Northline Apartment Homes

08/26/2023

Seattle's iconic Bumbershoot Festival is a cultural cornerstone since 1971, now roaring into 2023 with an electrifying lineup that promises to light up the Emerald City! 🎶🌟 We're looking forward to celebrating 50 years of Bumbershoot over Labor Day!

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08/10/2023

Add a tour to your to-do list! ✔️ We’ll have the perfect apartment waiting for you! 🏡

04/22/2023

This year we are celebrating Earth Day by planting the seeds of sustainability, one review at a time. For every review you publish on Google, we pledge to plant a tree or native species and make a positive impact on our planet. Join us in our commitment to creating a greener, cleaner future for generations to come. 💚

01/02/2023

A little Monday motivation: In a year, you’ll be glad you started today. Happy New Year!

06/26/2019

Looking for a career change? Stop by our maintenance career fair on July 3rd at Alaire in Renton! We will be holding onsite interviews for all of our open maintenance positions in the Seattle area. Just bring your resume! For a list of current openings, visit our career page at http://bit.ly/2LgYF7l

06/19/2019

SUMMER SOLSTICE 2019: WHEN IS THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER AND WHY IS IT THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR?

We are fast approaching the 2019 summer solstice in the northern hemisphere—the point in the year at which the Earth's north pole is tilted furthest toward the sun.
Technically, the solstice takes place at a specific point in time, which this year will be 11:54 a.m. EDT on Friday, June 21, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. But usually when people talk about the solstice, they are referring to the entire day on which it occurs.
This day is the longest of the year in the Northern Hemisphere—meaning it has the most hours of sunlight and the shortest night—because our star will appear at its highest in the northern sky, directly over the Tropic of Cancer. Thus it will take longer to rise and set.
In contrast, those in the southern hemisphere will experience the shortest day of the year with the least sunlight hours and the longest night.

The reason we have a solstice at all is because the Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees relative to the plane of its orbit. As a consequence, each hemisphere experiences half a year tilted toward the sun and the other half tilted away from it.
The differences in the tilt mean that both hemispheres are struck by varying levels of radiation from the sun over the course of the year, giving rise to the seasons.
So when the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun—as is the case now—it experiences summer because radiation from the star is striking it at a more direct angle, thus creating warmer temperatures.
As you move closer to the equator, this effect becomes less noticeable. This is why the equatorial region does not truly experience summer and winter: because the radiation striking it from the sun is more constant.
In astrological terms, the June solstice marks the end of spring and start of summer for the northern hemisphere—which will end with the fall equinox on September 23.
However, when speaking in meteorological terms, summer actually begun on June 1 and will end on August 31. The meteorological year is divided up slightly differently to the astrological year, taking into account the months of the calendar and annual temperature cycles.
The summer solstice does not always fall on the same date. In fact it can occur anywhere between June 20 and 22. This is due to slight differences in the Gregorian calendar—the most widely used calendar system in the world—which has 365 days and the "solar year," essentially, the time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the sun (365.242199 days.)
To ensure that the calendar is synchronized with the seasons, we add an extra day to the year around every four years—what's known as a leap year.

05/03/2019

Some Fun Facts about May;
Those were the times, when everyone was aware about the significance of the months and the celebrations that followed. Nowadays, it's only about birthdays or any special events in the particular month. However, don't worry! Here are some facts about the upcoming month of May:
The month was named after the Greek Goddess of Fertility, Maia. One famous poet suggests that the name comes from the Latin word, "maiores" which means "elders".
No month other than May ever begins or ends on the same day of the week, in the same year. It may match with the months of the following year.
May is the month of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, and spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
The birthstone is emerald, which signifies love and success.
The birth flower is the Lily of the Valley.
People born in May fall under two zodiac signs: Ta**us (till May 20 ) and Gemini (after May 21). There are some specific Ta**us traits and Gemini traits. Also, here is some information on some famous Ta**us personalities.

