I’ve been watching the house on the corner of 41st and Meridian for a long time. It was odd because the lawn was always well-cared for (or at least well mown), but you could see from the decaying shades that nobody had lived there for a long, long time.

And then there were the 1950’s-era cars parked under the raised deck, slowly being devoured by vines. I snapped a picture a while back and deemed it art, but can’t seem to dig it up now.

This past fall, I chatted with a workman next door, who related how the owners …

It’s a perennial problem for the organic, locally-grown fruit loving flaneur: juicy purple plums hanging over the sidewalk, shiny red apples practically dropping into your hands, apricots sweating juice on bended boughs…on someone else’s property. Should you let it fall to the ground to rot, or enter it into your own personal food supply chain?

On the one hand, we’re respectful neighbors who wouldn’t think of poaching peaches: it’s stealing! But on the other hand, with the hunger in the world, the California drought pushing up produce prices, and the specter of our mothers’ Depression-forged admonishment not to waste perfectly …

The Pianos in the Parks has returned for a second year, and Green Lake is hosting one of the 22 artistically enhanced pianos that have been sprinkled throughout the city:

The Pianos in the Parks program … encourages the discovery of parks through music and art by placing one-of-a-kind, artist-designed upright and grand pianos in parks and open spaces across Bellevue, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Seattle and other parts of King County. All pianos are made available for free public use and music exploration through Aug. 16.

All 22 previously owned pianos are procured, repaired, tuned, transported and maintained by Classic …

Adrian wrote to the Iron Bull (2121 N 45th St):

I am a neighbor of yours near The Iron Bull. This afternoon your [cook Callie] beat the fire department and put out a fire that was growing fast on the deck of the house south of the bar. I called the fire brigade, she stepped in with a hose, climbed up onto the burning deck, and put the fire out.

Great job, great attitude, and you should be happy to have her.

Nice work to Callie the cook and Emily the bartender for jumping in and helping out!

In a …

There are times when a community needs to come together behind a cause, and this is one of them.

Folks, we need to rally here. Please share this to Facebook, tweet it and update your LinkedIn profile to help us find the answer. If you don’t have a Google+ account, get one, and do whatever it is one does with Google+ to get the word out. Probably Reddit should be involved. And Pinterest. Somebody talk to their teenager, find out what else we’re missing. Snapchat.

We will not rest until the answer is known!

(Sign spotted on N 43rd St …

“Who are you?” said Eileen to the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation, especially one had with a multicolored stuffed animal on one’s porch.

“What do you mean by that?” said the Caterpillar to Eileen. “Explain yourself!”

“I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, sir, as I can’t explain you,” said Eileen. “You have shown up on my porch without explanation, and I worry you might be the wrong place.”

“Wrong? What’s wrong with this place,” the Caterpillar replied, sucking suspiciously on its hookah.

“There’s nothing wrong with this place,” said Eileen, with exasperation, “it’s just I …

If you were wondering what all the hullabaloo at Gas Works Park was last night, Geekwire reports that it was a party for Microsoft interns, featuring the band Maroon 5. Sounds like the interns made off with more than hoarse voices and a hangover, too. Here’s the news from Twitter:

Summer internship at Microsoft is incredible. Surprise Maroon 5 concert and a free Surface Pro 3 ?

— Josh (@joshmkorn) July 16, 2015

Maroon 5 for #Microsoft #internWeek #signatureEvent pic.twitter.com/BOs6eejkNR

— Jim K. (@dkloz) July 16, 2015

The Microsoft Signature Event: Maroon 5 pic.twitter.com/SVlpoKu9K6

— Jake Pereira (@jakepereira_) July 16, …