Thursday, March 21, 2019

Another Big Landscaping Project

The little lake we live on was probably formed by a retreating glacier centuries ago.  As it swept down the hillside, it left a trail of massive boulders in its wake.  We had a couple of danger trees that were threatening the buildings - The biggest fir tree had been draped over our power lines for years and its roots had heaved up our water lines three times.  Finally, we had to deal with it.  When it came down, we removed the stump, which exposed several huge rocks.  Ron placed them along the bank for me so I could landscape using the rocks to hold the hillside and make little plateaus for plants.
As you can see, my work was cut out for me.  I bought nearly $100 worth of plants at Home Depot and you could barely see the results.  Then I moved a bunch of iris from existing flower beds, but there was still a lot of bare ground.
Then I discovered that most of the 25 to 30 year old Rhododendron plants had rooted new plants where branches draped down and touched the ground.  Using my big loppers and a shovel, I was able to find a couple of dozen good plants.  Along with ferns from the woods the bank is now looking a lot better.  I have some wildflower seeds to scatter and if they grow, the bank should look great by mid July.  It's been wonderful having warm temperatures and full sun for working on this project.

Friday, March 8, 2019

News Letter for March

New City Hall Under Construction 

Your Premier Community News Letter
March  2019
Granite Falls Premier Real Estate
Rosemary Crawford, Broker
ronandrosi@msn.com  425 344-8877
   
                                                      103 S Granite Ave/PO Box 1559  Granite Falls, WA  98252  (360) 691-7377 


Granite Falls School News The Talent Show will be Saturday, March 9 at 6:00 pm, held at the High School Performing Arts Center (PAC). This event showcases talented singers, dancers, comedians and musicians from our community. Cost of admission is $6 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, and preschool get in free. All proceeds go towards the Granite Falls Education Foundation which is a nonprofit organization established to promote education within the community of Granite Falls. Don’t miss this fun evening of entertainment! For audition forms and more information, go to: www.gfallstalent.org.

I went to a presentation by Fred Cruger, who has been instrumental in digitizing all the historical records of Snohomish County.  For years, he's utilized the labor of high school students who needed community hours, inmates at an Oklahoma prison, and any volunteer he could find.  The net result is pretty amazing.  For instance, you can click on the map link for 1910 and then overlay that with a scope that shows what's currently on that site.  The arrows on the map show historical photos - with the arrow pointing to what you'd see if you looked that way in the past.
Granite Falls Museum—109 E Galena, PO Box 1414, Granite Falls WA 98252
We have local treasure that has quietly been on the leading edge of digitizing the past to make it available to all of us free of charge.  Fred Cruger and other volunteers’ passions for history have resulted in an amazing museum. If you have a chance, visit the museum on Sundays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. or call 360 691-2603 for an appointment. 
If you want to explore maps of the area, check out  this link: Early Snohomish County Maps  
Other information available on line:  High school annuals, newspaper articles, original homestead information, photos, and vintage maps that can be overlaid with a scope to show current pictures of the area.  The Search feature allows you to search names, addresses, and much more.
To get started, go to  Granite Falls Museum 
 and begin your trip back in time.
If you want to explore the Mt. Loop Highway and the many hiking and camping sites in the area, stop by our office or the museum for a trail map.  Or you can download the map ap for your cell phone at: Cell Phone Map of Mt Loop Highway Note:  Once you load the map on your phone, even when you don't have a cell signal, the map will work using GPS coordinates.

Construction Update:  City hall construction continues.  You may notice the building looks like a train station, in keeping with the railroad theme of the town.  Scheduled to open in early May.
Suncrest Farms: on Burn Road:       Phase 1 (97 homes) complete, Phase 2 (120 homes) nearly complete, Phase 3 (112 homes) In work.  Homes from $339,000 to $469,000, on lots 5500 to 10,166 sq ft  Annual dues of $600 maintain roads, sidewalks, and three parks in the development. 
Grandview Apartment Complex at Alder and Alpine: Scheduled for completion May 1, 2019
Bridge replacement at Falls bridge:  Studies complete, construction to begin  when funding is available.  Grants have been applied for but not yet approved.  More information: Information about Falls Bridge Replacement 
  
March  gardening tip: Plant cool weather crops, such as peas, cabbage, brussel sprouts, onions, spinach, and  broccoli,  as soon as soil can be worked.
Time to trellis raspberry new growth and remove old canes.  Prune grape vines.