We are now in full Holiday Season mode, so get ready for everything pumpkin, Christmas decorations and music for the rest of the year. The trees are almost all void of leaves; it was a beautiful fall with color galore. No place prettier than NW in the fall. We missed all our usual goblins this year, we only had one this year.
Book club was held at Cheri’s home; she did a great job of hosting and leading the discussion about our book. Our discussion was about Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn. It was well received by some but others not so much, which made the discussion even more interesting. There were 13 of us, it was so fun to get together and chat about a few varied subjects. I really enjoyed our time together. The next scheduled get together is on January 12th ( we normally don’t meet in Dec.) We will be meeting at Andi’s home. We will be reviewing Love and Saffron by Kim Fay. There will be reminder when we get closer, where you can tell Andi if you’re going to join the gang or not.
Entertainment
We watched a couple of TV programs/movies that we have enjoyed one being about President Lyndon Johnson and the other President James Garfield. Both are very interesting.
We found the documentary about President Johnson on PBS-American Experience.
Death by Lightning a four-part series about President James Garfield can be found on Netflix.
Bob Terry recommended the movie Nuremberg.
A must see for folks who enjoy WWII history.
This movie is currently available only in theaters.
Recipe Du Jour
Another recipe for a delicious soup to make for our upcoming gray drizzly days.
Senate Navy Bean Soup
1 lb. (2 ½ cups) navy beans picked over and rinsed.
1 T vegetable oil
1 onion chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves minced
3 whole cloves
2 (12 oz) smoked ham hocks
8 oz russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch pieces 11 Tbsp cider vinegar
- Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 qtrs. Cold water in a large container. Add beans and soak in room temp for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, celery, and 1 tsp salt and cook until softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, for about 30 seconds. Transfer onion mixture to bowl.
- Insert cloves into skin of 1 ham hock. Add 8 cups water, ham hocks, and beans to now empty pot and bring it to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, cover with lid slightly ajar, until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir potatoes and onion mixture into soup and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes, remove pot from heat. Transfer ham hocks to cutting board and let cool slightly. Discard cloves, then shred meat, discarding bones and skin.
- Using potato masher, gently mas beans and potatoes until soup is creamy and slightly thickened, 8-10 strokes. Add ½ tsp pepper and shredded meat and return to simmer over medium heat. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve
Tips
There is a quick soak method for the beans – 8 cups water to the bag of beans, boil for 2 minutes (unsalted), and let sit in the hot water for one hour.
This recipe is a mainstay in the U.S. Senate cafeteria
Recipe from Americas Test Kitchen
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/8071-senate-navy-bean-soup
Serves 6-8
The Best Authentic Shepherd’s Pie
1 lb. ground lamb (or beef), if you use beef, it is called Cottage Pie
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 C diced carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 c frozen green peas
1 cup whole kernel corn
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken or beef broth- 1 can
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black fresh ground pepper
Parsley
Optional 1 Tbsp tomato paste
MASHED Potato Ingredients
1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
¼ C water (from cooking potatoes)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
½ c heavy cream
½ c sour cream
1 tsp of salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil, onions, carrots, rosemary, thyme and garlic over medium heat cook for 1-2 minutes
- Add the meat (lamb or beef) and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, green peas and corn. Add the tomato paste at this time if desired and stir to combine well.
- Mix in the flour and stir until it is dissolved.
- Pour in the chicken broth, stir to combine, and let simmer on low for another 5 minutes. Then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
For Mashed Potato Topping
- In a large stockpot, add water, peeled potatoes, and salt then bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes or until fork tender then drain reserving ¼ c water from boiling.
- Add the potatoes and water back into the stockpot and begin mashing.
- Once the potatoes are mostly mashed, add in the melted butter, heavy cream, and sour cream then continue mashing to your preferred smoothness (some people like little chunks of potatoes others prefer them very smooth.)
