Helen Russell wears a tiara at her 100th birthday party in November, and enjoys the quilt made and presented as a gift to commemorate the milestone. — Photo contributed

Helen Russell has accomplished a lot in her life. After all, she’s been around for a century.

Russell celebrated her 100th birthday Nov. 22. It was a day she won’t ever forget.

“My daughter-in-law threw a party to end all parties,” Helen said of Judy Russell, wife of her younger son Alan. “She took an 80-year-old address book and started writing invitations.

“If you want a party, get Judy.”

There were more than 100 people who came to help her celebrate her birthday, including her three granddaughters and three great-grandchildren.

Cousins, friends, family and neighbors came, said her older son, Mac Russell.

“It didn’t last long enough,” he said. “There were too many people who hadn’t seen her, or we hadn’t seen, in 20 years.”

Her birthday was certainly a sight to behold, she said. But of all the things that Helen said she has been most blessed to witness, it was the end of World War I that has stayed with her the most.

“When we heard the war was over, we went to the yard that had a flag pole and saluted the flag,” she said.

A rocky start

To reach 100, Helen has had to weather her fair share of lumps, bumps and bruises, she said.

Her father left when she was only 12, leaving her to help her mother raise her sister and brother and attend college at the University of Washington.

“I admire the fact she worked her way through college without her father and family help,” Mac Russell said. “Her mother was a single mom and she was very, very strict and she pushed and pushed those kids — especially my mom, being the oldest.”

But a month prior to her graduation, Helen recalls, Black Monday struck Wall Street and the Great Depression began.

After interviewing for endless jobs and taking any part-time work — even serving dinner for a night at a socialite’s home — Helen finally found a stable job in 1934. The worst part was it paid two-thirds of what she had been making in college, without her degree.

In 1936, she married a Scottish soccer player, James MacFarland Russell.

“He was a good man and he was just cute,” she said, smiling at the thought of her husband of 48 years. “Like Gregory Peck.”

They had two sons, Mac, born in 1936, and Alan, born in 1943.

It was a struggle for the family, even after the Depression ended. James spent the majority of their life together afflicted with polio, leaving Helen to care for the two boys and work at Boeing “shuffling papers” in engineering, she said. James died in 1984.

When she could, she would travel to Europe, Asia and Russia, but her favorite place in the world is Seattle.

She also developed a keen interest in local politics while living in West Seattle and helped Jim Ellis, founder of the Forward Thrust campaign in the late ’60s, push the area’s most aggressive transit and recreational facilities ballot measure in the county.

“I was putting up signs, gathering signatures for the petition and pounding on doors,” she said. “He was my god and I worked like a dog on that campaign.”

Stepping into high gear

Though her early life was hard, “the last part of it has been the best part, because I haven’t been sick and I’ve never had so many honors heaped on me,” she said.

In 2007, she was awarded with an athletic letter from the University of Washington as one of the first women baseball players to participate in college athletics in the school’s history. Helen Russell was given the letter along with nearly 200 other female athletes, of which she was the oldest at 97.

Her affiliation with the university has been lifelong, Judy Russell said.

“She has always kept learning new things,” she said. “Even though she’d graduated, she has kept going back there to learn about new things and more things by taking classes.

“I think that is what has kept her going,” her thirst for knowledge, she added.

Helen Russell has also been awarded with several honors in the world of haiku literature.

The biggest challenge today, “is being blind and almost deaf,” she said. “When you’re blind, you’re cut off.

“I try to keep my mind occupied and my biggest pleasure is writing haiku.”

She began writing haiku poetry with the Vashon Island Mondays at Three haiku group, but has been a member with Haiku Northwest since moving to the Eastside.

“She is well-loved among our group,” said Tanya McDonald, president of Haiku Northwest. “She tries to come to every meeting and she writes some incredibly insightful haiku that really captures the breadth of her life and the changes she’s seen.

“She has a very unique perspective that she brings to the group and we admire her a great deal.”

Her friends in both groups have published a book of her work, called “Distant Sounds,” a collection of her best work. For the book, Helen Russell won the Haiku Society of American’s 2009 Mildred Kanterman Memorial Merit Book Award.

Looking back

Helen said there is one thing she would re-do in her life, if she could.

“I would have been a better mother,” she said.

Mac Russell said he wished they had spent more time as a family together, too, but that was the way things were then.

“She didn’t have a lot of time. My dad had polio and she had to work, so there was not a lot of time for the family,” he said. “But back in those times, kids took care of themselves.”

