Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Good morning, Bailey Farm Friends! Not only is the month of April National Poetry Month, but today happens to be Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Today, people all across the country are encouraged to carry a meaningful poem with them throughout the day. You can also share your poem selection on Twitter by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.

If you don't happen to have a poem in mind quite yet, you're in luck! With spring finally here and the flowers blooming, we couldn't think of a better poetry topic than the season of Spring. We took some time to find some beautiful spring poems that you can keep in your pocket throughout the day, or, just keep them in mind:

Spring

BY GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –         

   When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;         

   Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush         

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring         

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;

   The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush         

   The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush         

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.         

What is all this juice and all this joy?         

   A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning

In Eden garden. – Have, get, before it cloy,         

   Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,         

Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,         

   Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the winning.     

Today

BY BILLY COLLINS

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,

so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw

open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,

indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths

and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight

that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight

on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants

from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,

holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,

well, today is just that kind of day.

The Trees

BY PHILIP LARKIN

The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being said;

The recent buds relax and spread,

Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again

And we grow old? No, they die too.

Their yearly trick of looking new

Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh

In fullgrown thickness every May.

Last year is dead, they seem to say,

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.”

Click here to learn more about Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Straightening Seattle's Misconceptions

We aren't all lucky enough to have all our friends and family in the Seattle area. So when we talk to people about the area, it's understandable if they fall back on some classic Seattle stereotypes. No, we're not "sleepless here" and we definitely don't go to the Space Needle everyday.

There's so much that makes this city great aside from the stereotypes, but we found an amusing article on Thrillist.com today we thought we'd share.

What are some of the most common things we have to explain to out of towners? Here are some of our favorites from the list:

Yes, this is what we’re wearing!
That is the answer to any and all questions like: "Jeans... at work?", "Cargo shorts... to a wedding?!", or "Flannel/Polar fleece... to (insert pretty much any place, here)?".

No one owns an umbrella...
And using one’s the best way to let people know you’re not from here.

.. because it doesn’t actually rain that much
Just flew in from Chicago? New York? It rains more in both those cities every year than it does here.

No, not everyone here works for Microsoft
Some people work at the dozens of PR, consulting, gaming, and other companies they single-handedly keep in business. Or at Amazon.

No one from here actually goes to the Space Needle
Or the Science Center, or EMP, or anywhere else at Seattle Center. Unless there’s something really good on the IMAX, or we’re hungry for Bigfood. On second thought, forget it… it’s not worth it.

But we WILL go to Pike Place Market with you
As long as it’s, like, Monday or Tuesday during the day, or you promise to stop at Street Donuts, or Zaccagni’s, or Piroshky Piroshky. Or maybe at Radiator Whiskey for a barrel-aged cocktail.

Starbucks isn’t our favorite coffee shop
At least, we’ll tell you it’s Victrola, or Slate, or Seattle Coffee Works, or Bauhaus, but we’ve still got more Starbucks per person than any other city -- one for every 4,000 people or so.

We’ve got more beer than you do
Unless you’re from California, but still… we’ve got over 200 breweries, turning the country’s best hops into can’t-miss suds like Elysian, Reuben’s Roasted Rye, and Maritime’s Islander Pale. We could go on, but there’s so much sweet beer to drink!

Click here to read the full Thrillist article!

What’s in a Name?

Did you know that Bothell was named for the Pennsylvanian settler, David Bothell, who bought 80 acres of land in 1885?

Seattle and its surrounding neighborhoods have a rich history, and each neighborhood’s name has its own interesting history. We saw a really great article on MentalFloss.com last week describing the history of some of the town names in our area. Here are some of our favorite stories:


Alki Point
Alki Point is the westernmost neighborhood in West Seattle (so you know it’s really far west) and is also the southern boundary of Elliot Bay. It was also the first landing point for the Denny Party, who were the first western settlers in Seattle. The area was originally named “New York Alki,” after the state that many in the party had originally called home, and the Chinook Jargon (a language used to bridge communications between natives and early western settlers in the Pacific Northwest) word Alki which means “eventually.” The name remains relevant today, as “eventually” is a succinct answer to the question, “If we leave now, when will we get to

Columbia City
This south Seattle neighborhood, which has been at the forefront of recent transit-related gentrification, was not named directly for Christopher Columbus, but instead was named after the song "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean," which was popular in 1890 when developer J.K. Edminston established the neighborhood.

Fauntleroy
Fauntleroy, in West Seattle, was named by a US Coast Guard lieutenant in 1857 in honor of his fiancée’s family. More interesting is the sub-neighborhood contained within named Endolyne, which is centered around the spot where the Fauntleroy streetcar line once ended. “End of the line” became “Endolyne,” and the name stuck.

Hillman City
Hillman City in South Seattle was named after developer Clarence D. Hillman, who was frequently accused of fraud and selling the same plot of land to multiple consumers.

Leschi
This neighborhood which lies just south of Madrona along Lake Washington is named after the Nisqually Indian Chief Leschi, who had an encampment in the area. Leschi was hanged by settlers in 1858, but his legacy remains. While a large number of the areas around Seattle have American Indian names, Leschi is one of the few areas within Seattle that still has a name that pays tribute to the area’s native heritage.

Queen Anne
Queen Anne is named after the glacial hill on which it sits. Queen Anne Hill was originally named Eden Hill by the Denny Party, but it did not develop quickly. When it did start to develop, a number of the first houses on the hill were of the Queen Anne style, leading Rev. Daniel Bagley to ask as a joke whether the area would become Queen Anne Town. Sometimes jokes become real, and in this case the name stuck.

Click here for the full article at MentalFloss.com.

Seattle Restaurant Week for Spring 2014!

