pink oxheart heirloom that was just as tasty. They melt in your mouth.

The nursery where I worked had a tastetesting that year, and by the next season it was selling ‘Anna Russian.’

If you notice a theme, there’s a reason. Tomatoes from Russia, the Ukraine, Northern California, British Columbia, and anywhere that shares the same cool night temperature profile as Seattle are likely to produce more reliably here than perhaps, ones from the Deep South or the East Coast (like the popular non-oxheart slicer ‘Brandywine’).

Oxhearts are not uniform, can vary dramatically in shape and size, either smooth-

skinned or pleated and ribbed, even on one plant. They can be fist-sized or up to three pounds or more, with fruit usually in red or pink. Very often they come to a point at the base, creating that telltale heart.

The leaves may give you a start, however. Many oxhearts have what’s called the “wilty” gene, and their lacy foliage often looks like its weeping. Some firsttime oxheart growers assume their plants are ill mid-season and tragically rip them out. I recommended noting what it looks like healthy so you can tell if it is truly wilting.

Since those two I’ve discovered many more, notably a whole group from Victoria, British Columbia, bred by amateur breeder Karen Olivier of True North Seeds. Her potato-

whose effect lingered for several days. A notification from a whale watching group on What’s App said whales were nearby heading south. I texted a similarly natureobsessed friend and we met with our dogs at Golden Gardens – who were quite confused to be asked to stand still at the beach – along with several people tricked out with tripods. When the Bigg’s orcas arrived they were midSound, and the water was choppy, but I saw fins!

I can’t be sure if it was the same fin twice or two separate fins, but it doesn’t matter to my heart or my Vagus nerve. The pure wonder of seeing such magic in an unplanned way, not on a whale watching boat, and from my hometown – was amazing, and makes me feel bonded to this place even more deeply.

What brings you awe, and how can you cultivate it?

leafed oxhearts are laced with many colors: yellow, red, green, and purple, with complex flavors to match. They are even more beautiful sliced when their true colors show. They are both cold and heat-tolerant. Some I’ve really enjoyed so far are ‘Taiga,’ and ‘Midnight Sun.’

A note before you go shopping: unless you have a greenhouse or coldframe, resist the urge to plant out your tender tomato starts until temperatures are reliably over 50 degrees – at night. You can cheat a little with “Wall of Waters” to keep your plants warm, but in general it’s better to wait until the soil has warmed up to keep from shocking or potentially stunting your plants.

Some old and new oxhearts to keep an eye out for include:

‘Anna Russian’

‘Cuore de Bue’/ ‘Coeur de Boeuf’

‘Hungarian Heart’

‘Italian Large Red Pear’

‘Kosovo’

‘Marianna’s Peace’

‘Orange Russian’

‘Orange Strawberry’

‘Russia 117’

‘Tundra’

‘Taiga’

‘True Colors’

‘Midnight Colors’

‘Curtis Cheek’

Which will grace your garden (and plate!) this year?

Grantor and all those who

by, through or underthe

of all

interest in the above described property. IX. Anyone having any objections to this sale on any grounds whatsoever will be afforded an opportunity to be heard as to those objections if they bring a lawsuit to restrain the sale pursuant to RCW 61.24.130. Failure to bring such a lawsuit may result in a waiver of any proper grounds for invalidating the Trustees’ Sale. X. Notice to Occupants or Tenants. The purchaser at the Trustee’s sale is entitled to possession of the property on the 20th day following the sale, as against the Grantor under the deed of trust (the owner) and anyone having an interest junior to the deed of trust, including occupants who are not tenants. After the 20th day following the sale the purchaser has the right to evict occupants who are not tenants by summary proceedings under chapter 59.12 RCW. For tenant-occupied property, the purchaser shall provide a tenant with written notice in accordance with RCW 61.24.060. Notice to

Annual charitable donation, paper shredding event May 4

On Saturday, May 4, local residential Realtor Ken Graff will be sponsoring his annual secure document paper shredding, electronics recycling, and charitable donation event.

Donations of household goods, clothing and bedding are accepted.

This year, Graff is encouraging attendees to consider bringing and donating hygiene items such as soap, shampoo/conditioner, toothbrushes/toothpaste, and menstrual products which will be delivered Seattle Women’s Homeless Shelter –YWCA Angeline’s Day Center. Computer/laptop drives will be wiped

clean before recycling.

The event takes place in the lower parking lot at the AGC Building at 1200 Westlake Ave N. Follow Ken Graff’s Open House signs down the ramp; parking is free.

The event time is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and custom coffee drinks and donuts will be hosted. Most electronics are acceptable, but the vendor is unable to accept alkaline batteries, vacuums, CRT TVs, and CRT monitors as part of this collection event.

For a detailed list of what electronics can be donated, or for any questions regarding the event, contact Ken Graff at Ken@ KenGraffHomes.com.

Fueled by federal pandemic money, Washington state's spending has skyrocketed

By Tom Gantert The Center Square

Washington state government spending increased 169% from 1991 to 2023.

The state’s total spending was $12.21 billion in 1991 and increased to $73.59 billion in 2023. When adjusted for inflation, that accounts for the 169% increase.

That's according to budget documents provided online by the state.

The migration of people to Washington over the past 32 years has triggered a dramatic increase in the number of state workers.

In 2023, Washington employed 125,892 fulltime positions, a 49% increase in the number of workers since 1991. The state had 84,563 full-time positions in 1991. That’s kept in line with the state population which has jumped 59% over that time span to 7.95 million people.

Part of the increase in spending is due to the amount of money municipalities across

the country received from the federal government due to the pandemic. For Washington, total revenues increased from $50.9 billion in the prepandemic 2019 to $74.8 billion in 2023. When adjusted for inflation, that is a 23% increase in total revenues over that four-year period.

“The state of Washington, like most other states, has seen an increase in spending,” said Christine Kuglin, director of Truth in Accounting.” Much of this is due to the COVID pandemic and population shifts. However, some is also attributable to overpayments in unemployment benefits that occurred during COVID. This and other fraudulent activities cost taxpayers a lot of money.”

The state of Washington’s Employment Security Department estimated that fraudulent unemployment claims involving COVID-19 pandemic funds reached $647 million as of September 2023.