c/everett-community

Just realized I've been folding my fitted sheets wrong for 40 years

I was over at my sister's place last weekend helping her pack for a move. She folded one of those tricky fitted sheets flat in about 10 seconds flat. I've been balling them up and shoving them in the linen closet since 1983. She showed me the trick where you tuck the corners into each other and it actually works. Anybody else find out they've been doing some basic thing wrong their whole adult life?

That new crosswalk timer near the library is way too short

I was grabbing a latte at the Everett Coffee Co. on Colby Ave last Tuesday and heard a guy going off about the new pedestrian signals near the library. He said the countdown timer is only 12 seconds for a 4-lane road, which doesn't give older folks enough time to cross. I actually timed it on my way out, and he was right. It makes me wonder if the city even walked that intersection before installing them. Has anyone else noticed this causing problems or near misses in the mornings?

Appreciation post for the volunteer cleanup crew at Legion Park last Saturday

I showed up at 8am thinking I'd be one of maybe ten people, but there were over 40 folks from the neighborhood with trash bags and gloves. Someone from the city told me they pulled 12 full bags of debris out of the creek bed alone. Has anyone else noticed how much cleaner the park looks now, or was it just me?

Last month my dad insisted I was overwatering my tomato plants

I have 6 plants in my backyard here in Everett. He told me to back way off and only water them every 4 days. I thought he was crazy because July is so hot. But I tried it for 2 weeks and the leaves stopped turning yellow and I got way more tomatoes than last year. Has anyone else had success with watering less often?

Just found out my property tax went up 18% since last year...

I was looking through some mail from the county assessor's office last week and almost dropped my coffee. My property tax assessment jumped from like $3,200 to $3,776 in a single year. No improvements on the house or anything, they just decided the neighborhood's worth more now. Has anyone else in Everett gotten a big surprise like this from their tax bill lately?

Ran into an old neighbor at the Everett farmers market who said I ruined the block

Last Saturday I was grabbing some corn at the Everett farmers market and saw Mrs. Patterson who lived two doors down from us on 12th Street. She told me straight up that my chain link fence made the whole street look trashy back in 2018. I just stood there holding my bag of tomatoes not knowing what to say. Has anyone else had a neighbor hold a grudge over something like a fence?

Better watch out for that new parking enforcement downtown

I was skeptical when folks said they'd gotten stricter on the 2 hour limits near the waterfront, but I got a $45 ticket last Tuesday after 2 hours and 10 minutes at the lot by the library. They're using license plate readers now, so moving your car a few spots over won't help. Has anyone else gotten hit with one of these lately?

That time I spent 3 hours chasing a ghost pipe leak under a slab in Everett

Last month I was working on a rental house off Broadway and the tenant said their water bill jumped $80. I spent 3 whole days cutting drywall, checking fixtures, nothing. Finally dug under the slab near the water heater and found a pinhole leak where the copper touched some old galvanized. Took me 4 tries to patch it right with a sharkbite because the pipe was corroded. My buddy said I should have just repiped the whole line from the street. Has anyone else dealt with slab leaks in these old Everett homes from the 60s?

Paid $300 for a backyard sprinkler system install and it was a total waste

I hired a guy off Craigslist last spring to put in a basic sprinkler system for my lawn in Everett. He charged me $300 cash and promised it would save me time hauling hoses around. First week it worked fine, but after that the heads started popping up crooked and one zone just stopped working. Turns out he used cheap PVC that cracked under the soil pressure and didn't even put in a backflow preventer. Now I gotta rip it all out and either do it myself or pay a real contractor triple that. Has anyone else gotten burned by a cheap backyard job like this?

That old timer at the Everett farmers market gave me bad advice about rhododendrons

Back in 2018, a retired landscaper named Bill told me to prune my rhododendrons in early spring instead of after they bloom. I followed his advice and lost almost all the flower buds for two years straight. Has anyone else gotten confidently wrong advice from a stranger that set them back?

Almost got locked out of my storage unit on Broadway last week

I keep a few extra tools and some furniture at that Storage King on Broadway. Last Thursday I went to grab my winter gear and the keypad for the gate was showing an error code I had never seen before. The office was already closed at 6 PM so I could not get help. I was stuck inside for like 25 minutes until a guy with a code from the 24 hour access list let me out. Now I always check the gate before I go in and I saved the emergency number to my phone. Has anyone else had trouble with those keypads at Broadway Storage or am I just unlucky?

