This weekend, the sun was shining and Wallyhood was out to welcome back Seattle Pops, after its winter slumber.  This neighborhood popsicle shop had a lengthy closure during the pandemic, but opened back up last summer, then closed for the cold winter months, and has now emerged once more!

Seattle Pops started as a freezer stand at a block party in 2013, hit the farmers market circuit in 2014 and has been here serving icy refreshments in the Wallyhood since 2017. They boast eco-friendly business practices and tasty treats. Their pops are 100% natural, 100% vegan and nearly all flavors …

Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat:  It’s NOT Mexican Independence Day.  That’s September 16^th.  Cinco de Mayo DOES celebrate the victory of the Mexican army over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  The way I read the history of this unofficial* holiday, Cinco de Mayo had its beginnings, not in Puebla—or even Mexico—but rather in California.  There, it has been celebrated continuously since 1863.  And like many things spawned in California, Cinco de Mayo leaked out into the rest of the country and now has become a celebration of …

I was surprised and saddened to read of the passing of Scott Morrow in the Seattle Times.  If that name doesn’t ring a bell, Morrow was a longtime activist in Seattle’s struggles with the issue of homelessness and an early proponent of sanctioned encampments and tiny-house villages.  He died of pancreatic cancer on April 19.  His tribute/obituary on Legacy.com details a life of advocacy and service.

I never met Scott Morrow.  But when I signed on as a volunteer editor for Wallyhood last year, I thought an interesting transitional story between the “old” Wallyhood and the “new” version would be …

The Good Shepherd Center is the large, five-story building set back in a campus at N 50^th St and Sunnyside Ave N. It is just east of Meridian Playground. Both the large building and the park were part of the Home of the Good Shepher, operated since 1906 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd as a safe place for young women who were having problems with their families or without a family. It provided not just shelter and stability, but also education. One of the main sources of income for them was a contract with the railroads to …

Give Big is an annual celebration of our non-profit service organizations and a time to encourage you to donate to support them. It is sponsored by 501Commons, an organization that supports non-profits in many ways. This year the focus is on May 3 and 4 as days to Give Big, although you can, of course, donate to your favorite non-profit at any time.

The Give Big website lists and lets you connect with 1,200 non-profit organizations in Seattle and surrounding Puget Sound neighboring counties, from Olympia to Bellingham. On this website you can search for a particular type of organization, …