It did make him a stronger person, he said, now the owner of a successful business.

Mac Russell said he admires his mother for what she’s been through and her mental toughness.

“She doesn’t let her emotions carry her away,” he said. “She doesn’t let them dictate the decisions she’s made.”

With that fortitude, Helen has survived a century. When the chips were down and life dealt her bad hands, it was her dreams that kept her going.

“When my life was hell, until lately, I always tried to follow my dreams,” she said. “That has paid off, but it took a long time. I don’t want to tell others they have to work their whole life to have them pay off, but I would say follow your dreams no matter what.”

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241 or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Tara Goans and Kyle Geib

Tara Goans, of Issaquah, and Kyle Geib, of Renton, recently announced their engagement to be married March 12, 2010.

The couple plans a wedding at the Del Coronado Hotel in San Diego, Calif.

The bride to be, a 2005 graduate of Bellevue High School, is the daughter of Michelle and Ron Goans, of Issaquah. She works at Sares Regis group.

The future groom, a graduate of Foster High School in Federal Way, is the son of Debbie and Bill Geib, of Renton. He was recently promoted to staff sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.

Robert de Michele

John de Michele and Dianne Nagasaka are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Robert Kenro de Michele, on Feb. 17, 2010.He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and is 19 inches long.

Robert joins sister Aiko de Michele.

Grandparents are Barbara de Michele, of Issaquah, Robert and Liz de Michele, of Issaquah, and Chieko and Kenro Nagasaka, of Scarborough, Ontario.

John de Michele graduated from Issaquah High School in 1990.

The 10-week program begins in April and continues into June, before newly graduated members start their own projects in July. Covering five different regions, The Washington Native Plant Society is expecting to recruit 40 volunteers for its 2010 program, with a group of four to five working extensively on Berntsen Park.

Deborah Gurney, who will oversee the program as stewardship coordinator, explained that volunteers will have the opportunity to receive free expert training in exchange for time spent restoring native ecosystems.

“The goal is that individuals will get 100 free hours of training, and they return 100 hours of volunteerism back into their community, as well as the Washington Native Plant Society, within one year,” she said.

“A lot of it is class training,” said Carolle Foucault, who graduated from the stewardship program last year and is working on restoring Berntsen Park’s northern region near Issaquah Creek. “We had a lot of speakers on different subjects: restoration, identifying invasive plants, identifying native plants. A lot of people doing the program are not necessarily experienced.”

While experience isn’t required, Gurney hopes for applicants who show enthusiasm for the environment, and a well being for their community.

“We seek individuals who are interested in preserving and restoring native plants of Washington, and who can be community leaders in this area,” she said.

City Parks Planner Margaret Macleod said that size and park status were the main reasons behind choosing Berntsen Park for the project.

“When we first started discussing the program with the Washington Native Plant Society, they suggested each jurisdiction designate an area that would benefit from restoration,” she said.

“We didn’t want a really large open space area, because that might be too overwhelming. Berntsen Park was just the perfect size to have restoration,” she added. “The city of Issaquah had purchased Berntsen Park a few years back, and we knew that the riparian corridor had a lot of invasive plants.”

These invasive plants include wild blackberry and Japanese knotweed, which can prohibit regeneration of native vegetation. In turn, wildlife near Issaquah Creek, such as chinook and coho salmon, could suffer without proper plant removal.

With sights set on restoring and preserving the wildlife habitat at Berntsen Park, Gurney hopes applicants realize the importance of participating in this program.

“The goal is that graduates become lifelong stewards, and they will develop either a sense of place at the site they are starting to restore, or move on to another location within their city’s natural areas to help continue that cycle of preserving forests and native plants,” she said.

Edwin Ortiz is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.

David Stanford and Kati Shelton

Kati Shelton and David Stanford, both of Maple Valley, recently announced their engagement to be married July 3, 2010, at the East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue.The bride to be, a 2001 graduate of Issaquah High School, is the daughter of Donald and Barbara Shelton, of Issaquah. An undergraduate student, she is a paraeducator and boys swim coach at Tahoma High School.

The future groom, a 1998 graduate of Tahoma High School, is the son of David and Denise Stanford, of Maple Valley. Having earned a mathematics degree in 2005 from the University of Washington, he is studyi

When the economy is bad and work seems either unbearable, or you don’t even have a job, you start to look around for other things to try. Garden maintenance is still a viable business. It didn’t crash with the rest of the economy. In addition, it could possibly be the path to a more fulfilling career.