Switched from a library card to a coffee shop membership and saved $40 a month on Everett community events

I was always hitting up the local library downtown for wifi and space to plan our block party stuff, but it got so crowded after school let out. Then I tried a $5 monthly coffee shop deal near Broadway, and wow, what a difference. No kids running around, free refills, and the staff actually remembered my name. But after three months I realized I was spending $15 on drinks I didn't even want. So I went back to the library but got a reserved study room card for free, and now I save $40 monthly. The library also has better community bulletin boards for posting about our cleanup days. Plus the quiet means I can actually get stuff done in half the time. Has anyone else found a good spot in Everett that beats both options?

Sidewalk replacement on Grand Ave - went from patchwork to smooth in 3 months... but at what cost?

The city finally tore up those cracked slabs along Grand near the library back in April and laid brand new concrete by July, looked great for about two weeks. Now I'm seeing fresh cracks near the expansion joints and the drainage slopes feel off, like water pools instead of running to the curb. Did the contractor cut corners on the base prep or is this just normal settling for new concrete in the Pacific Northwest?

Vent: Worst Tuesday I've had in years at the community garden

Someone dumped a full bag of concrete mix into the compost bin on Monday night. Now the whole pile is ruined and we have to start over from scratch. Has anyone else dealt with vandalism like this at their local garden?

Walked into the new coffee shop on 41st and noticed the barista had no idea how to steam oat milk properly

She burned it twice in a row and then just poured it in the cup anyway, has anyone else had bad service at a spot that just opened up?

Had the best week of my summer last July, then the worst weekend I've had in years

I finally listened when a neighbor said my lawn watering schedule was off

This guy named Dave told me I was watering at noon and it was just evaporating, so I switched to 6 AM. After 3 weeks, my grass actually turned green instead of that crispy yellow. Has anyone else had a random piece of advice totally change their yard game?

Overheard a city planner at the library mention the '5-minute walk' idea for Everett

She said if you can't get to a park or store in five minutes on foot, the neighborhood plan has failed. Made me look at my own block totally differently, honestly. What's the furthest you have to walk for something basic?

The old Everett library branch closed its doors last week

I was there on Tuesday, the final day, and it felt so quiet. Three years ago, my son and I went every Saturday morning for story time in that same corner room. Last month, they started boxing up the books, and the building just emptied out. Has anyone heard what they're planning to put in that space on Evergreen Way?

Pro tip: Check the Everett Parks website before you head out for a walk

I drove all the way to Forest Park last weekend only to find the main trail closed for maintenance, which wasted my whole morning. It took me about 45 minutes of searching the city's site to realize they post all closures and updates there. Anyone know if the Silver Lake loop is open this week?

Just realized I've been to 50 different Everett parks in the last two years

I started a little personal challenge to walk a new park each week after I moved here. I kept a list in my phone notes. Hit number 50 yesterday at Forest Park, which was the first one I ever visited. It's wild because I didn't set out to hit a number, it just happened from trying to get outside more. I feel like I know the city so much better now, from the big ones like Howarth to the tiny neighborhood spots. Has anyone else done something like this and found a hidden gem I might have missed?

Spent $300 on a new water meter for my old house and I'm split on if it was worth it

My bill was always way too high, so I paid a plumber to swap out the old meter last month. The new digital one showed a tiny leak in a toilet valve I never knew about. Fixing that saved me about $40 a month, so it'll pay for itself. But my buddy says I could have just done a basic leak check myself for free. Did I waste cash on a fancy fix, or was the upfront cost smart for the long run?

I finally checked out the new Everett library makerspace and it was way more than I expected

I went in thinking I'd just see a 3D printer, but they have a full sound booth and a vinyl cutter too. Has anyone else used their equipment, and what did you make?

DAE remember trying to find the Everett library before they put up the new signs on Hoyt?

I used to wander around that block for 15 minutes every time, but after they added those bright blue markers last fall, I can walk straight there from the bus stop without a second thought, so has anyone found another local spot that's gotten way easier to navigate recently?

TIL a neighbor's story about the old Everett library

I was chatting with Mrs. Wilson, who's lived here since the 70s, and she mentioned how the original library on Hoyt was the only place with AC in the summer. It made me realize how much our shared spaces shape a town's memory. What's a local spot from Everett's past that you think we should remember?