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
How to Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie
Pour the meat mixture into a 9X9 baking dish (or deep-dish pie pan)
- Now, top the meat mixture with your prepared potatoes smoothing into a flat layer
- If desired, you can sprinkle with additional salt and pepper or even a bit of Parmesan cheese
- Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the top is bubbling and golden
- Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top.
6 Servings
Ridge Report
FAMILY ANTIQUES
Grandpa built his house in 1903. He had managed to stash 2 to 3 thousand dollars away after some years of blacksmith and wheelwright business…more than enough to buy a house. It was fair sized with 4 bedrooms, parlor, dining room, kitchen, “bathroom”, and large porches. (There was no city water supply or sewer system at that time, so “bathroom” probably had a tub and a porcelain pot.) Each of the rooms had their own fireplace and chimney, except for the kitchen which had a big cast iron stove. It does get cold in Louisiana in the winter…
Grandpa had a large available pile of coal for his blacksmith forge. The fireplaces could burn wood, but grandpa installed metal grates so they would also burn coal, which they did for the most part. It was cheaper than wood and didn’t require as much space. By 1914, my 8-year-old dad’s main complaint was his chore of loading up the coal bucket and restoring the supply at each fireplace. There was a stick for use as a poker at these locations. Grandma decided that was too tacky looking for the parlor, so they bought a set of metal fireplace tools. Included with them was a stand to hold a straight poker, a set of long tongs, and a shovel for ashes. There was also a broom, but it deteriorated and disappeared over the years.
Sometime probably in the late 1920s or early 30s, natural gas distribution came to town. The fireplaces all quickly got gas space heaters, and the big cast iron stove went elsewhere, in favor of the new gas. Even a hot water heater, with associated plumbing was installed, moving right into the 20th century. The fireplace tools remained unused, for a while. My dad was newly married about this time. His new country in-laws still used wood for heat and pushed the logs around with a wooden stick. Dad donated the fireplace tools for them to use, which they did for 25 years until propane became available to homes in the outback. And, he had added an L-shaped poker that had been used to rake coal in the blacksmith forge, rescued when the shop went toes-up in the depression.
I moved into my first home in 1968. Wouldn’t you know, it had a fireplace! When Dad found out, he reclaimed the fireplace tools and refurbished them entirely with a new shovel pan and a new black paint job. And then he packed them to send……..OMG. They were held together, two at a time, then a third, then a fourth, then the fifth, with duct tape (on top of cardboard layers, to separate them from scratches and to not get the adhesive on the tools). Then he wire-wrapped them with baling wire. If you could pick up the bundle of tools to rattle them…you couldn’t, and they wouldn’t. Then he wrapped the tool bundle in half-a-dozen layers of cardboard (tightly wrapped with lots and lots of duct tape), put the bundle in a wooden box he made for the occasion, and surrounded the whole thing with Styrofoam peanuts. The box was held together with 1” wood screws, and the top was applied under pressure…to make sure the peanuts were in contact. He shipped it to me in the bottom of a Greyhound bus, Louisiana to Seattle.
I spent probably three hours trying to dismantle it all, with screwdrivers, scissors, tin snips, knives, wire cutters, axes, crowbars, machete, and band-aids. The tools got through in really good shape. I had some scratches. The tools were placed by my new fireplace where they were used maybe three times.
A few years ago, I convinced my daughter that she really needed a set of family antique fireplace tools…even though she had a gas-burning fireplace. I packaged them up and sent them to her in Atlanta, but my package wouldn’t compete with Pop’s. She promptly moved to North Carolina and may or may not have a fireplace now. She still has the much-traveled antique tools though. Or does she?
If you are giggling at our family reluctance to get rid of these heavy old tools, you might consider how many “heirlooms” you have accumulated from your family. Such things as old photos, portraits, Bibles, other old books, dishes, cutlery, tools, clothing, furniture, or hobby collections might be part of your current encumbrances. (My dad collected rocks!) So, do you eventually get rid of all of them harshly, or pass them to the next generation like I did?
