Tomorrow night (Thursday, May 17), bring your pooch over to Wally Pets (4411-C Wallingford Avenue N.) from 5:00PM – 7:00PM, where Paws4training owner Susan Oshie (CPDT-KA) will provide a demonstration on K9 conditioning and body awareness exercises. You and Fido will want to check it out because body awareness helps with so much of the following:

• Improves balance and coordination
• Improves flexibility & stabilizes weak areas
• Improves distribution of weight & muscle tone
• Improves performance
• Improves bond between dog and handler
• Improves tolerance of handling & interacting with novel objects
• Provides mental stimulation

This class is ideal for active dogs and your older less active dog. It’s also great for dogs recovering from orthopedic surgery released by their veterinarian. Puppies are also welcome, too, as the class is a great way to build confidence, as well as physical and mental stimulation.

Watch your dog’s focus and confidence improve while having a blast!

High in the mountains of Eastern Tibet stands a tiny school focused on doing a world of good. Education at Elevation (E@E), located in rural Kham, Tibet, educates and houses 75 orphaned children from ages 6-14, who come from nomadic families. The school was founded by Wendy Wong in 2007 after she met Sonam Rinpoche, a Tibetan Monk who planned to build in Tibet and was inspired by his passion to help needy children. According to Wong, “It is our mission to create a safe home and a school for children living in Eastern Tibet and to give them hope for a brighter future.”

This Saturday beginning at 6:00PM, you’re invited to a special auction at OmCulture (2210 N. Pacific St.) to help support E@E. Proceeds from the evening will provide the school with supplies and teacher salaries, and enables the school to purchase food, clothing, shoes for the children, and to building a water system for the school. Here’s a summary of the evening’s events:

6:00PM:  Doors open at OmCulture
6:30 PM: Entertainment and live music by the Steve Bell Trio
8 – 9 PM: Auction

During the benefit, guests will be treated with hors d’oeuvres, wine, Tibetan specialties and live music by Steve Bell Trio. A special Tibetan mask dance and song will be performed by Seattle’s Tibetan Language and Culture Class. The benefit will feature items an array of auction and raffle items. Wong said that there will be something for everyone to enjoy:  electronics, a sailing adventure, and even tasty gourmet treats.

Tickets for the event are $30 per person (includes a complimentary glasses of wine).  Purchase tickets online at E@E’s Website www.educationatelevation.org  or through Brown Paper Ticket www.brownpapertickets.com/event/239111.

Photo by Education at Elevation

Mother’s Day may be over, but why not treat mom once more with an old fashioned high tea? This Friday (May 18), beginning at 5:30PM the Wallingford Community Kitchen will hold an old fashioned ladies high tea by prepping and serving the following fancy treats and delectables:

Chicken Curry Tea Sandwiches
Old Fashioned Cucumber Sandwiches
Mini Veggie Quiches
Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream
Chocolate Truffles

Not to mention an assortment of teas, of course.

The Wallingford Community Kitchen meets at the Wallingford Community Senior Center at the Good Shepherd Center (4649 Sunnyside Avenue N.)

Tickets are available for purchase now through Wednesday May 16 via Brown Paper Tickets.

For more info: Email: register@wallingfordseniors.org Web: http://wallingfordseniors.org

Oh lordy, the old bones ain’t what they used to be. Used to be I could just lope into a jog and turn it into a run, maybe not break any records, but certainly not tear any tendons breaking a sweat. Staying out late and getting up early was just a regular Tuesday. Now, I’ve got a crick in my ache just thinking about it all.

Sounds like I’m not alone. Kathleen Cromp over at the Wallingford Community Senior Center gave us the 411* on a session they’ve got coming up to discuss issues around aging:

Aging in Community – Aging “Your Way”
a starting conversation to listen, learn, and define what you want
Thursday, May 17th at Wallingford Community Senior Center

All of us are on the highway of aging – but talking about it may be a rare thing. Denial, fear, too busy, “it’s not about me”? Ten thousand “Boomers” turn 65 every day. This age wave brings diverse, thoughtful, yet definite ideas, attitudes and expectations of what we need as we age. How do we want to stay active, healthy, and engaged? What do we want and need of our communities to support these years of our lives? There is a lot of buzz about a village concept (as in NEST on one side of us and Phinney Village on the other), and plenty of discussions – in-person and online – about aging in community. We hope you’ll join in this opportunity to explore these ideas, and breathe life into the community you would like to grow old in.

5:45 – Potluck & Social
6:30 – Information, guest speaker, conversation

* If you whippersnappers are wondering what “411″ is all about, it’s how we’d get information from our phones back Google was just a really big number.

Every time we post a “lost and found”, we find there’s so much out there that’s been lost. Maybe we could do a weekly “round-up” of lost items and pets. Here are two more.

Annie writes:

my dance bag was stolen out of my car last night. although the contents were only valuable to me – i’m hoping it was dumped somewhere when whoever took it saw it wasn’t worth much. please keep your eyes peeled for a largish black leather bag with a red lining, some high top black, dance sneakers, pink ballet slippers, notebook, receipts for dancewear, scraps of paper with dance notes etc. thanks, annie

Jane writes:

Our cat has been missing since the morning of 5/11. He has never stayed out longer than 1 day, so being gone this long is unusual.

• Name: Nameer; pronounced: nuh-mirror
• Blue collar with gold tag – tag has imprint of phone number only
• Long body, Circle-like marking on his side
• Lives in Wallingford next JSIS
• Indoor/outdoor cat
• Very friendly. Not skittish.

Call 206-310-0262

On Thursday, we told you about Pugilist Specialist, an independent theater production that opened last night at Stone Soup Theater. Running Friday and Saturday nights through May 19th, Pugilist tells the story of four Marines preparing to complete a “black ops” mission in an unnamed Middle Eastern war zone.

The set is very simple, a soft soundscape moves over the dialogue and silences, and the characters frequently stare straight ahead at the audience while speaking. The message is communicated through stark, fast and striking language: “Victory forgives dishonesty.” “Secrets are my armor.” “I stand not with the advocates of disunion.” Director Tyrone Brown, a Gulf War veteran, admits openly to his audience that artistic license is taken with the characters’ words in order to bring attention to the horrors of modern-day warfare. In doing so, the tension and pure awfulness of war, which happen so fast in reality, are drawn out by the rhythm of the character’s movements and delivery.

How does anyone go about communicating the internal and external struggles of war to those on the home front? Video games, movies, novels and comic books have tried. The success rate depends on the audience. Pugilist presents a different angle–that of typical soliders, typical emotions, typical tragedies–in an entirely atypical manner. Even if it helps us to understand just a little bit what it’s like to be “over there,” than everyone has succeeded.

The Wrecking Crew Theater Company presents Pugilist Specialist at Stone Soup Theater on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 through May 19th. Written by Adriano Shaplin and directed by Tyrone Brown, the plays features Wrecking Crew members Colin Featherston-Wilkinson and John-Paul Wilson and guests Lyam White and Andy Tribolini. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets.