I stood in line at the grocery store and overheard a neighborly discussion about bears. Yep, they are out and about. Time to review the garbage pick-up schedule and consider getting up early to put out the cans instead of leaving them out days before. The early bird doesn’t feed the bears.
Everyone knows proper bear protocol when it comes to garbage, or at least, I hope so. But not everyone knows that tossing your fruit leftovers on a trail is also bad bear hygiene. If you want a bear to investigate a hiker carrying an apple in their pack, go ahead and leave a trail of apple cores. Don’t be Johnny Appleseed. Be a Pack-it-out, Scout.
Speaking of bears, local botanist George Wooten participated in the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Ecosystem Habitat Evaluation. He is hosting a talk about bears in the Native Plant Garden and Salmon Ponds at the Methow Valley Interpretive Center on the TwispWorks campus. The talk is scheduled for Sunday, May 28, from 4-6 p.m. The “Last Sundays” program at interpretive center is free, and donations are appreciated. For more information, visit www.methowvalleyinterpretivecenter.com.
If you think the weekend begins with the Saturday Farmers Market, you’re missing out on the Friday night kickoff in Pateros. Friday night’s Pateros Market runs from 5-8 p.m. Local vendors provide fresh, locally grown produce and value-added products, adorable houseplants, custom clothing, unique jewelry, beautiful handmade quilts, soaps, and so much more. There are planned activities for kids, and a craft with the North Central Washington Library.
The Pateros Market is offering kids the opportunity to have a vendor booth sponsored by an existing vendor at the Pateros market. This is an excellent opportunity for kids to make bank with a lemonade stand or their handmade wares. After a stroll through the market, enjoy sunset on the Columbia River while eating pizza and sandwiches from Sweet River Bakery, also open for dinner. Visit www.facebook.com/PaterosMarket/ for vendor forms and more information.
Tis the season for yard sales. Nowhere near here, some college friends cleaned out their storage units, garages, and parent’s homes. Their Craig’s List ad is inspiration for anyone planning a yard sale. I’ve included a heavily abridged and edited version here for your reading enjoyment:
“Our town’s hottest yard sale is 1234 W. Hummingbird Lane. This place has everything. Tools my 73-year-old dad left in my garage when he moved to Massachusetts to form a rock band. TV and DVD/VHS combo machine — Blockbuster membership not included. Enough holiday decor to decorate the set of a Hallmark rom-com, my mom left it all behind when she begrudgingly followed my dad to Boston. More than 100 pairs of new shoes from that time my 19-year-old thought opening an eBay store would be a good idea. It wasn’t. My high school boyfriend’s stereo system from that time he moved in for four days. A long jacket your man used to wear in the ’90s with a slit up the back … in leather. A short skirt. New cloth diapering items for crunchy moms, plastic toys for silky moms. Various finds from grandma’s basement. Banned books. Tacky gifts our co-workers gave us over the years. Friday and Saturday 8:30 to whenever. If you come before 8:30, we ask you to wait in your car. We are not morning people.”