David Ridge
September 2025
Neighborhood News
The Little Store is becoming Richmond Beach Foods.
The building at 2002 NW 196th Street has been a part of Richmond Beach for nearly a century. Over the years, it’s been home to many neighborhood markets, a butcher shop, and, most famously, a place kids could walk to with a dollar and leave with a pocketful of candy. It’s been known by many names – Richmond Beach Supermarket, Doug’s Market, Tom & Jerry’s, Lamb’s, Richmond Beach Foods and The Little Store at Richmond Beach.
https://www.richmondbeachfoods.com/
When the store reopens, you will find a thoughtfully curated grocery selection, a full-service coffee bar, a small deli with delicious grab-and-go meals, a gift section featuring local makers, a selection of beer and wine, and of course, a most excellent candy selection. More than just a store, the goal is to create a gathering space for neighbors, whether for a morning coffee, a quick shop, or a friendly chat on your way home.
They hope to open in January and will keep the community updated.
Bella’s Voice
The property that used to house Bartells on 185th and Aurora will be turned into a Thrift store for pets. https://www.facebook.com/bellasvoicethrift/posts/thats-rightour-new-location-is-in-shoreline-18420-aurora-ave-n-shoreline-wa-9813/1314512124017558/
Blackbird Cafe
During the month of December, Blackbird Cafe will sell you a $120 gift card for only $100.
Scott’s Bar and Grill
Scott’s has a limited time offer for $10 bonus on a $50 gift card purchase
https://www.landrysinc.com/gift-card-overview/giftcard-holidays-rewardcard2
Restaurant Review
The reviews are 2 restaurants that are a bit further away but worthy of a short trip out of our neighborhood.
Voilà! Bistrot
Jerry and I celebrated an anniversary recently and I picked out a French bistro for dinner. Voila Bistrot. It was wonderful, my duck breast was perfectly prepared. Service was 1st class, so if you’re looking for someplace a bit different for a special occasion or even a nice place for lunch try Voila.
2805 E Madison St
206-322-5460
Hours
Lunch-Mon.-Sat.-11:30 2-30
Brunch-Mon. -Sun. Mon. -Sun. 10 :00 2 :30
Dîner Mon. -Sun. 4 :30-closing
Nolita
On another occasion we were invited to join friends in Ballard for an evening at Nolita. This is a small neighborhood restaurant in the location of the old Pasta Bella. Service and food were great.
5909 15th NW
Seattle, WA
206-789-4933
Hours
Mon.-Thur.-6:00-9:30
Fri. & Sat. 5:00-10:00
Sunday-4:30-9:00
Richmond Manor News
https://richmondmanor.org/owners/2013/02/18/foul-odor-from-tub/
We have recently heard from a couple of owners about a foul smell coming from the bathroom. Please check out the above link that we published back in 2013 about this issue. It is real easy to fix, just run some water in the tub. Do it every few weeks is you are not using the tub.
And, speaking of maintenance, it is about time to inspect your water heater. Remember they only last about ten years so for many folks the time to replace the water heater is either near or past due.
Christmas Party
Our upcoming annual Christmas party will be held on Dec. 7th in the second-floor common room known as the Book Nook. We have signup sheets on each window of the 2nd and 3rd floor common room outside window. Please indicate what you plan to bring to be enjoyed by your friends and neighbors. It has been a very successful get-together in the past and I’m sure it will be the same this year. So come one and all, bring your choice of libation and join in the 2025 holiday season.
Traveling Neighbors
Edy and her daughter Carolyn recently returned from a trip through the Andalucia area of Spain. They visited Malaga, Ronda (one of the white villages in the hills as you travel from Malaga to Sevilla), Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada. The Alhambra in Granada was a highlight, but each place had such interesting histories, amazing sights, and great food. I highly recommend visiting!!! There’s way too much to describe about our visits to each city in a blog, but here’s a few pics!
Submitted by Edy
Jerry and I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas