<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Where I Am Now]]></title><description><![CDATA[This blog features jigsaw puzzles, posts about the plants in the Outlander novels, gardening, and my hometown of West Seattle. ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 01:13:48 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.westseattlewriter.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Grandfather Clock]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is a story from a memoir I am writing about life in West Germany during the Cold War. My husband was drafted into the US Army in 1968. Instead of going to Vietnam, as we expected, he was assigned to duty at a base in Darmstat, West Germany. I lived there with him for 14 months. There were three items that American couples typically brought home after their service in West Germany: sets of Rosenthal china and crystal, a baby (more on that later), and a clock of some sort. We looked at a...]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/the-grandfather-clock</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9f575b5bf065f25f4d5866</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 01:06:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_14e2a7ed98b14874b5374c2e36c1af95~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_698,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ways To Give and Get Help in West Seattle, White Center, and Burien]]></title><description><![CDATA[With news of government budget cuts and the cancellation of programs that help provide a safety net for local residents, many of us wonder what we can do to help them. 
And with waves of layoffs sweeping through the region, some of us wonder what we will do if we lose our jobs and remain unemployed for an extended period of time. 


]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/ways-to-give-and-get-help-in-west-seattle-white-center-and-burien</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68cdb316d21422e782190c83</guid><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Urban Life]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2025 01:31:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_9e59c17082b04e038153de9930c0ccbd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bird Housing Shortage ]]></title><description><![CDATA[I bought this little birdhouse 30 years ago from a local guy who said he built these little houses specifically for certain types of birds. ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/the-bird-housing-shortage</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6463e3a687e7bf9bfc90095e</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2024 18:07:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_3386d0625ca64e79977bc20b76f2c301~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Here's Why West Seattle Needs a Comprehensive Transit Plan]]></title><description><![CDATA[Outside the well served transit hubs, at the Alaska Junction and Westwood Village, West Seattle residents have hit-or-miss transit options. ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/here-s-why-west-seattle-needs-a-comprehensive-transit-plan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">65da327947e840b0a362a503</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Urban Life]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 24 Mar 2024 21:39:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_04eb05a0a83148b2be5ffb63fb1ca599~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Could Amazon Save Westwood Village?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Let's think outside the box. Instead of a big retail anchor at Westwood Village, why not a big tech company? Amazon has all the resources ne]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/could-amazon-save-westwood-village</link><guid isPermaLink="false">654fb5480999668d2d3cc36d</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Urban Life]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 26 Nov 2023 21:47:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_1f52a9caec4d40199a68e2a72ae21b30~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_652,h_891,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Taste of Fall in the Northwest: Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup]]></title><description><![CDATA[Earlier this month, as I walked into the West Seattle PCC, I saw a display of freshly foraged wild mushrooms, a sure sign that fall and the ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/a-taste-of-fall-in-the-northwest-cream-of-wild-mushroom-soup</link><guid isPermaLink="false">653801ca0ffa5c6db2795bfd</guid><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 24 Oct 2023 21:53:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_dfbae15856cc480ea19e3c33aeb1c46f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_549,h_479,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sound Transit Presents an Excellent Case for the No Build Alternative]]></title><description><![CDATA[As time goes by, though, it is becoming clear that ST3 does not offer any significant benefit for the environment or for West Seattle. ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/sound-transit-presents-an-excellent-case-for-the-no-build-option</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64f4bd0b823d621a1e130690</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 04 Sep 2023 21:02:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_17ebbdd93f8e4852bb5c3567987caf45~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_790,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Antidote for the Seattle "Freeze" - Volunteering]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Seattle Times recently ran an article entitled: "Have you melted the Seattle Freeze? We'd like to hear how you did it." I wish I'd known]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/the-antidote-for-the-seattle-freeze-volunteering</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64e12a74345f1ae54e8bf83a</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 19 Aug 2023 22:56:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_82bd19c0bfd34599adf2604618f02dca~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Story of the West Seattle Triangle Park - and a (W)hole Lot More]]></title><description><![CDATA[They say that no good deed goes unpunished. My "good deed,"apparently, was volunteering to participate in the Friends of the Junction's plan]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/the-story-of-the-west-seattle-triangle-park-and-a-w-hole-lot-more</link><guid isPermaLink="false">623df0dceebfd49f7022be1f</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Urban Life]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 19 Mar 2023 02:12:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_1b3b5969a2544c7ea8f3b79242946d20~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[West Seattle's Citizen Urban Planners]]></title><description><![CDATA[Did you know that Seattle's Comprehensive Plan is being updated? Do you even know what the Comprehensive Plan is? If you answered "no" to on]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/west-seattle-s-citizen-urban-planners</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61e470829d26940018b10ddf</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Urban Life]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 11 Mar 2023 23:03:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_c64f331660154ef1b950172c8927795e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_634,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chihuly Garden and Glass Seattle]]></title><description><![CDATA[There really is nothing quite like the Chihuly Garden, one half of the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit at Seattle Center.]