I talked to three vendors last Saturday and found out the market board actually sets a minimum price list they have to follow, so those $8 tomato baskets aren't the farmer's choice at all, has anyone else confirmed this with the market manager?
Was grabbing some 2x4s at the Lowe's on 405 and this older guy was telling his kid to measure twice before he cuts. I've heard that a million times but I just botched a project last weekend because I got in a hurry and cut a board 3 inches too short. Stood there for a second thinking about how that simple rule would've saved me a trip back and $14 in lumber. Has anyone else had a moment where an old saying finally clicked after messing up?
I showed up without checking the agenda and got blindsided by a zoning vote I had zero info on. Has anyone else ever walked into one of these meetings cold and regretted it?
I used to just show up to the Bothell city council meetings and sit in the back and never say anything. Figured my little gripes about the new park benches were nothing important. Then about 6 months ago I actually signed up for the 3 minute public comment slot and talked about the drainage issue on my street. Two weeks later I got an email from a city planner asking for more details. Now I go to the community board meetings too and I actually prep a few notes before I walk in. Has anyone else gotten real results from actually speaking up at these things?
My dad has lived in Bothell since 1998 and he's always saying we need more parking lots downtown. I used to agree with him 100% because finding a spot on a Friday night is rough. But last week he said "they just keep building more apartments and no one thinks about where people will put their cars." Something about hearing him say it that way made me think about how more parking lots just bring more cars, not less traffic. I started reading about how cities like Redmond are doing the opposite and adding bike lanes instead. So which side is right for Bothell, more parking or less? Has anyone else talked to a longtime resident and totally changed what they thought?
My deck looked terrible after this winter. Moss growing between the boards, grime everywhere. I tried scrubbing with a stiff brush and that deck cleaner from Home Depot last April. Took me 4 hours and the results were so-so. A guy at the lumber yard in Bothell told me to use the wet-and-forget spray. You just hose down the deck, spray it on, and walk away. No scrubbing. I did it 2 weeks ago and the moss is gone, the wood looks way lighter. Cost me $12 for a jug. Has anyone else found shortcuts that work way better than the traditional method?
I was walking my dog near the 7-Eleven on Main Street around 6 PM last Tuesday and my front wheel on the stroller got stuck in a crack that was like 3 inches deep. The whole stroller almost tipped over and my kid started crying, but I managed to get it unstuck by lifting the front and pulling back. Should I report this to the city or is it just something we deal with in Bothell?
I went to the last one on Tuesday night and I swear I could hear the HVAC unit in the back louder than half the speakers. It's that old building on Main Street near the library. I tried to ask a question about the new park project and the guy next to me couldn't even hear me. Has anyone else had trouble with the sound system in there or is it just me?
Last Tuesday I was out pulling dandelions from my front yard in Bothell when my neighbor Sharon walked by and said 'you fight nature.' It hit different because I never thought of it that way before. I always saw gardening as making things nice, not fighting. But she was right. I spent 4 hours that weekend pulling weeds, spraying grubs, and trimming bushes that just want to grow wild. It made me wonder if I should just let some areas go natural instead of fighting all the time. Sharon told me she stopped using weed killer 2 years ago and just lets clover grow now. Her yard looks fine honestly. Has anyone else had a neighbor say one simple thing that made you totally change your approach to something?
Last month the city installed that raised crosswalk with the flashing lights near the park and ride. I've almost been hit twice now because drivers slam on brakes at the last second instead of slowing down gradual like they used to. Then last Tuesday I watched a cyclist swerve around a car that stopped too late and clip a mailbox. Are these things really safer or just giving people a false sense of security?
I hit the Bothell library yesterday around 4:30 to grab a book I had on hold and I swear it took me 15 minutes just to find a spot. People are circling like vultures and the whole layout is just terrible with those angled spots near the back. I finally parked way down by the tennis courts and walked like a quarter mile. For a brand new building you'd think they would have planned for more parking or at least better flow. Does anyone else avoid the library at peak times because of this or am I just unlucky?
