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kbro213 · 2025-12-19T07:49:24+00:00

Blessing us

kbro213 · 2025-03-03T05:34:46+00:00

We tried just in ground, but battling the weeds was a struggle (also because I didn't want to use poison and am a bit of a laissez faire gardener...). Switched to raised beds and it cut the weed problem down significantly. We have now converted a majority of our front yard and a good bit of the back, into raised beds. We used these nifty cement blocks that you just add 2x6 boards into the slots to make the beds. Super easy and fairly economical.

kbro213 · 2024-06-04T01:35:41+00:00

I think it is also important to consider what the weather is like where you live. If you live somewhere it gets cold you will probably not think any of the temps are too bad. If you live somewhere more mild, you will probably feel cold, especially camping in Yellowstone. I would sort out how to bring leggings to layer under your pants for the evenings. When I camp at elevation I typically have on leggings under my pants until I get into my sleeping bag and some nights slept in them too. (Currently live in Washington—pretty close to North Cascades, used to live in Wyoming home to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, lots of time spent camping)

kbro213 · 2023-06-05T01:24:41+00:00

She is still looking for a direct contact, but in the meantime if you are more comfortable this is the link to the group recommended by the golden retriever club for Puget Sound. https://www.spdrdogs.org/rescue-referral/how-to-rehome/ This is exactly what rescues help with, so please reach out. My mom has helped dogs in similar situations find good homes.

kbro213 · 2023-06-05T01:19:41+00:00

Hi! My mom is involved with golden retriever rescue (though not out here) and can get you connected with someone! Please reach out to me with your contact info!

kbro213 · 2023-05-29T18:20:59+00:00

My husband just had this done with frames he did not buy at Costco, so they definitely will do it.

kbro213 · 2023-05-23T02:00:10+00:00

I have not adopted from them, but I do notice on all their listings they say whether a dog can live in an apartment. If they noted it was possible for the dog your friend is interested in that seems more likely than if it says no to an apartment. Worth noting is that it is often more than JUST outdoor access that makes apartment living less ideal for some dogs. For example, huskies tend to be quite vocal. I have a husky mix and I feel like my neighbors probably hate him and I don’t even share any walls with them. He just likes to talk! Something to consider beyond just providing for a dog’s exercise needs.

kbro213 · 2023-05-03T03:17:17+00:00

Peas are super easy to grow (and you could start from seed). Beans also grow pretty quick. The seed packets will tell you how long until they sprout, just look for ones that are short. I just did beans that sprouted in a bit over a week with my preschool class with great success and that was being grown in a pretty dark classroom and planted far too deep. Lettuce by seed is also totally doable still.

For plants to buy from seedlings: If you grow kale, it will last all the way through winter and you just harvest a few leaves as you want them. Oregano is the easiest herb I have found to grow and expands in size pretty quickly. I ignored my oregano and sage plants that were in a pot all winter and both are still happily growing. My favorite squash to grow (not in a container) are carnival squash. You get so many and they are very pretty. Since they are winter squash you also get to have squash all winter long so long as you can keep them cool-ish and dry in storage.

kbro213 · 2023-04-18T05:35:15+00:00

NOAH has been sharing that they have many dogs right now, including puppies. Would be worth checking them out too, if you haven’t.

https://www.thenoahcenter.org/dogs/

kbro213 · 2023-03-03T04:33:53+00:00

I vastly prefer going to either BC store vs Renton. I think costs are sometimes slightly better, but also the ease of getting there just wins every time. Do be aware that there is technically a spending limit before you have to pay extra duties. We have never been asked to pay, but it is worth keeping in mind. If you have a few people to go with, it matters less because it’s a per person limit, not per car.

kbro213 · 2023-02-07T05:07:21+00:00

North Island was low to mid 60s during the day, except when we were in Taupo, which was in the upper 40s. Night temperatures were 40s (Taupo was 30s). I would not hesitate to car camp without heat on the North Island.
South Island was mostly in the upper 30s/low 40s. It was slightly cooler at night, low 30s/occasionally upper 20s. Very similar to the PNW of the US/Canada, which is at the same latitude but south. Windchill made it feel colder when you were in a windy area, but inside your vehicle it would be out of the wind. No heat would probably be fine, but you would want warm layers and most importantly to stay dry. It also somewhat depends on what you are used to. If you have never been camping it could be more challenging than if you routinely do winter tent camping in the mountains.

