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‘Dogs need somebody to speak for them’

Bonnie Towne’s love of animals started when her dad brought home a stray springer spaniel when she was 7.

Many years later, Towne was asked by a friend if she would help Seattle Humane Society’s fund-raising for a new facility. From her first official tour of the old building, Towne felt an instant connection to the organization— as well as to a dog named Odin.

“I wanted that dog so bad,” she said. “I took my husband out to dinner and said, ‘Can I please take Odin home?’” Eventually, Odin became a permanent member of the Towne family.

The year she became involved with Seattle Humane, she helped with the capital campaign and also agreed to chair the organization’s annual Tuxes and Tails Gala. The latter raised $5.5 million in one night, the most ever raised at the event. She headed this year’s event, too. Held in May, it  highlighted ”

Bonnie Towne with Sinder, one of the 29 dogs she and her husband have owned.

the number of animals we have saved and how many more out there we can do the same thing for. I think it’s really important to get that message out,” she said.

When asked about what makes Seattle Humane (which this year is marking its 125th anniversary) a cause she feels so connected to, Towne noted “the number of years it has served the community and the number of animals we have saved and continue to save, I just think that’s incredibly important and special.”

Born and raised in Portland, Ore., Bonnie and her husband Jim have known each other since they were 15 and have been married 51 years. Throughout that time, they’ve had 29 dogs, including three Seattle Humane alums–Odin, Sinder, and her current 8-month-old puppy, Mandi.

Outside of her work with Seattle Humane, Towne was also the 5th Avenue Theater’s board chairwoman for three years, spanning the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. And she’s a passionate supporter of the Seattle Police Department’s K9 Unit. “Those dogs are very special and deserve everything we can give them,” she said.

She feels the same way about Seattle Humane’s advocacy for pets.

“There’s so much more to animal welfare than just adoptions,” she said. “I would like to see more laws passed about the treatment of pets, so that all animals receive humane treatment. They can’t speak for themselves and they need somebody to speak for them. If we don’t do it, who will?”

 

Source: Seattle Humane Society

srmedia by — May 25, 2022 in Lifestyles
Advice for organizing that junk drawer

If this looks like your junk drawer, there are ways to make it more organized.

Most people have at least one junk drawer. It tends to be in the kitchen, but it can reside anywhere there is an accessible, or sometimes inaccessible, empty drawer. It’s usually stuffed to the brim and can contain everything from takeout menus, old mail, ketchup packets, and batteries to other odds and ends. Instead of shoving more items into it daily and pretending not to notice that it isn’t closing, its time to finally tackle and organize your junk drawer.

Below are tips from Jane Lee, an organizing expert and founder of Poke-A-Dot Organizer.

Ready, set, go!

  • Getting started can be very overwhelming. Begin with a clean area where you can place all of your junk such as the dining room table or a counter.
  • Pull out everything from the drawer and set it onto the clean area that you chose. Don’t forget to bring along the garbage can! Separate “junk” from “necessities”. Do you really need that 8th grade picture of your son who is now 37?
  • Next, use a damp towel to clean out the drawer. Make sure to get into the corners to remove all those lovely, bug attracting crumbs.

Divide and conquer.

  • Separate your items into categories. All your screwdrivers and tools go into one pile, pens and writing utensils in another, tacks and nails in another, etc.
  • Utilize plastic bins or organizers in your junk drawer to help keep items grouped together. The Poke-A-Dot Organizer allows you to create customizable spaces or slots to hold your items instead of going through the hassle of trying to find the “perfect” one in store!
  • Bonus tip: Make sure to measure your drawer before buying any bins or organizers to ensure that they will fit inside. This will save you from having to make multiple trips to the store!

Take a breather and think.

  • Before you even start to tackle your junk drawer or any cleaning project, make sure you have enough time to get the task done so you aren’t rushing.
  • Take breaks if you need to. Don’t rush through the process just so you can be done. You’ll end up keeping items you don’t really need.
  • Make sure to ask yourself two important questions throughout your junk drawer cleaning: Do I really need this item? Have I used it in the last year?
  • Finally, give yourself credit that you are organizing the drawer that has gathered dust over the years. Whether it takes one hour or a month, good job, you did it!
srmedia by — May 12, 2022 in Lifestyles
PEOPLE: Community activist and political leader just did ‘what I’m here for’

Rosa Franklin never thought a 60-unit, multi-story apartment building for low-income seniors in Tacoma would be named for her. But it’s a logical honor to Mercy Housing, which developed Rosa Franklin Place to meet the kind of community needs that Franklin championed as an activist and political leader.

From her humble roots as the youngest of 12 children in her family in a small South Carolina town, to becoming the first African American woman elected to a seat in Washington’s state Senate, Franklin, now 94, has been a tireless community advocate for communities.

Officials of Mercy Housing, a national non-profit developer and manager of low-income housing in Washington and 20 other states, explained the naming of Franklin Place, which occupies a corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way in the Hilltop area, recognizes the “dedication of Franklin and others like her” who helped the non-profit organization develop affordable housing.

“I am so honored. I never expected it,” Franklin said. “I was doing my life’s work. I was just doing what I am here for.”

