I spoke to someone from the city at Tuesday’s city-wide open house on MHA at Hamilton Middle School on Tuesday night about Nickelsville, which was originally scheduled to move to Wallingford in November.

I was told that the move has been delayed while Seattle City Light, the property owner, worked through some issues, but they turned off the gas on the property earlier this week and plan to begin demolition of the existing structure in anticipation of Nickelsville’s move tomorrow, Friday, February 2nd. She told me that Nickelsville residents are raring and ready to move, including the tiny houses, and …

Found this gem of an event on the Seattle Burning Man Facebook page. Set your alarm for early!

Please join us in Gas Works park in Seattle on Wednesday, January 31st, 2018 at 4:45 AM to sing Total Eclipse of the Heart karaoke style for the 76 minutes that the eclipse is, in fact, total.

Note that this edition is not in Cal Anderson park largely because of Gentrification. Future editions of the Total Eclipse of the Heart singalong that occur at times extremely early in the AM will be held at other parks.

If you want to bring along …

We’re all on tenterhooks, what with North Korea, Donald Trump, and the Hawaiian Alert, so that BOOM that rattled windows rattled hearts across Wallingford, as well.

If I’m reading the LightningMaps.org website correctly, though, it was just a very, very close lightning strike, centered close to the QFC (but sounding like it was in my backyard over by the John Stanford School). The rain intensified noticeably a minute or so after, which I’ve noticed is common with big lightning strikes. Maybe it’s shaking the drops from the sky.

Nothing to see here, move along.…

The Wallingford Community Senior Center is hosting a free screening of the film “Speaking of Dying” this Tuesday, January 23rd from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. They’re inviting local seniors and their adult children to attend:

As we creep up on the ninth (!) anniversary of this little town square on the Web, I’d like to repeat my oft-repeated invitation to the whole neighborhood to participate. I’ve struggled over the years to come up with quite the metaphor for what we’re trying to build here (backyard fence over which news and opinion is passed, coffeehouse without the coffee), but the goal is consistent: provide a forum for conversation within the neighborhood to build the bonds of community.

And there are lots of ways to do that: you can, of course, join in the comment threads or …

Second to pickles, I like olives. It’s rare you get “local” olives, around these parts, but Rina over on 40th and Eastern gets us pretty close. She’ll be selling her home-cured olives, in the Israeli-style, from her home to raise money for Women for Women International:

As an Israeli, I am used to having olives on the table for every meal (whether it is breakfast, lunch or supper.) As an American, I tasted olives from many of the supermarkets, delicatessen stores or stores specializing in middle eastern food, but I didn’t find yet the olives I like, the ‘broken olives’ …

Gift-giving holidays are right around the corner, so you’re probably wondering what all to get your loved ones, your friends, and those you feel socially obligated to. For a variety of unique and affordable options, you might want to check out Shoppok.com, where you can find something special for everyone on your list.

Fortunately, there are also a number of opportunities to “shop local” here in Wallingford:

The Alliance Française de Seattle hosts Seattle’s only French-inspired Christmas market each year. Since 2010, local vendors have filled the Good Shepherd Center’s Chapel space to sell their handmade jewelry, clothing, home decor, …