Farrellispizza.com on Main Street

We were in the Fred Meyer since we have a few errands to run preparing for Thanksgiving. I was hoping for the enchiladas at the Taco Del Mar, but it has closed. No worries we love the Farrelli's and they are very gluten free sensitive.

Our server was Joie and she was alert and on it. Kathy had the "Mom's Salad" I had the Classic Sausage Lasagne. The food was great as usual and the portions were very generous, we both had to ask for a box. We also had a Long Island Ice Tea to celebrate something I cannot mention until next week. Pretty sure it is my first LLIT, and I am sure they did a good job, but I struggle with sweet drinks, with or without alcohol. Bill before tip was 34.79.

Mama Stortini's

Gosh I love this place. I had the Seafood Risotto, Kathy had the Cedar planked Salmon. Wonderful experience.

Could not finish my food, but managed to get two more meals out of the portion. I heated it up with some chicken broth in a non-stick skillet. Fantastic. S.

Frankie's Pizza

My wife is gluten free, but yesterday she wanted pizza and she wanted it delivered. We keep the various coupons that get delivered and one from Frankie's.

She ordered two gluten free pizzas and a Greek salad ( which is enough food for us to live on for three or four days).

She was very happy with the customer service and the delivery time and the pizzas were tasty though at this point in my life I could only try a slice of each (Hawaiian and Green Pepper/Mushroom).

She had tried to order pizza before from other groups, but they did not serve the Sumner area; Frankie's does so we will keep their data in our local events drawer.

Woodland Park Nursery

The driveway at our house in Sumner/Bonney Lake was just too steep. Our truck could get up with not problem, but cars were bottoming out so we decided to regrade. The project has been a bit of a mess, but we are near the end. Where there is bare soil, the county wants to see replanting which brings us to Woodland park. Kathy and I decided to do the landscaping ourselves to save a couple thousand dollars on the project. I can wield a shovel and she knows which plants to place where.

Woodland has been a working nursery for about 100 years and is good fun. We have always liked it, but now we need it, so we have been stopping by every couple days, getting flats of plants and putting them in the ground.

Everything has a price on it, but I am not sure at all why they bother. When you check out, if you are lucky enough to have Bob Herbert behind the counter, he stares at the flat and comes up with a price that is always an even number. $14.00 seems to be the most common. He also seems to be having a great time, there is always a tiny smile on his face and he fits right in with the friendly people running businesses in Sumner. Woodland has saved us an incredible amount of money over using any other nursery.

My business brain was screaming, how to they stay in business? Today, instead of going in with Kathy to help pick out plants, I stayed in the truck. And now I know the answer, the foot traffic is incredible. People kept coming in and then leaving. I also saw a professional landscaper and he filled his entire pickup truck bed; I am guessing that was more than @14.00.

The bottom line, incredible resource, very thankful for the Herbert family and Woodland Park Nursery.

Fred Meyer Gas

Went down to Main Street Sumner today and for the first time I can ever remember, there were open slots at the Fred Meyer gas station. Put in my Alaska Airline credit card and it asked for my ID. Put my WA State driver's license in and the pump would not accept it. The pump said I had to go pay at the station, so I went there and the man asked me how much gas I wanted; I didn't know.

He offered to help me and walked to the pump with me. He said run your Fred Meyer club first, then the credit card, I did, he smiled and said approvingly, you just saved .03 a gallon.

Gosh, people in Sumner tend to be really nice and I really appreciate that. Have to go away for a week, but then we get three weeks in the Bonney Lake/Sumner area.

Beautiful day, Kathy and I went down to the lake, got some sun which is not a guarantee in Washington at this time of the year and we just saw an eagle. The Cottonwoods are starting to blow cotton and it was landing in the lake. I was thinking, this is going to foul the lake, but just then a mother duck with her ducklings came by and we realized they were eating all the cotton out of the water. God really knows how to create a planet!

Seattle physician patient records adrift (Proliance)

The official web site is here. But if you are a Proliance patient you should be getting a notice.

Big family meal deal at Aversanso's

Large 1 Topping Pizza, Large Garden Salad, Large Plate of Spaghetti, and Cheese Garlic Bread. Feeds 4-5 people all for the low, low price of 34.99. Sounds like fun!

Sex offender hosts underage drinking party

Saw this on the Patch, no good can come of this!
http://bonneylake-sumner.patch.com/articles/sumner-police-break-up-teen-party-hosted-by-sex-offender

These parties can get out of hand, remember the one where a guy pulled a gun in Tacoma?
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2012/12/30/police-say-suspect-pulled-gun-and-made-threats-at-underage-tacoma-party/

And it can do in a kid's future, Sumner PD participates in the Party Patrol Project:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/news/17676354.html
http://bonneylake-sumner.patch.com/articles/party-patrol-busts-underage-party-on-lake-bonney
http://www.blscourierherald.com/news/121649834.html

RIP Moford's Hallmark

After 25 years the local Halmark store on 410 is closing. When I think about retail business ideas for downtown Sumner this is not one I would choose. The world is changing and handwritten cards become less used every year, especially the ones sent by the postal service who are also in distress.

I believe the stores in Puyallup and Gig Harbor are still open.

Quirky

Just read an awesome story about Quirky, a business that helps people become inventors and then shares an income stream with them. Why is this so awesome? For years, I have met people that had an invention, sometimes even a patent and the system found a way to steal their idea.

Sometimes outright intellectual property theft, more commonly they were working on a shoestring budget and a well funded company fielded a knock-off product. You may win in court, but it could take years to settle the case and many inventors just give up . . . and swear off inventing from then on.

Lake Tapps Polar Bear Plunge

You have to see this one to believe it. People jumping into a lake off Driftwood Park that is fed by a glacier in the middle of the winter. But Patch posted a video, maybe you can join next time. We might go see it next year ( New Years Day), but we aren't jumping in. It is for a good cause, bring some canned food for the food bank. It even brought in romance for this couple. There is even a facebook page for the event. It was organized by Scott Thorsteinson.

Here is an article on the event and here is another. Apparently, this is a big deal in Washington State, here is a story about a plunge in the Sound off Tacoma.