Ta**us is represented by the bull and is ruled by planet Venus. This article elucidates the characteristics of those born under this zodiac sign.

03/30/2019

NANNA'S BAKED HAM
This looks amazingly good!!! Wanted to share:)

“My Nanna used to make this ham on Christmas and Easter. She always served it with her special baked macaroni and cheese. It was a match made in heaven, and in her memory I share this recipe with you.”
This ham has a wonderful holiday glaze which adds flavor and shine. For the moistest ham, here are some cooking tips:
Always place the ham cut-side down in a baking pan. You can also tent with foil.
Every 20 minutes or so, brush the ham with glaze and baste it with the pan juices.
Before carving your baked ham, let it rest 15 minutes to redistribute juices and firm up the meat.
Keep the ham bone! Use it to add great flavor to soups, stews, and greens.

K2 PhotoStudio/shutterstock
PHOTO CREDIT:
K2 PhotoStudio/shutterstock
INGREDIENTS
1 very lean large ham with bone in
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
30 whole cloves
1 can pineapple rings in juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Remove ham from packaging and reserve any juices. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In small saucepan, heat butter until melted and add brown sugar and reserved ham juices and pineapple juice. Bring to slow boil over medium heat and then turn to simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, then set aside.
Place ham in roasting pan face-down. With a good sharp knife score the skin in a pattern. Push in cloves until outside rind of ham is completely dotted with cloves. With a basting brush, baste the prepared sauce all over ham. Place in oven for 1 hour. Remove ham from oven and baste again. Decorate with pineapple rings and place back in the oven for ½ hour. Remove from oven, baste again and serve.
YIELD:
6 to 8 servings, with leftovers
PREPARATION METHOD

Bake
OCCASIONS

Easter Sunday
CATEGORY

Meat
COURSE

Main Dish

03/28/2019

Here Is some interesting info for summer.
SUMMER SOLSTICE 2019: FIRST DAY OF SUMMER
WHEN IS THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER 2019?
By The Editors
November 7, 2018

Pixabay

The timing of the June solstice—or, summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere—varies between June 20 and June 22, depending on the year and time zone. See the time and date of the Summer Solstice 2019, as well as solstice facts and FAQs.

WHEN IS THE SUMMER SOLSTICE?

YearSummer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)2018Thursday, June 212019Friday, June 212020Saturday, June 20
WHAT IS THE SUMMER SOLSTICE?
In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice occurs when the Sun reaches both its highest and northernmost points in the sky. (In contrast, the June solstice in the Southern Hemisphere is when the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky.)
The word “solstice” comes from Latin solstitium—from sol (Sun) and stitium (standing), reflecting the fact that on the solstice, the Sun appears to stop moving in the sky as it reaches its northern- or southernmost point. After the solstice, the Sun appears to reverse course and head back in the opposite direction.
The timing of the June solstice is not based on a specific calendar date or time; it all depends on when the Sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator. Therefore, the June solstice won’t always occur on the same day.
In temperate regions, we notice that the Sun is higher in the sky throughout the day, and its rays strike Earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call summer. Because the sun is highest in the sky on this day, you’ll notice that your shadow (at noon) is the shortest it will be all year.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is the day with the most hours of sunlight of the whole year. See our handy sunrise and sunset calculator to figure out how many hours of sunlight you get in your location on the solstice.
At the winter solstice, just the opposite occurs: The Sun is at its southernmost point and is lowest in the sky. Its rays hit the Northern Hemisphere at an oblique angle, creating the feeble winter sunlight.
See 7 fun facts about the June solstice!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: IS THE SUMMER SOLSTICE THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER?
A: Yes and no—it depends on whether we’re speaking meteorologically or astronomically. Most meteorologists divide the year into four seasons based on the months and the temperature cycle, which allows them to compare and organize climate data more easily. In this system, summer begins on June 1 and ends on August 31. Therefore, the summer solstice is not considered to be the first day of summer, meteorologically speaking.
Astronomically, however, the first day of summer is said to be when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky, which occurs on the summer solstice (June 20–22). Therefore, the summer solstice is considered to be the first day of summer, astronomically speaking.
As an almanac, which is defined as a “calendar of the heavens,” we prefer to follow the astronomical interpretation of the seasons and do consider the first day of summer to coincide with the summer solstice. That being said, you may choose whichever system you like best!

