A landmark of our neighborhood is the ever present UW Medical.  Before that known as Northwest Hospital.  Before that woods with a serpentine dirt track.  Before that dinosaurs. In the 1960s my mom was a candy striper (volunteer),  my dad moonlighted in the admin office, and, not to be outdone, my brother worked in the morgue.  A few years before Northwest the woods was an extension of my backyard, a place to trap small critters and ride bikes. I found the following gem in our HLCC archives.  Seattle Star newspaper, dated September 1946.  A local woman living at 115th and Meridian files a petition to King County crying foul on property infringement and development.   One hundred three Haller Lake neighbors sign on to the protest.  I would have signed on, too.  The County wanted to put in an air field on the undeveloped site where UW Medical stands today.  Imagine. At the time the county was looking  at ten suitable ...

  Edible Perennials   As much as it is so wonderful to plant an annual vegetable garden, it is also a treat to have some edible perennial plant, shrubs and trees in your yard. In the PNW we have many options to choose from. Here are a few ideas… Plants/shrubs: Evergreen huckleberry, blueberry, lingonberry, currents, gooseberry, salmonberry, oregon grape, pomegranate, honey berry, goji berry, strawberry, elderberry, black elderberry, american cranberry Vines/ Canes: Grapes, kiwi berry, marion berry, raspberry, thornless blackberry Herbs: Rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, lemon balm, bee balm, fennel, chamomile, mint, chives, marjoram, nettles, lavender, yarrow, dandelion  Trees: Apple, pear, asian pear, fig, hazelnut, almond, peach, plum, kiwi, cherry, olive Please remember to read about each plant of interest before you purchase to see if they are self fertile or if they require more than one plant to produce. Also, what sort of conditions are best to plant in, full sun, sh...

  This one is a stinker…literally.  It’s everything you wanted to know about dumps and dumping around Haller Lake past and present.  In the old days ,say, prior to the 1930’s,  people would use fire pits, burn barrels or burial pits to dispose of waste.  No rules applied.  It was also common to dump trash in any vacant lot.  The North End Herald reported  in 1927 that Haller Lake, under King County jurisdiction (before Seattle annexation), would acquire a drive in dump on both sides of 125th just east of North Trunk Highway (Aurora today).  The article says “A man will be in charge and supervise disposal.” Twenty years later, 1947, a group of Haller Lake residents meet with King County commissioners complaining of the dump eyesore, smoke and stench.  One comment from a Lake neighbor, “We’re ashamed about it, we have to tell our friends  come out Aurora Ave. and turn right at the dump.”  Although the commissioners said they’d in...