I was at the library last Tuesday and got to talking with a guy named Frank who used to work for the city planning office here. He told me that most people think the community board just rubber stamps whatever the council wants, but he said that's totally backwards. He said the board actually killed a big development proposal back in 2017 because local residents showed up and spoke out at a meeting. Frank said the board members are just regular folks from the neighborhood, not political appointees or developers. That really hit me different because I always assumed the board was just a formality with no real power. Now I'm wondering how many other things I've been wrong about with local government around here. Has anyone else had a conversation that made you totally rethink how our community board operates?
He said it was a waste of money for our area but after walking my yard this morning I'm counting over 20 patches of the stuff and I'm kicking myself for listening to him - has anyone else had a neighbor's shortcut advice backfire on them like this?
Last October my neighbor Carol kept telling me to stop bagging my leaves and just mow over them into the grass. I ignored her for two seasons because I thought it would look messy. Has anyone else had their lawn actually get greener after ditching the leaf bags?
I walked by the new gravel path by the Bothell transit center last night and it's already washing out near the storm drain. Noticed a big rut forming after just this week's rain. Has anyone else seen it getting worse?
Last month after my second straight week of hand-watering in August heat, I finally caved and installed that drip system the garden coordinator kept pushing in 2021. Cost me $60 and 2 hours, and my tomatoes have never looked better - has anyone else here fought a change that wound up being way simpler than you thought?
A few years back I had to choose where to hold my brother's welcome home party. It was between Ma's Kitchen on Main Street, been there since the 80s, and this new craft brewery that opened up on the same block. Ma's had the best greasy spoon breakfast and a back room that felt like your grandma's house. The brewery had fancy IPAs and a loud taproom with exposed brick. I went with Ma's Kitchen. Twelve of us sat in that back room, ate burgers and shakes, and talked for four hours straight. No one cared about the sticky floors or the old jukebox. The brewery closed two years later anyway. Anyone else find the old places just work better for real conversations?
I used to be the person who would grab a bottle of Roundup for any weed that popped up in my yard. But last month at the Bothell Community Garden volunteer day, one of the old timers named Jerry saw me about to spray some dandelions near the raised beds. He walked over and just said 'you know that stuff kills the soil bacteria too right?' and then showed me this patch he had been hand pulling weeds from for 5 years compared to a spot that got sprayed. The difference in the dirt color and how many earthworms there were was crazy. So I spent a Saturday afternoon with a dandelion weeder tool and a bucket, and honestly it was kinda satisfying pulling the roots out whole. Now I only use a vinegar and salt mix for the really stubborn cracks in the driveway. Has anyone else made the switch away from chemical stuff around here?
At last month's Bothell Community Board meeting, I was going on about sidewalk repairs for like 10 minutes straight. Then an older lady named Carol passed me a note that just said "you're losing them." I looked around and three people were on their phones and the chair was checking his watch. That was the moment I figured out I need to keep my comments to two points max and sit down. Anybody else get a reality check like that at a local board meeting?
I noticed at the last meeting some folks argued the building will bring 200 new residents and boost local business, while others said it will mess up traffic and block sunlight for the houses behind it. The developer says they'll add 50 parking spots underground but neighbors say that's not enough for the extra cars. Which side makes more sense to you - the growth push or the traffic concerns?
My neighbor Bob finally spoke up last Tuesday and said I was watering every day for 10 minutes instead of twice a week for 30 minutes. I switched it up and my grass actually looks green now instead of that patchy mess. Has anyone else had a neighbor call them out on something obvious?
I thought that giant art wall on the third floor of the garage was just a waste of taxpayer money, but after I had to wait 20 minutes for my kid last Tuesday I actually looked at it. The hidden details with the old Bothell landmarks... it legit tells a story. Has anyone else noticed the old theater sign buried in the trees part?
I used to run that cart three summers ago and my best day was maybe 20 customers, so seeing that line made me wonder what I was doing wrong, has anyone else revisited an old spot and felt weirdly proud but also a little jealous?
A user named "FixItFrank42" swore up and down that pouring asphalt was easy if you watched a few YouTube videos. I followed his advice, spent $1,200 on materials, and got a lumpy mess that cracked within 3 months. Had to pay a contractor $3,800 to rip it out and redo it proper. Anyone else had bad luck taking DIY advice from this board?