Life in a small town - it doesn't get much cozier than this.

Woo Hoo! Pajamas and Breakfast all day!

Mukilteo Coffee Roasters invites you to the Cafe in the Woods New Years Day from 9-3. Wear your pajamas and maybe win a prize!!!

Arriving in a bunny slipper car would be the ultimate.
Photo of pink bunny slippers is from the Tesla Motors blog.

Hidden in plain sight - Nortwest Hub mentioned The Highlands and we missed it!

Usually we're on top of anything that's being said about The Highlands, but way back in August Northwest Hub mentioned us in an article about green building on a budget, More Green For Less Green, but we just learned about it.

The house mentioned in the article - the 99K house - was used as the basis for the design of the Live/Work Studios that will be built on the commons.
The Highlands version is slightly different from the one that won the competition. The deck was moved to the end overlooking the commons and the buyer has the option of opening the lower level as a garage or studio.

Here's what the commons looks like now. The grassy area is approximately the location of the central paved area known as the Piazza.

Another holiday syndrome - PHW

The folks at Inhabitat have identified another holiday related syndrome - Post Holiday Waste, the condition we fall into when trying to decide what to do with the mountain of wrapping and packaging we're left with after the gift tsunami.

At my house this could also be called Post Holiday Waist. The two are often related, as we seem to give each other an awful lot of food and candy gifts.

Either way, here are some tips for dealing with the leftover paper, tree, unwanted gifts or items being replaced.

Combined Sewer Overflow Angst - There'll be none of that at The Highlands

This ... Or this?

Sometimes we have a choice. (storm drain photo from Sightline Daily)

While not very appealing to read, this article about the issues the city of Seattle is dealing with regarding storm water graphically illustrates one of the main reasons The Highlands was developed using Low Impact Development methods.

The same amount of rain falls on the ground at The Highlands as any other property in the Langley area. But in this neighborhood that water soaks into the ground, either naturally due to large areas of native forest, or by way of the rain gardens that receive run off from the roofs of the homes.

Last May The City of Langley passed a storm water plan. The retrofits to city systems are going to be expensive. Because The Highlands was originally built using methods that effectively deal with storm water on site, the city won't have to include the neighborhood in the project.

Here's a video of a newly installed rain garden at one of the cottages in Snowberry Close.

Native Plants, they grow on you

Native plants are the backbone of landscape at The Highlands. The towering heritage firs and cedars that provide the backdrop for the neighborhood are protected by a tree preservation plan.

The understory of fern, salal, Oregon grape and evergreen huckleberry preserves wildlife corridors.

Even our model homes are decorated with wildflowers whenever possible.

The annual Whidbey Conservation District plant sale makes it easy and affordable to landscape with natives.

The Whidbey Island Conservation District is taking pre-orders now through January 30 on a beautiful assortment of Western Washington native plants. The plants are one to two years old, average in height from 8” to 36” and are bare root. Some varieties are sold as plugs or in 3.5” pots. Most plants are sold in bundles of five, and are priced very reasonably.

To receive a complete plant list and order form, contact WICD by phone, 360-678-4708, or email, sandy@whidbeycd.org. You may also download a list and order form by going to the WICD web site: www.whidbeycd.org and follow the Plant Sale link under WICD Programs.

Pick up for all confirmed orders will occur on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at Greenbank Farm, just in time for pre-spring planting!

Order soon as stock is limited.

Breaking frozen ground for two new cottages

Today the ground thawed just enough for workers to pound in the stakes that define the layout of the Finch and Goldfinch cottages.