Q: WHY DOESN’T THE SUMMER SOLSTICE FALL ON THE SAME DATE EACH YEAR?
A: The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere ranges in date from June 20 to 22. This occurs in part because of the difference between the Gregorian calendar system, which normally has 365 days, and the tropical year (how long it takes Earth to orbit the Sun once), which has about 365.242199 days. To compensate for the missing fraction of days, the Gregorian calendar adds a leap day about every 4 years, which makes the date for summer jump backward. However, the date also changes because of other influences, such as the gravitational pull from the Moon and planets, as well as the slight wobble in Earth’s rotation.
Q: WHY ISN’T THE SUMMER SOLSTICE—THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR—ALSO THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR?
A: Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans absorb part of the incoming energy from the Sun and store it, releasing it back as heat at various rates. Water is slower to heat (or cool) than air or land. At the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere receives the most energy (highest intensity) from the Sun due to the angle of sunlight and day length. However, the land and oceans are still relatively cool, due to spring’s temperatures, so the maximum heating effect on air temperature is not felt just yet. Eventually, the land and, especially, oceans will release stored heat from the summer solstice back into the atmosphere. This usually results in the year’s hottest temperatures appearing in late July, August, or later, depending on latitude and other factors. This effect is called seasonal temperature lag.
Q: WHAT IS MIDSUMMER DAY (JUNE 24)?
A: Historically, this day was the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest. Folks celebrated by feasting, dancing, singing, and preparing for the hot summer days ahead. Read more about the ancient Quarter Days!

SOLSTICE FUN FACTS
THE SOLSTICE DOES NOT BRING THE EARLIEST SUNRISE
Interestingly, even though the summer solstice if the “longest” day of the year (the most daylight), the earliest sunrises happen about a week prior to the solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason for the timing of sunrises is related to the length of day—which is longer than 24 hours in June—and the inclination of the Earth’s rotational axis. Bottom-line, your earliest sunrises start happening before the solstice itself.
See YOUR sunrise times!
THE SUN SETS MORE SLOWLY AT THE SOLSTICE
Did you know that the Sun actually sets more slowly around the time of a solstice, in that it takes longer to set below the horizon? This is related to the angle of the setting Sun. The farther the Sun sets from due west along the horizon, the shallower the angle of the setting Sun. (Conversely, it’s faster at or near the equinoxes.) Bottom-line, enjoy those long romantic summertime sunsets at or near the solstice!
See YOUR sunset times!
SEASONS ON OTHER PLANETS

Mercury has virtually no tilt (less than ⅓0th of a degree) relative to the plane of its orbit, and therefore does not experience true seasons.
Uranus is tilted by almost 98 degrees and has seasons that last 21 years.
See sunrise/set times for all the planets!
SOLSTICE TRADITIONS
Every year on the summer solstice, thousands of people travel to Wiltshire, England to Stonehenge—a mysterious prehistoric monument. See more about this ancient site.
In Sweden, people traditionally celebrate the beginning of summer by eating the first strawberries of the season. Learn more about Midsummer’s Day.

There are many northern people like the Swedes who celebrate Midsummer’s Eve, too, dancing around the bonfire on the shortest night of the year. After all, these northern people have merged from some long, dark winters! In Tyrol, Austria, torches and bonfires are lit up on mountainsides.
According to ancient Latvian legend, Midsummer Even (St. John’s Eve) on June 23 is spent awake by the glow of a bonfire and in pursuit of a magical fern flower—said to bring good luck—before cleansing one’s face in the morning dew. Read more about fern folklore.