Franklin first moved to Tacoma in 1954 when her husband was stationed at Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord). After being stationed in Germany, the family returned to Tacoma in 1965.

“The original neighborhood that we lived in, Hilltop, was very vibrant. At that time, it was the center of Tacoma. We had a great downtown area with shopping, great jobs, and homeownership. But when we came back, and after the Civil Rights Act (of 1964), things had changed. Like a lot of cities across the country, we saw the flight from the cities, and the city center deteriorated. That is when I became really involved in my community, because I came from a family that were quite community involved. They helped each other and lifted each other up,” Franklin said.

Franklin, who worked for 42 years as a registered nurse, had also long volunteered in her community, taking on causes such as access to housing and healthcare. A friend convinced her to run for elected office, but “I didn’t want to do it,” Franklin said. “Leadership comes in different ways. I didn’t seek leadership. I was concentrating on my profession because I saw what was happening in the field of nursing. Not everyone was getting care, not everyone was treated the same. It was really about caring for those that could not, and giving them a voice.”

Franklin ran for Tacoma City Council. She lost, but the experience sparked her passion for local politics while continuing to fight for social justice.

“When you ask yourself the hard questions, and you answer them with the things you really want to change, then you go for it,” she said. “If you want to be a servant leader, want to see things change and lift people up, then I say, truly, go for it.”

In 1990, Franklin was elected to the state House of Representatives. When the 29th District’s state senator died in 1993, Franklin was appointed to the seat, making history as the first African American woman in the Senate. She kept the seat for the next 18 years until retiring.

“In the Senate, my issues were the issues affecting the lives of people,” Franklin remarked. “And the rest is history.”

That history includes Franklin sponsoring the Washington Housing Policy Act, which helped establish affordable housing as a priority. She also established the Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities, for issues involving race, ethnicity, and gender.

Today, Franklin shares the same Tacoma home with her husband that they’ve lived in for the past five decades. It was built by a Black contractor, when there weren’t many construction jobs that went to Black contractors—another way she has lifted the community around her.

When asked about her hope for the future, Franklin responded, “If you look back historically, each generation has its issues and problems, and you can’t let that stop you. This generation will be preparing for tomorrow’s generation. My hope is that you do not exclude the previous generations, and the lessons we have learned.”

 

Tacoma resident Rosa Franklin says her roles in activism and politics were about “the issues affecting people’s lives.”
srmedia by — April 27, 2022 in Lifestyles
Spring is here, so get growing

Spring flowering bulbs and perennials are filling our landscapes with color. As your gardens come alive this spring, start making notes on needed improvements and provide some early-season color and nectar for the pollinators. This will keep your landscape looking its best all season and for years to come.

Start a garden journal or photographic record of your garden. Make notes or take pictures of what’s working in your landscape, plants that need to be removed, or areas where more color or new plants are needed. These notes will help as you create a landscape filled with year-round beauty.

  • Make sure your plants receive sufficient moisture. It’s easy to overlook watering during the cool and often wet spring months. A rain gauge can help you monitor the rainfall in your yard. Plants benefit from thorough watering that encourages deep drought and pest-resistant roots. Check the soil moisture and water when the top four to six inches are crumbly and starting to dry. Established drought-tolerant plants tolerate drier soil.
  • Start pulling weeds as they appear. Removing them when small makes removal easier and prevents them from flowering and producing seeds. That means fewer weeds to pull next year.
  • Disease and pest-free leaves, evergreen needles, and other organic mulch covering the soil surface help suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and improve the soil as they break down. Leaves also provide homes for insects, frogs, and toads. You’ll achieve lots of benefits from this one task.
  • Leave perennials stand until daytime temperatures are consistently 50 degrees. This allows overwintering eggs to hatch and insects to exit their winter homes. If waiting isn’t an option, cut most stems back to the ground and stack them out of the way. This allows the insects to exit when the time is right. Leave some stems standing 8 to 12 inches above ground so insects can form new homes. Chop up the removed plant material in mid-summer or fall to use as mulch in the garden or the compost pile.
  • Watch for animal damage and protect your plantings as needed. Fresh new growth in the spring garden makes a tasty treat for rabbits, deer, and other wildlife. Many gardeners enlist the help of repellents to protect their landscape plants. Always check the label for details on use. Research has proven that odor-based repellents like rain and snow-resistant Plantskydd(com) are more effective than other types of repellents. Plus, this will cause wildlife to avoid plants rather than taking a bite before they discover they don’t like the taste. Treat pathways used to access your landscape, as well as key plants, before the animals begin feeding. It is easier to keep them away before they find all the delicious plants growing in your garden.

Continue taking pictures of your landscape throughout the year. Make note of any challenges and needed adjustments in care. Include any failures–all gardeners have them. These are just another step toward growing a healthier and more beautiful garden. Then take time to enjoy the beauty. Find a comfortable spot to sit, relax, listen to the birds, and take in all the wonders spring has to offer.

Melinda Myers (www.melindamyers.com), who wrote this article, is the author of 20 gardening books and host of the “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the

Korean Spice viburnum adds beauty and fragrance to the landscape.
(MelindaMyers.com)

“Melinda’s Garden Moment” TV and radio program

srmedia by — April 11, 2022 in Lifestyles