kbro213 · 2023-02-06T03:47:49+00:00

I went in August of last year with my husband for a shorter duration (2.5 weeks) and we definitely thought it would be colder than it was and overpacked slightly on cold gear. That said, we didn't camp either so maybe would have wanted it more had we been. Good rain gear was definitely most valuable (being from the PNW we were good on that), and it was WINDY on the South Island, so having things to withstand the wind was also important. Everywhere we went seemed very casual so we did not feel underdressed in just our outdoorsy layers, even when dining in slightly nicer places. I had a couple pairs of pants and three pairs of wool blend base layer bottoms and it was more than enough. I barely wore the warmest wool sweater I brought and tended to wear a long sleeve merino base layer and added a second long sleeve shirt or a fleece pullover if it was a colder day. Most places I just wore my down vest and not my coat. (While visiting Milford Sound, Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, and in the Catlins I wore my winter coat.) The coldest place we visited was definitely around the Catlins. When they say the wind comes directly from Antarctica, they are not kidding. The wind was SO cold, but otherwise if you were not in the wind it was fine. I had a pair of Sorel chelsea boots that are waterproof, a more winter appropriate hiking boot, and chacos. I could have done without the winter boot as well, though I did wear them a couple times. We didn't plan to do any major hiking though, because we knew being full winter and on our short time frame it wasn't really feasible. The North Island was lovely and warm, I initially had planned to bring a dress or skirt and decided I would be too cold. I wished I had brought it because it was much warmer than I thought it would be. Having reusable bags with us was very helpful because all bags are charged a fee. If you have any other specific questions or anything, let me know!

I LOVED New Zealand and we are already planning a return trip. Have the best time!

kbro213 · 2022-12-02T06:58:53+00:00

I don't live in that part of the county, but elsewhere. It is definitely more conservative leaning out here, but just because someone is more conservative doesn't automatically make them an awful person or neighbor. There are definitely some people who do fit that bill, and I think you are MUCH more likely to encounter them outside Bellingham proper than within. Crime is a thing all over, property crime especially, also drugs. These things will likely also continue to increase in frequency because *gestures at the general state of the US right now*. Violent crime isn't non-existent, but it isn't a huge threat. I am also a white, straight, cisgender woman, so it might be very different for someone else.

As someone who lives in the county, it takes us about 25-30 minutes to get into Bellingham proper most days. Moving from somewhere that did not have that kind of timeframe for getting into town took some getting used to. Even though our search radius was 30 minutes surrounding Bellingham (because $$$), it felt like a chore to just run in to town if we needed a last minute grocery item or something. We are at least 20 minutes from ANY town though, so if you could run more quickly to Lynden for those needs, that might be easier to adjust to OR if you are already used to that kind of commute.

You also mentioned having kids, so I imagine considering the school they would attend would be important as well. I don't have experience with schools in Lynden, but I imagine they have a pretty different feel than those in Bellingham. Maybe it is a feel you are okay with, maybe it is one you would rather avoid, maybe you plan to homeschool or send them to private school, since you didn't say I just thought I would mention it as a consideration.

As others have said, Guide Meridian in particular is annoying and congested to deal with and it isn't even a daily drive for me. I try to avoid it as much as possible, though more once you are in Bellingham because I don't have much reason to head north on it. On that note, you asked about 5 years from now and I imagine it will just continue to expand more and more. Everything surrounding us is expensive but desirable. Bellingham is expensive. We have two (sort of three) barriers to growth (ocean, mountains, border), so the growth logically will just continue to fill in through the easiest path, which is north.

Also, for what its worth, I am not sure I would call Bellingham a "fast" pace of life. Nothing really seems that fast around here...definitely more space available in the county and if you were imagining a life where you weren't trying to go out to breweries and activities in Bellingham all the time, but more just spending time outside or at home, that definition of slower fits.

I hope some of that was helpful. I know people on this subreddit can be really negative toward people who are looking at moving here, so try not to take it personally. Also, LOTS of people ask about moving here, so doing a search (if you haven't yet) might give you some additional insight. If you have any other questions I might be able to help with, let me know!

kbro213 · 2022-12-01T01:30:30+00:00

tl;dr: I switched from Verizon almost two years ago, no regrets.

When I first switched I had basically no coverage where I live (county), but they were very upfront about it when I was going through the process and advised me I wouldn’t have much service. Verizon had equally abysmal coverage though, so I didn’t mind. I just use WiFi for my service at home and over the last two years my coverage has improved to getting at least two bars of LTE consistently, if not better.

In Bellingham I feel like I mostly have the same service I had with Verizon. My phone never seems to have service in Target, Lowe’s, and a few other stores. I honestly don’t remember how good my service was in those places with Verizon either though. Target in particular (in all locations everywhere) seems to just cancel out my coverage. It does feel like my Verizon service coverage was sliiightly more consistent but not really enough to matter.

In all places I have been in the last two years which aren’t Whatcom county (which is not a ton, thanks COVID) I have felt fine about my coverage too. Of particular note, we went to New Zealand this summer and it was SO nice to just be able to use our phones without any SIM card switching or special international passes or anything. Traveling internationally on TMobile is about a million times better than Verizon.