In my opinion, the difference between a successful garden and an unsuccessful one lies as much in its maintenance as in the planning. I see people who love flowers with beautiful flower gardens that would be impossible to design on a piece of paper — designs that are completed in place rather than pre-planned. After all, cottage gardens are not planned, and they have a wonderful, spontaneous feeling that everybody loves. Maintenance trumps design in these gardens.

If you are interested in becoming a garden designer, try maintaining yards or landscapes for a couple of years first. You will learn very fast this way. It is more difficult to learn gardening in a classroom. One problem is that books and catalogues showing pictures of plants always show them in bloom, at their peak in appearance. Some plants are downright ugly during their down time, but if you are not familiar with it, you wouldn’t know that. Off-season appearance is a major concern for a designer.

If you are buying and choosing perennials for a border, they may look fine the first year. If not divided, deadheaded, weeded and cut back properly, they could look very bad the second year. Follow-up is necessary, and you can’t follow up sitting at a drawing board or computer.

Mistakes are often made regarding soil and exposure. There are many plants that like dry shade — mostly natives. Others thrive in damp/sun, dry/sun or perhaps wet/shade, but it is important that you understand what conditions plants need.

Exposure in our climate is confusing, because our weak sunlight with low heat levels is more like a shady condition in California or back East. You need to compensate for the difference, and seeing it in the field is best.

Some plants are easy and can take many exposures and soil types. For large, framework-type plants, use these if you are unsure. But remember, you are very limited in your choices if you don’t take the time to learn about the conditions on the site and the requirements of the plants.

It’s a bad economy. If you love plants and landscapes, maybe it’s time for a career change. Learn all you can, install and maintain plantings through a few seasons, don’t oversell your experience, suggest design solutions and be sure to follow up in the field.

Do this, and who knows? You might be our next great garden designer.

Jane Garrison is a local landscape architect and master gardener who gardens in glacial till on the plateau.

Tatianna Neidhamer

Issaquah resident graduates from Air Force boot campAir Force Airman Tatianna Neidhamer recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

Neidhamer completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Neidhamer is the daughter of Tanya Hopeau, of Hilo, Hawaii, and granddaughter of Audrey Esteb, of Issaquah.

Neidhamer is a 2007 graduate of Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Campus, Keaau, Hawaii.

VonEmma and Rueben Wagner in 1960

Wagners celebrate 50th anniversary

Rueben and VonEmma Wagner celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on March 6, 2010, in Kauai, Hawaii.Rueben and VonEmma met in Scottsbluff, Neb., while still in high school. VonEmma was born and raised in Scottsbluff, while Reuben was raised in Gering, Neb., just a short distance away.

On March 6, 1960, shortly after graduating from high school, they were married and made their home in Scottsbluff.

In 1963, they started their family when daughter Shelly Dawn was born. Two years later, they had son Jason Richard.After visiting family in the Seattle area and seeing the opportunity for employment, along with several other reasons, they decided to make the move to the Northwest. In 1970, they left Scottsbluff for the small town of Issaquah.

Rueben and VonEmma Wagner in 2010

Rueben and VonEmma both enjoyed long working careers — Rueben spent 30 years with the Totem Foods Co. while VonEmma spent 25 years with The Boeing Co. Both have been retired for several years and they enjoy trips to Arizona every winter.

When home in Issaquah, they enjoy gardening and spending time with their family, which now includes three grandchildren.

For a $40 entry free, which includes your “funny money,” you’ll be able to bet your luck against the house and raise money to help finish Linda Beckvold’s Habitat Home in North Bend, said Jodi Marmion, a spokeswoman for Habitat for Humanity.

“Linda Beckvold exemplifies the model Habitat family, through her willingness to learn, her willingness to share and the ability to do it all with a smile,” said Andrea Parsek, Family Services Associate and AmeriCorps team member.

Beckvold has been a resident of King County for more than 20 years and has a 12-year-old daughter, Michelle, who will live in the two-bedroom house with her. She also has two grown daughters who live in the area.

Beckvold was selected for the Habitat Home, in the Koinonia Ridge development in North Bend, in December.

After leaving a domestic violence relationship, Beckvold has spent the past decade giving back to the community that helped keep her safe.

Homeless in 2002, she found Mamma’s Hands House of Hope and planned to stay there until she could get on her feet and support her daughter. Instead, she found herself employed as a mentor and shelter caretaker for the next five years, helping other women transition out of abusive relationships.