Under the guiding hand of its first editor, Robert B. Thomas, the premiere issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac was published in 1792 during George Washington’s first term as president.

03/25/2019

Start Gardening with this great information.
WARMING THE SOIL FOR SPRING PLANTING

TESTING THE BEST WAYS TO MELT SNOW AND WARM GARDEN SOIL
By Robin Sweetser
March 5, 2019

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FROST DATES
ENTER A LOCATION

Last Spring Frost
Mar 21
First Fall Frost
Nov 9
Growing Season
232 days
GARDENING SEASON IS BACK! USE WHAT THE PROS USE
LEARN MORE ABOUT ECHO
Gardening in regions with a short growing season can be an adventure. There always seems to be another spring snowstorm around the corner! To take advantage of every possible growing day, we need to get our snow melted and garden soil thawed as quickly as possible.

We run a plant business here in New Hampshire, where our growing season is short, so it’s important to get seeds in the ground as early as possible. To this end, I tested a few common methods for melting snow and warming the soil. I hope my advice helps you with spring planting, too.
MELTING THE SNOW
First, I put down squares of black plastic, clear plastic, wood ashes, and coffee groundsand tested each for how quickly they melted the snow.

Clear and Black Plastic: On the few sunny and unseasonably warm days we had, Mother Nature did a better job of making the snow disappear than either of the plastics, which actually seemed to protect the snow from melting. I ended up with two snow squares that still haven’t melted!

Wood ashes
Wood Ashes: Surprisingly enough, the wood ashes quickly melted right through the snow.
Coffee Grounds: The coffee grounds seemed to insulate the snow from the sun’s rays, like the plastic, which resulted in little melting.
WARMING THE SOIL
After the snow was gone, I moved the two squares of plastic to one of the frozen raised beds to gauge their warming effect.
This time, the clear plastic worked best, thawing the ground to 6 inches and heating the soil from 36 up to 56°F in 4 days!
The black plastic only got to 50°F, but still managed to thaw the ground down 6 inches.

The wood ashes only thawed down 2-1/2 inches in that time and warmed to 48°F.
The coffee grounds were 1 inch and 40°F.
My control patch, which had no help with warming other than the sun, was thawed 1-1/2 inch and warmed to 44°F—better than the coffee grounds!

THE CONCLUSION
Use wood ashes to melt the snow and then put down clear plastic to warm the soil. The clear plastic lets in the sunlight and UV rays and holds in the heat, allowing the soil to warm up. Additionally, the ashes will sweeten the soil and add potassium. If you live in an area that has naturally high pH soil, you’ll want to forego the ashes and wait for Mother Nature to do the melting for you.

In the vegetable garden, we always plan ahead in the fall and put up the pea fence where we will be planting the peas in the spring. This seems to act like a snow fence and prevents the snow from drifting deeply over that bed so it thaws out and warms up first. Good thing since I am very eager to get those seeds in the ground.

The soil is still pretty cold, it was 45°F on the last sunny day, but dropped back to 40 today since it is cloudy and raw out. Looking back thru my records, March 11 was the earliest I have planted peas in this garden and I had to replant them on April 2 because of poor germination. Probably rushed the season and the seeds rotted. Even though many seed packets say to plant peas as soon as the ground can be worked, the soil temperature really matters. At 50°F, it takes 2 weeks for the pea seedlings to emerge, at 60 degrees only 9 days, and at 77 degrees only 6 days.
LEARN MORE
One old-time trick is to plant peas when the forsythia start to blossom. See more clues of planting by nature’s signs.
Now see our video demonstrating how to warm your soil for spring planting.
This article was originally published in 2018.
ABOUT THIS BLOG

Robin has been a contributor to The Old Farmer’s Almanac and the All-Seasons Garden Guide for many years. She and her partner Tom have a small greenhouse business and also sell plants, cut flowers, and vegetables at their local Farmer’s Market.

03/23/2019

The Moon controls more than we know.....

In 2019, the full Moon of March rises on the same day as the vernal equinox—marking the start of spring! How fitting for what we call the “Full Worm Moon.” March also brings the final supermoon of 2019. Here’s all you need to know.
SUPER MOON ON THE SPRING EQUINOX
The March full Moon is particularly special because it reaches its peak on the same day as the spring equinox, on March 20, 2019. The last time the full Moon and the spring equinox coincided this closely (4 hours apart) was in March 2000, but the last time they occurred on the same date was on March 20, 1981!
This full Moon is also a supermoon, meaning the Moon will be nearly at its closest to Earth for the month of March. It’s the year’s third (and final) of three straight full supermoons. This means that the Moon may “appear” brighter and bigger than normal, provided the night sky is clear and dark.
THE FULL MOON AND EASTER
Did you know: Easter Sunday (in the Western Christian Church) ​​​​is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full Moon that occurs on or just after the vernal equinox.
Since the full Moon AND the vernal equinox both fall on March 20 this year (in North America, at least), you might expect that Easter Sunday would be on the following Sunday, March 24.
However, for simplicity’s sake, the Church set a fixed date for the equinox, March 21.Additionally, the Church does not rely on the date of the astronomical full Moon, but rather the ecclesiastical full Moon, which occurs on the 14th day of the ecclesiastical lunar month. The date of the ecclesiastical full Moon may fall one to two days before the astronomical full Moon. Therefore, because the first full Moon after March 21 doesn’t occur until April 19 this year, Easter Sunday 2019 falls on Sunday, April 21!
(This is not the first time the church’s “set” equinox and astronomy’s “moving” equinox affected Easter’s date; it last happened in 1981 and will happen again in 2038.)
Confused? Read more about how Easter’s date is determined.
MOON PHASES FOR MARCH 2019
All dates and times are Eastern Time. See the Moon Phase Calendar for your city/state.
(Full Moon: 9:43 p.m. EDT, 8:43 p.m. CDT, 7:43 p.m. MDT, 6:43 p.m. PDT, 5:43 p.m. AKDT and 3:43 p.m. HST.)
New Moon: March 6, 11:04 A.M. EDTFirst Quarter: March 14, 6:27 A.M. EDTFull Moon: March 20, 9:43 P.M. EDTLast Quarter: March 28, 12:10 A.M. EDT
Note: In Universal Time/England, the full moon comes on March 21 in case you calendar reflects this.)
MARCH FULL MOON NAMES
Historically, Native American and other traditional names for full Moons were used to track the seasons. Note that each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred.
Traditionally, the Moon we see in March is called the Full Worm Moon. At this time of the year, the ground begins to soften enough for earthworm casts to reappear, inviting robins and birds to feed—a true sign of spring. Roots start to push their way up through the soil, and the Earth experiences a re-birth as it awakens from its winter slumber.
There are many alternative names for the March Moon. One name was the Full Sap Moon, as this is the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow.
See all Full Moon names and their meanings.

An alternative name for March’s full Moon is the Full Sap Moon, as this is the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow.
MARCH FULL WORM MOON VIDEO
Each month, we will explain the traditional names of the Full Moon along with some fascinating Moon facts. In this video, learn about the Full Worm Moon, Moon illusions, and when and why the Moon rides high or low in the sky. Click below to watch the video.

BEST DAYS IN MARCH 2019
Below are the best days for activities based on the Moon’s sign and phase in March.
For Planting
Aboveground crops: 15, 16
Belowground crops: 5, 23, 24
For Setting Eggs
21, 22, 29
For Fishing
6–20
See Best Days for more activities.
See more Full Moon Names and share your thoughts about this month’s Moon below!

https://www.almanac.com/sites/default/files/users/AlmanacStaffArchive/sap-tapping_full_width.jpg

March equinox facts and folklore. Before you balance that egg, read this!