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/chihuly-garden-and-glass-seattle</link><guid isPermaLink="false">639503e0920caca6bf8e316d</guid><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><category><![CDATA[Urban Life]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 10 Dec 2022 22:31:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_9d53cc8a96334e80a64aab5ee5094d3b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_480,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[7 Things for Seattle Gardeners To Do in Winter]]></title><description><![CDATA[Yes, its rainy, windy and sometimes snowy. The ground is too soggy for digging. But that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of satisfying gard]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/7-things-for-seattle-gardeners-to-do-in-winter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6393a3362aa5b1884cdaf835</guid><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2022 21:57:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_8d647c6ff8ac40c2babf96b1d162bcc3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_339,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Give Your Lawn an Environmental Make-over]]></title><description><![CDATA[ From an environmental point of view, what it takes to maintain a typical lawn is a nightmare. ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/it-s-time-to-rethink-the-lawn</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6367e2a3637d7a2688fa8848</guid><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 06 Nov 2022 20:19:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_5218d0e2d3d948c6b1e98764bebe4c11~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Leave Those Leaves!]]></title><description><![CDATA[The biggest lesson we have to learn from climate change is that we can't keep doing things the way we always have been]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/leave-those-leaves</link><guid isPermaLink="false">635427edba933db61066af92</guid><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 05 Nov 2022 22:38:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_1acd6d67640142a8ae6ffeff9369f51e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Coloring Music]]></title><description><![CDATA[Early in my landscape design career, I learned that adding color to drawings was important if I wanted to sell my work. ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/coloring-music</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62842d7dbac982abc3598e5b</guid><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 21 May 2022 19:38:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_05e434285d7c414ebebb145e9a6d48ea~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_252,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Bit of West Seattle Garden Tour History]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the spring of 1995, a group of West Seattle gardeners brought us the first West Seattle Garden Tour (WSGT). ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/the-2022-west-seattle-garden-tour</link><guid isPermaLink="false">625e2c24eecc147ad60ae77b</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Garden & Earth]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2022 00:23:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_164a52c81f0743fcb882232ecccebfcb~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_960,h_960,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Comments on Sound Transit's Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)]]></title><description><![CDATA[I am posting my comments here for two reasons:
1) According to "the rules," comments submitted by April 28th that address specific sections ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/comments-on-sound-transit-s-draft-environmental-impact-statement-deis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6265ab524396f1802f99f343</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2022 22:30:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_c0f219acf19e4cf89f962b661ad3de4a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_500,h_643,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Many West Seattle Businesses Will We Lose Because of Sound Transit's Light Rail?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sound Transit's light rail extension to West Seattle will mean the closure or relocation of many businesses. How many and which ones? ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/how-many-west-seattle-businesses-will-we-lose-because-of-sound-transit-light-rail</link><guid isPermaLink="false">625af969c10df80de1c8c1f0</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 17 Apr 2022 00:06:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_3fb68ec6a32640f4ab91e5ce43f5cec6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_612,h_792,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Because We Said So" - The Latest Episode of West Seattle Bridge Drama]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I posted last week's article about the new season of West Seattle Bridge Drama, I thought, "Hey, that's it now, I'm going to go do some]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/because-we-said-so-the-latest-episode-of-west-seattle-bridge-drama</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6251f3423f701097d4eb6dcd</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2022 15:29:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_e3ee0042b12842cd96abb4c79c81af3d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_305,h_165,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Welcome to a New Season of  West Seattle Bridge Drama]]></title><description><![CDATA[now that 700 people in West Seattle have received letters advising them that their properties are in the path of  an oncoming train. ]]></description><link>https://www.westseattlewriter.com/post/welcome-to-a-new-season-of-west-seattle-bridge-drama</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62479f439f1fc146aed922f7</guid><category><![CDATA[West Seattle]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 02 Apr 2022 21:08:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d59948_cdedf8740660402b8bbcb4fb1a4b0298~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_543,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marie McKinsey</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>