Today, she works as a shuttle driver for Mt. Si Senior Center’s Snoqualmie Valley Transportation, which provides door-to-door service for residents. In the past year, she’s also volunteered her time with Habitat for Humanity for another woman who received a house.

For the home, Habitat for Humanity of East King County was given $73,000, or 65 percent of the cost to build it.

The remainder, Marmion said, she hopes will be raised locally through casino night.

The casino night also features a silent auction, featuring items like a vacation to Whistler and Blackcomb mountains in British Columbia, and two Alaska Airlines tickets to any destination you choose that they fly to.

The No Jive Five band will also perform at the event.

If you go

‘Everyone’s a Winner’ casino night 46 p.m. March 13

Pickering Barn, 1730 10th Ave. N.W.

$40 in advance; $50 at the door

Tickets include appetizers and drinks.

www.habitatekc.org

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Spring, usually a rainy season in Issaquah, is the perfect opportunity to affordably spruce up your indoors when you don’t feel like heading outdoors yet. It can also keep you from feeling drab before summer begins.

“It is important to work with color within your home because of how much it can change a home in a very affordable way,” said Carrie Jayne, an Issaquah resident and owner of Carrie Jayne Designs. Color “can affect the look of your home by changing both the mood and the style of your home.”

Bringing the color of the outdoors inside is a great way to enhance your indoor space, Milton said.

For instance, if you like the color of the tree outside your window as the light shines through it, re-create it as a color on an accent wall in your home.

For a recent larger remodel, Milton helped the owners of a contemporary Japanese-inspired house pull in the tones of water around them to create a Zen-like bathroom.

“The owners enjoyed the color of the water and all the different changes in the water color, like the grayer tones in the winter and in spring and summer, the more vibrant blue and greens,’” Milton said. “We started with what made them most happy and then brought those colors in and brought in natural round stones, and natural hard surfaces that gave it a lot more depth and created the space.”

Bringing in color is not as tricky as you’d imagine; it is really based on your personal preference for a color.

To inspire creativity, try neutral yellows, oranges, blues and grays. For louder colors that command attention, try bolder yellows and reds, Jayne said. If you want to create a moody atmosphere, try deep muted colors like blues, plums, grays and greens.

To play up the color, add a sheen finish to the paint. To play it down, use a matte finish. If you want to pull electricity and energy into a room, like a kitchen, Milton said, think about using a metallic finish.

Metallic is something Milton uses a lot in her commercial restaurant projects because of its energetic properties, she said. But she also used a metallic neutral tone to accent her own kitchen.

“You want people to walk into a space where they feel the electricity and the energy in it,” she said. In my kitchen “it made the stainless steel appliances just glow and it was a nice accent against them.”

With color, moderation is key, though, she added.

“Typically you wouldn’t use color throughout the space, you would use them to accent something in a room or a wall with a piece of furniture you want to accent,” she said. “You can take that wall and make it feel like more than just a flat surface with color.”

If you have a wall you pass by all the time, like at the front entry or down a hallway you see all the time, try adding a splash of color and see how it affects your mood, she said.

When Jayne does a consultation for color she said, she also starts with the main living areas to make color statements in the front entry, the kitchen and the dining room. After creating an even flow of color there, she’ll look for other areas to add unique colors to, like an architecturally unique wall with angles or curves, that can enhance it’s inherent interest to the eye.

Other easy improvements include making over your furniture or scaling it to the size of the room, Milton said.

“You can change the feel of your home with the layout of the furniture or the scale of it,” she said.

If you’re looking for a larger upgrade, you can do it yourself, Milton and Jayne said.

Just plan ahead. Think about what you’ll need, the colors you want and how it will tie into the room ahead of time.

Also, be sure to get a color sheet or a larger swatch on the wall before investing in the color. That way you get an idea of what it will look like, Jayne said.

“If you still can’t see it or have that feeling it needs to be done by someone else, consult a professional,” Milton said. “Otherwise you could turn up with some costly interiors that don’t make sense.

If you do decide to hire a professional, interview him or her to make sure they have a good feel for the space, can keep your vision in mind without making it their own and they should be able to tell you about their plans for the space.

Supplies to have on hand

-Paint

-Paintbrushes, in a variety of sizes for complex corners

-Drop cloths

-Corner-edging tools

-Painters tape

-Vacuum and dust cloths for baseboards

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.