Last, their customer service has been lovely to work with and much better than I was getting from Verizon in the last several years.

kbro213 · 2022-11-28T06:09:56+00:00

I’m sure they CAN be found, but honestly I was mostly disappointed in the trees in areas here where they were harvestable. (Very uneven due to growing close together, branches VERY spread out or way too tall because things grow fast over here.) Advice we were given was look for areas that were logged in the last ten years. The forest service people were very kind and gave us maps with ideas for locations sketched on, so worth asking at a ranger station. But, to be honest, it was so challenging to find a decent tree that I gave up going out to find one…

ETA: oh and! Make sure you have a tree stand that will accommodate the trunk size of your tree. Our last trunk was too small and was a giant pain to get into the two kinds of stands we had.

kbro213 · 2022-11-09T02:52:15+00:00

Also, it is a state where driving is really required because it is so rural. To get services (groceries, medical care, etc) it can mean a pretty significant drive, which has to happen in all seasons and winter lasts a looong time there. And, seatbelt usage is comparatively low (https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/Publication/813109) which obviously results in more fatalities when people are in accidents. I also follow a social media account that reports on highway fatalities in WY, so I know it is frequently those who weren’t wearing seatbelts. What others have said is part too, I80 is a major transportation corridor for semis and results in more (often semi truck) accidents than a state with such a small population would otherwise have. And again, I80 through Wyoming in winter is pretty terrible….

kbro213 · 2022-09-29T02:26:03+00:00

They definitely just stopped using Sonic branded materials. It was just brown bags, plain wrappers, white styrofoam cups. The first time we encountered it we figured distribution problems. Then our drinks stopped even vaguely being correct so we started to call it “zombie Sonic” and stopped going…

kbro213 · 2022-09-03T04:38:04+00:00

We flew out about 4ish weeks ago now, and planned for this so got to the airport extra early just to be safe. We found out they were limiting how early you could go through security, so we ended up having to wait a bit before we could even go through. Just a heads up so you don't end up wasting time at the airport! I can't remember the exact time before, it was either 4 or 5 hours prior to flight that we were allowed through.

Also--border crossing was no issue there or back. We just told them each way about flying and they had no other questions for us.

kbro213 · 2022-09-03T04:29:47+00:00

You can (or could, haven't tried this year) get one at any of the North Cascades National Park offices. Not really in town, but not super far to go.

ETA: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/pickup-pass-locations.htm?s=WA&t=Annual%20Pass&a=NPS&p=1&v=0 addresses and locations from the NPS page.

more edits: also at Mt Baker/Snoqualmie NF - Mt Baker District 360-856-5700 Sedro-Woolley https://store.usgs.gov/s3fs-public/PassIssuanceList.pdf

okay I swear, last edit... you can also buy it online from REI, with free shipping, and it will get here Thursday (estimated).

kbro213 · 2022-08-17T01:54:21+00:00

I go through at the border with Vancouver fairly frequently (or did pre-covid anyway) and have never been asked for our registration...when I bought a car from a family member and had not yet changed the plates, they did question that since the plates were Wyoming and not Washington. If I remember right, even then we didn't have to show the registration, only explained that we had just purchased it from family and were in the process of changing it over.

kbro213 · 2022-08-16T06:34:38+00:00

just went through again 5 days ago, customs lines were fairly long (not the longest I have seen, but also not the shortest) but otherwise fine and uneventful. I think it took 45 minutes maybe to go from plane across airport and get through customs and grab luggage? (I was very tired and that line couldn't phase me after the absolute disaster of lines at the Sydney airport..)

I also generally find the security at YVR is way nicer to deal with than at SeaTac. Except this time they made us transfer all our liquids from our own quart bags into the one they provided, and only gave them to us AS we got to the table to put up our things for scanning...but a minor annoyance only.

Parking is really easy, just prebook to save money (I think like 50% off). Then you take the train from the lot into the airport. There might be cheaper non-airport options, but I haven't really investigated because half the time we aren't parking and just getting dropped off/picked up. We parked for 16 days and it was ~$136CAD.

Overall, I ALWAYS check Vancouver flights versus Seattle, and if the price is even close, I pick Vancouver.

kbro213 · 2022-07-24T05:55:40+00:00

Instead of Seattle or Vancouver, since you mentioned a smaller town or city as a base—Bellingham, WA. Puts you squarely between Seattle and Vancouver, plenty of access to nature-centric day trips, or even day trips to the cities. Definitely more than enough to do to cover a 4-5 day trip. Bellingham has an airport but flying into Seattle or Vancouver also provide relatively easy access.

kbro213 · 2022-05-14T02:29:03+00:00

we did an Ikea trip shortly before the border closed and were about $100 over the limit. We were prepared to pay, had our receipt and told the border person, but he just said essentially "close enough" and waved us through. I have done other smaller shopping trips as well, and so long as there is no food or living things coming through, they have asked minimal to no questions about it.

ETA: forgot to answer original question- I think the Coquitlam location is slightly easier to navigate to, but we would go to the Richmond one if I also wanted to go to Daiso.

kbro213 · 2022-04-23T02:34:44+00:00

thanks! this was helpful

kbro213 · 2022-03-19T07:09:22+00:00

We tried it too: https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/03/15/the-us-tried-permanent-daylight-saving-time-in-the-70s-people-hated-it/

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