As if you needed another excuse to eat out in Seattle, it’s almost time for Seattle Restaurant Week for Spring 2014! Presented by the Seattle Restaurant Cooperative and the Seattle Times, Seattle Restaurant is one of the biggest celebrations of the city’s culinary scene of the year.

From this coming Monday, April 6 through Thursday, April 17, a swath of Seattle restaurants will be offering special three-course dinners for $28 and three-course lunches for $15. Whether you choose an old favorite or take the opportunity to try something new, you’ll be helping out the local economy and participating in a community wide celebration of everyone who makes Seattle’s food scene what it is.

Here are the participating restaurants, courtesy of The Seattle Times:

SPRING 2014 PARTICIPANTS

· 13 Coins Restaurant*

· 4649 Japanese Restaurant

· 50 North Restaurant

· Agrodolce

· Anchovies & Olives

· Andaluca*

· Anthony's HomePort- Kirkland

· Anthony's HomePort on Shilshole Bay

· Anthony's Pier 66

· AQUA by El Gaucho*

· ART Restaurant & Lounge

· Assaggio Ristorante*

· Ballard Annex Oyster House*

· Bar Cotto

· BarCode

· Bar Dojo*

· Barking Frog

· Barolo Ristorante*

· Barrio Mexican Kitchen & Bar

· Bastille Café and Bar

· Betty Restaurant & Bar*

· Big Fish Grill - Issaquah*

· Big Fish Grill - Woodinville*

· Big Fish Grill - Kirkland*

· bin on the lake

· Blueacre Seafood

· BOKA Restaurant + Bar*

· Café Campagne*

· Café Flora*

· Café Lago*

· Café Parco*

· Chan*

· Chandler's Crabhouse

· Chiso Sushi*

· Chloé Bistrot

· Cicchetti Kitchen and Bar

· Crow Restaurant & Bar*

· CRUSH*

· cuoco

· Cutters Crabhouse*

· Dahlia Lounge

· Dulces Bistro & Wine

· El Gaucho-Seattle*

· Epulo Bistro*

· Etta's

· Eva Restaurant*

· Frank's Oyster House & Champagne Parlor*

· Fresh Bistro

· Golden Beetle*

· How to Cook a Wolf

· Hunger 2.0*

· Hunt Club

· icon Grill*

· IL Bistro

· IL Fornaio

· Jimmy's on Broadway*

· Kisaku*

· La Bete*

· La Romanza Bistro

· La Rustica

· La Spiga*

· La Vita E Bella

· Lark

· Le Grand Bistro Américain

· Le Petit Cochon

· Le Zinc*

· Lecosho*

· Liam's

· Lloyd Martin*

· Local 360*

· LoLa

· Lombardi's - Mill Creek*

· Lot No. 3*

· Loulay*

· LUC*

· Lucia*

· Ma'ono*

· Mamma Melina Ristorante & Pizzeria

· Manhattan*

· Mariposa*

· Margaux*

· Marjorie*

· Matts' Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge

· Maximilien*

· McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant- Harborside

· McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant- Bellevue

· McCormick & Schmick's Fish House & Bar

· Mistral Kitchen

· Miyabi 45th

· mkt

· Moksha*

· Monsoon East- Bellevue

· Monsoon, Seattle

· Morton's, The Steakhouse

· Nell's Restaurant

· Nijo Sushi Bar & Grill

· Nordstrom Grill- Bellevue

· Nordstrom Grill- Seattle

· Novilhos Brazillian Steakhouse*

· Olivar

· Pair*

· Palace Kitchen

· Palisade Restaurant*

· Palomino

· Palomino - Bellevue

· Peso's

· Piatti Ristorante & Bar*

· Plaka Estiatorio Greek Cuisine*

· Ponti Seafood Grill*

· Poppy

· Preservation Kitchen

· Purple Café and Wine Bar- Bellevue*

· Purple Café and Wine Bar- Kirkland*

· Purple Café and Wine Bar- Woodinville*

· Ray's Boathouse*

· Red Cow

· Restaurant Zoe*

· Rikki Rikki*

· RIONE XIII

· Ristorante Paradiso*

· RN74

· Row House Cafe*

· Salish Lodge & Spa - The Dining Room*

· Salty's at Redondo Beach Seafood Grill*

· Salty's on Alki Beach Seafood Grill*

· Sand Point Grill*

· Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar-Bellevue*

· Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar-Seattle*

· Seatown Seabar & Rotisserie

· Serafina Osteria e Enoteca*

· Serious Pie - 4th & Virginia

· Serious Pie & Biscuit - Westlake & Harrison

· Shanik

· Sip at the Wine Bar & Restaurant

· Six Seven at the Edgewater

· Skillet Diner - Ballard*

· Skillet Diner - Capitol Hill*

· Spazzo Italian Grill*

· Spencer's for Steaks and Chops*

· Spur Gastropub*

· Staple & Fancy Mercantile

· Steelhead Diner

· Stoneburner

· Stumbling Goat Bistro*

· Sullivan's

· Sushi Kappo Tamura

· TanakaSan

· Tango Restaurant

· Tavolata

· Ten Mercer

· The Blue Glass*

· The Capital Grille

· The Commons

· The Georgian

· The Gerald

· The Harvest Vine*

· The Melting Pot- Bellevue

· The Melting Pot- Seattle

· The Olive and Grape*

· The Old Sage*

· The Pink Door*

· The Tin Table

· Tilth Restaurant

· Toulouse Petit Kitchen and Lounge

· Trace*

· Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar*

· Twisted Cuban Cafe*

· Urbane Restaurant*

· Voilá! Bistrot

· Volterra Restaurant- Ballard

· Volterra Restaurant- Kirkland

Click here to learn more about Seattle Restaurant Week 2014!