All About Sequim

Utility Rate Increase

Sue — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:24:23 +0000

As part of the 2012 budget, the Sequim City Council approved a 2% increase to water and sewer rates. A 2% rate increase will add approximately $.054 per month to the average single-family residence water bill. Sewer bills will increase by $1.06 to $1.22 per month, depending on in-city rates.

The rate increase took effect with the January 2012 usage and will be reflected on the February 2012 statements.

Commercial rates also increased considerably.

Posted Feb. 2012

The Mayonnaise Jar

Sue — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:45:40 +0000

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, When 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and started to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded With an unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things – God, family, children, health, friends, art, and favorite passions Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car..

The sand is everything else — The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So… Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

‘Take care of the golf balls first — The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked’.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

A Carrot, An Egg, and a Cup of Coffee…

Sue — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:59:38 +0000

A very good reminder lesson here in regards to our attitude in the face of adversity. enjoy…

A CARROT, AN EGG, AND A CUP OF COFFEE…

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying A word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or,

Am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone not around you is crying.

Variety Show set for Feb. 11th

Sue — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:37:21 +0000

Sequim Education Foundation is sponsoring its first ever Variety Show fundraiser to help our local public school children.

The show will be at 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, February 11th, at the Sequim High School Auditorium. Doors will open at 1:30 pm.

In order of their appearance, the Show will feature stellar performances by

The Sequim High School Jazz Band,

Bud Davies the Ventriloquist,

Amanda Bacon,

Readers Theatre Plus,

Olympic Express Big Band,

Sequim High School Trash Can Band,

Olympic Mountain Cloggers,

Sequim High School Select Choir,

Sarah Shea, and

The Sequim City Band

Jim and Carol Swarbrick Dries are masters of ceremonies.

Admission is a $10 donation for adults; $5 for children under 12 years old and students.

Proceeds from the event will be used for scholarship prizes for winners of the 4th Annual SEF Engineering Challenge and for teachers’ classroom grants.

Sequim Education Foundation is a non-profit public charity dedicated to inspiring Sequim students to achieve excellence. The organization also sponsors the yearly Engineering Challenge and Student Film Festival as well as the Shoes 4 Kids, Student Enrichment, Teacher Grants, and Academic Scholarship programs. More information about SEF is available online at www.sequimed.org . The organization is managed by an unpaid board of volunteers.